We knew Dwight Howard was going to get traded at some point. It was supposed to be to the Nets. Then the Mavericks. Then the Rockets… and finally last week, Howard was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers involving LA, Orlando, Philadelphia and Denver.
It appeared as if all teams involved in the trade achieved something positive. Well, besides the Magic,they probably couldn’t have done worse in the trade. Seriously, you could have had Brook Lopez and/or Andrew Bynum and the best player you end up with is Aaron Afflalo? (also now the team’s best player…)
Throughout the next week, I’ll be examining each team involved in the trade, and breakdown the winners and losers – including teams AND players who were affected by the trade.
Winners
Dwight Howard
Howard is the clear winner out of the whole debacle for a few reasons.
1.) After whining for the last year and a half, Howard is finally out of Orlando. People have asked me why I’ve been so tough on Howard. For me, it’s not the fact that Howard didn’t want to be in Orlando. We went through the same thing with Chris Paul (handled pretty well), Carmelo Anthony (could have done better) and LeBron James (couldn’t have done worse).
As fans, we understand that not all players want to re-sign with the team they were drafted by. That’s fine.
It was the way he went about it and basically took the city and team for hostage.
Regardless, Howard didn’t end up in Brooklyn like he wanted to, but who says this isn’t better? In Brooklyn, Howard and the Nets would be stuck behind the Heat for the next five seasons in the East AND have to deal with the pressures that come from having a very intimidating Russian owner. I’ve never had a Russian boss, but I can imagine it would be intimidating.
“If you fail, you will wear concrete shoes at the bottom of the Atlantic!”
I’m not saying that Chris Bosh isn’t overpaid in Miami, but we saw how important he was to the team during the playoffs. The team looked a little lost without him.
I can guarantee you the Hawks won’t miss Johnson all that much. There’s nothing worse than being a playoff team with no chance of winning a title like the Hawks were for the last five seasons. Don’t tell that to Minnesota fans. At his point, we’ll take whatever we can get.
2.) With Howard, the Lakers are almost guaranteed to be a top-4 seed for the next three seasons with the nucleus that is Howard-Kobe-Gasol-Nash. Even if Kobe and Nash show signs of aging (Kobe shot 43% from the field last season, the lowest since his second year in the league), Howard has shown us in Orlando he can single-handedly turn the team into a top-4 seed. And then when Kobe and Nash retire, the Lakers will have the money to acquire big-time free agents.
“But Kyle, Orlando wasn’t able to surround Dwight with any talent, what makes you think the Lakers will be able to?”
Because they are the freaking Lakers. That’s what they do. When they needed Shaq, they got Shaq. When they needed Gasol, they got Gasol. When they needed Adam Morrison to sit on the bench and cheer, they got Adam Morrison to sit on the bench and cheer. And when they wanted to get rid of an immature center with bad knees for Dwight Howard, they got it done.
When those guys are gone, the Lakers should be able to surround Dwight with the necessary talent needed to remain a top-4 team.
3.) He loves LA, it’s a big market and he’s been living there in the offseason. And you don’t think he’ll re-sign there when the 2012-13 season ends? Mmmm.
The Lakers
Well, besides Dwight this is the most obvious pick.
I know Bynum is the second-best center in the game and the thing is, he’s still improving. Combine this with the fact that Howard has been acting like a 7th grade girl picking a homecoming date over the last three seasons and you almost talk yourself into picking Bynum over Howard.
Then you realize that Bynum is the same guy who close-lined J.J. Barea in Game 4 of the 2011 Western Conference Semi-finals, got kicked out of the game and then proceeded to take off his shirt, showing off his not-so-ripped body.
The same guy who said he didn’t care where he played after being asked about contract negotiations. The guy who thinks it’s funny to launch threes against his coaches wishes. You don’t think Kobe was just fine with the Lakers getting rid of the immature Bynum? Think again.
In a recent interview, Ron Artest, Metta World Peace compared the two players. He gave Howard the benefit of the doubt and really the only thing that he accused Howard of is smiling too much. What he didn’t say that the guy they were getting rid of was an immature player, who has never been fully comfortable with his role. In five years, could Bynum grow up, realize his potential (he’s only 24) and go ape shit on the league or will he continue to think of this as just another job, try to just get by and collect his next paycheck?
Side-note: As a society we judge athletes because they “steal” money, but really, it’s not different from any other employee slacking at work by checking their fantasy team 34 times. Well, besides the millions of dollars part. I guess that’s kind of a big deal.
Before the trade for Howard, the Lakers were sitting on the fringe of being the second best team in the West behind OKC along with the Clippers and Spurs. Now, in my opinion, they are right there with the Thunder (unfortunately for sane basketball fans everywhere). The Lakers have a better line-up, but the Thunder have the experience and chemistry with each other. Can we just fast-forward to the Western Conference Finals right now? I’m getting excited.
Steve Nash
If Nash averaged 10.7 assists last season with Jared Dudley, Marcin Gortat, Shannon Brown and Josh Childress, how many more will he have with Kobe, Metta, Gasol and Dwight? Scary thing to think about.
Pau Gasol
Think about Gasol’s last two seasons.
Traded for Chris Paul.
Not traded for Chris Paul (thanks David Stern).
Kobe said he wants Pau to stick around.
Rumored to be apart of every single trade at the deadline.
Rumored to be going to the Timberwolves for Derrick Williams
Rumored to be a piece in the Dwight Howard trade.
Not a piece in the Dwight Howard trade.
I mean, this is an effin’ roller coaster of emotions. I have a feeling after three or four rumors, Gasol said screw this, if they want me, they want me. If I’m traded, I hate Kobe anyway, so it works out.
Gasol went from being the second or third best player on the team to the fourth best player. The thing is, I think he is relieved. No more pressure. If Gasol puts up 12 and 10, people are happy. If he would have done that last season? We all would have urged the Lakers to trade him ASAP.
It also means it’s very likely Gasol won’t be traded anytime soon. Mitch Kupchak, don’t make me eat my words.
Biggest loser out of trade from LA?
I won’t deny the fact that Kobe Bryant is a great basketball player. Over the years, I’ve been critical of Kobe, not because he’s not a good basketball player, but because I think he acts very “insert mean word here.”
That is in no way a rip on his game, but sometimes I think Kobe’s attitude may affect his game, like any other player. After having a season in which he shot 1,336 shots in a shortened season, for the first time in his career, Bryant will have a floor leader who will be setting up shots for the rest of the team. It will no longer be the Kobe Bryant show.
Sadly, for me, it seems like Kobe has accepted this already and seems willing to take less shots if it means more wins. This bothers me, because you know, it’s kind of an admirable thing.
God, the Lakers are going to be good again and I hate it. NBA lockout anyone?
As always, thanks for reading. Enjoy your week.
You can follow Kyle on Twitter @Kyle_Ratke.
