Magic Posturing About Keeping Dwight Howard Until Feb. 2013?

second best by default? Who did he beat out for that prestigious title? If he goes out w/ an injury, who is now 2nd best? Would we want that person then too? Get a clue man. Dwight is a superstar, compared to him, Bynum aint ish.

If they want Bynum, let them Morey him in free agency. None of this Howard goes to them, and Bynum comes here BS as if Bynum is some prized possession. And if the Rockets are that stupid, yes I will be done w/ them. No if, ands, or buts.

 

Bynum won't give away it bird right.

 

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I just don't see the position of still wanting to trade for Dwight if i were the Rockets anymore. With today's events it's 100% clear he does not want to come to Houston. As much as it sucks to be rejected like that, he's kind of doing you guys a favor by coming out and letting Morey know this before hand. For those who say "screw it, call his bluff". That seems like such an unnecessaryrisk to me. When Dwight(or more probable his Agent Dan Fegan) states that he will absolutely walk to Dallas at the end of the season, i don't see how you can take the extreme risk of trading for Dwight over trading for Bynum.

With Bynum you will likely have to give up lessand at the same time the risk of Bynum walking from Houston is incredibly low. Think about his situation in Houston. He get's to be THE man on offense and defense. The offense will run through him. He will get to play with a coach in McHale who is a specialist when it comes to bigs. He will be able to re-sign here for 5 years and make the most amount of money instead of walking. Bynum has also already accomplished the things most players are after. He has played on a big market team AND won championships. He did that as a 2nd, 3rd and even 4th option. Don't you think he's dying for a chance to finally be THE guy on a team. He's 24 years old, just coming into his physical prime and is coming off a hectic season where he avoided injury. Injuries i remind you that were pretty freak incidences (guys falling onto his knee's ect). Of course injuries are a risk, their a risk with every player, but these are the risks you have to take.

As for this whole argument about creating a Lakers 'superteam'. The Lakers already have a superteam and are one of the favorites to win it all. Houston isn't in a position to content as currently constructed, with Bynum, or even with Howard. Houston is likely 2-3 years out from possibly being true contenders again. Guess what happens in 2-3 years for the Lakers? Kobe will be 36/37 and not under contract. Gasol will be 35/36 years old and not under contract. Nash will be 41/42 and not under contract. The Lakers would have a 29/30 yr old Dwight, with lot's of holes that would need to be filled. I think it would be very reasonable to assume Houston would be in a better position than the Lakers at this point.

In all, these kind of debates are a bit silly because in the end it's not up to us. (thank god) It's up to your GM Daryl Morey and being that he is one of the best GM's in the league, i think you guys will be find and happy with whatever the outcome is. My only hope is that you realize 'settling' for Bynum seems like a fantastic move for the franchise and gambling on Howard seems like an incredibly unnecessary risk. A risk i don't see Morey taking over the prospects of Bynum and/or standing pat with the roster how it is.

Thanks for reading this to those of you that did, and as a Lakers fan i mean no hostility. I came on here to have friendly discussions with you guys because of everything that's happen.

 

Fair enough. My line of thought is that the Los Angeles Lakers with Dwight Howard is the worst case scenario for the rest of the Western Conference. Regardless of how likely that a star would otherwise choose to play there, having Dwight Howard there will make it much more likely. This can and probably would directly impact our pursuit of free agents in the future. It's not just a matter of settling for Bynum. It's probability of improving the Lakers for the long haul. Making our team better can be completely negated by making the Lakers that much harder to beat.

 

I think i address this point very well in my long post above

 

A rook like Lamb or Dmo + 10m cap space + raptor 1st round + Mavs 1st round + 4 2nd round for Bynum is going to work. It is not a favor at all.

 

It is just like Howard think making Lopez a magic is doing them a favor. NO IT IS NOT.

 

Leave Patterson/Morris/Tor Pick/Dal Pick/2 NY 2nd rounders on the back porch of Orlando and move on.

 

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I completely understand where you are coming from Debriz, and I appreciate you coming over here with quality takes from the other side while being respectful.

I'm not convinced at all that Dwight would walk. A LOT can happen in a year. We have a very cheap, moveable roster with high upside and a lot of draft picks to build a team around Howard in a hurry. We will likely be in position to offer another max contract next year as well. Howard wants to be a Laker. If he gets traded to the Rockets, he'll never be a Laker. What would you do in his position? I'd tell the Rockets I'd walk too, even if I didn't mean it. Hell, I'd tell them I'd go to Dallas as well just to piss them off because they're a rival. Words are wind, and the fact of the matter is, there's no way to know what can happen a year from now.

