Are we now the front-runners for Dwight Howard?

[parson]

If HOU can't sign Howard without dumping salary,
if DAL can't either,
and if LA offers a team worse than his last ORL team (no Nash, Gasol, and Kobe) . . .

are we the best remaining suitor?

We can offer a max deal, the best frontline in the NBA (Howard, Horford and Smith), a great PnR PG in Teague and good 3pt shooting even if we can't keep Korver (if we keep him, we're super at shooting 3s).

Ignoring all else (and I know there are more reasons), from a purely financial and basketball point-of-view, aren't we his best option?

[theatlfan]

I can't see us being able to resign Smith and land Dwight - we'd have to renounce Smoove to fit Dwight in. I think this might have been on of the reasons we were willing to deal Smith to get some value and make a run at Dwight, but without knowing that Dwight was interested, we wouldn't risk it for less than what we wanted opposed to what others were willing to give.

Still, a healthy Howard paired with Horford is still the best frontline in the NBA by a decent margin. Add in the fact that we should have a lot of cheap young talent to surround them with and keep us out of LT jail, and we should be an interesting option.

The only issue I see is that the decision wouldn't be strictly a basketball decision. Can he cultivate the international image he's attempting here? Would he leave what is (perhaps arguably... but it'd be a weak one) the most identifiable team/position in the entire NBA? Especially when the $$ from his NBA contract is actually substantially more? Would Dwight want to live in the same city as his mom? These are the questions that would need to be answered before I could seriously entertain the thought. It would be nice though...

[GrimeyKidd]

SF Smith PF Horford C Howard.

[parson]

A contract with the Lakers is only "substantially" more for Howard if we compare 5 years with LA to 4 years with us. If we remember that he'll get paid 35% of whatever the cap is in his 5th year with us, it's pretty close for that 5 year period. And as I've argued before, after that, he'll be receiving more from us because he reached 35% a year earlier with us

[Jamaaliver]

We certainly have an attractive sales pitch.

Especially if LA retains D'Antoni. They'll be a mess next season too, and rebuilding a yar after that.

It's up to Ferry to make him an offer he can't refuse.

[MaceCase]

Why not just ask Josh? He seems to articulate the argument well.

“I can’t pick his brain and be in his head but to me, I don’t see him going anywhere,” Smith said before the Lakers hosted the Hawks at Staples Center. “It would be a shock to me.”

“Dwight is a loyal athlete and loyal person,” Smith said . “He’s not a quitter and doesn’t run from situations. That’s why I believe with this franchise and the way he’s talked so well about it, I can’t see him going anywhere.”

http://www.insidesocal.com/lakers/2013/ ... 0205078125

"But Dwight is global now. That's in his mindset. He's addicted to it now. He's addicted to being global and international. That was the whole reason he wanted to leave Orlando is he wanted to have that big market.

"I'm not going to say it's farfetched [for Atlanta to lure Howard], but it is going to be kind of difficult to be able to persuade him."

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/90867 ... josh-smith

But yea, he does leave a few scraps to give people hope but as one of the supposed big chips to luring Dwight (to go along with Morrow whom we shipped) he doesn't sound too confident about the prospects.

I think people are attempting to make too much of the Kobe injury and it's impact on Dwight's decision as well. Regardless of the injury, Kobe's contract will expire in one season and I really doubt that Dwight was expecting to finish out his initial 5 year deal next to a 40 year old Kobe....or 44 year old Nash...or 37 year old Pau.

We could argue that because it is Dwight we are talking about that his own immaturity and lack of patience will force him to jump ship but for anyone else with any amount of savvy they would realize that in just one season that they would be a premier athlete playing in a premier market and city with a ton of capspace opening up to attract similarly aged guys with player options such as Lebron, Carmelo, and Bosh to go along with headliners of the 2010 draft that will be entering restricted free agency. That is for all intents and purposes the cushiest recruiting job one could have and that says nothing of whomever else decides to join in on the long standing tradition of demanding a trade to the Lakers (who would even bat an eye to hear Kevin Love was traded to the Lakers for Gasol on draft night? That **** just seems to always happen)

As far as the money...it is substantial. Besides whatever the LA market or even just the Laker brand would afford him you are still looking at the larger yearly pay raises and then if the argument is that he'd reach free agency sooner if he took a 4 year deal elsewhere......well he could always just negotiate an ETO, PO, etc. on that 5th year with the Lakers. If he's still rocking it as a top 5 player in the league, he opts out and negotiates a brand new deal after having his cake and eating it. If he's not "rocking it" or even faces an unfortunate circumstance then he still has a very lucrative safety net in place.

