Lakers, Magic in blockbuster four-team trade talks to send Dwight Howard to L.A.

Really nice move for the Lakers (and Philly).

LA is making a big upgrade this offseason. Bynum was good around the rim, but Howard is the best around the rim. With Howard in the middle Gasol can step out and shoot; going to be hard to stop that one. Nash is no ordinary 39 year old and is easily still a top-tier distributor who can dish, run and score. The bench is going to be better and, oh yeah, they've still got that Kobe guy. No concern about only one ball because these are smart players and there will be plenty of opportunities to go around.

Team is going to be a monster.

Can't wait to play them!

The Lakers have agreed to terms with Jodie Meeks.
A second team of Blake, Meeks, Ebanks, Jamison, and Jordan Hill is solid.
I doubt there will be many times that all 5 will play at the same time.

I wouldn't be surprised if Steve Blake gets beat out by Darius Morris at the back up pg. Morris is 6'5", is much stronger and faster then Blake and is an excellent ball handler. He doesn't shoot as well as Blake does.

Great trade for the lakers as far as I can tell.

The team it makes the last sense for in my opinion is Denver and of course Orlando really is not getting much but it might be the best they can get.

For Lakers and the 76ers it was good upgrades.

NYCelt wrote:Really nice move for the Lakers (and Philly).

LA is making a big upgrade this offseason. Bynum was good around the rim, but Howard is the best around the rim. With Howard in the middle Gasol can step out and shoot; going to be hard to stop that one. Nash is no ordinary 39 year old and is easily still a top-tier distributor who can dish, run and score. The bench is going to be better and, oh yeah, they've still got that Kobe guy. No concern about only one ball because these are smart players and there will be plenty of opportunities to go around.

Team is going to be a monster.

Can't wait to play them!

I agree completely. I think people need to look at this from a purely basketball standpoint, not from the "Dwight Howard is an idiot" and "I hate LA" standpoints.

I think Howard is a significant upgrade over Bynum. Bynum is better offensively and can be impactful defensively, but I was sorely disappointed in his effort during the 2012 playoffs. He'd be very good one game but inconsistent or non-existent the next. Javale McGee should give half his salary to Bynum since Bynum made McGee look like an all-star in the Denver series. Bynum may get it together and get to Howard's level someday, but his poor effort in many games against Denver and OKC was appalling.

With all of Howard's faults, he brings consistent effort. While Bynum could be good defensively, Dwight is game-changing. He forces teams to alter their offensive gameplans more than any other player, which is why he should be the Defensive Player of the Year every year. He is tailor-made to play with Nash, because he's a good pick-and-roll partner and lob recipient (both specialties of Nash's), and he'll negate Nash's defensive liabilities by challenging anyone who drives around Nash. Think of Amare Stoudemire but with elite defensive skills.

My inclination is to think that the Nash and Jamison deals made the Lakers championship contenders but that the Howard deal makes them an elite team (a group that also includes Miami and OKC). I am amazed that they pulled this off while keeping Gasol. I am amazed that other teams in the league allowed themselves to be a party to a trade that, yet again, puts LA into that elite category.

I am also amazed that this somehow works from a salary cap perspective. An article on SI.com says that LA will have a payroll around $100 million, will be $30 million over the cap, and will pay a tax bill of $50 million. It doesn't surprise me that LA is willing to pay it -- they signed a TV deal with Time-Warner that is supposedly worth $150 million per season. What shocks me is that a payroll so far over the cap is possible with the new CBA. I thought one of the issues that owners locked the players out for was to prevent this scenario and that the new CBA hamstrung teams over the cap. Yet here we are. Congrats to Mitch Kupchak for pulling it off. And congrats to Jimmy Buss, who I previously thought was a tool, for stepping up to the bar.

Philly got better, though much rides on whether Bynum signs an extension with them. Iguodala was apparently an uncomfortable fit there -- I don't understand why, but it's been accepted as common knowledge, along with persistent trade rumors, for years. We'll see how Bynum reacts to Doug Collins, not known as the coddling type.

