Even Laker Fans Now Think Howard Might Eventually Go to Houston

Ok, now consider that with his risk of injury and potential decline in play, this could be his last chance to be on a championship team, it won't happen in LA since they are about to rebuild, so if you stay there you are wasting the rest of your prime on a team that's not even going to be the best in the city.

 

Look, Charles Barkley was an ultimate competitor who cared so much about winning that one title that he restructured his contract with the Rockets in order for them to acquire Pippen, but then he came back at the end to battle Les Alexander for money he thought he was owed in that same contract.

Even with good intentions, these guys ABSOLUTELY care about their finances just like you and I do on a different scale.

I know Dwight has gone behind the backs of his mgmt/agent before, but that was a completely different situation there from a business standpoint that had no negative affect on him from a financial standpoint. If anything, its something he thought would help by taking advantage of the final year of his contract, and giving him till the Summer to make his exit to his supposive final destination that he would sign with long term.

A big reason why he opted to waive his ETO was to avoid being shipped out to the Houston Rockets where his management must have informed him would be a much more risky situation financially if he was going to decide to leave in free agency this Summer if not happy with the status of their roster, marketability, and ability to contend. Opting In for another year was a less risky long term financial option for Dwight. Giving himself more options in the Summer for teams like LA seemed like a better gamble AT THAT TIME.

Also,Dwight himself mentioned just a week or so ago that his decision to play through his torn labrum is his decision because of the importance of this Summer to him. He told this to the media mind you.

Off the court, we are talking about the same guy who went to battle for a ridiculous damage settlement (half a million owed) in the case against his former girlfriend, and mother of his child, and she is prohibited from mentioning him EVER in the media or else he recieves a 500 dollar fine for each time.

So I would say that even though Dwight seems like an immature, bumbling, fumbling fool on camera he is absolutely concerned for his financial well-being long term, and I would be completely SHOCKED if he left LA as an unrestricted free agent this Summer... especially when he was already able to force his way out of one city via trade before... why wouldn't he think he could just do it again after he signs his next contract?

 

Are you trying to tell me that Dwight Howard has a better chance at winning playing with
Harden(1 time all-star)
Lin
Parsons(all rookie 2nd team)

then if with-

Kobe Bryant(5X NBA Champ, 15X All Star, MVP)
Steve Nash(2X MVP)
Pau Gasol(4X All Star, 2X NBA Champ)

????

Look, the Lakers look like a mess this year, have had alot of drama, and injury bad luck, but you have got to be out of your mind if you think the Rockets have a better shot at winning an NBA championship right now. Laker hate is one thing, but holy crap... you need to lay off the special Kool Aid.

 

Ken Berger ‏@KBergCBS
There's widespread belief that the Lakers won't trade Dwight Howard. However, several teams believe Atlanta will make a serious run at him.

 

Yeah Lakers won championships with Horry and Fisher with Kobe/Shaq... How many championships did Malone and Payton win with Kobe/Shaq?

 

Ummm, yeah I am. Take into consideration their ages for just a second. Would a team with Micheal Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, and John Stockton do very well today? Why not?

The Lakers are stocked with guys far past their prime, the Rockets are stocked with good young talent. The Rockets would give Dwight Howard a MUCH better chance to win than the Lakers AARP squad.

 

Ok, Under your logic who should have Gary Payton and Karl Malone played with then in 2004 if they wanted to win a title???

If you were either of those guys would you think (at the beginning of the season) that you had a better chance of winning a title with Shaq/Kobe or say Abdur-Rahim & Jason Terry in Atlanta????

This is truly one of the dumbest arguments I have ever seen on Clutchfans.

 

Talking about 2 old timers trying to make one big final run is different from talking about a 27 year old who is currently on an AARP team going nowhere leaving for an up and coming team.

 

On the surface based exclusively on individual talent (past talent?), then it would seem a no brainer. The Lakers.

But I agree with the other poster that youth, management, system, coach and above all chemistry cant be overlooked.

Kobe is the only current Laker star not showing decline in his game. Another factor to consider is beyond this year. In (3) years, how good are Kobe, Nash, Metta and Pau going to be? In three years, how good are Harden, Lin, Asik and Parsons going to be?

 

god I am enjoying the Laker fan meltdown. 25 wins 29 losses and still trying to convince themselves they are better then they are. They also play a losing, ugly, selfish brand of basketball and look more like a reality TV show then a NBA team right now.

Watching the Lakers this year takes the joy out of basketball. So many whining butt-hurt players it's depressing. Frown some more Kobe it makes you a tough guy!

 

If this guy isn't happy here within like the first couple of games, he will start ot b**** about going to brooklyn. Thats how he is.

 

The reality is if you put a team together full of Allstars that mostly past their prime that are playing starters minutes for a nba championship it's not going to work 99% of the time. Rick Fox in his latter years started on that 2004 lakers team too... Granted they got to the finals and lost to a Detriot team that was in their prime and full of good team and role players. As far as Gary Payton he got with the Miami Heat in 2006 and came off the bench which needed to be his role on a championship team at that point in his career anyway. Lakers are worst off now then what they were in 2004. San Antonio is an example of what the Lakers should be doing now... get a young influx of talent with a couple of older veterans so you don't have to put so many minutes on Allstars that are past their prime. Like Kobe said they are a old Damm team! Antoine Jamison however you spell it he's old too!

 

Good fit. In Houston, Dwight will definitely have the post all to himself.

 

PLEASE do not trade for Dwight Howard. I would love to go after him in the offseason, but NO to a trade!

 

Agreed, he's a gamble, so no reason to give away more than you have to for him.

 

I do It Why Not

 

No, no, no... the poster before clearly said that this was about winning a title. If its about building a franchise for the next decade that's a whole other story... if its about winning a title right here, right now.... sorry, give me the team with 2 former MVP's, DPOY, and the 2 NBA time champion any day of the week if we are talking about championships... which is what this argument was about to begin with.... pretty dumb one actually.

 

Yeah, the best chance to win a championship is staying with the team that's under .500, old as hell, has terrible chemistry, and is not going to even make the playoffs.....yeah, that's brilliant.

 

Our team without dwight is a 45 win team, with him is 55.
With internal improvement and some key vet freeagents,'we can be a 60+ win team which is perrenial contenders