Voted Houston but after those tweets it's pretty clear that he wishes to stay in LA. Too bad, I was really hoping he would join us here.
he wants ti stay in la, but lebron wanted to stay in cleveland. If they don't get him help, he'll leave, but then it is the lakers, so you cant rule out minnesota trading kevin love and a draft pick for pau gasol.
I do like Dwight's publicist though, if he re-signs with the lakers, he can go, look i was going to come back all along, if he doesn't, he can just say he always said he was going to explore his options and that his main goal is to win a championship.
If Morey and Alexander have a love fest with Dwight, I do think he will get swayed. I don't know if any of you guys noticed, but when Dwight got kicked out of the game, Kobe then shows up and sits with the Lakers bench. As of now, Lakers fans are not enamored with him as we are. We are in a very good situation, with, or without Dwight. If Lakers keep Dwight, they will be battling for 8th seed every year unless Phil Jackson comes back. I believe they need to decide to keep Gasol, or Dwight because they can't operate together. We will have our day in the sun.
Re-post from another thread. Dwight's salary playing LA vs Houston. Spoiler The Los Angeles Lakers are two losses way from an early exit from the 2013 NBA Playoffs, and even as the team suffers through the end of what has been, at best, a trying season, all eyes are (still) on Dwight Howard. Will he stay? Will he go? Will he agree to terms with one team, then sign with another, then try to say he didn’t mean to . . .just how crazy with the situation be? The entire NBA will breathe a sigh of relief once Howard finally determines where he will play basketball for the foreseeable future. The two teams that seem most likely to land Howard long-term are his current team, the Lakers, and the team that would most love to have him, the Houston Rockets. The Rockets could have the cap space to sign him and they offer arguably the best supporting cast to put around him. James Harden has emerged as one of the best shooting guards in the NBA, Chandler Parsons is one of the most underrated players and is the ultimate X-factor, and Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik have been solid this season. The arguments for the Lakers are much more straightforward. First and foremost, they are the Lakers, the gold standard of basketball around the world, the most popular NBA team of all time. Playing for the Lakers means playing in the brightest spotlight in a world of bright spotlights, and that is not something to be walked away from lightly. And then there’s the money factor. On the surface the Lakers can pay Howard quite a bit more money than anyone else, but in the case of the Rockets, that’s not quite true, all things considered. Here are the salary comparisons, thanks to HOOPSWORLD’s Eric Pincus: Approximate Yearly Salary with the Lakers: Year 1: $20,513,178.00 Year 2: $22,051,666.35 Year 3: $23,590,154.70 Year 4: $25,128,643.05 Year 5: $26,667,131.40 TOTAL: $117,950,773.50 Approximate Yearly Salary with the Rockets (or any other team): $20,513,178.00 $21,436,271.01 $22,359,364.02 $23,282,457.03 TOTAL: $87,591,270.06 Yes, when looking at the numbers alone, the Lakers clearly have the advantage over any other team looking to lure him away. In the case of a Texas team like Houston, however, there are some significant factors that have to be considered. Texas has no state income tax, and for someone making better than $20 million a year, that’s a huge consideration. Just look at how the California income tax breaks down over the first four years of the contract: Year 1: $1,075,666.03 Year 2: $1,156,340.98 Year 3: 1,237,015.93 Year 4: 1,317,690.88 If we look at the first four years of the contract, Howard would make $3,692,371.44 more with the Lakers than he would with the Rockets. Adjusting that number for California’s state income tax, however, Howard would actually make $1,094,342.38 more as a Rocket playing the majority of his games in a state with no income tax because he would save $4,786,713.82 in taxes. As for the fifth year, the Lakers certainly have an advantage in being able to offer Dwight more long-term security, but unless he suffers a career-ending injury he is going to sign a contract after this one, meaning he will get paid for that fifth year wherever he plays. He would most likely have an opt-out, anyway, meaning the fifth year is not really a major bargaining point, again, barring injury. For what it’s worth, Howard would pay $1,398,365.83 in state income tax in California if he were to play out the end of that deal. The other factor involves where games are played. NBA players pay 1/82nd of their income tax to the states where they play, providing those states have state income tax. As a member of the Rockets, Howard would play all of his home games and the highest possible number of his away games in states with no income tax. Texas is obvious, with the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks in the same division, but there are also two games