I think Denver got better, too, though LA got even better than them, so I'm not sure what that gets them. Maybe their goal is to be as competitive as possible but forgo illusions about winning a title. If so, nice job. Iguodala is a significant upgrade over Arron Afflalo, and Al Harrington can score but drives everyone nuts wherever he goes.

For Orlando, about the only rationalization I can think of is that this deal is better than losing Howard without compensation through free agency. According to HoopsHype, they currently have the fourth highest payroll in the league for a team filled with castoffs and scrubs. They will suck for the foreseeable future. I just took a look on the Orlando Sentinel website, and there are multiple mentions of "the Dwightmare is over," so the sense of relief is a big plus. But they are one bad, expensive team.

Outside

Outside,

Interesting point about the upcoming Collins & Bynum pairing. Bynum reportedly needs his hand held and ego stroked and he's sure not getting that out of Collins! I'm not sure he finds a lot of reason to extend, especially hanging around Philly when he's coming from the LA postgame scene.

LA meanwhile shouldn't have much to worry about in getting Howard to sign for a longer tour. He's going to a team that will pull out all the stops to remain competitive and a market that will present him with all the opportunities he can handle. I'm sure the endorsement offers aren't about to dwindle; Howard is personable and well-spoken. Think Mr. James down in Miami is about to get a challenge for the top spot among NBA hot marketing properties? Howard will end up very happy he's not a Net.

Regards

Outside wrote:

NYCelt wrote:Really nice move for the Lakers (and Philly).

LA is making a big upgrade this offseason. Bynum was good around the rim, but Howard is the best around the rim. With Howard in the middle Gasol can step out and shoot; going to be hard to stop that one. Nash is no ordinary 39 year old and is easily still a top-tier distributor who can dish, run and score. The bench is going to be better and, oh yeah, they've still got that Kobe guy. No concern about only one ball because these are smart players and there will be plenty of opportunities to go around.

Team is going to be a monster.

Can't wait to play them!

I agree completely. I think people need to look at this from a purely basketball standpoint, not from the "Dwight Howard is an idiot" and "I hate LA" standpoints.

I think Howard is a significant upgrade over Bynum. Bynum is better offensively and can be impactful defensively, but I was sorely disappointed in his effort during the 2012 playoffs. He'd be very good one game but inconsistent or non-existent the next. Javale McGee should give half his salary to Bynum since Bynum made McGee look like an all-star in the Denver series. Bynum may get it together and get to Howard's level someday, but his poor effort in many games against Denver and OKC was appalling.

With all of Howard's faults, he brings consistent effort. While Bynum could be good defensively, Dwight is game-changing. He forces teams to alter their offensive gameplans more than any other player, which is why he should be the Defensive Player of the Year every year. He is tailor-made to play with Nash, because he's a good pick-and-roll partner and lob recipient (both specialties of Nash's), and he'll negate Nash's defensive liabilities by challenging anyone who drives around Nash. Think of Amare Stoudemire but with elite defensive skills.

My inclination is to think that the Nash and Jamison deals made the Lakers championship contenders but that the Howard deal makes them an elite team (a group that also includes Miami and OKC). I am amazed that they pulled this off while keeping Gasol. I am amazed that other teams in the league allowed themselves to be a party to a trade that, yet again, puts LA into that elite category.

I am also amazed that this somehow works from a salary cap perspective. An article on SI.com says that LA will have a payroll around $100 million, will be $30 million over the cap, and will pay a tax bill of $50 million. It doesn't surprise me that LA is willing to pay it -- they signed a TV deal with Time-Warner that is supposedly worth $150 million per season. What shocks me is that a payroll so far over the cap is possible with the new CBA. I thought one of the issues that owners locked the players out for was to prevent this scenario and that the new CBA hamstrung teams over the cap. Yet here we are. Congrats to Mitch Kupchak for pulling it off. And congrats to Jimmy Buss, who I previously thought was a tool, for stepping up to the bar.

