Rhode Island’s Odom Still in Draft

Rhode Island sophomore forward Lamar Odom, who sought this week to pull out of the NBA draft despite having signed with an agent, will turn pro after all.

The school announced Friday that it will not seek a waiver that would allow Odom, considered a top five prospect in the June 30 draft, to return to college ball.

Odom, who played only one season with the Rams, lost his collegiate eligibility May 26 when he signed a contract with an agent. But he soon changed his mind.

“During his time away, he realized he was just a piece of property,” assistant athletic director John Vanner said.

Odom’s agent resigned Tuesday.

Rhode Island officials spent four days deciding whether they had enough of a case to appeal to the NCAA for a waiver of its eligibility rules. In the end, they bailed out.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers said they will exercise their option to use Boston’s first round pick--the eighth overall--in the draft.

The Cavaliers acquired the selection in the March 11 trade with the Celtics that sent Vitaly Potapenko to Boston for Andrew DeClercq.

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Turns out next Friday, not this Sunday, is the official deadline for Shaquille O’Neal to decide whether he wants to exercise the clause in his Laker contract that could make him a free agent and allow him to negotiate a potential seven-year, $151.62-million contract with the team.

Until recently, both sides had been working under the assumption that Sunday was the deadline, but a closer look indicated that O’Neal’s had five more days to make the choice.

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Staff Writer Tim Kawakami contributed to this story.