ProJo on Odom

[Mike Dynon <mdynon@ix.netcom.com>]

Here's one columnist's view about Odom.  Normally, Jim Donaldson makes
Peter May look like a Pulitzer Prize winner, but here he makes sense for
a change.  When Odom announced he was leaving, URI fans were
disappointed, but none of my Ram-fan friends have expressed excitement
about his reversal.  Besides, the chance of the NCAA ruling against
itself is practically zero.
--
Mike Dynon
North Kingstown, RI

_________________________
6.18.99 00:08:46 
JIM DONALDSON
There's blame aplenty in L'Affaire Lamar: URI, Odom at fault 

It's pathetic. 

This whole sad, sorry, sordid, squalid saga of Lamar Odom is pathetic. 

He's pathetic. 

The University of Rhode Island -- in particular, president Bob ``The
Nutty Professor'' Carothers -- looks pathetic. 

Carothers has disappeared in the midst of this latest fiasco the way
Lamar so often did when he was ostensibly pursuing his
oh-so-demanding studies on the Kingston campus. 

Odom signed with an agent. 

And not some fly-by-night,
meet-me-behind-the-student-union-and-I'll-hand-you-a-suitcase-full-of-money
kind of agent, but a reputable lawyer with a prestigious New York firm,
among whose clients was former New York Yankees star Dave
Winfield. 

A perceptive agent who, after three weeks of trying to deal with Odom's
bizarre behavior, had had enough, and resigned. 

Finally, somebody, somewhere was smart enough to wash his hands of
this immature, irresponsible, spoiled, pampered young athlete who,
because of talent and potential, always has managed to get people to do
things for him, to make life easy for him, to make sure that no matter
what he does, everything works out for him and there are no unpleasant
consequences of his actions. 

Odom signed with an agent, thus losing his collegiate eligibility,
because
he had every intention of turning pro. 

In one of his rare appearances on campus this spring, Odom held a huge
press conference to announce that he was on his way to the NBA. 

He brought his entire entourage -- aged grandmother, often-absent
father, domineering aunt, previously low-profile girlfriend and their
baby
-- up from New York in snazzy cars to attend the gala event. 

He had wavered and waffled, hemmed and hawed and hesitated since
the Rams were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round
in mid-March, but finally Odom had made a decision -- he would turn
pro. 

Now he's having second thoughts. 

Is there something in the water at URI? 

Can't anybody make up their mind? Can't anyone make a decision and
stick with it? 

Jim Harrick announces he's leaving to coach at Georgia. Jim Harrick
says, no, he's coming back to URI. On third thought, Harrick says, I'm
going to Georgia after all. 

I'm turning pro, says Odom. Oh, gee, do I have to? he asks a month
later. 

And what does Carothers say? 

Is he closeted in his office, poring over Greek myths, trying to put
together a three-paragraph parable to explain why it's fine and dandy
with the university that Odom missed more than a month of classes in the
spring sememster, failed to take finals for the second time in four
semesters, disappeared when he was supposed to be part of the search
committee seeking a replacement for Harrick, and then forfeited his
eligibility by signing with an agent after announcing he was turning
pro? 

Everybody says they want to help Lamar. 

Why is it that nobody seems to want to help him grow up? 

When his grades were so bad that he wasn't going to be able to play
basketball at Christ The King, he simply searched for another school
that
would take him. 

And, of course, somebody was eager to help. Undoubtedly because he
was such a wonderful kid. The fact he also was a great player certainly
had nothing to do with it. 

So he went, first, to Redemption Christian Academy, and then into the
welcoming arms of Jerry DeGregorio at St. Thomas Aquinas. 

Next, there were questions about Odom's unusually-high ACT score,
with the NCAA wondering if someone else had taken it for him. There
also were questions about his recruitment by the University of
Nevada-Las Vegas. 

When the Runnin' (from the NCAA) Rebels decided to avoid scrutiny
and cut Lamar loose, there were Jerry D., Bobby C., coach Harrick and
the oh-so-serious academic community at URI, waiting with open arms. 

Andy Katzenmoyer and Ohio State have caught all kinds of
well-deserved grief for the courses he took and grades he received in
order to remain eligible to play for the Buckeyes, but he's a Rhodes
Scholar compared to Odom. 

No matter what Lamar does -- or doesn't do -- the Rams stand by their
man, desperate in their desire to have a good basketball team. 

Nobody says: ``Lamar, we gave you every opportunity to succeed. You
had a good time and a terrific season. Then you said you were turning
pro. You signed with an agent. There's no way we could make you
eligible and maintain even a shred of academic credibility. So we wish
you well in the NBA. And if you'd like to write us a sizable check to
help
with building the new convocation center, we'd appreciate it.'' 

Now, regarding the NBA -- if you were general manager of the Bulls, of
the Grizzlies, or the Hornets, would you take him? 

Would you be willing to give millions of dollars to a kid who, while
obviously talented, just as clearly has mixed feelings about turning
pro,
who has made plain his concerns about whether he's ready to play at the
highest level? 

Everyone agrees that, talent-wise, Odom is one of the top three players
in the draft. He very well may be the first player taken. 

Even now, somebody surely will take him high, figuring they can help him
mature, and they will have a great player. 

``We've got to remember Randy Moss,'' said Charlotte vice-president
Bob Bass. 

What's important to remember about Moss is that instead of having
people bend over backwards to help him, the way Odom has, he kept
having doors slammed in his face. 

Moss was going to Notre Dame until he ran afoul of the law. That's when
the Irish told him not to bother to show up in South Bend. So Moss went
to Florida State, where he was booted out after failing a drug test. He
wound up at Marshall, a big-time talent at a small-time program. And
when time came for the NFL draft, most teams felt he was too big a risk,
that his highly questionable character overshadowed his considerable
abilities. 

So Moss came into the NFL with a lot of things to prove. He entered the
league with a chip on his shoulder and a burning desire to compete. 

Odom has shown no such desire. He obviously is not eager to compete
at the highest level. He clearly cannot deal with the expectations that
will
come with being a high pick and getting a big contract. 

He was the only top prospect who didn't bother to show up for the
NBA's two-day battery of physical tests in Chicago. Which raises the
question of just why Odom might be reluctant to submit to a physical
exam. 

Everything always has been made easy for Lamar. When things get
tough, he can't handle it. 

It's pathetic. 

He looks pathetic. URI looks pathetic. The whole sad, sorry, sordid,
squalid business is pathetic. 

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