Philly got better, though much rides on whether Bynum signs an extension with them. Iguodala was apparently an uncomfortable fit there -- I don't understand why, but it's been accepted as common knowledge, along with persistent trade rumors, for years. We'll see how Bynum reacts to Doug Collins, not known as the coddling type.

I think Denver got better, too, though LA got even better than them, so I'm not sure what that gets them. Maybe their goal is to be as competitive as possible but forgo illusions about winning a title. If so, nice job. Iguodala is a significant upgrade over Arron Afflalo, and Al Harrington can score but drives everyone nuts wherever he goes.

For Orlando, about the only rationalization I can think of is that this deal is better than losing Howard without compensation through free agency. According to HoopsHype, they currently have the fourth highest payroll in the league for a team filled with castoffs and scrubs. They will suck for the foreseeable future. I just took a look on the Orlando Sentinel website, and there are multiple mentions of "the Dwightmare is over," so the sense of relief is a big plus. But they are one bad, expensive team.

Outside

Outside,

Very well written and thought out post.
Just to clarify, if LA's payroll is $100m this season, their luxury tax bill will be $30m.
The 2013-14 season is the real financial nightmare.
That same $100m payroll (approx. $30m over the luxury tax line) would turn into a tax bill of $142.5m just for the 2013-14 season.
Of course, LA would at the very least amnesty MWP which would lower the tax bill to $106m.
Or, LA could amnesty Gasol or trade him for young players making very little money.

I am shocked at what a poor deal Orlando got for Dwight.
The Houston rumors must not have been as true as we were made to believe.
If I was Orlando, I would have rather have had 3 or 4 of Houston's very young guys, plus three of their 1st round picks in the next few years.
Taking Harrington's salary seems to make no sense.

An interesting side note to all of this is Houston. I think they were pretty confident they would get Howard or Bynum.
They made all of those pre-draft trades, offered a semi-crazy contract to Lin and an absurd contract to Asik.
They refused and refused to trade Lowry and Scola to LA for Gasol then traded Lowry for a 1st round pick and amnestied Scola..???
Scola had 3 years and $31m left on his contract.
With 20 players under contract and with about 9 pf's on the team, it will be interesting to see how Houston gets out of that mess.

In section 21 of the link below is a box that details the luxury tax rates.

http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm

I'll say one thing, if I was a season ticket holder in Orlando I'd ask for my money back. Mickey Mouse is moonlighting as a Magic exec and working days at DisneyWorld.

bob


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This, from Adrian W of Yahoo Sports. Too. Freaking. Funny.

The vision is this: A serious-minded star for a serious-minded basketball franchise. Stan Van Gundy tried so, so hard to instill that within Howard, but the culture of Orlando always made the Magic beholden to Howard. No more. Howard is bigger than life, but he isn’t bigger than the Lakers. So, yes, Bryant searched out Howard’s cell phone on Friday morning and made the call to Howard that the two superstars had resisted for months now. When the time comes, rest assured, Bryant will make something clear: The carnival act ends now. The clowning and goofing are done. During games, players used to hear Kevin Garnett screaming at Howard: “Paint your face, clown!” up and down the floor.

I wish I had heard KG screaming that at Howard. I would have hurt myself laughing.

bob


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If Bynum finally grows up and acts like a professional basketball player for an entire year without getting suspended or doing something stupid, I think this is a huge plus for Philadelphia. The only thing is...Iggy is now gone. He may have taken alot of flak from people last playoff season, but he has been a terrific player for Phillie for years. Let's see these young kids grow up and share the basketball.

Howard, no doubt, is a great ballplayer, a definite plus for LA. However, just listening to people talk here, they keep talking about "time to mesh", Hey, as great as he is, Nash is 39, his skills will definitely start to erode. I am not saying this will happen immediately, I love the guy, but the pressure is on Howard to produce NOW.

LeBron is finally off the hook, now Howard is on it. After this fiasco, people will expect Howard to produce a winner with Kobe and Nash immediately.
It will be interesting to watch.

