Dwight Howard: How Superstar's Move Impacts NBA Landscape
Dwight Howard is headed to the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN.
And it figures to change the NBA landscape dramatically.
The Lakers essentially have swapped the second-best center in the league with the best center, but the difference may be greater than you think.
For one, Andrew Bynum had his fair share of squabbles with the Lakers and head coach Mike Brown last season, and there were periods in the playoffs when he appeared unmotivated defending the post.
Even when Howard was causing a ruckus with the Orlando Magic, he still brought it on the basketball court, and he was still a better player than Bynum.
From a pure statistical standpoint, you could see Howard made the bigger impact. He averaged 20.6 points, a league-leading 14.5 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.5 steals, while shooting 57 percent from the field.
Bynum averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 0.5 steals, while shooting 55 percent from the field.
Howard also had a PER of 24.2, while Bynum registered a PER of 22.9, via Basketball-Reference.com.
Howard essentially beats Bynum in every category, and that includes post defense. His defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) was 96 last year, while Bynum's was an even 100.
Howard also helped the Magic win about four more games due to his defense alone (defensive win shares), according to Basketball-Reference.com.
What does all of this mean?
It means that the Lakers are now legitimate contenders for the NBA championship in 2012-2013, and they may even be the front-runners over the defending champion Miami Heat.
With a projected starting lineup of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol and Howard, this now looks like a team capable of consistently dominating opponents.
You not only have Bryant still playing at a high level, you'll have Nash dropping dimes to Howard for thunderous dunks in the post. The results could be earth-shattering.
Of course, the Lakers must learn to work together for it all to work out.
The Heat, as you may remember, needed a year of seasoning before even the Big Three began working seamlessly as a unit. Just because the Lakers have overwhelming talent now doesn't mean they are locks to even emerge out of the Western Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder still have an elite squad.
But there is no question that Bryant's chances of capturing a sixth title shot up dramatically with this deal.
Lakers fans have to be ecstatic.
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