in Tennessee and two games in Florida, the other NBA states without income tax for a total of 49 games each season. As a Laker, Howard would only play ten games in those states. The comparison doesn’t end with state income tax, however; the cost of living must be considered, as well. Manhattan Beach is the place to live in LA, and high end houses in that posh part of California runs $1,101 per square foot. How does that compare to, say, The Woodlands in Houston, the correspondingly cool place to live? A high end house in The Woodlands would run just $108.00 per square foot, or roughly one-tenth the cost of its counterpart in Manhattan Beach. Additionally, the salary indicator based on cost of living demonstrates that in order to make the equivalent of $20 million in Houston you have to make $30,330,020 to live comparably in Los Angeles. That’s a staggering difference! The other argument that people like to make in favor of the Lakers is that Howard could potentially make a great deal more money through endorsements in Los Angeles than he could elsewhere, and while there might be a little bit of truth to that, it’s not as big as people think. The national brands like adidas will find him wherever he is, like they found him in Orlando. The smaller local endorsements are just as plentiful in Houston as they are in Los Angeles, and again, no state income tax comes out of the Houston deals. Additionally, a company looking for a Lakers endorsement are still going to call Kobe Bryant first; in Houston, Dwight would own the space. He would also get to spend time working with and learning from Hakeem Olajuwon, who still calls Houston home. Does all of this mean that Houston is the frontrunner in the Dwight Howard sweepstakes? Hardly. The number one reason for Dwight to stay in Los Angeles is a reason with which the Rockets can’t compete. The Lakers are still the Lakers. If the money details don’t matter and it’s all about global branding, the Lakers are second to none and that’s every reason why they will more than likely keep Howard in town long-term. There’s also the issue that the Rockets have to clear cap space to sign Howard to the max, while the Lakers can go over the cap to re-sign him. Given that the salary cap is roughly estimated to be $60 mil next season, the Rockets project to have $17,781,453 in cap room this summer, which is well short of Howard’s max. Houston would need to trade or otherwise dispose of a couple of players to sign Howard. Still, there is a compelling case to be made for Houston. The Lakers may be the favorites, but the Rockets hope to at least give Howard something to think about. http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-2-why-dwight-howard-chooses-houston#bWWxIB7iohO6mw3j.99
Dwight Howard @DwightHoward I'm still upset about tonight's game and the way this season ended. I'm mad I lost my cool. I'm sorry for letting my team and our fans down when they needed me the most. If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year its that I need to be more responsible for my actions and learn to “breathe”! (Maybe I will take up yoga and come back calmer or @charliesheen can help me with my anger management) But despite our tough season, it is an honor being a member of a team with this amazing history & the best fans in the league! I hope I get the chance to make it up to you!” Thank u la.
When was the last time Capspace won DPOY 3 times in a row? yes he has regressed since his back injury, but it takes time, by all accounts it was a serious injury. I don't care if hes a douchebag. WIN.
People can say Asik tries harder and all that but even with Dwight's perceived laziness, he still had better stats than Asik this year in all defensive categories (which for both is all that really matters.) And as also stated, his hands are not made of stone.
I don't think he really means it. He is just saying what fans want to hear. I'm 100% sure he won't live up to these promises if he resigns with Lakers. You can hear such promises from 8y old children who forgot to feed the cat.
And that, really, is all you need to know, plus stars, plus weather, plus glamor, and I'd be shocked if Dwight leaves LA.
I could see the clips moving deandre and Bledsoe and maybe using amnesty on butler to sign Howard and Paul. There will be minimum contracts left for the clips to hand out at the sf position and I think that wouldn't be hard to sell.
Sure a motivated Howard is a WIN ..... but he flat out quit on his team in a pivital game , a close out game. Does he have the "give a damn" about winning and his team or is it all about the $$$ , stars courtside and the weather ?! Asik has heart .... even if he is lacking in ability when compared to DH12. DH12 lacks heart and competetive drive. Its a sticky situation ..... if you get the healthy driven Howard , you are a contender. If you get the I dont give a damn Howard .... its a media circus.
Howard can live wherever he wants during the offseason and when his career is over. Also, being happy at work is a big deal and he might be happier playing with the Rockets.
