Lakers Rumors: Dwight Howard in LA Would Shift Conference Supremacy
If Dwight Howard comes to play with Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, the Los Angeles Lakers are the team to beat in the Western Conference.
Howard landing with the Brooklyn Nets would have made them a very good team and a threat in the Eastern Conference, but not as good as the Miami Heat. ESPN's Ric Bucher is reporting the Nets have called talks off.
The Lakers are reportedly still in the mix for Howard, along with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets would be happy to rent the services of Howard, or Lakers' center Andrew Bynum. But it seems to me that Howard to the Lakers makes more sense.
People can nit-pick at Nash's defense—which is horrible, but players like Howard can help to hide that.
There is no better friend to a poor perimeter defender than an elite shot-blocker. Nash is still a premier playmaker, and he has never had such a wealth of tools.
We all talked about trading Gasol, but can you imagine how happy he'll be functioning so far out of the spotlight? He'd be the fourth option on this stacked offense, but somehow, Nash would make sure everyone got their touches.
The biggest issue with this potential team would be its ego. If Kobe and Dwight can agree to share, then the sky is truly the limit. Their ceiling would be higher than that of the Miami Heat's big three.
Why?
Because they would actually have their marquee players in different positions, and more defined roles from the beginning. Nash would be the clear floor general, and if all agree, they would be unstoppable offensively
Howard and Gasol both have the length to protect the rim, but Dwight is a more consistent than Bynum.
A deal is still far from a reality, but if Howard lands with the Lakers, the run for a NBA championship in 2012-2013 will be a two-team race.
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