[tcorbin]

The Hawks have always been the front runners.

[parson]

It's true that Bryant and Gasol were due to leave after 2014, but they were also going to leave LA with a ton of cap space to pair more superstars with Howard. Howard was always going to be surrounded with talent, first Bryant, Gasol and Nash - and then new superstars.

Now, they won't have Bryant, they'll have Nash in name only and Gasol is a shadow of his former self. Howard has had a terrible time this year, yet next year promises to be much worse. It appears Howard suffered this season for no reason and next year will truly suffer on a bad team that will be maxed out, financially. If he thinks losing in Orlando is rough, wait till he loses in Los Angeles. They gave him a taste of hate earlier - just a taste.

Howard could win big with us, surrounded by players his age or a little younger, with a team that would be structured financially to either re-sign Josh Smith or attract another top player. In 5 years, he'd have just about made up any financial loses he suffered by not signing with the Lakers and he'd never lose money again. And if LeBron James could become a billion-dollar industry in Cleveland, Howard could do the same in Atlanta.

Thinking in term of basketball - in addition to my arguments earlier about the players we already have - he could be known as the man who lifted the Hawks to a championship level. He'd be a shoo-in for the HOF.

In short, next year he could either contend for a championship with us or play on a lottery team at LA.

[MaceCase]

Again, too much emphasis on the Kobe injury and trying to prognosticate doom and gloom from there. It's as if now that he's injured all of a sudden Nash, Pau, Peace and Jamison declined right away but were somehow going to be just fine had Bryant stayed healthy?

Nothing has changed in their regard and a big part of those player's decline dealt with BOTH acclimating Dwight into the fold AND allowing Kobe to take his 30 shots a game. These aren't chumps incapable of taking on larger offensive roles and their stats were deflated primarily because they were reduced to role players, Dwight included.

Now despite that and a season that has seen most of their players miss considerable games, in addition to Dwight laboring through back surgery and a shoulder injury then throw in the coaching change they still have a similar record to the Hawks and the 8th seed in the West. I think it's just a tad bit premature declaring them a lotto team.

A healthy Dwight led the Magic to the Finals before so it stands that he can do it again if not just get the Lakers to the playoffs. Throw in that he'd do it as the unquestioned man for the NBA's flagship franchise and not in obscurity (you know, the reason why he left Orlando) and you can see why this would appeal to a man not gifted a 100 million dollar contract out of high school and hype as the next Jordan. Lebron had a brand before he even was drafted so that is a poor comparison especially considering that he still jumped ship to a better locale. You are also talking about him combating decades of local and national apathy (remember Nique not even making the top 50 players list with his résumé? The Hawks having a bottom rung attendance despite winning seasons?) as opposed to a franchise already with global recognition. Getting Atlanta fans to show up would be a harder task than getting LA fans to stop booing.

So in closing, being the man on an already good LA team with massive flexibility in the future to be built around him, getting a higher annual salary now in ADDITION to being able to negotiate whatever frivolity he would get elsewhere later right there beats whatever Atlanta can offer. The product on the court doesn't matter because this was a man demanding a trade to Brooklyn, LA and Dallas not San Antonio, OKC and Boston yet still the best the Hawks will be offering him now is Al Horford and Josh Smith as running mates as opposed to being in the driver seat of a franchise that has attracted SUPER star talent (himself included) in the past.


This whole discussion would be rendered moot in a week. The Lakers win the next two games and gets in in the wake of Kobe's injury and he'll be showered with praise like no other and find it hard to break that addiction. He falls flat on his face and they miss out then all logical discussion goes out the window, he'lll go running tail between his legs anywhere.

