Lamar Odom Lakers accused of "lacking" respect as a professional and person

Lamar Odom took a little turn in the spotlight in the 'Media Day' from his new team, the Mavericks, publicly accusing his former franchise, Los Angeles Lakers, of having "failed" to respect as a professional and person.

Odom said the way the directors of the Lakers managed the unsuccessful attempt to transfer to the Hornets Chris Paul New Oleans was "regrettable" and without respect for a player who had helped get two league titles.

The new Mavericks player said it hurt the Lakers' decision to send him to the Hornets, but what affected him was the failure to inform him of what they intended to do.

The Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reported that the change which led to Odom to Dallas for a first round selection was done in less than three hours after the Lakers leave the negotiation of three teams that had sent Paul the Hornets.

Odom, who wore the white jersey local Mavericks first spoke about his separation from the team he played for the past six seasons and won two titles.

The player explained that he and his agent, Jeff Schwartz, had no idea that he was involved in a potential transfer with three teams involved.

When he learned immediately made known to the managers of the Lakers who had offended: "I will not speak ill of New Orleans, but there is where I wanted to be. No disrespect to anyone on the team or the city or management, but not where I want to be after playing with the Lakers. It's hard for me to imagine starting over there. "

Odom went further in his assessment of the situation and said that the way in which the Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchack handled it bothered him more than the fact that he was leaving Los Angeles and that his destiny was the franchise of the Hornets: "He had no class or type of personality to me informed of what's going to do. I had no more to talk to him, simply overstep I asked immediately, but the team that I wanted."

Odom wanted to make it clear that before anything else is a professional who deserves respect at work and as a person, not an object: "It was not to go or not New Orleans. It was on as they did. I do not feel respected me. After being there so long and go through so much, I think they could just tell me and probably would have agreed. If someone says you can not be here or there is no room for you, one can understand. I think that's why I took a very personal way. "

Odom was categorical when he said he had much more "class" and "personality" Kupchack, because he told to his face that did not want to go more with the Lakers.

The new Mavericks player also thanked the reaction of affection and gratitude that they had shown all his former teammate, starting with Kobe Bryant and the Spanish power forward Pau Gasol, who had also been included in the transfer, and said he understood that his position on this has been very different from yours: "It is normal to have recognized that sending the Mavericks was not the best option for the team's interests, yet have failed to understand my behavior for what happened."