4 team trade. Dwight Howard to the Lakers. What say Kobe?
Dwight Howard(left) and Kobe Bryant(middle) will be team-mates soon.
Dwight Howard to the Lakers.
It has happened finally. Almost a month after I made a comic strip about Dwight Howard’s indecision, the decision has finally been made. Dwight will don the purple and gold this season and play alongside Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash.
This is by far the most gargantuan move made this off-season. The impact is magnified by the Lakers’ addition of Steve Nash earlier this summer.
Too early to predict a NBA Finals clash between the Lakers and the Heat? This is a team which is potentially better than the Heat since this Big 3 compliment each other. Big 3? Its the Big 4 in L.A. Pau Gasol is the most polished Power Forward in the league. It’s amazing how well these pieces compliment each other, and as such, this is a rare confluence of superstars who have such great potential to gel together.
Here’s a rundown of what the 4 team trade looks like:
Lakers get-
Dwight Howard.
Orlando get-
Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington from Denver;
Moe Harkless and Nikola Vucevic from Philadelphia with three future first round picks and multiple second round picks;
Philadelphia get-
Andrew Bynum from the Lakers and Orlando shooting guard Jason Richardson;
Denver get-
Sixers forward Andre Iguodala.
I don’t see myself missing any of the Lakers games this year. It’s like the basketball gods took one look at Kobe and fulfilled every wish on his Christmas wish list, which could easily look like this:
- Play with the best center of this decade who won’t take more shots than Kobe.
- Play with one of the most unselfish point guards of this generation, who is also one of the best shooters alive but is still unselfish enough that he won’t take shots away from Kobe.
- Get rid of Andrew Bynum who wanted to take more shots than Kobe.
- Keep Pau Gasol, who is comfortable with deferring to Kobe.
Kobe Bryant is closer than ever to catching up to Michael Jordan’s six rings. And even surpassing it, if he and Nash can stave off age for a while. The last season saw Kobe be more of a shot jacker, and this time he has no excuse to keep tossing up those long range bombs. Not that he had one when playing with the best front-court in the league last year, but now there’s absolutely no reason for him to continue to take infuriatingly poor shots from afar, borne through isolation plays.
If, and this is a big if, if the Lakers win the NBA Finals, I wonder who will be the most deserving of the Finals MVP. Howard, Nash or Bryant ? Each could make a legitimate case for it.
Showtime Lakers of yesteryear, there’s a chance this squad tops your legacy. Can Kobe fit in or will he stand out and shoot his team out? I’m guessing the former.