Reports are surfacing that the Golden State Warriors may make a play to acquire benched Dallas Mavericks' forward Lamar Odom, who has close ties to a Warriors coach -- in fact, he was best man at his wedding.
The husband of reality television star Khloe Kardashian has been benched for the rest of the season in Dallas because he reportedly showed a lack of heart to owner Mark Cuban.
Odom's benching opened the door for speculation about where the 32-year-old may play next season.
The Warriors were one team that was reported to have an interest in the small forward.
Friday, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle, highlighted a deep connection the Warriors have to Odom: Golden State assistant coach Jerry DeGregorio coached Odom in high school, college and the NBA. Oh, and DeGregorio just happened to be Odom's best man at his wedding.
DeGregorio has acted as a father figure to Odom since he was 16-years-old, according to Simmons.
During his best man speech at Odom's wedding, the coach reportedly made Khloe Kardashian promise to watch over Odom, the same way he promised the small forward's grandmother he would before she died.
"It's a promise you will be grateful you made, because you have realized very quickly what the rest of us have already known: It's very easy to love Lamar," DeGregorio said at the wedding according to the Chron. "Among all the many talents God gave Lamar, the very best part of Lamar is his amazing heart. ... There is nothing but love in this man's heart, Khloe. Don't ever, ever forget that."
There are of course problems with the scenario. Simmons points out that Odom's contract is too high for the Warriors to fit under the cap without trading away some high-priced players, such as Richard Jefferson.
