Khloé Kardashian Odom Helped Rid Lamar Odom of Bad Influences, but He Needs "to Learn to Say No"

Source tells E! News that Lamar had a lot of baggage before he met Khloé, so reports of his latest struggles aren't that surprising

The consensus among many who have known and worked with Lamar Odom is that he is a great guy. But some of those people are also not particularly surprised by reports of his recent struggles.

"I'm not totally shocked," a source tells E! News, referring to stories about Lamar's legal and personal issues, including rerpots of marital trouble between him and wife Khloé Kardashian Odom. "He needs people around him to love him. He has had a lot of baggage around him for a long time."

Lamar referenced as much when he broke his public silence in a TwitLonger posting on Tuesday, writing that "demons may be the ONLY thing" he inherited from his estranged father, Joe.

"Lamar needs to learn how to say the word no," the source continued. "He is the nicest guy you'll ever meet. He would do anything for anybody."

But that doesn't always bode well for the doer.

When Lamar got together with Khloé, the source said, "she got rid of a lot of hangers-on that were negative influences."

"We are concerned for him and praying for him," the insider added. "He needs help. He has to have someone with fortitude. He is very sensitive and his image is very important to him, [as is] being liked, and it makes it hard to say no. He cares about what people think of him."

"What surprises me is that he made it [in life], so why [the problems] now?" the source said.

Meanwhile, we've been told that Khloé and Lamar have been in contact as he's been dealing with his issues and the fallout from his Aug. 30 arrest for alleged DUI. His arraignment is scheduled for tomorrow, though he's not required to accompany his lawyer to court because the charge is a misdemeanor. 

The source also told E! News that a friend of Lamar's from New York flew out to L.A. last week to attempt to stage an intervention, but Lamar didn't show up to meet him.

However, Khloé and her family saw Lamar's tweet as a "promising" sign that he's "finally on the right track."

He looked "great and healthy" just last night, an eyewitness told us after seeing Lamar outside the L.A. apartment building where he's been staying in recent weeks.

He and Khloé, who has continued to wear her sizable wedding ring while out and about this month, will mark four years of marriage tomorrow.