[parson]

Again, too much emphasis on the Kobe injury and trying to prognosticate doom and gloom from there. It's as if now that he's injured all of a sudden Nash, Pau, Peace and Jamison declined right away but were somehow going to be just fine had Bryant stayed healthy?

Strawman. Did not say that. But Bryant's the last straw.

Nash has called this year the worst of his career. His hamstring may heal but the hip problems are probably wear-and-tear. Even now, his level of play is nowhere near just a couple of years ago. Gasol has been declining visibly for awhile - MWP the same, even before the knee. Jamison . . . why is he listed here?

The point is those are the best players the Lakers have. Next year's team is very likely be a lottery contender.

And that Howard will get murdered by the fans there.

Meanwhile, over in Atlanta . . .

[Jamaaliver]

The Hawks have always been the front runners.

Don't underestimate the Brooklyn Nets.

Big city.
Billionaire owner.
A legitimate 7 footer and Humphries expiring deal could be awful enticing in trade for LA.

If Dwight leaves LA, I predict Houston and Brooklyn present the best opportunity to win a title and make the most dough.

[MaceCase]

Meanwhile in Atlanta he'll be getting booed by the greater number of Chicago/NY/LA and Miami fans in the stands.....




Wait, why is any of Lakers age pertinent again when from the very beginning of that trade the selling point was never that he'd be surrounded by those guys for long? So now a 27 year old is so worried about a potential lottery year that he'd forego money, market, locale, franchise, large cap space and now you are gifting him a lotto pick too.....so he won't get booed? These are Laker fans, a population that expands all the way out to Phillips arena and beyond. They won't boo a player that gives maximal effort. Were they booing Kobe before Pau got there? They will dog him if he continues his indecisive and immature ways while putting up pederstrian stats by his standards but the thing is.......if he's doing that in Atlanta then it's really not going to do much towards changing the psyche of one of the most apathetic fanbases.

What you are looking at is a guy who has the chance to build from the ground up and cement himself amongst a pantheon of legends or build from the ground up and establish a new era of legends.......he already had the opportunity to do the latter and shunned it. Kobe going down on Friday hasn't added any new wrinkles to this so don't know why this is being brought up like a break in the case. He didnt get along with Kobe to begin with and now the timetable for him taking over the franchise has been accelerated.

[_BBIB_]

Hawks have the best chance of any team outside the Lakers. Brooklyn Nets lost their luster without Jay-Z as a figurehead, the Rockets from what I hear can't afford him, Dallas has an aging and no longer capable of leading a team to the playoffs Dirk, and why in the world would he go to Utah?

The best chance for him to land here next year is for Lakers to miss the playoffs.

We need Dwight and the city of LA on bad terms going into the off-season. Then maybe he can emotionally decide to test the free agency waters

[parson]

Meanwhile in Atlanta he'll be getting booed by the greater number of Chicago/NY/LA and Miami fans in the stands.....

I hear ya. It kills me how they boo Horford, shout profanities at Smith and throw batteries at Teague. -- Wait. Huh?

[Jamaaliver]

Meanwhile in Atlanta he'll be getting booed by the greater number of Chicago/NY/LA and Miami fans in the stands.....

I hear ya. It kills me how they boo Horford, shout profanities at Smith and throw batteries at Teague. -- Wait. Huh?

For the record, I'm actually throwing boos & batteries at Smoove. I just have really bad aim.

[MaceCase]

Meanwhile in Atlanta he'll be getting booed by the greater number of Chicago/NY/LA and Miami fans in the stands.....

I hear ya. It kills me how they boo Horford, shout profanities at Smith and throw batteries at Teague. -- Wait. Huh?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqrBbZGAjss[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjtnE_tjiSw[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U1Zuuv_4Hg[/youtube]

And it pumps me up when they chant MVP and lets go Hawks for the guys



Wait.

[parson]

For the record, I'm actually throwing boos & batteries at Smoove. I just have really bad aim.

So THAT'S what Lou Williams slipped on!

[NeZoRiL]

I think our arena has been better this season. I don't think Howard will come here, but...wouldn't put it pass him. He's full of surprises.

[Yungsta404]

No we are not.......

[parson]

No we are not.......

Feel free to expand on that. Don't leave us hanging.