After a pre-trade deadline telephone call
when Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant hung up believing they could never co-exist
as teammates, months and months passed and, still, the two superstars never
spoke again. Howard wanted Bryant to tell him what the Lakers could do to
elevate his offensive stature, and Bryant wanted Howard to tell him he was
determined to come with a defensive and rebounding mindset to make the Lakers
champions again.
The call ended poorly, and it wouldn't be
long until Howard had turned toward a path of far less resistance with the
Brooklyn Nets.
As much as anything, Howard was
determined to stop marching down the path of Shaquille O'Neal: From No. 1
overall pick to ring-less Orlando Magic center to self-proclaimed Superman,
comedian and goofball musician, there was a part of Howard that resisted the
inevitable power play to also make him a Laker.
Nevertheless, Howard made a mess of an
easy exit out of Orlando, obliterating his march into a max-contract salary slot
with Deron Williams and the Nets with an impulsive choice to reject his contract
opt-out. Freedom of choice was gone, and the Magic wouldn't do a deal with
Brooklyn.
In the end, Howard needed the Lakers and
Bryant. And yes – for now and the future – Bryant and the Lakers needed Howard.
The trade was completed on Friday and Howard gets the bright lights, big city
and a championship chase with the Lakers. Howard gets his Showtime, but make no
mistake: Howard comes without leverage in the locker room and doesn't have the
latitude to revert back to his old class-clown self.
"I think that changes just by the
pressure that he's under now," Bryant told Yahoo! Sports late Friday night "That
pressure is on us all. We have to win championships. The focus will be higher,
the intensity will be higher."
[Yes, the Lakers need a serious-minded
star for a serious-minded basketball franchise. Stan Van Gundy tried so, so hard
to instill that within Howard, but the culture of Orlando always made the Magic
beholden to Howard. No more. Howard is bigger than life, but he isn't bigger
than the Lakers.
So, yes, Bryant searched out Howard's
cell phone on Friday morning and made the call to Howard that the two superstars
had resisted for months now. When the time comes rest assured Bryant will make
something clear: The carnival act ends now. The clowning and goofing are done.
During games, players used to hear Kevin Garnett screaming at Howard: "Paint
your face, clown!" up and down the floor.
The Los Angeles Lakers are rumored to be
working on a Dwight Howard deal…again. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Howard has
indicated that he wants to go to Brooklyn, and only to Brooklyn. He can't veto a
trade, but his demands will certainly cause teams to think twice about giving
away a lot of assets to get the big man. If he won't sign a long-term deal, you
don't want to trade away their stars. Could the Lakers make a deal? Possibly.
Should they? No.
A possible deal
If Orlando is going to trade away Dwight,
they clearly want to get the best deal possible. The player being discussed is
obviously Andrew Bynum, and you have to assume that the Magic would be
interested in the young center. Bynum may have some attitude issues, but he is
younger and may be the type of player that can be a cornerstone athlete. As
mentioned, Howard doesn't have the right to kill a deal, but stars in the NBA
can certainly make things difficult by making demands to the media. Granted, Jim
Buss may not want to give away his favorite player.
Sharing the spotlight
Is this about Kobe Bryant? Why wouldn't
Dwight want to come to Los Angeles and play alongside Kobe and Pau Gasol? That
seems like a pretty solid trio of players. There have been some rumblings that
perhaps Howard wants to be "the man" in whatever city he plays. As a fan, I get
really tired of this prima donna behavior. Just play the game and stop thinking
about whether you are the most popular player on the team. If the rumors are
true about why Howard does not want to come to Los Angeles, that is just
sad.
A major risk
The problem with this deal is that the
Lakers could end up with nothing. There is no guarantee that Bynum will sign a
long-term deal, but he is at least saying the right things right now. Howard has
stated that he will only sign an extension with one team. If that is the case,
you can understand why teams would be hesitant to make a deal. The only scenario
might be if Orlando moves him at the trade deadline next year and accepts what
they can get rather lose him to free agency without any compensation.
The irony
I do wonder if Dwight realizes that his
demand might make it harder for him to end up in Brooklyn. Maybe he is willing
to wait, but can Brooklyn make a trade right now? What do they have to give
Orlando? The roster is not exactly stocked with young talent. In addition, since
everyone knows that Howard wants to go to Brooklyn, the Nets are in the best
position to dictate the offer. Still, they may spend a lot of money this
offseason on Deron Williams, which could limit their ability to sign Howard next
season.
