Lamar Odom signs with New York Knicks for NBA comeback

New York Knicks president Phil Johnson must be a betting man, because he’s definitely taking a chance on Lamar Odom: Phil announced on Wednesday they negotiated a deal for “the remainder of the season” and non-guaranteed second season. With this season coming to a close, that really means the Knicks hope Lamar will focus, strengthen and improve over the summer.

“By signing him now the Knicks have effectively sidestepped all of the league’s rules regarding offseason contact between teams and free agents as they relate to Odom,” explained Sport Illustrated‘s Rob Mahoney. “Non-guaranteed deals can be functionally wiped away with just a bit of paperwork, leaving the Knicks with very little risk in such an arrangement. If Odom is able to contribute, though, he could help ease New York into the triangle offense after his years of experience initiating it as a Laker. When committed, Odom is a versatile two-way player that any team would be lucky to have at a bargain salary.”

Lamar previously played for Phil Johnson on the Los Angeles Lakers. However, Khloe Kardashian’s estranged husband experienced a very public downfall last summer when he was accused of using crack and was charged with a DUI. He signed with a Euroleague team in February, but was benched after a couple of games because of a persistent back injury.

Hopefully having a specific goal to work toward for the 2014-2015 season will be a good thing for Lamar. Gotta say we’re rooting for him.