Los Angeles Lakers: 5 Terrifying Implications of Not Trading for Dwight Howard

Enough has already been said about Dwight Howard and his presence on the trading block as well as his impending free agency. 

As of now, no one knows where Howard will be playing in two weeks never mind two years. He could be dealt at the trade deadline, he could sign as a free agent in the offseason, he could extend his contract by one year and continue to keep people guessing about his long-term whereabouts through next season too. 

The Los Angeles Lakers have long been thought of as an ideal destination for Dwight Howard. The path laid out by former All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal who entered the league as a top draft pick of the Orlando Magic, led the team to an NBA Finals, lost in the finals and then eventually fled to Los Angeles via free agency is one that yielded great results for O'Neal, so Howard may be tempted to follow it. 

Acquiring Howard would be a huge boost to a team that has too many holes in order to compete with the league's top teams. 

Not acquiring Howard also opens the team up to a number of risks both in the long and short term.

The Bynum Injury Risk

The first thing about the Lakers is, technically speaking, they don't need a big man.

Andrew Bynum is one of the best centers in the league, and at only 24 years old, he could end up getting better in the upcoming seasons. 

So why is Howard so important then?

It's as simple as injuries. Andrew Bynum has a checkered history of injuries. He's been healthy this season, but with numerous injuries in his past, his health will always be a valid concern. Adding to that concern is the nature of his injuries; some have been knee injuries.

Knee injuries can be devastating to any athlete, and when you're as big a human being as Andrew Bynum is and you play center in the NBA, your knees are going to take a beating.

The nightmare scenario is this. The Lakers pass on Howard, they sign Bynum to an extension, and then, his knees give out, and he begins to morph into the second coming of Greg Oden.

It's not that Howard is that much better than Bynum. It's just that even though Howard is two years older than Bynum, he's been a more durable player over the course of his career.

That durability is going to be important. As Kobe Bryant gets older, his production and health could both become less of a sure thing. Adding Howard to the Lakers would provide them with a young, dominant, dependable big man to build around in the future.  

Pau Gasol Isn't Going to Get Better

Speculating on Andrew Bynum's injury potential is a legitimate undertaking, but it's still just speculation. 

Here's something that's not speculation.

Pau Gasol is in his 11th season as an NBA player, and he's going to turn 32 this summer. Is he over-the-hill? No, he's still playing very good basketball, but a trade for Howard wouldn't be made with this season or even next season in mind. Trading for Howard would be done with the next three, four and five seasons in mind. 

In five years, Howard will be as old as Gasol is now. 

Acquiring Howard would provide Los Angeles with a near assurance of having a franchise player in his prime on the team through the middle of the decade. One player doesn't always equate to a title, but it will keep the Lakers highly competitive and allow them to set up a blueprint for how they want to go forward as Kobe and Gasol both advance in age. 

Not dealing for Howard would leave the team with some serious question marks. 

Bynum shows plenty of potential, but what if he doesn't improve into a dominant big man such as Howard?  

Add in the advanced age of the players who surround him and the Lakers could start to look like a team in trouble.

Howard acts as insurance against a number of potentially negative scenario.  

If Not Howard, Then Who Is the Next Lakers' 'Star'?

Just in case no one noticed, there's a very dynamic big man who throws down thunderous dunks, makes tons of appearances and is becoming a near household name playing in Los Angeles. 

The problem for the Lakers is that he's not wearing purple and gold. He's wearing red and his name is Blake Griffin. If Andrew Bynum was going to become a major celebrity, his star would already be shining, but instead, he's remained on the sidelines as far as building his off-court brand goes. 

Howard does not suffer from that malady. 

Dwight Howard is already a star, but like all stars, if he were to take up residence in Los Angeles, his star would shine brighter. The Lakers have never had to worry about their local rival the Clippers before, but times have changed. 

If the Lakers want to continue to be the first team people think of when they hear "LA basketball," then grabbing Howard is essential. He will continue to keep the Lakers ahead of the now surging Clippers in the important off-court competition for marketing superiority. 

Not getting Howard will create a vacuum when Kobe eventually retires. Griffin and Chris Paul look ready to try and set up a dynasty in Los Angeles. The Lakers don't want to find out what it's like to be the second team in Los Angeles basketball. 

Not Adding Howard Could Impact the Perception of Team's Commitment to Winning

If Dwight Howard doesn't join the Lakers, then the potential exists that as the end of Kobe's contract draws near, other prominent NBA players will see the Lakers as a less attractive destination. 

That will impact other top-tier free agents down the road. Recent history has shown that star players seem to gravitate toward teams that already have other star players. LeBron to Miami, Chris Paul joining Blake Griffin, Carmelo Anthony joining Amar'e Stoudemire, and of course, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett joining Paul Pierce. 

Adding Dwight Howard would create a two-headed star monster in the form of Kobe and Dwight. That duo may only have two seasons together should Bryant decide to call it quits when his deal expires, but if Howard is in place, then top free agents next season and beyond will see the Lakers as tempting destination with the potential to play alongside one of the league's best centers. 

Not getting Howard will dampen that feeling. Even if Bynum doesn't get hurt and becomes very good, he doesn't seem to have the larger-than-life personality that Howard has. It's yet another form of risk that the Lakers would be taking on should they decide against pursuing Howard. 

Passing up on Howard may also result in other key players passing up on the Lakers. 

Aging Perimeter Defenders Will Be Exposed Without Howard in the Middle

Kobe Bryant isn't getting any younger.

The magnificent athlete and defender is getting old, and as he advances in age, his ability to put forth the effort on defense that has made his one of the best defenders of his generation, is going to start to wane. 

When a team's perimeter defense is somewhat compromised, there are really only two ways to effectively hide that weakness. 

One is playing more of a zone defense. 

The other is having a fairly dominant interior presence. Andrew Bynum is a good defensive big man by today's standards. Dwight Howard is better. Howard simply possess certain things that Bynum can't match, and one of them is his physical stature. 

Howard is a massive human being with broad shoulders and a physique that is intimidating even in a league of very large human beings. 

Howard's shot-blocking statistics aren't out-of-this-world, but those numbers don't take into account the times that a driving player pulls up and chooses to shoot a mid-range jumper rather than bring the ball to the rim.

Those stats also don't take into account the times that a player does take the ball at Howard only to be forced to alter it to avoid a blocked shot at the last second, creating a lower percentage shot and a more likely missed shot. 

As impressive as scoring is, it's very hard to win with consistency in the NBA without consistent defense. Howard insures that the Lakers will have a defense that can continue to compete with some of the league's best even as some key members of the team begin to advance in age. 

Not getting Howard could end up creating a more porous defense especially with key perimeter defenders such as Bryant, Fisher and Peace all getting older and losing some lateral movement.