Dwight Howard Trade: Los Angeles Lakers Still Aren't Title Favorites with D12

Our long, oft-derided national Dwightmare is over.

After months of speculation, incessant trade rumors and a few heads being pounded against desks, disenchanted All-Star center Dwight Howard is headed out of Orlando to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Via ESPN:

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A source with direct knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com's Marc Stein the Lakers will receive Howard, the Denver Nuggets will acquire Andre Iguodala, the 76ers will receive Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson, and the Magic will get Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and one protected future first-round pick from each of the three teams.

The Lakers also will acquire Earl Clark and Chris Duhon, a source told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard.

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This marks the end of a year-long saga wherein there were infinite starts and stops, as Howard was rumored to destinations ranging from Brooklyn to Los Angeles to Dallas and more.

But finally, it seems that Howard is officially ready to don his new purple and gold uniform.

This move finishes a brilliant offseason for the Lakers, who, after two straight early ousters in the NBA playoffs, went work early this offseason. General manager Mitch Kupchak acquired Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns in a sign-and-trade deal, pilfered forward Antawn Jamison from the free agent market and made Howard a top priority.

With those moves complete, it seems like many are ready to anoint the Lakers as championship favorites.

The folks at Bovada.lv have the Lakers at 3/1 favorites now, just one day after L.A. sat with a far more tasty 10/1 ratio.

But pundits eager to hoist the Lakers' 16th championship banner in the Staples Center need to pump their brakes.

Here are a few reasons why:

The Lakers Are Still Incredibly Old

Calling the Lakers old is like calling Adam Sandler movies horrible.

Everyone knows this. But just as amazing as how old the Lakers are is how mind-numbingly terrible Jack and Jill was.

Though it's impossible to calculate effective age until we see how the Lakers distribute minutes, the team's projected starters are an average of 32.4 years old. And considering that L.A.'s top reserve will likely be 36-year-old Antawn Jamison, it's not outside the realm of possibility that the 2012-13 Lakers could eclipse the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls (31.7 effective age) as the oldest NBA champion in history.

If the Lakers do make the NBA Finals next season, Steve Nash will also be the oldest guard to ever start in a championship game, eclipsing Jason Kidd's mark set with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 by a year-and-a-half.

And while we all know by now that Nash is a medical marvel not usually restrained to the shortcomings of mere mortals, this will be the point guard's first season away from the Phoenix Suns' world-renowned training staff in eight years.

When Nash left Dallas for Phoenix in 2004, his back was on the verge of breaking down to the point that Mark Cuban—he of the free $50 million contract to seven-footers giveaway—wouldn't even consider matching the point guard's offer.

Nash has been a bastion of health ever since, but it's still something to watch.

The Princeton Offense

Kobe breaking the news to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski that the Lakers would switch to the Princeton offense has already been met with mixed reaction by most.

The emphasis on fluidity and "positionlessness" (if that's a word) meshes perfectly with Bryant and Pau Gasol, but negates some of Nash's effectiveness. By switching out of a traditional point guard offense, Nash won't create as freely or set up as many opportunities in Los Angeles.

And the subbing of Howard for Bynum makes the move even more curious.

While, in a vacuum, D12 is still the greatest center alive, he's not an especially polished post presence or a particularly aware offensive player.

The Princeton offense thrives on ball movement and versatility. Howard is as traditional of a center as you're going to find. He thrives on using his overwhelming strength and athleticism in back-to-the-basket situations.

In the post, Howard needs space to overpower his defender or take him off the dribble for a hook shot in the lane. The traditional Princeton offense doesn't allow for that. In most cases, the Princeton center works as a rotator and fourth option on offense.

And if you think Howard will sign an extension with the Lakers if he's the fourth offensive option, you're dead wrong.

You Have to Beat the Champs to be the Favorites

Regardless of how brilliant Kupchak's offseason moves were, you cannot unseat the champion by winning the offseason. Ask any Washington Redskins fan.

To borrow a phrase from wrestling great Ric Flair, you gotta beat the man to be the man.

And LeBron James is the NBA's man right now.

So long as LeBron James is the still the best basketball player in the world (and he is by far) and is surrounded by Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat are NBA champion favorites.

As soon as Dwight Howard is hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy, then you can talk about the Lakers as championship favorites. Until then, being Western Conference champion favorites isn't exactly the worst thing in the world.