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I watched the Lakers loss to the Bulls last night. Although Howard only had five or seven shot attempts, he did not look good at all when he received the ball in the low post. His athleticism seems to be at a much lower level than before his back surgery. I'm thinking that maybe LA should think about trading Howard instead of Pau Gasol. They would certainly get more back for Howard at this point. If they trade Gasol, then they likely won't have either one next year.
I'll go out on a limb and say Howard won't win a title if he isn't with the lakers.
-It's rare for centers to get traded when they are 27, 28 years old and then win a title on another team. The problem is their skills start declining and they aren't as quick. And other teams usually don't build their teams around a center anymore. They've already got the guards and forwards in place.
An exception to that would be Shaq (but he had Kobe as his teammate, who's top 10 all time). Centers are also prone to very dangerous injuries (i.e. ralph sampson).
I'd rather gamble with the lakers and mitch than go somewhere else. Are you really going to do better than the lakers for the next 3-5 years? The lakers long term have been one of the best franchises in sports.
I'll go out on a limb and say Howard won't win a title if he isn't with the lakers.
-It's rare for centers to get traded when they are 27, 28 years old and then win a title on another team. The problem is their skills start declining and they aren't as quick.
Actually there are lots of examples of centers who peaked at 30. Hakeem, David Robinson, Ewing, Mourning, even Shaq were all at their peak at this age. The difference is all of them were more fundamentally skilled( yes, even Shaq who's generally not regarded as a 'fundamentally sound' player) than Howard has shown himself to be. He is far more reliant on being athletically superior to every other center, so any drop in explosiveness is going to impact him much more.
I watched the Lakers loss to the Bulls last night. Although Howard only had five or seven shot attempts, he did not look good at all when he received the ball in the low post. His athleticism seems to be at a much lower level than before his back surgery. I'm thinking that maybe LA should think about trading Howard instead of Pau Gasol. They would certainly get more back for Howard at this point. If they trade Gasol, then they likely won't have either one next year.
Keep in mind that the Bulls have the best defensive center in the league not named Dwight Howard and a blistering defense. I mean, they held Kobe to 4/8 in the first half and 3/14 in the 2nd half for a combined 32% FG for the game so it wasn't just Dwight struggling.
Gasol has no trade value at 20mil a year. They've been trying to trade him for over a year.
You may be correct that they should just trade Dwight, and sink deep into the lottery this year and next to rebuild.
I'd rather gamble with the lakers and mitch than go somewhere else. Are you really going to do better than the lakers for the next 3-5 years? The lakers long term have been one of the best franchises in sports.
The Lakers have all the same big dollar guys under their contract next year as this though and nobody is going to trade for them and give an improvement back. Although I do remember all the talk last year about how Sessions was going to be the missing piece that got the Lakers back to the championship, heck we had a thread about it last year.
With their contract bind, aging players and the salary cap structure that has closed the door on the types of manuevers that they did to get Shaq....this could be a long rebuild. Do you remember the years after Shaq left? And that was with Kobe developing into an elite player anchoring that squad.
I agree the Lakers are really well run but they gambled on this year and make no mistake, do you really think that the expiration of 4 of 5 starters at the same time was an accident by that sharp of a staff?
So, frankly I think the lakers might not even make the playoffs for the next 3-5 years....let alone be the best franchise option over the next 3-5 years. Really?
Actually there are lots of examples of centers who peaked at 30. Hakeem, David Robinson, Ewing, Mourning, even Shaq were all at their peak at this age. The difference is all of them were more fundamentally skilled( yes, even Shaq who's generally not regarded as a 'fundamentally sound' player) than Howard has shown himself to be. He is far more reliant on being athletically superior to every other center, so any drop in explosiveness is going to impact him much more.
Howard always looks worse when people skip over his big games to point out his quieter games.
I mean the guy just had a streak of 5 straight double doubles and is the leading rebounder in the NBA by a fair margin....and then people complain when he puts up an 8-9 in foul limited minutes because he has had to anchor the paint because his team is defensively in the bottom 1/4 of the league?
Howard is averaging 17+ and 12+ coming off major back surgery....in a system that is new...oh wait this is the 2nd new system and coach....trying to fit in and playing with Kobe whom occasionaly likes to put up 24 shots in a half.
And it's his fault the Lakers are bad and he needs to be traded? Bwah hah hah hah.
(I know these aren't your points, I'm just recapping the commentary from numerous threads we've had around here.)
The Lakers have all the same big dollar guys under their contract next year as this though and nobody is going to trade for them and give an improvement back. Although I do remember all the talk last year about how Sessions was going to be the missing piece that got the Lakers back to the championship, heck we had a thread about it last year.
