Friday, August 24, 2012

The Dwightmare is Over.....For Now

The Orlando Magic gave Dwight Howard exactly what he wanted, to get out of Orlando and on a contending and big market team. Howard was part of a 4-team trade that sent the former Magic star to the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers receiving Andrew Bynum from the Lakers, Denver Nuggets received Andre Igudala from the 76ers, and the Magic received six players which involved Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington from the Nuggets and three furure first round picks (one from each team).


The Lakers finally received the true center they've been waiting for. With Bynum's knee issues and inconsistent play, he became unreliable. They pulled off a blockbuster deal, which didn't involve Pau Gasol (many thought in order to get Howard, they've have to give up Gasol). Earlier in the offseason, the Lakers acquired one of the top point guards in the NBA, Steve Nash. The Lakers now have a big 4 of their own (Bryant, Gasol, Nash, and Howard). The two big name stars can be the key pieces to the puzzle for the Lakers and Kobe Bryant's chase to his sixth NBA championship, which will tie Michael Jordan.


With Howard coming off of back surgery, will he produce at a high level this season and not face any setbacks? Will the Lakers succeed with all of these big names, in a big NBA city (Los Angeles) or will egos destroy their season? Are the Lakers now the favorite to beat the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals and go on to win the NBA title?


After this season, Howard's contract is up. Will this chaos start all over again or will Howard stay "committed" to the Lakers for the future?