
Originally Posted by
mOrphosis
I think Howard wants to and will resign with the Lakers, but I don't think the Lakers (or their fans) should be counting on him to be the post-Kobe messiah.
Dwight just doesn't have the skills or temperament to be a dominating center. He's been in the NBA long enough and he has no post skills, no ability to dominate a game when it counts, and he simply is a clown when it comes to his free throws. He's an athletic shot blocker...that is all that I see...great on defense, but god-awful mediocre on offense. He'll be a good center, but he is looking to end up as another Alonso Mourning than a Hakeem Olajuwon.
With all that is at stake with the Laker franchise this year...I sense that putting so much on Dwight to be the next Kobe, the next Magic, the next Laker legend...that everything else that is necessary to win a championship in the new NBA will be overlooked. The Lakers need to build a team that comes in together via the draft, grows together, and learns to win together...not a high-priced collection of free agents that are past their prime years. This season is a textbook lesson in how NOT to win in professional sports.
So...after the last month or so of watching this team lose to really bad teams and good teams...it isn't about the injuries, or the players, or the coach (even though I think d'Antoni was a horrible choice to go with over PJ). The Lakers are on the edge of a dark hole that the Celtics fell into in the 1990s...after relying on their legacy for far too long to stay competitive in a changing NBA and forgetting that it takes hard work and luck to build a solid team that competes for championships every year.
So...in my opinion...Dwight Howard will never be the force that we think he is or will be. I would rather trade him now for serious draft picks and start work on building the next great Laker dynasty through the draft instead of trying to keep the old Kobe dynasty alive. There are the future Kyrie Irvings and Chris Pauls out there in the upcoming drafts, but will they be wearing the Laker's purple and gold as pricey free agents...or will they be the next Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kobe Bryant...all of whom are legends that were brought via the draft and raised to be great Laker basketballl players. Pretty simple choice to me...let Dwight go!