NBA Trade Rumors: Stacking Up a Kobe-Dwight Howard-Chris Paul Trio vs Miami Heat

With all these trade rumors involving Chris Paul and Dwight Howard possibly joining Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers, you couldn't possibly think that comparing that Big Three to the Miami Heat's Big Three wouldn't be an idea for an article, did you?

The fact of the matter is that this needed to be made because this is a real possibility. The Lakers have a number of key influences that could potentially bring Paul and Howard into Los Angeles, which would immediately make them championship favorites once again. It would also prove to be extremely beneficial for the Lakers future, as they would no longer have to worry about what they would do following Bryant's eventual retirement.

With a true point guard and a true center on their team, the Lakers would possess unbelievable advantages at both positions and in a team setting overall thanks in part to both players offensive prowess. We saw what Paul was capable of when he had Tyson Chandler as a teammate, and we could very well see that again at an unbelievably larger scale with Howard receiving the alley-oops instead.

The Lakers would be the favorite in the West, with possibly the Oklahoma City Thunder being their only real competition. Once they reach the Finals, however, they would most likely take on the Big Three of the Miami Heat, who are the current reigning Eastern Conference champions. With the likelihood that they make it to the Finals a few more times, we have to assume that they'd run into this Laker team at least once if they do pull off these moves.

We made a dream scenario and saw how the matchups between the Big Threes would work and came up with a winner. Take a look on to find out.

Chris Paul vs. Dwyane Wade

An intriguing matchup that pits a point guard in Chris Paul against a shooting guard in Dwyane Wade, this could very well be the X-factor in a potential NBA Finals setting between the Los Angeles Lakers and Wade.

In this matchup, it shouldn't be too much of an argument on why Wade is the better player between the two. Understand that Paul is an excellent defender and has the quickest and most agile hands in the league, but he's going against one of the smartest players in the league when it comes to taking care of the ball and Wade can neutralize CP3's stealing ability.

Wade also takes this matchup because of his strength and overall size advantage against Paul. Dwyane is a gifted offensive threat that can drive against anyone, as he's too fast to contain along the perimeter and too strong to contain in the paint, which leads him to being fouled frequently. Paul may be fast, but Wade's fast and strong and could post CP3 up on every chance he gets.

However, while Wade may have the advantage in the one-on-one matchup, the Lakers have the team advantage, as they possess the true point guard that the Heat don't have. With the Heat attempting to deviate from LeBron James being the primary ball-handler as a means to avoid another Cleveland Cavaliers-run offense, the team is attempting to have Mario Chalmers as their starting point guard, which just doesn't have the same affect as Paul running an offense.

Paul is the league's top offensive facilitator and has led some of the most dismal New Orleans Hornets teams to heights that they had no business being near. Think about the influence Paul has on his team when you see that he led a team with David West and Peja Stojakovic as his two primary scoring threats to 56 wins and a division championship, and see just how well Paul can play with the talent surround him.

Giving him Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard? He'll be more giddy than Rex Ryan in a Foot Locker.

Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James

The best one-on-one matchup in this series by far pits the Miami Heat's LeBron James against the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant.

James may have the advantage of size, but physical attributes have never thrown off a player like Bryant, as he has taken on and succeeded against LeBron and his defensive prowess a number of times. However, James has bragging rights between the two, as his Heat swept their two-game series against Bryant's Lakers last season with hounding defense by Dwyane Wade on Bryant leading the way.

While I'd consider having Wade defend Bryant and James defend Paul, I'd much rather have the much more athletic James defending Bryant, who is nearing the end of his career. Wade is a stellar defender and limited Bryant in both instances they played last season, but Kobe's not getting older, and having a physical specimen like James match up with Kobe at this point in his career could only be beneficial to the Heat.

One of the main reasons why the Heat are favorable in this matchup is because of the advantage they have in the youth department. James, Paul, Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh are all around the same age, while Dwyane Wade leads the way at nearly 30. But Kobe Bryant at 33, with 15 years of experience and over 40,000 minutes played, will only mean that his career is on the decline as his body continues to deal with the wear and tear of playing 36 minutes per night nearly 90 times with the inclusion of postseason.

You can only wonder how long Bryant can persist at this rate. I'm not writing off Bryant in any way because he's still one of the NBA's greatest players and is still the most feared player in the final minute in a close game, but you have to begin to recognize that LeBron James has the advantage in this matchup because of his athleticism and size.

