Lakers Rumors: Chris Paul More Important to LA's Title Hopes Than Dwight Howard

It was reported on Tuesday by Chris Broussard of ESPN that the Los Angeles Lakers are interested in acquiring both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. 

In response to that, I wrote that both of those moves would deplete an already-thin team so much that it would override the star power that a starting lineup of Kobe Bryant, Paul and Howard would have. Any players of significance on the Lakers' current roster (other than Bryant) would be lost.

That's too much to overcome in a playoff series against a team like the Dallas Mavericks, or even an emerging Oklahoma City Thunder team.

Now, if we're talking about acquiring either one of these two, the move makes a lot more sense.

Realistically, the problem with acquiring both is that Andrew Bynum can't go to two places. As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported, he would be needed to bring Howard or Paul to Los Angeles. 

But remember that the Lakers have another big man in Pau Gasol. No, he's not the ideal big guy that you would want to score and get rebounds in the paint, but he's more than capable of it. More importantly, Gasol's range gives opposing teams nightmares on the inside.

So, even if Bynum is traded and Howard is never a Laker, the team is still better than most at center. That's not the case at point guard. Derek Fisher is a good guy, has been around a long time and has been the point guard for some great Lakers teams, but he can't do it anymore. 

That was abundantly clear when they lost to Dallas. Actually, it was clear before that series, but those four games really punctuated it.

Bringing in Chris Paul would turn a weakness into a strength and give the Lakers one of the best backcourts in recent memory. 

So, while Howard's name is big, his impact wouldn't bring them closer to a championship. Paul's would. They need to make a move to get Paul before the Lakers even think about Howard.

Either man is a realistic goal, but both won't come to the Lakers without dramatically draining the rest of the team.

Realistically, Paul is the only option that will bring the championship back to Los Angeles.