OT: Howard would have been better off staying in Orlando.

[magic04life]

The Lakers just lost to the Cavs, and are now 9-13. They are now the same number of games below .500 as we are (8-12).

I'm starting to think that Dwight will leave LA for Brooklyn next summer if this continues....and I think LA would gladly do a Howard for Lopez sign-and-trade.

Shaq might be right. He said Bynum (when healthy) and Lope are both better centers than Dwight. He said Dwight is the best low-post player in the NBA, but he said that Lopez and Bynum (when healthy) are both better OVERALL centers.

[CraZyPraiZ]

I hate to say this but Brooks Lopez is far superior to Dwight on offense. Dwight's calling is defense and athleticism. Somewhere someone told him he needed to be an offensive player and they just lied to him. He is nothing on offense if he can't dunk. Enough said. Go Magic!!!

[Orium]

Whenever ESPN talks about the Lakers woes (a big subject today), they always mention Howard in passing after Kobe/Nash/Gasol and even Artest. Even then, the only thing they mention is about his poor FT shooting.

He's become somewhat of an afterthought in LA.

He is not an afterthought. Everyone in LA realizes he is an unrestricted FA in the summer, and could very well bolt. So he is being protected in a sense and everyone is scared to come down too hard on him until he commits. So anyone who says he is being blasted, hated on, etc is flat out wrong. I live in LA and I promise you they are taking it easy on him because of his FA status

Unless you're implying that ESPN, a national media outlet, is somehow protecting Dwight's ego to do LA a favor then I don't really see your point. It wasn't about any Dwight bashing, merely that he's not really performing to the level he's led everyone to believe he's capable. ESPN isn't mentioning him because there's not much to really mention. Dwight is LA's new garbage-point big man, certainly a far cry from Shaq 2.0.

[Hotshot Hower]

He hasn't lost his athleticism. He lost Stan.

+1,000,000

[Optimus_Steel]

I am enjoying seeing Dwight and Duhon fail. Dwight is still getting his stats but they are now hollow and empty points. The best thing that happend to him was Stan being on his ass now he doesnt have anyone like that keeping him in check. He looks depressed.and its infecting their whole team.

[OrlandO]

I'm starting to think that Dwight will leave LA for Brooklyn next summer if this continues....and I think LA would gladly do a Howard for Lopez sign-and-trade.

That would make me sick. Bullies his way out of Orlando to his 2nd destination of choice and then somehow ends up at his top choice... Not to mention he and the Nets would be waiting for us if we ever made it back to the playoffs. If he leaves, I hope it's to another western conf team like Dallas

Shaq might be right. He said Bynum (when healthy) and Lope are both better centers than Dwight. He said Dwight is the best low-post player in the NBA, but he said that Lopez and Bynum (when healthy) are both better OVERALL centers.

I think it was the other way around... Shaq said Bynum/Lopez are the better offensive players because they actually have a consistent post game. No way he'd call them better overall centers because they can't score 20 and play defense like Dwight.

[SS_MagicMark]

We may end up with a lottery pick from the Dwight trade, after all.

[thelead]

We may end up with a lottery pick from the Dwight trade, after all.

we don't get LA's pick this year (IIRC)

[NickAndersonsBack25]

We may end up with a lottery pick from the Dwight trade, after all.

If this was facebook, I'd like the S#*@ out of this post.

[OrlDave]

I'd like a double check on the LA draft pick thing. I thought it was next years not this years.

[J the Drafter]

Is it possible that dwight lost a bit of his athleticism? I mean even pre injury his play was not the same and some of us thought he just wasn't into the magic. I remember how he couldnt catch some lobs and this season his blocks aren't impressive and he isn't anchoring the defense at all.

I noticed the same thing. He didn't look able to jump as high in 2011 or 2012 as he did in earlier years. From what I've seen of his Lakers' games, Howard definitely hasn't been as athleletic as he used to be. Some Lakers fans have said the same thing, too. Maybe his speed and jumping will fully recover as his back gets better, but Dwight is still suffering the aftereffects of his injury and surgery.

[Nemesis21]

I'd like a double check on the LA draft pick thing. I thought it was next years not this years.

[doct3r dr3]

I'd like a double check on the LA draft pick thing. I thought it was next years not this years.

..

2015 second round draft pick from L.A. Lakers
The L.A. Lakers' own 2015 2nd round draft pick to Orlando (Top-40 Protected). If The L.A. Lakers' own 2015 2nd round pick is within the top-40 selections, then The L.A. Lakers' obligation to Orlando shall be extinguished. [Denver - L.A. Lakers - Orlando - Philadelphia, 8/10/2012]

2017 first round draft pick from L.A. Lakers
The L.A. Lakers' own 2017 1st round draft pick to Orlando (Top-5 Protected). If The L.A. Lakers' own 2017 1st round pick is within the top-5 selections, then the L.A. Lakers will convey their own second round picks in 2017 and 2018 to Orlando. [L.A. Lakers - Orlando, 8/10/2012]


http://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/ ... s/detailed

[Def Swami]

I'd like a double check on the LA draft pick thing. I thought it was next years not this years.

Phoenix has the LA pick for this year, unprotected, I think.

[fendilim]

One name: Stan Van Gundy