Chris Paul vs. Dwight Howard: Who Is More Likely to Bolt LA in Free Agency?
Los Angeles is the place where stars come to congregate, and two of the biggest during the 2012-13 NBA season were Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Now that both are about to be unrestricted free agents, there's a chance that each bolts from the City of Angels.
Chris Paul enjoyed a successful year with the Los Angeles Clippers, helping lead Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and the rest of Lob City into the postseason, where they ultimately fell at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Things didn't go quite so smoothly for Dwight Howard during his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Plagued by injuries, coaching changes and the constant negativity surrounding the Purple and Gold, Dwight and the Lakers were barely able to make it to the playoffs. And once there, a quick exit ensued, this time courtesy of the San Antonio Spurs.
CP3 and D12 will be thrust into the center of attention once more during the offseason. After all, they're the clear prizes in free agency, head and shoulders above all other eligible players.
So, which superstar is more likely to leave town?
Chris Paul
The league's best point guard is already in a great situation, so while he's sure to get plenty of attention from suitors around the league—think the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, for example—there's not much of a reason for him to leave.
In fact, the two biggest potential factors in a Paul departure have already been put to rest.
The first dealt with chemistry, the constant source of trouble for everyone in high school, relationships and the NBA alike. According to the Los Angeles Times' T.J. Simers, CP3 didn't get along well with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan:
"The pair have also grown tired of Chris Paul's voice, which is understandable at times.
Paul, very much like Kobe Bryant — who has turned off Dwight Howard with his out-of-this-world standards — is relentless. He never shuts up. And Jordan and Griffin have become weary of him.
"
Regardless of whether Jordan and Griffin had grown "weary of him," they were still playing effective basketball. If the weariness manifested itself on the court, it was only in very small doses that were unnoticeable to spectators.
Plus, the trio quickly put any thoughts of discontent to rest when they parodied the report in the locker room (per the Press-Telegram's Vincent Bonsignore):
"Clippers center DeAndre Jordan shouted across the locker room Sunday to Chris Paul.
"I don't like you, Chris," Jordan yelled out.
Paul didn't flinch.
"I don't care," Paul answered.
Meanwhile, Clippers forward Blake Griffin turned to Jordan, whose locker is near his, and snipped:
"Get out of my way DeAndre. Move," Griffin shouted.
Jordan didn't back down.
"I don't like you, Blake Griffin," Jordan screamed.
Finally, all three players shared a hearty laugh.
Turns out it was all in fun.
But it also was a message delivered to anyone who thinks the Clippers have a chemistry problem or their star players don't get along.
"
Sounds very much like a group of players who dislike each other, right?
Well, turns out there was actually a person in the locker room who Paul didn't particularly care for: Vinny Del Negro.
Reports universally indicated that the star point guard wasn't fond of his head coach and desired a change on the sideline. So the Clippers, who would very much like to retain the services of their best player, made that change, informing VDN that the team would not be bringing him back.
This isn't Paul acting as a coach killer, but rather a tremendously cerebral player recognizing that a talented group of basketball players was being held back by the coaching.
Once a new coach—likely one that is hired partially to please CP3—is pacing the sideline with clipboard in hand, there aren't many reasons for Paul to leave L.A. It will be tough for him to find a better situation—unless he winds up playing with Dwight Howard in Atlanta—than the one he's currently in the middle of.
They say the grass is always greener on the other side, but the grass surrounding Paul is pretty darn green at the moment.
Dwight Howard
The Dwight Howard situation is a bit more fraught with uncertainty. And by "a bit," I mean "a lot."
Howard's first campaign in a purple-and-gold uniform was not a pleasant one. He had the pleasure of receiving tutelage from three different coaches before we reached the All-Star break, dealt with an injured back throughout the season and was the constant subject of negative attention.
While the big man loves him some attention, something tells me that he prefers the positive variety. And that's something that's difficult to find in L.A. when things aren't going well. The Lakers fanbase is passionate to a fault at times.
The clearest indication that Howard is considering a move away from Hollywood and the drama that goes hand in hand with the media-frenzied city comes to us via Mark Medina, who reported that the big man already has a list of preferred teams:
"A source familiar with Howard's thinking says he plans to test free agency and has considered the Lakers, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Golden State.
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We haven't seen any sort of list from Paul, and the rumor mill concerning the point guard has been curiously quiet. The same cannot be said for Howard, who seems to say or do something each and every day that steers us away from knowing what he'll choose in the offseason.
First there was the report from ESPN's Dave McMenamin, one that indicated Howard and Mike D'Antoni didn't exactly have a strong relationship:
"According to sources with knowledge of the situation, part of the discussion between Howard and Kupchak centered around Howard's frustration with D'Antoni -- particularly how the center felt marginalized as the coach looked to Bryant and Steve Nash for leadership and suggestions and discounted Howard's voice.
"
Then D'Antoni chose not to bring back assistant coach Chuck Person, a man with whom Howard actually had a solid relationship. After that, the big man's interest in the Houston Rockets was revealed and followed up by the aforementioned list of preferred teams.
Lost in the shuffle is the fact that Howard hasn't publicly expressed any desire to continue playing for the Lakers. He could come around and return to the team, driven by the extra money, the historical aspects of the franchise and the management's willingness to spend cash on a championship-caliber roster, but it's hard to claim he's leaning in that direction at the moment.
The same cannot be said for Paul.
Everything is falling into place for CP3 to wear a Clippers jersey next year, but Howard's L.A. threads look like they could end up on some discount racks during the 2013-14 campaign.
Free agency is a crazy period, and anything can happen. Cliche as that may be, the tides can truly swing in one direction during the morning and then an entirely different one in the afternoon.
If I were a betting man, though, and forced to choose between Paul and Howard departing from L.A., my money would be on the center relocating.
