Dwight Howard is now a Laker, well at least he is pending league approval. I have been thinking to myself ever since the whole trade talks with the Lakers began last year with Dwight and Drew. Is Dwight really that much better than Andrew? I just don't see it. Don't get me wrong I think Howard can dominate a game in the paint, defensively that is. His offense should improve drastically with Steve Nash at the point. I still think I would rather have Bynum at this point though.
Dwight Howard is a freak of nature. He is tall, super athletic, and looks like he has Superman's strength. Bynum is taller than Dwight, not quite as athletic, but also much larger in mass. They both have had their injury problems, but the biggest issue is that Dwight is coming off of major surgery and who knows if he is going to be the same player he was before the back problems. He is still unproven to this point.
I think the Lakers were very fortunate to keep Pau Gasol. He is going to make Dwight that much better in the post, because he is the best passing big man in the game still. Pau makes everybody around him better, which may be one of the reasons that Bynum was rapidly improving. Pau and Dwight make up a very dynamic big man tandem. Not to mention the fact that the best player on the court for the Lakers I haven't even mentioned yet. This move takes so much pressure off of Kobe. He can now be the guy who averages 20-25 points a game and shoots over 50 percent, because he has so many other weapons on the court.
Laker fans are still going to wonder if this was the right choice. Bynum was all but guaranteed to re-sign with the Lakers. Howard, who really knows. The guy changes his mind between breaths. If they can't re-sign Howard to a long term deal this trade may be one of the dumbest they have ever made.
The Lakers are back to title contender status which is awesome. I am pretty sure everybody assumed that the Heat-Thunder finals would be repeated in 2013 and maybe 2014 and 2015. Both teams are going to give the Lakers a run for their money, literally. I think the Lakers should be title favorites heading into the season. Holding a slim advantage over OKC. The question will be can Dwight help Kobe lead the Lakers back to the promise land. If he can't, don't expect Laker fans to be happy that Andrew is gone.
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