OT: Dwight Howard To Lakers
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8252042/sources-dwight-howard-los-ang…
A source with direct knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com's Marc Stein that the Lakers will receive Howard, the Denver Nuggets will get Andre Iguodala, the 76ers will get Andrew Bynumand Jason Richardson, and the Magic will get Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and one protected future first-round pick from each of the other three teams.
August 9th, 2012 at 10:22 PM ^
August 9th, 2012 at 10:23 PM ^
August 9th, 2012 at 10:23 PM ^
Dwight Howard is officially Shaq 2.0 and the Lakers are Miami Heat West.
August 10th, 2012 at 10:38 AM ^
Isnt it the other way around? LA has always been like the Yankees, in not developing talent but using the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to lure guys to them.
I mean in the early 90's they sucked so they trade for Shaq and get Kobes rights when both of those guys were cant miss guys and boom they win 3 rings, then they did it again with Gasol and get another 2 rings.
August 10th, 2012 at 12:07 PM ^
pretty inaccurate view of the Yankees there. When they where on their streak in the 90ies and 2000's most of their key players where brought up in the yankee's system. Jeter , Pasoda, Pettitte, Bernie Williams , Ramiro Mendoza and Mariano rivera all came up in the Yankees.
Now with Howards trade finally over and Lebron getting a championship, the only thing ESPN has to talk about is Tebow
August 9th, 2012 at 10:26 PM ^
So my interest in the NBA went from -10 to a -50. The players absolutely run this league. The 2004 Pistons were a complete anomaly and it will be a while till a team like that comes around where there isn't a superstar on there.
August 9th, 2012 at 10:38 PM ^
The 2004 Pistons team is my favorite actaul "team" of all time. (With the exception of Larry Brown...)
August 9th, 2012 at 11:27 PM ^
August 9th, 2012 at 11:35 PM ^
Where the hell did you get that?
Brown got a title (something no other team in his career ever won for him) and then decided he wanted to make lots and lots of money, which James Dolan was dumb enough to give him. He pouted his way through the 2004-05 season after the brawl and was a huge liability to a team in a campaign that should have yielded a back-to-back title.
August 10th, 2012 at 1:37 AM ^
Hi BRCE,
Please leave again.
Sincerely,
All of us
August 10th, 2012 at 12:08 AM ^
Brown openly flirted with other positions while he was in the Piston job. That was more than just a "rumor".
August 10th, 2012 at 7:18 AM ^
August 10th, 2012 at 11:54 AM ^
Bo weighed an offer from TAMU during the offseason.
Larry Brown repeatedly - despite being warned not to by his boss - spoke to other teams during the season, including during his "medical absence."
You don't see a difference?
August 9th, 2012 at 10:46 PM ^
It was neat to see the Pistons emphatically crush that spiralling Lakers team in 2004. However, they were a complete anomaly in the history of the sport and came during the precise window they needed to for a chance at a championship. Basketball is a star-driven game and although the distaste for stars aligning together is totally reasonable, no one would care about the NBA if not for Magic, Bird, and Jordan.
August 9th, 2012 at 10:50 PM ^
As if having a star on your team is something you shouldn't be proud of? The Pistons only won one championship with their model, and throughout NBA history a majority of the championships teams have contained 'superstars'. So, if the goal is to win championships, then players finding a way to be a part of a team with other 'superstars' is the way to go.
August 9th, 2012 at 11:00 PM ^
I just don't like that manner that it is done in. They bitch and pout that their team sucks (Lebron, Carmelo) and stop trying until they can just move on. I loved the 2004 Pistons, that was one of my greatest summers watching those playoffs. But I loved that team so much that I wish other teams like them existed.
August 9th, 2012 at 11:24 PM ^
LeBron made no trade demands and did not pout. If you were one of the best players in the world and you spend 7 years for a franchise that was only able to offer you Larry Hughes and Mo Williams as sidekicks then you would certainly consider signing elsewhere when your contract expired.
LeBron merely decided he would test free agency as every player has a right to do. I'm not condoning the Decision or the welcome party in AAA, but he had every right to leave. It's very unfair to lump LeBron in with Melo and Dwight, who created multi-season soap operas for their franchises with their attitudes.
August 10th, 2012 at 8:14 AM ^
I guess I was refering to his last NBA Playoff series as a Cavalier. You could tell he just gave up on that team towards the end. You lose respect in my book for doing that, not that he cares about my respect.
