Lamar Odom has returned home to Los Angeles after two weeks of strenuous workouts with renowned trainer Rob McClanaghan and is awaiting word on the next step in his NBA comeback, league sources told CBSSports.com on Tuesday.
Odom, whose tumultuous summer included a DUI arrest and the breakup of his marriage to reality TV star Khloe Kardashian, could be ready to help a team as early as mid-January, one person briefed on his condition said. But Odom, 34, did not do any contact basketball drills during his training stint in Rhode Island with McClanaghan, who also trains NBA stars Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love and others.
"He's not ready yet," said a person briefed on his training regimen.
Odom visited Clippers officials in mid-November to discuss a possible return. The Clippers are continuing to monitor Odom's progress with an eye toward reuniting with the troubled swingman after a mediocre season as a role player last year. Odom, the No. 4 pick in the 1999 draft and a staple of the Lakers' back-to-back championships in 2009 and '10, hasn't been a consistent threat on the floor since the Lakers traded him to the Mavericks in December 2011.