So after a day full of uncertainty, impatience & anxiety, the announcement finally has been made that Dwight Howard picked Houston as his next destination according to multiple sources. The deal hasn't been finalized yet, but Howard is eligible for a four-year, $88 million maximum deal from the Rockets unless they negotiate a sign-and-trade deal with the Lakers. All of this has caused frustration with most Lakers fans, some are simply indifferent & ready to move past this. We'll tell you our thoughts & reaction to this, feel free to comment/tweet us your thoughts too.
Tenz (@iHateTenz): This move didn't come as a surprise to me, and I don't get how it was a surprise to anyone, though many people acted like it was. I've said all along, I'm not signing someone to a max-contract who doesn't want to be here. Everything that happened in Orlando should've showed you everything you need to know. He stayed in Orlando for 8 years, and was only close to a championship one-year. He'll probably never stay at another team that long for the rest of his career (This will be his 3rd team in 2 years). But why did he stay there that long? He was comfortable.
But regardless of his indecisiveness & immaturity, he's still the most gifted big man in the game today & should do well with James Harden & the strong supporting cast in Houston. As far as the Lakers go, we have 2014 to look forward to. They wouldn't have won the West even if Dwight stayed this year because we don't have depth or a starting five that's athletic enough to compete with younger teams. The smart thing to do is just play it safe this year, keep as much cap room as possible for next offseason.
Randall (@flymanran) : I've said it all along, Houston is the best fit for Dwight Howard. As a huge Laker fan, I'm not upset at all. I think Dwight made the best basketball decision. Houston is the best short term and long term situation for him. They have a younger, more athletic core than the Lakers. I don't think he would've been able to live up to the championship pressure of the Laker organization, the constant microscope that comes with the Los Angeles media and the rich history of Laker greats. Simply put, he's not mentally or emotionally built to be a Laker. He and James Harden easily become the best SG/C combo in the league now and the Rockets have nice role players, like Chandler Parsons, to build from. Houston is far from complete though. They will have to surround Harden and Dwight with more shooters to spread the floor as well as decide what they want to do with Jeremy Lin. Do they keep Lin as the starting PG? Will the acquire Josh Smith in a sign and trade deal with the Hawks? A lot is still left undecided. Right now, they're a top 4 team at best in the Western Conference. As for my beloved Lakers, we will be fine. Even if we would've resigned Dwight, we still would not have made it any further than the Western Conf. Finals at best. We still are not athletic enough to compete with the fast back court players of the NBA. Kobe isn't getting any younger and needs some back court help, which Dwight obviously wouldn't have brought to the table. Our best bet is to just sit tight. The only contract on the books for 2014 is Steve Nash at $9.7M. We need to keep it that way. If we make any FA signings, they need to be 2 years at the most with a team option for the 2nd year. Keep cap room to go after big names next summer.
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