NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers Getting Dwight Howard Instead of Paul Is Best for Team

According to ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers are breaking out of the Chris Paul trade talks.

Honestly, after all the ridiculousness from David Stern and some of the NBA owners, can you really blame them? You have to think, though, were Stern's antics actually a blessing in disguise for the Lakers?

Here's what L.A's starting lineup would have looked like if the Paul trade would have went through:

PG: Chris Paul

SG: Kobe Bryant

SF: Metta World Peace or whatever you'd like to call him

PF: Uhhh

C: Andrew Bynum

Even if the Lakers would have been able to then swing a deal for Dwight Howard, they still would have likely been without a legitimate power forward.

It would have been a very good starting lineup, there's no doubt about that. Still though, I just would have been concerned about the lack of size up front.

Now that the first trade has been famously vetoed, the Lakers are reportedly looking to send Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks for draft picks and cap space. 

That frees up the ability to go after Dwight Howard more aggressively. 

Now, if that trade goes through, here's a look at the Lakers lineup:

PG: Derek Fisher

SG: Kobe Bryant

SF: Metta World Peace

PF: Pau Gasol

C: Andrew Bynum (with the space for Howard)

The point guard spot is obviously a downgrade, but I'm guessing Chauncey Billups would be an attractive target. Billups has made it pretty clear he is unhappy about getting cut from New York, but I'm sure leading a title contender would change his mind.

Regardless of point guard, however, the Lakers are able to keep their size up front with Gasol at power forward. Obviously, a Chris Paul-Kobe Bryant backcourt is something everyone in Los Angeles wants to see, but keeping size in the frontcourt is vital in the NBA.

With this new lineup, the Lakers' frontcourt would be one of the best in the NBA. If they can somehow get Howard, it would easily be the best.

David Stern may crazy, but he quite possibly just made the Lakers better while trying to contain them.