Dwight Howard to Lakers: Superman Makes LA Automatic Title Contenders

The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly pulled off one of the greatest coups in recent NBA history, getting Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic in a four-team, eight-player trade, according to ESPN.com. 

While there will be plenty of time to digest the thought of Howard wearing Lakers colors, the first thought that goes into your head is, well, Los Angeles is going to win an NBA championship. 

There are so many factors that play a part in a team winning a title that you can't say anyone is a lead-pipe lock to hold the Larry O'Brien trophy at the end of the year, but the Lakers look a lot better now than they did one day ago. 

As good as Andrew Bynum has gotten as a center, he is still not the player that Howard is. Howard is a true superstar who can change the game in so many ways, both offensively and defensively. Bynum goes through spurts where he gets lost in the shuffle. 

Adding the stable presence—as strange as that sounds given his fickle nature with Orlando over the last year—of Howard to the mix makes the Lakers even more lethal on offense and defense. 

Just look at their current starting five heading into the season, specifically the "Big Four" of Howard, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol. Where are you going to find a weak spot to attack?

If you want to look at Gasol and his problems last year—which were really overblown, as he averaged 17.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game—or Bryant and Nash both needing the ball in their hands to succeed, you might be able to convince yourself they are going to have trouble juggling all these parts. 

The biggest knock against them is age. Bryant is an old 33 years old (34 on Aug. 23). Nash is 38 and takes a pounding because of the way he plays. Pau Gasol is 32. Antawn Jamison, Steve Blake and Metta World Peace are all on the wrong side of 30. 

It is true that they are an older team, but this team has the necessary pieces to win it all as soon as next year.

The Lakers have gotten bigger, badder and more athletic adding Howard to the mix. 

Oklahoma City is still the biggest threat to the Lakers in the Western Conference, though the Lakers now have the weapons inside and out to match the Thunder in a short playoff series. 

Los Angeles pulled off this deal by just giving up Andrew Bynum, who was replaced with a better player, and draft picks, which the Lakers don't use anyway. 

This team is so obviously built to win now, and they have been put in a much better position to contend for a championship. After a two-year absence from the NBA Finals, the Lakers are better positioned to win this season than they were even in that 2010 title season. 

It is amazing what happens when you add another superstar to play alongside players like Bryant and Nash. The rich just seem to always get richer in the NBA, and right now there is no richer team than the Los Angeles Lakers. 

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