With their contract bind, aging players and the salary cap structure that has closed the door on the types of manuevers that they did to get Shaq....this could be a long rebuild. Do you remember the years after Shaq left? And that was with Kobe developing into an elite player anchoring that squad.
I agree the Lakers are really well run but they gambled on this year and make no mistake, do you really think that the expiration of 4 of 5 starters at the same time was an accident by that sharp of a staff?
So, frankly I think the lakers might not even make the playoffs for the next 3-5 years....let alone be the best franchise option over the next 3-5 years. Really?
Long term, the lakers have been phenomenal. They have gotten out of holes before.
-The early 90's lull after magic retired and showtime disbanded. Remember the days of Randy Pfund, Elden Campell, Vlade, Anthony Peeler, Van Excel? The lakers in 93/94 won 33 games....didn't make the playoffs.
5 years later they've got a championship caliber team with Kobe, Shaq, Horry. Then they won the title the next year. Also, after they lost Shaq....
The lakers have probably lost more talented players and hall of famers in the last 25 years, and have come back....vs any other team in the league. This is a team that's cycled through Magic, Cooper, Worthy, Jabbar....Shaq and the core unit from 2000-2004 (rick fox, horry, harper), you lose all those guys you might think it's over. Then they got Gasol, Odom.
The lakers seem much more flexible than say....the bulls? When they lost jordan, pippen, kukoc, they went into the ice cellar for 5 or 7 years, didn't make the playoffs. Similar with the knicks after ewing. I think thats why people look so favorably to the lakers front office. They dont go ice cold for 5 or 7 years.
I can't see the lakers ever winning just 20 or 23 games like the bulls did after jordan. They're not going to be that bad.
-I wouldn't be surprised if they get another top 5 or 7 player in the next 3-5 years (like a derrick rose or lebron). There are always going to be guys.....either bored in the east, management is stale, isn't very dynamic, or lured by hollywood and the media. The lakers are a gigantic bulb that shines to almost every superstar in the league who isn't winning championships.
“That’s over with,” Howard said. “I can’t think about it. That was immature. I shouldn’t have done it, but today is a new day and today is a new game….
“People look at stats and sometimes, I myself look at and get caught up in stats, but stats don’t determine the game,” said Howard, now in his ninth season. “I can affect the game without even scoring the ball, so I got to get back on that. It’s not about how many points (I score), or whatever. I’ve been immature in the past in thinking that it’s all about shots because that’s what people want to see. They talk about points and how many times you score and all this stuff, but for me, it’s not even about scoring. It’s just about dominating and that’s bigger than just scoring points.”
The Lakers are a complete mess of a team. They went from being the class of the league to being the Oakland Raiders of basketball in the span of two seasons.
Personally, I just don't like Dwight Howard. He used to be one of my favorite players, but he has been quite the off-court spectacle the last two years. Whatever LeBron James' sins might have been for 'The Decision' pale in comparison to the circus that has been Dwight Howard, which is a shame, because he clearly has the potential to be a game-changer. I thought he was going to be what the Lakers needed to put them over the top this year, but obviously not. The idiotic hires at coaching haven't helped, but Howard can't run from this - he's a failure.
The other failure? None other than Kobe Bryant. I'm sorry, but his best days are behind him. He might light up the scoreboard from time to time, but the days of defenses fearing him and the days of coaches having to worry about him on both ends of the floor and taking over a game are now over. LeBron's the guy people worry about. CP3. Steph Curry maybe. But not Kobe. I also suspect Kobe's rage is a big reason why the team is melting down. Wouldn't be the first time a team of Laker All-Stars melted down because of Kobe. He's a great player and I appreciate his contributions to the Lakers, but if it weren't for Phil Jackson controlling him all those years, he'd still be without a single ring.
The Lakers need a complete makeover. Get rid of Kobe, Dwight, Gasol, and Nash now - trade them and go forward. I know there's no way they trade Kobe and probably no way they trade Dwight - they need @zzes in seats. But at minimum, everyone else is expendable. They'd get a lot for Kobe and Dwight though if they could trade them to contenders for some draft picks. Perhaps what they really need to do is to start with a vision for the team. What kind of team do they want? What kind of coach do they want to run it? What kind of personnel are required to put it into action?
I'd love to see the Lakers make a run at Popovich or another proven coach or assistant coach. Doc Rivers would work, too. Just offer them serious jack and make it happen. I've always thought that, this season aside, Rick Adelman would work with the right players and support from the front office. Start with the vision for the team. Get the coach. Get the players. Wait about two to three years. But the Phil Jackson/Kobe Lakers are finished. That era's over.
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