Rosalie

Rosalie

Just suppose Kobe get pissed and starts in on Howard like he did on Gasol last year..............

How will the clown take it?

How will Brown calm it down?

Winning games will be important for sure and "may" take care of it but if they don't win someone will be pointing fingers. Heck lots of fingers will be pointing at ??????

And I don't think Howard has the balls to take much of that. And should this come to pass Howard will take his act elsewhere the following year.

beat

Then he will just go to Dallas or Houston, where he probably should have gone to start off with. He is not someone I trust, that is for sure.

Dwight Howard was born a lucky guy. With a body like that, he sure looks like he comes from another planet. You have to wonder, though, if he has a brain like Gerald Green and successfully hides it because of his size and (gulp!) athleticism. For example, some of his blocks, many of his blocks, could easily have been tipped to teammates instead of smashed out of bounds. That was one of the first things Kendrick Perkins learned. Howard doesn't seem to get that one at all.

Howard and Perkins both learned the big man position from the excellent Mr. Clifford Ray. That's another way Howard has been lucky. Ray taught footwork and fundamentals, he was exactly what the young prodigy needed, and Howard loved the guy. Considering that Clifford Ray went on to the Celtics and taught Perk the same tricks, maybe Howard wasn't all that lucky.

Lastly, Howard was lucky getting drafted by Orlando. Coming right out of prep school, he didn't face the pressure and scrutiny he would have faced in a place like L.A. No more. The pressure's on. And even though the Lakers haven't won anything yet, every team will be gunning for them. There will be extreme scrutiny on everything Howard does.

We live in interesting times.

beat wrote:Rosalie

Just suppose Kobe get pissed and starts in on Howard like he did on Gasol last year..............

How will the clown take it?

How will Brown calm it down?

Winning games will be important for sure and "may" take care of it but if they don't win someone will be pointing fingers. Heck lots of fingers will be pointing at ??????

And I don't think Howard has the balls to take much of that. And should this come to pass Howard will take his act elsewhere the following year.

beat

Every player has their own on-court personality.
Gasol doesn't have anywhere near the fire inside him that Kobe has.
Gasol is immensely talented but he doesn't bring it at all times.
He needed the kick in the pants/motivation that Kobe gave him.
Yes, Kobe got on Gasol but he never did that with Bynum.
Bynum does not have the sheepish personality that Gasol has which has meant Kobe has to treat him differently.
I cannot expect that Kobe will ever have to ride Howard because he brings effort on every play.
Kobe knows that the team will be led by Nash offensively for most of the game and Dwight defensively.
In his comments, about Nash, Kobe sounds like he is excited about Nash leading the team.

With Bynum's odd personality, I would be more worried that he would not re-sign this summer more than I worry about Howard not re-signing.

Now that the Dwight Howard trade is official ESPN listed its new odds to win the title:

8.5-5: Lakers, Heat
7-2: Thunder
15-1: Bulls, Knicks, Celtics, Clippers
18-1: Rockets, Spurs
20-1: Sixers, Mavs, Nets, Pacers

steve3344 wrote:Now that the Dwight Howard trade is official ESPN listed its new odds to win the title:

8.5-1: Lakers, Heat
7-2: Thunder
15-1: Bulls, Knicks, Celtics, Clippers
18-1: Rockets, Spurs
20-1: Sixers, Mavs, Nets, Pacers

Funny how nobody mentions that Dwight Howard just had back surgery and nobody knows how well he'll play when he comes back.

Besides, as we all know injuries change everything. Everybody thought Chicago was zeroed in until Rose went down. We were looking good last time until Perk went down.

bob

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"The race is not to the swiftest, nor the battle to the strongest, but time and chance happeneth to all."

rickdavisakaspike wrote:
"The race is not to the swiftest, nor the battle to the strongest, but time and chance happeneth to all."

