They're old. If the team is basically the same team as last year, the average starting player's age on the team at the time of next year's playoffs would be about 32.0 years. The only team in the last 30 years to win a title with the old a starting average age was Dallas in 2011. The Spurs are not as old, because they have youth in Green, Leonard, etc. If that were not enough, Kobe is coming off an Achilles tear. There was a recent medical study done of NBA players who suffer Achilles tears. It showed that the player is not "themselves" the first year back. All of this information points to a simple conclusion: The Lakers won't be contenders next year, with or without Howard. So if Howard stays in LA, he is doing so knowing this fact and having no idea about what the team will look like in 2014-15.
LA is old. What the Spurs did is a anomaly. The fact is these old players can completely fall off at any point of their career is what Dwight should be aware of. It hasn't happened for Duncan yet, but it WILL happen. It could be next year...the year after that...etc... But one thing we know is that this has happened with Nash. For sure. Even when he was healthy he did not look like the superstar Nash or anything close to it. He just looked like a solid starting PG. The difference between the Spurs and the Lakers...coaching...and the fact that their old players actually play pretty well. Also...The Spurs partly lost because one of those old players still thought he still had it and he did not.
Marc Spears was the same guy who said there was ZERO interest around the league for Thomas Robinson. It seems like his sources are either low-end, or very limited.
Golden State is risky. Soft team, mostly shooters. Curry is as injury prone as it gets(ankles) There depth is questionable. Jarret Jack is a stud though. He loses money by signing with Golden State as well. I have a hard time seeing Howard pass up what the Rockets have to offer.
Absolutely agree. If I remember correctly, Boozer did that to Cleveland and he has not recovered his reputation since.
It has and it's terribly journalism. Dwight reportedly ASKED what sort of position the Rockets are in to POTENTIALLY add another star player. No demands made.
Count on it from LA sources and national sources favorable to LA. Or, at least count on more of the "50/50" talk, at worst. It's just simple PR games. No biggy.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>How easy would it be for Dwight Howard to say no to Houston? Tradition (in Los Angeles) doesn't guarantee him anything.</p>— Moke Hamilton (@MokeHamilton) <a href="https://twitter.com/MokeHamilton/statuses/351766593581232129">July 1, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I'm not supposed to say anything, but the Lakers and Time Warner have had me working on a script for "Kazam 2" starring Dwight for the last two weeks.
First, thanks for the reply! I know that it wouldn't be exactly the same situation, but a max deal for Smith outside of Atlanta would be average about $17.5 million a season for 4 years, wouldn't it? A team would have to be desperate to sign him for that, IMO. I don't think he's worth it, and most GM's wouldn't think so either, IMO, although it only takes one. My thought would be to offer him a contract starting at what Asik and White's contracts would be at 150%, which would start at about $15 million a season, right? I'd only do that if it got us Dwight. I'm not crazy about Smith's noggin (he has terrific skills, though), and certainly don't want to move Asik, but we'd be rid of White, we'd have both Howard and Smith in that scenario, and Atlanta could treat White as an expiring contract. Who knows, maybe he'd wake up and smell the coffee there (sure!). I know a similar deal has been talked about in the GARM a couple of times. What do you think about the idea? Any chance of Smith going for it, if Morey thinks he has to make that move? No state income tax, and marketing chances with a Big Three, and in China, if we keep Jeremy. Pretty attractive, if you ask me, and Smith would be getting a bump in salary, plus endless publicity. Atlanta has a great presence in the middle with Asik. Better than Smith just walking away.
Curry played 78 games this past season. Most people just thought he would be out. I think most people would agree Curry is also a proven All-Star. He got robbed from making the All-Star lineup.