August 10th, 2012 at 9:07 AM ^
Because Kobe has pouted his way down the stretch of series he was going to lose, the Thunder didn't give up, but they got blown out of the water against the Heat this year...and had no fight by mid-way through the second quarter.
Ladanian Tomlinson sat on the bench with his helmet on in the middle of a game.
I could go on and on about different sports and different players.
What people don't realize is that NOT ALL OF THESE SITUATIONS ARE THE SAME!
Kobe was pouting trying to prove a point that the offense has to go through him, every time he got the ball, he passed and tried to be "one of the guys" until it was clear to everyone that he needs to jack up 40 shots for the Lakers to win.
As for LeBron, the guy had put his heart and soul in that organization for 7 years! They gave him nothing. I believe he just had nothing left, and when LeBron isn't playing like LeBron, it's a lot more noticable than Mo Williams not playing like Mo Williams. That team goes for an 8 out of 10 to the 2012 Cavs when LeBron just can't carry the team any longer.
Further proof of this is what he did next, he joined up with Wade and Bosh. He no longer has to literally carry a team each night for every game for his whole career. No player in the HISTORY of the league, including Michael Jordan has done that. With those Cavs teams, if LeBron wasn't LeBron, they lost. There was no Wade, no Pippen, No Worthy, No Parrish. You'll never win like that.
LeBron simply ran out of gas and his team got ran out the gym.
August 9th, 2012 at 10:54 PM ^
I dont think teams will win anymore unless they have atleast 2 superstars. The NBA is a joke, and a bad one at that. Oh well. Go Thunder and any small market team that can make a challenge any more...
August 9th, 2012 at 11:38 PM ^
I understand they built their team "the right way" by drafting all three guys and developing them, but that doesn't change that the Thunder will soon have 2 superstars themselves. Westbrook is probably a year away from growing into it, but it's not like the Thunder aren't a star-powered team.
EDIT: It's not as if NBA champions never had two superstars. Magic/Kareem, Bird/McHale, Jordan/Pippen, Duncan/Robinson,Shaq/Kobe, and Wade/O'Neal.
August 10th, 2012 at 12:13 AM ^
August 10th, 2012 at 12:35 AM ^
Fair enough. I totally can understand rooting for a small market franchise that makes noise in the playoffs. I hate all New York sports on principle, so I definitely see where you're coming from on that.
While the principle of building through the draft is nice, it pretty much means either have an awful team for at least 2-3 years or tank for better draft picks. It's real tough to build through the draft if your team is never miserable enough to land multiple top 5-10 picks.
I think the NBA's real problem lies in the price of mediocrity. Teams that earn 6-8 seeds or among the top several missing the playoffs usually have little hope of taking the next step to contention unless they add a major piece through trade/free agency or have young stars trending upward (ex: 2010 Thunder).
August 10th, 2012 at 1:37 AM ^
Don't believe the sports talk radio hype.
Small market teams have been doing just fine.
--------------------------
Here is the list of the last 10 years of NBA Finals participants:
Miami Heat 3x
Detroit Pistons 2x
San Antonio Spurs 3x
Oklahoma City Thunder
Los Angeles Lakers 4x
New Jersey Nets
Boston Celtics 2x
Cleveland Cavaliers
Orlando Magic
Dallas Mavericks 2x
----------------------------------
So, breaking down that list, small market teams have been to 11 NBA Finals, while 9 big market teams have made Finals appearances.
In terms of NBA championships, small market teams have won 6, and big market teams have won 4.
So while people continually scream "The NBA is unfair to small market teams ! The NBA is unfair to small market teams!" the reality says otherwise.
Small market teams have been able to compete on equal terms in NBA Finals appearances, and championships won. If you include Miami in with the small market teams (As you should. Not including them with the small market teams or trying to recalibrate them in with the big markets as a "destination city" is a way NBA haters try to job the argument in their favor. The reality is, Miami is a small market.) then they've not only been competing, they've been kicking the ass of big market teams.
Last year's conference Finals featured 3 small market teams, and 1 big market team.
The two heavy favorites to win the NBA Finals next year (Miami, OKC) are both small market teams.
Small market teams are doing just fine.
August 10th, 2012 at 2:18 AM ^
Your definition of "small market" is pretty loose. I would not consider Miami or Detroit small markets - they're medium-sized, on the fringe of the top 10.
