NBA Rumors: D12's Willingness to Sign in LA All but Ensures He'll Be a Laker

The third team may change, but the bottom line isn't likely to. If the tweet from ESPN's Chris Broussard is true, Dwight Howard seems destined to wear the purple and gold.

The fit makes sense on the floor and geographically. Howard would be in a big city where he can be a mega star and celebrity.

It's far away from Derrick Rose, Adidas' other major athlete in the sport, and the Lakers would be the favorites to win it all. If not the favorites, they would at least be mentioned in the same breath as the Miami Heat.

It's business, it's basketball, it's a reality. You may not like Dwight Howard's priorities, but they are understandable.

From a financial standpoint, the only place that would offer him the type of high profile opportunities that Los Angeles does is New York. Things didn't seem to work out in a trade to the Brooklyn Nets, so that desire to go beyond basketball can be satisfied in Los Angeles.

If he wants to build his Adidas brand, and thus command a bigger shoe deal with three stripes, he can't do that in Chicago. Especially considering the shoe company has already committed to a 13-year $200 million deal with Rose.

The company would likely want to spread their money out more evenly across the United States. This makes more business sense, as opposed to unloading a chunk in the Midwest, which isn't on par with the markets in LA and New York.

You think Michael Jordan's career was celebrated in Chicago? Imagine what it would have been in New York or Los Angeles. 

On the floor, the Lakers will be a juggernaut if Howard indeed does ever arrive. They are quite stout already with the additions of Steve Nash and Antawn Jamison. Throwing in Howard will make them the clear favorites in the Western Conference.

The reasons are clear, but Howard could have done himself a favor—from a public relations standpoint—by being honest or quiet.

Stop saying this is all about winning, because it's clearly not. If you aren't sure, then stop talking. The waffling makes you look unstable and less than truthful.

It may not seem like it, but that could be bad for business. If he loses fans behind shaky stances, preferred landing spots and phony behavior; that could in turn hurt his overall popularity.

That could be the beginning of declining shoe sales. While Howard would have some haters for being honest, I for one would respect him if he says:

"This is about business. I want to win, but I also want to make as much money during my career as possible, and I'd like to do that in my city of choice. My free agency, and the immediate time before it, is the time for me to put that in place."

You may not like it, but who wouldn't do the same thing?

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