About LA already being a super team, maybe they are. BUT, their window will close soon, and Dwight would be a great, GREAT leg up on forming another one very quickly. It's just bad business to facilitate Dwight to LA.

 

It would be funny if Dwight leaves and we are stuck with Turkoglu's contract.

 

This may be shocking but i actually think keeping Bynum on the Lakers is actually the smarter choice for the Lakers when it comes to the future.

Think about it. 3 years from now would you rather have a 29 year old Dwight coming out of his physical prime (a player, keep in mind that HEAVILY relies on his athleticism to be dominant.) Or would you prefer a 27 year old Andrew Bynum (who relies on his height and more importantly his SKILL. Bynum generates his points by his very refined and skilled post game rather than barreling his way into the paint for dunks (Howard). Another piece of evidence of this is that Bynum is an excellent FT shooter as a big man compared to Dwight who is absolutely horrible.)

So with all that in mind I would actually prefer to be building around Bynum in 3 years rather than Howard. Howard is a win-now move imo.

Moving on, i really think you are underestimating the possible level of animosity that Howard would have if you traded for him. When someone clearly tells you, I don't want to be here, then you force them to be there, do you think they will be happy? On top of that the media would have a frenzy all year with Dwight's pending free agency. As for his bird rights. I feel like of all players, Dwight is very probable to walk away from a 5th year deal simply because in a 5th year deal, he will be hitting the open market at the age of 31/32. 31/32 you are most definitely on a decline physically, and as i stated above, Dwight pretty much completely relies on his athleticism. A 4 year deal with a player option (something Dallas could offer him) would be enticing because he could then easily secure another max deal and make more money.

Also Mark Cuban and the Mavs are more alluring of an opportunity than i think many people give credit to. Cuban is a very personable owner who has very close relationships with his players (something a personality like Dwight would love), not to mention Cuban has shown he is willing to spend and make the moves to win. On top of that, people claim "but but look how old dirk will be!". It's true, dirk will be 35 by that time, but if you think about it, dirks is a player who almost purely relies on his skills, rather than his athleticism. A Dirk/Howard combo would be devastating. With Dirk giving Dwight all the room he needs in the paint i really see this as a great fit and something that would be very effective.

All in all, i still think there still is a very slim chance Howard ends up on the Rockets, and an even less chance he re-signs. I suppose Morey could take the enormous risk AND the magic could completely **** on what Howard has done for Orlando and trade him somewhere he doesn't want to be (this almost never has happened in the NBA) but i really just don't see it happening.

 

You can't compare the two Howard is a high character guy that can land us other superstars... Also, multiple injuries will likely shorten the prime...

 

I can't imagine Dwight being too upset with us because we traded for him. He'd be more pissed off at Hennigan/Devos. He knows that he's one of the best players in the world, and any team would love to have him. I believe having him for a year with Morey/Les sharing their vision with him, making moves to put a team around him, and offering him more money are enough reasons to roll the dice. His complaint isn't with the city of Orlando, it's their continued failed attempts at putting a decent enough roster around him. I have faith that the Rockets can do that for him.

And Bynum might just be a better bet in the future, but as it stands Andrew Bynum is not going to be starring in any commercials. He's not going to be put on billboards across the nation, and is not going to have the media swarming around him like Howard does. Dwight Howard will bring other stars in. That is why Les Alexander wants him, and not Bynum.

 

It takes two to tango though. You could be right, maybe he wouldn't hold a grudge. Thinking about it though, Morey would truly have to pull some magical moves off to keep Dwight. If you got him, you would have to make drastic moves to become a contender because otherwise you're putting Dwight into the exact same situation he is trying to escape from (being a mediocre playoff team with no stars around him). If Morey can't pull that off i just see Dwight bolting to Dallas. I still think the safer play is to just go for Bynum. It's so risk free and still helps the team significantly.

In the end though, we'll have to agree to disagree Fullcourt.

 

LMAO at a laker fan trying to convince people that bynum is a better option than howard

I don't really wan't either one,but c'mon man,bynums day's in the NBA are numbered..no way his knees hold out for another 3 years,if that long.Lakers see the writing on the wall and wan't us to do all the work to get them their future superstar ..God I pray Morey isn't that desperate.

 

I really do not want Howard anymore, just go with this young team and 2 high draft picks next year.

 

To be honest, I'm not really sure that Bynum's knees are Morey's or Mitch's concern at all. Just like Dwight's back, I'm not really taking Bynums health into too much consideration. I don't think we're close enough to the situation to speculate the health statuses.

 

What happens if our team overachieves and Toronto makes the playoffs? We're still stuck in mediocrity. Morey stated today (1560 interview) that our primary goal is still obtaining a star. He's still going to be stockpiling assets, and we will still have a revolving door in the locker room until it happens.