The goal remains the same, but the timetable continues to change just slightly.

Lamar Odom and his agent had hoped to sign an offer sheet with the Heat by today, but it now seems likely that Odom will not sign one until this weekend -- at the earliest.

Odom is in New York, while Heat coach Pat Riley and Odom's agent, Jeff Schwartz, are negotiating in Los Angeles. The dollar amount on a possible contract remains a slight issue, but the main hold-up is the fact the Heat wants to be assured the Los Angeles Clippers will not match such a deal.

Odom went a long way in boosting Miami's confidence with his comments Wednesday, which included: ``I feel like my relationship with the Clippers is over. From my understanding, no one wants to hire a disgruntled employee or bring a disgruntled employee back.

``I would not be happy coming back. I think my career is going to take off with the Heat. I'm running in muddy waters with the Clippers.''

Members of the Clippers' front office expressed surprise regarding the comments but offered no official comment.

Odom will return to Los Angeles on Sunday to take part in the negotiations. Heat general manager Randy Pfund also plans to join the talks this weekend.

The offer sheet the parties are negotiating is believed to be worth between $60 million and $70 million over six years. Odom said Wednesday he would be opposed to signing a one-year tender with the Clippers and would prefer to play for Miami this season.