Bryant may be able to compete with James, but he's going to be winded by the time he's nearing the end of the game after chasing LeBron around for 40 minutes in a seven-game series.

Dwight Howard vs. Chris Bosh

This matchup might not have happened last year, but it could be a legitimate option with Chris Bosh bulking up over the summer and declaring that he wouldn't mind playing center for an extended period of time.

That's quite the transition from the Bosh that we used to know. It seems as if Bosh is out to make a statement to his critics and doubters from last year that claimed he was too "soft" to play in the paint and that he had the tendency to second guess himself and shy away from contact. With the added muscle, we can only believe that Bosh is still going to be the speedy power forward he's always been, but with the strength to also power it over the top of his opponents.

Even with the extra muscle, Bosh defending Dwight Howard could be a disaster, and likewise, the other way around. Dwight possesses a huge advantage in this matchup because of his strength and his growing awareness of playing offense around the basket and not just posting up and backing down his opponent. Hakeem Olajuwon's work has improved Howard's game greatly, but he might revert back to his old ways if being defended by the smaller Bosh.

Dwight doesn't have too large of an advantage, though. Take into account that Bosh has a consistent 20-foot jumper that needs to be focused on, as well as having the speed that could take a center as big as Howard off the dribble. Particularly, Bosh's jump shot would prove to be a huge benefit to the Heat, as it would keep Dwight out of the paint and allow LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or any other slasher to enter the paint without the resistance of Howard.

Unlike Wade, the matchup out of position with Paul and James doing the same with Bryant, the chances of this matchup occurring are slim, as the Heat would much rather put a true, defensive-minded center on Howard instead of Bosh.

Both players have an advantage in this matchup, but I wouldn't expect this one to take place unless they're forced to guard each other off of a defensive rotation.

Overall

If you like seeing the NBA Finals repeated over and over again, then you want to see Dwight Howard and Chris Paul go to the Los Angeles Lakers because the Oklahoma City Thunder would be the only team in the Western Conference that could actually compete and match up.

It's understood that teams in the Eastern Conference will improve, but take into account that the Miami Heat are going to improve greatly over the offseason by adding a capable center and adding a few key players off the bench while also getting Udonis Haslem back off an injury. Try not to forget that the Big Three is off of its feeling each other out phase and are now in dominate the NBA phase.

A matchup between the Lakers and Heat would be stunning to say the least. You have six of the league's top 10 players all playing each on the same floor with games that are sure to go down to the wire and with dream matchups that pits the likes of Dwyane Wade with Paul and LeBron James with Kobe Bryant.

This series would go down to the seventh game each and every time, and there's no doubt that every game would end up being decided in the fourth quarter, where players like Wade and Bryant strive for the glory of coming up victorious.

In a head to head matchup, you have to take several aspects into account and not just the individual battles. The fact that the Lakers have a true point guard and center in Paul and Howard gives them a tremendous advantage over the Heat. Even with Wade defending Paul, you have to imagine that CP3 will get his shots in and can still facilitate an offense without having to score, especially with the teammates he would have.

And in Dwight Howard's situation? The Heat could pick up as many Samuel Dalemberts as they want, they're not going to stop Howard unless they double team him.

However, the Heat do have a number of advantages, and that includes their youth, ability to drive and their ability to bring the Lakers center out of the lane if the team intends to use his defensive prowess to defend Chris Bosh's mid-range jumpers. Bosh's influence is set to play a large part, as his shooting ability is what could lead to James and Wade driving at will or staying out of the paint.

It's tough to say who has the advantage here, especially when you don't know who the Lakers would have following their acquisitions, but it seems that the Heat would have a slight advantage because of the eventual decline of Kobe Bryant and the fact that he would most likely have to either defend the speedy Wade or the strong and equally as fast James.

You can only have so many answers, but one of those players is going to have to go off, and that's why the Heat have the advantage. Having two slashers with the driving ability of James and Wade is the greatest advantage a team can have, as it's lose-lose for the defense. Going one-on-one can't happen, packing the paint only allows perimeter players to get open and double teaming at the top usually results in the splitting of that double team.

Because of Wade and James' speed and Bosh's ability to hit the mid-range jumper, we have to give the advantage to the Heat. Still, the chances of the Lakers obtaining Paul and Howard to join Bryant is slim, and a Heat-Lakers final would still be just as impressive.