He hugged Metta World Peace at midcourt

Reality TV cameras followed him from the moment he arrived at Staples Center. He looked spry on the court, attacking the gucci outlet 2012 basket and finding open teammates. He even received an enormous standing ovation when he entered the game.

Of course, there was that one little matter of wearing a Dallas Mavericks jersey instead of Lakers colors.

Oh yeah, that.

"It's surreal," Odom said, trying to capture his first visit to Staples Center since being traded last month for a future first-round pick.

He hugged Metta World Peace at midcourt before Monday's game and shared a private on-court laugh with Kobe Bryant in the second quarter, the moment lingering a little too long only because Odom didn't know he was being subbed out for Shawn Marion.

Predictably, Odom had one of his better games of a season in which he has started slowly. Odom, the NBA sixth man of the year last season with the Lakers, came in averaging 6.8 points, five rebounds and unsteady 31.2% accuracy for Dallas. He had seven points in the first quarter Monday, but he cooled off after that, finishing with 10 points and four rebounds in the Lakers' 73-70 victory.

Long before the teams took the court, Odom was in a reflective mood. He had stashed away plenty of favorite memories from his time with the Lakers, but one stood out.

Naturally, it involved the Boston Celtics, and the Lakers' anxiety-inducing 83-79 victory in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals.

"Everybody had to grit it out, do more than one thing," Odom said. "It was a big-time fight, two styles that contradict each other. Nobody gave up an easy basket gucci outlet cheap.

"I couldn't stomach Paul Piece being able to walk [triumphantly] around Staples Center. I couldn't see that. I couldn't see [Kevin] Garnett huffing and puffing in Staples Center. All I could envision was them walking off in sorrow."

Kobe in, Bynum out

No surprise: Bryant was selected as one of 20 finalists for the U.S. Olympic basketball team.

Also no surprise: Andrew Bynum was not selected.

The Lakers center recently said he would rather not play internationally during the summer.

"I haven't been thinking about it," Bynum said last week. "It's definitely something that's a great honor to do and all that, but for me right now, the health of my knees and stuff like that — I don't know if long summers are the best thing for me." Gucci women shoes, cheap gucci sneakers boots for women outlet 2012.