Tim touched on this is Leading Off this morning. But Rob Mahoney from The Two Man Game goes a bit deeper here. A taste:
This is no mirage. This cannot be explained away. This is life lingering in the back of a player’s mind, much as it has that pesky habit of doing. It’s not a distraction; basketball is the distraction, with reality as Odom’s far too haunting home. His cousin is gone. His father is ill. He’s a man with a lot going on between his ears, which is a far more healthy result than an overwhelming sense of numbness that might improve the performance of the player, but would ultimately be far more taxing on the man. Odom is dealing with things in the best ways that he knows how, and you’ll understand if he doesn’t apologize for how his personal trials might impact your favorite team.
