Vinny Del Negro said that he's attempting to keep Lamar Odom "engaged."

Not exactly what you want to hear from a head coach about a player who went through what Odom did last season. "He knows he needs to play better. He's lost some weight. He needs to lose more." Del Negro wasn't shy about his assessment of Odom, but the Clippers will stick with him as he attempts to round his way back into form.

Lamar Odom (illness) played 19 minutes on Monday, scoring no points to go along with two boards and three steals.

He was able to play despite missing shootaround, but Odom is not a fantasy asset.

Lamar Odom (illness) missed morning shootaround and is expected to Monday's game against the Hornets.

Odom is playing just 12 minutes per game for the Clippers and isn't really a factor in standard fantasy leagues.

Lamar Odom is averaging career lows in minutes (10.8), rebounds (2.2) and points per game (1.8).

After a forgettable year in Dallas, Odom's struggles have continued with the Clippers. The former Laker says he's gotten his weight down and Vinny Del Negro says it will take time for Odom's contributions to show up. Fantasy owners shouldn't wait around for that to happen. His usefulness is long since over.

Lamar Odom had two points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks in just 17 minutes off the Clippers bench on Wednesday.

We have no idea how he blocked four shots tonight, but the full stat line is much more encouraging that the 17 minutes. He might be worth a pick up at some point this season, but not yet.

Lamar Odom is expected to play in Wednesday's opener, but will likely see limited minutes as he struggles through a bruised foot and conditioning issues.

Odom should play better than he did last year in Dallas, but that wouldn't take much of an effort. Maybe he'll bounce back at some point, but he's not a player fantasy owners should be targeting right now.

Lamar Odom (bruised foot) returned to practice on Monday.

Odom's conditioning isn't where it needs to be and he remains iffy for the Clippers' opener on Wednesday. He should be left on the waiver wire until he resembles the talented player we remember.

Lamar Odom (bruised foot) isn't sure whether he'll be able to play in the Clippers' season opener on Wednesday.

Odom came to training camp out of shape and overweight, and he hasn't been able to play in the past five exhibitions, so temper your expectations. When asked about his status, Odom slipped into the third-person. "I've got to be a mature Lamar," he said. "I've got to take this body on a test run in practice ... I know myself. I can go out there with adrenaline and play well and then be saying 'ouch' the next day."

Vinny Del Negro said that he's hopeful Lamar Odom will be ready for the season opener.

Odom has been battling a knee bruise in addition to conditioning issues, and Del Negro said that Odom knows "he needed to be in better shape coming in." Reports on Odom have been consistently negative throughout the preseason, and owners in standard formats should aim much higher toward the end of your draft.

Lamar Odom said that he's regained his focus after "spiritual and psychological counseling."

Odom is out of shape and is bothered by a knee bruise, but at least he's entering the season in good mental health. "I had to take care of myself mentally before anything else," he said. He admitted that the version of LO we saw in Dallas "wasn't him," but he hasn't made the greatest impression with the Clippers to date. The forward anticipates being ready for the season opener.

Lamar Odom (knee, conditioning) and Grant Hill (sore knees) are both not practicing with their teammates.

Both may not even play another game in the preseason. Each is doing conditioning work like working out in a pool to "avoid stress of running and jumping," but it's not the way the Clippers wanted to go into the season.

Lamar Odom did not play in Monday's preseason game with the Kings due to a bone bruise on his knee.

Vinny Del Negro wasn't exactly clear when relaying this report, but we know that Odom's conditioning has been an issue and this time he doesn't have another city to blame it on. At this point Odom is on the 'do not draft' list in all but the deepest formats.

Vinny Del Negro expressed concern over Lamar Odom's physical conditioning.

Odom sat out on Wednesday due to "fatigue," and the versatile forward clearly isn't in peak form. "There's no question, I've talked to him about it," Del Negro said. Odom should fare better now that he's back in familiar Los Angeles after a wasted season in Dallas, but this isn't an ideal beginning, and some of the hype has been overblown. We're watching him closely.

Lamar Odom failed to score on Thursday, but did have eight rebounds in 16 minutes of a loss to the Heat in China.

He missed all three of his shots, and while there is a lot of hype about Odom's career being reborn now that he's back in L.A., that was not the case today. Monitor him throughout the preseason.

Lamar Odom has decided to skip playing for the Olympics this summer, instead remaining in L.A. to train and prepare for next season.

Odom is coming off the worst season of his career, fraught with weighty off-court issues, and the Clippers have to be thrilled that he's so locked-in that he'd pass on Team USA.

Lamar Odom is confident that he'll be a "good fit" with the Clippers after suffering through the worst season of his professional career in 2011-12.

"[Last season] was hard for me after all I went through off the court last summer," said Odom. "The death of my cousin, the death of someone from a car accident I was involved in. For me, it was one too many things to deal with." He scrapped his reality TV show to focus on basketball and at 32 years old it's certainly possible that he'll play well in a reserve role for the Clips.

Lamar Odom was traded to Clippers on Friday in a 3-team deal including the Mavs and Jazz.

Mo Williams got sent to the Jazz and the Jazz sent the Mavs a trade exception for its quest to land Deron Williams. As for the Clippers, they're trading one headache for another, as Williams had worn out his welcome in L.A. and Odom basically took the year off in Dallas. It's certainly conceivable that Odom tanked his season and has more in the tank for the Clippers, but playing next to Caron Butler, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan his upside doesn't match the risk.

The Jazz may be the third team in a possible deal that would send Lamar Odom from the Mavericks to the Clippers.

ESPN.com is suggesting that the deal hinges on whether or not Mo Williams would accept his $8.5 million player option to play with the Jazz next season. But if he opts out and becomes a free agent, the Odom-to-Clippers scenario is likely to fall apart. Williams has until Saturday to make a decision and also started his career with the Jazz in 2003.

The Mavs have not pursued an extension on the deadline to make a decision on Lamar Odom.

The Mavs have until Friday to make a decision on Odom, and the team will look for a trade that is mutually beneficial for both Odom and the team before that time. If they're unable to find a taker, Dallas will likely waive him.

The Clippers are reportedly discussing a trade with the Mavericks that would bring Lamar Odom back to the team that originally drafted him, according to ESPN.

A third team would have to get involved and likely take on the contract of Mo Williams from the Clippers, which would then clear the way for the Mavericks to ship Odom there cheaply. A deal doesn't sound near completion, and the Mavs have until Friday to buyout the final year of Odom's contract. That deadline could potentially be extended into July if a deal isn't done by then. But based on last season's disaster, the only place Odom would seem to be a lock to provide fantasy value would be in L.A., but playing for the Lakers instead of the Clippers.