Lamar Odom won’t play again for Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks and Lamar Odom have parted ways.

The NBA’s reigning sixth man of the year and the defending NBA champions who are trying to make sure they get back to the playoffs made it clear Monday that their partnership is over after an underwhelming 50-game stint.

“We’ve got to be able to look down that bench and count on folks to be consistent,” General Manager Donnie Nelson said. “Unfortunately, with him in his state right now, he’s just not capable of doing that. I say that with his best interest in mind. He’s going through a very, very tough personal time. We certainly understand that. But we’re in the thick of it in the West and we’ve got to win games.”

Odom will be on the inactive list and not play again for the Mavericks, who were seventh in the Western Conference standings with nine games left in the regular season.

Even when wife and reality TV co-star Khloe Kardashian was in the stands near the Mavericks’ bench, Odom never seemed happy or comfortable in Dallas. His averages of 6.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 20.5 minutes were career lows, and he was booed by the home crowd as the sluggish performances multiplied.

Odom agreed with Nelson that it was a mutual decision for him to step away from the team.

“I’m sorry that things didn’t work out better for both of us,” Odom told ESPN.com. “But I wish the Mavs’ organization, my teammates and Dallas fans nothing but continued success in the defense of their championship.”

ETC.

NCAA investigates Baylor basketball

Less than a week after its women’s basketball team won the national championship, Baylor said it has been involved in a three-year investigation with the NCAA into what are believed to be hundreds of impermissible phone calls and text messages sent by coaches to young prospects.

The school did not describe any details of the investigation, including which sports were involved, but the announcement came a few hours after ESPN.com reported that coaches for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs had made more than 1,200 calls and text messages to prospects over a 29-month span dating to 2008. ESPN.com cited an NCAA report it had obtained.

The NCAA may hand out harsher punishment than what is listed in the report, which details a number of self-imposed penalties, including barring women’s Coach Kim Mulkey from recruiting off-campus in July and fewer scholarships for both programs.

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Thomas Robinson, the brawny Kansas forward who overcame personal tragedy to lead his team to a national runner-up finish this season, is leaving for the NBA.

Robinson, the first unanimous first-team All-American since Blake Griffin, led the Jayhawks to the national championship game against Kentucky, which they lost, 67-59.

He averaged 17.9 points and 11.8 rebounds per game in 31.8 minutes in his junior season and led the nation with 27 double-doubles.

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John Jenkins, the Southeastern Conference’s top scorer the last two seasons, is passing up his final year at Vanderbilt and hiring an agent as he makes himself available for the NBA draft.

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Oregon State guard Jared Cunningham is skipping his senior season and making himself available for the NBA draft.

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Three Colorado State football players were suspended as police investigate an assault near the campus that injured four people, two of them seriously.

Fort Collins police said Monday that no one has been arrested. Police declined to say whether the suspended football players have been interviewed, citing the continuing investigation.

Colorado State identified the suspended players as Nordly Capi, Colton Paulhus and Mike Orakpo.

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Kansas Coach Charlie Weis suspended James Sims for the first three games of the 2012 season after the Jayhawks’ leading rusher was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle under the influence.

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The Seattle Seahawks agreed to terms with longtime cornerback Marcus Trufant on a one-year deal.