The Summer of 2012 was gonna be a time of change for the Los Angeles Lakers. This is a team that measures itself in NBA Titles not second round exits or even NBA Finals appearances. Well, I guess with an aging Kobe Bryant, the Lakers are all in if the reported trade for Dwight Howard comes to pass, which will send Andrew Bynum as well as Jason Richardson to the Sixers, Andre Iguodala to the Nuggets as well as Aaron Afflalo, Nikola Vucevic, Al Harrington, Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga and three draft picks to the Orlando Magic. Now let's look at who got what as well as the winners and losers of this proposed deal:
The Sixers may have gotten a Franchise player that they have been starving for since Allen Iverson brought fans to their feets every night in Philly. The second best NBA center in the game who has the capability to dominate like this. Something, that had eluded him when he played with Kobe during his seven years in Los Angeles. Yet, they have a player who has an injury history that might make some fans hold pause as well as immaturity issues. As seen right here.
Denver may have gotten another athlete who will thrive in the Run and Gun offense of the Mile High City. They added depth to a team that can potentially become a dark horse contender in the NBA if everything falls into place. But hey, this team is gonna be 10x more fun to watch considering they have a lock-down defender who could play against the Kobes, Wades and the Melo's of the world. The Nuggets lethal fastbreak will suit Iguodala's athleticism very nicely. In fact, they just got better just a few months after they pushed the Lakers to a 1st Round Seven Game Classic that was the essence of the contrast of styles.
Orlando perhaps is the biggest loser in that they may have panicked into making the Howard deal should David Stern approve the proposal. They could have had Andrew Bynum, or even the litter of Houston Rockets athletes/assets that they accumulated in the draft, trades and shrewd signings. Alas, they settle for what appears to be a pittance as well as not unloading any of their bad contracts ( Hedo Turkoglu's contract). The draft picks they got from all three teams may have relatively little value and it may take a Herculean effort to find gems out of those draft picks. As it looks right now, the Magic now face a few more dark years a la the Post-Shaq era.
For the Lakers, it's the Coup de Grace in an off-season where
change was the theme. A team that had seen better days, which had been
dismantled by the Dallas Mavericks and the ascendant Oklahoma City
Thunders. This team looked like it was going to fade away into oblivion
just as the final sands of Kobe Bryant's brilliant albeit with some
warts would end with playoff runs that would go no further than a round
or two maybe to the Conference Finals if they were lucky.
Give credit to GM Mitch Kupchak and.........JIM BUSS, the son of Dr.
Jerry Buss for doing nearly the impossible. In one fell swoop, they got
Steve Nash in a sign and trade for magic beans (2 first round picks
(2013 and 2015 along with two second round picks: 2013 and 2014) to the
Phoenix Suns on of all days: Fourth of July. They signed an effective
but aging Antawn Jamison who brings added punch to a beleaguered bench
that was utterly helpless, impotent and downright awful to watch. They
re-signed Jordan Hill to a modest deal who made himself a fan favorite
during his brief time with the Lakers. If you're scoring at home, they turned Lamar Odom's trade exception, the trades of Derek Fisher as well as Andrew Bynum into Steve Nash, Jordan Hill and now Dwight Howard. Amazing..... (update: The Lakers signed Jodie Meeks as the rich get richer).
The Summer of
2012 will forever be remembered by the Laker fans as a time where the
Lakes reloaded and became a Super Team. Now, the question is whether
this so-called Super Team can bring home the championship in 2013 and going forward especially considering that 3/4 of them are in their early to mid 30s. If
not, more changes could be afoot and perhaps Dwight Howard as well as others may be moving to a new address in the not too distant future.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Dwight Howard is now a Laker?
Well, it seems that the National Dwightmare has come to an end. Dwight Howard looks like he may be a Los Angeles Laker after all. It was a long time coming in a story that had a seemingly endless array of twists and turns like a roller coaster that would never end. In fact, it felt rather annoying that a man who makes a boatload of cash could not make a simple decision of where he wanted to play next season.
Mr. Howard initially wanted to go to the Nets because he wanted to form a brand. He had his chance at the trade deadline. Alas, he was strong-armed to stay because he didn't want to sign with the Lakers. The very team he will be traded should this 4-team trade finally become consummated on Friday morning.
As for The Brooklyn Nets, they took themselves out of the lottery. They felt that they could not wait any longer for Dwight Howard to make up his mind. So, the Nets, moved into another direction by trading for Joe Johnson, signing Brook Lopez, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries and of course Deron Williams. That's a playoff team but not a Championship contender.
It'll be interesting to see how he will fit on this Laker team that has Gasol, Nash and of course, Kobe Bryant. Howard said at one point, that he would not be a third guy on the Lakers. He wanted to be the Alpha man not a another Tyson Chandler. There were concerns of his rehab following a debilitating back spasms injury that to a team that had dealt with similar problems with Andrew Bynum who ironically had best season ever in 2011-12 but had his share of injuries.
Yet, with Nash throwing him Alley Oops and easy buckets in transition as a reward to the fruits of his labor on the defensive end. It just might make the transition to playing for the Lakers a little easier and for the team as well. After all, it helps to have a pass-first PG something that the Lakers have been lacking since the Great Magic Johnson hung it up in 1996. The Nash trade to the Lakers may perhaps have been a big reason why Dwight Howard will at the moment barring any unexpected shenanigans become a Los Angeles Laker. (late update: At last it happened.)
Mr. Howard initially wanted to go to the Nets because he wanted to form a brand. He had his chance at the trade deadline. Alas, he was strong-armed to stay because he didn't want to sign with the Lakers. The very team he will be traded should this 4-team trade finally become consummated on Friday morning.
As for The Brooklyn Nets, they took themselves out of the lottery. They felt that they could not wait any longer for Dwight Howard to make up his mind. So, the Nets, moved into another direction by trading for Joe Johnson, signing Brook Lopez, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries and of course Deron Williams. That's a playoff team but not a Championship contender.
It'll be interesting to see how he will fit on this Laker team that has Gasol, Nash and of course, Kobe Bryant. Howard said at one point, that he would not be a third guy on the Lakers. He wanted to be the Alpha man not a another Tyson Chandler. There were concerns of his rehab following a debilitating back spasms injury that to a team that had dealt with similar problems with Andrew Bynum who ironically had best season ever in 2011-12 but had his share of injuries.
Yet, with Nash throwing him Alley Oops and easy buckets in transition as a reward to the fruits of his labor on the defensive end. It just might make the transition to playing for the Lakers a little easier and for the team as well. After all, it helps to have a pass-first PG something that the Lakers have been lacking since the Great Magic Johnson hung it up in 1996. The Nash trade to the Lakers may perhaps have been a big reason why Dwight Howard will at the moment barring any unexpected shenanigans become a Los Angeles Laker. (late update: At last it happened.)
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