''If I'm going to be the guy who smiles with my hand on the trophy, I've got to be the guy who takes the responsibility,'' Cuban said. ''It was just my initiative, just paying attention. ... I was working with him, tried to get him back on the horse. When I failed, it was my job to recognize it, and deal with it."
Nobody enjoys seeing a player with a unique skillset sidelined for apparent personality issues as the NBA season reaches its climax, but it's been clear from the start that Odom's stay in Dallas was ill-fated. Odom felt at home in Los Angeles -- championships will help that -- and seemingly was unfit for coming off the bench for a team that had just gotten rid of key components of a championship squad, especially when that squad was willing to send him to the D-League (before various circumstances prevented that from happening). This was last year's Sixth Man of the Year, and between personal issues including a murdered cousin and a fatal car accident resulting in the death of a teenager, a reality show, and a transition from a beloved role in a place he called home to an opposite scenario, Odom will be out of the picture as the NBA season culminates. Cuban's statements make it clear that this wasn't going to work out.
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