The race is not to the swiftest, nor the battle to the strongest, but that's the way to bet.

bob

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Dwight Howard Will Reportedly Miss Start of Season

Continuing to recover from April back surgery, Dwight Howard told the media on Friday night that he may not be ready for the Lakers’ opening night. ESPN’s Arash Markazi reports: “Howard also was unsure when exactly he would be cleared by doctors to return to the court. Multiple sources told ESPN that Howard is expected to miss the start of the regular season as he continues to recover from back surgery. ‘My health is great,’ Howard said. ‘I’m getting a lot better and a lot stronger every day. I’m looking forward to the doctor saying you are free to play. I can’t wait for that day.’ Howard and Kupchak were optimistic that day could be before the season opener but made no promises. ‘We’ll see what the doctor says,’ Howard said. ‘If I’m ready for opening night I’ll be there but I’m not going to rush it. A back is very serious, so I’m going to take my time and make sure I’m 100 percent because I want to give everybody 100 percent. I want to give everybody everything I have.’”

http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2012/08/dwight-howard-will-reportedly-miss-start-of-season/


bob

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The Lakers have upgraded their team but I think getting Nash was even more significant than getting Howard. I suppose I see Bynum as almost an equal to Howard and the stats bear that out. Howard was a 14.5 rebounder last year but it is important to understand that when you go to a team that has talented players like the lakers things will balance out. Gasol pulled down 10.4 rebounds per game so I would be surprised if Howard's rebounding total and even his scoring average did not decline.

If you look at the statistcis for Howard vs Bynum there really is not a significant different. So was the trade an upgrade? yes. Was it a significant upgrade? hell no.

Last year the Laskers had dominant big men and nothing will change this year but we have seen a significant and undeniable shift in nthe way teams are constructed because the wings players are now the dominant force.

The lakers still lack perimeter scorers and Kobe Bryant is well past his prime. Kobe continues to be a high volume shooter (23 attempts per last year) and his ,430 shooting percentage is really not impressive. With Nash running the show Kobe will have to share the ball, something that he has never down before. Let's see how that works.

Nash can make Howard and Gasol better offense players running the pick and role but by the same token the lakers do not look to be a top defensive team even with the howard swap. Nash cannot cover his position and today in the NBA that is critical to being a sucessful defensive team.


Once the season begins we will get a better feel of how this trade works out.

dboss

dboss wrote:The Lakers have upgraded their team but I think getting Nash was even more significant than getting Howard. I suppose I see Bynum as almost an equal to Howard and the stats bear that out. Howard was a 14.5 rebounder last year but it is important to understand that when you go to a team that has talented players like the lakers things will balance out. Gasol pulled down 10.4 rebounds per game so I would be surprised if Howard's rebounding total and even his scoring average did not decline.

If you look at the statistcis for Howard vs Bynum there really is not a significant different. So was the trade an upgrade? yes. Was it a significant upgrade? hell no.

Last year the Laskers had dominant big men and nothing will change this year but we have seen a significant and undeniable shift in nthe way teams are constructed because the wings players are now the dominant force.

The lakers still lack perimeter scorers and Kobe Bryant is well past his prime. Kobe continues to be a high volume shooter (23 attempts per last year) and his ,430 shooting percentage is really not impressive. With Nash running the show Kobe will have to share the ball, something that he has never down before. Let's see how that works.

Nash can make Howard and Gasol better offense players running the pick and role but by the same token the lakers do not look to be a top defensive team even with the howard swap. Nash cannot cover his position and today in the NBA that is critical to being a sucessful defensive team.


Once the season begins we will get a better feel of how this trade works out.

dboss

dboss,

I agree with your point out Nash being a more important acquistion over Howard.
Howard is a significant defensive upgrade but offensively they are similar.

Nash is the best shooting point guard in the NBA and is one of the top 2 best passers in the league.
He is subpar defensively but he will have D12 to help him out.
Derek Fisher was also a subpar defensive player but LA's defensive schemes helped cover for his shortcomings.
As Celtics fans know well, defense is played on a team level.
Nash's playing making abilities will more then make up for his defense.

I expect Kobe to have a much easier year this season with Nash.
Kobe is still an elite scorer but he forced it too much this season.