San Antonio, OKC, Cleveland and Orlando are small markets. They've had their success. But like many small-market franchises, two of them couldn't keep their best players (Cleveland and Orlando) and it remains to be seen if OKC can. San Antonio, with Tim Duncan staying put, is an anomaly.
August 10th, 2012 at 3:58 AM ^
In terms off actual media markets, Detroit is not small, but in terms of the NBA they're 13th. In the NBA, if you're the 13th biggest market, you have no advantages. I would love to see someone make the case how Detroit has so many great advantages over Celeveland and San Antonio thanks to their market size. When you throw in the always pertinient "It's Detroit!" factor, that makes things even worse for the Pistons.
Basically, in the NBA, if you're not one of the premier big market cities, you're a small market.
August 10th, 2012 at 5:53 AM ^
play in Auburn Hills, which is 40 minutes away from the actual city of Detroit. Other than the name the team really has very little connection to the actual city. Most of the surrounding areas around Auburn Hills are much nicer than Detroit. With that said, even the surrounding areas still can't effectively compete with some of the more exciting destinations in the league, but I don't think the whole Detroit aspect is as big of a negative as some make it out to be, at least in comparison to some of the mid-sized market teams
The main issue at the moment, is that there is currently only a handful of destinations that seem to be attractive for the best talent in the league. Now that in of itself is not that offputting, if free agents want to sign with those teams (like Lebron did) so be it, that is their right as a free agent. However, now we are starting to get the point where guys (Howard and Carmelo as the prime examples) are essentially trying to force their way on to those teams before they even hit free agency. That is a completely different animal, and I think that will be a trend that will continue, because the players know that more often they will end up getting their way. It is true that great players have always controlled the league to a certain extent, but it seems to be getting somewhat out of hand in recent years.
August 10th, 2012 at 7:54 AM ^
The NBA has always been like that. Superstars forcing their way out of one place to another. Wilt did it several times. Kareem did it with the Bucs. Barkley did it with both Philly and the Suns. Shaq did it to L.A. when he went to Miami. This isn't a new phenomenon.
August 10th, 2012 at 12:04 PM ^
When you throw in the always pertinient "It's Detroit!" factor, that makes things even worse for the Pistons.
I'm not sure the area's reputation is that poor among NBA players. If you're a young, single black player, the Detroit area (which has one of the largest African-American populations in the country) might not be so bad. That doesn't make it a prime destination but still probably more desirable than a lot of the truly small markets. Places like Minnesota, Utah, Milwaukee, etc. probably would lose out a free agent to Detroit, all else equal, so I don't think they can all be lumped in the same category. I see Detroit as a middle-tier market.
August 9th, 2012 at 10:28 PM ^
August 9th, 2012 at 10:28 PM ^
Nothing against Steve Nash (especially), Howard, or Darius Morris, but I hope the Lakers don't win the title. That is all.
August 9th, 2012 at 10:33 PM ^
Whenever I see your avatar I think of this:
August 10th, 2012 at 7:38 AM ^
Talkin' about my paddle on the blog ... that's a paddlin'.
August 9th, 2012 at 10:31 PM ^
Does this mean we won't have to hear Howard bitch again mid-season and get his coach and GM fired? I don't really like Lebron but at least he isn't the head case that Howard is, and Dwight hasn't even accomplished anything close to Lebron.
August 9th, 2012 at 10:32 PM ^
dwight was like the brett favre of the nba.
August 9th, 2012 at 10:35 PM ^
The NBA has a major problem and it all started with Jordan. When the stars are bigger than the league (forget about the teams) then the league sucks. I don't know how people can watch the NBA.
August 9th, 2012 at 10:37 PM ^
TMZ is reporting that Dwight Howard is in talks to star in two movies and to star in a video game. Both movies will be directed and produced by Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer. They are Kazaam 2 and Steel 2. The video game will be called Shaq Fu 2: Revenge of Shaq's Shadow.
August 9th, 2012 at 10:41 PM ^
I'm cautiously optimistic - it's going to be incredibly hard to win a title, but full marks to the front office for going all-in on Kobe's last two years and doing it intelligently. They'll still need a few more pieces but the Howard situation was going to have to be resolved first. I was skeptical that something would get done because we were hearing so much about this - Mitch Kupchak always operates on the down-low.
August 9th, 2012 at 10:41 PM ^
I'm not sure Howard is that much better than Bynum. He is probably the best big man defender, but his offense is lacking.
August 9th, 2012 at 11:33 PM ^
August 9th, 2012 at 10:44 PM ^
August 9th, 2012 at 10:46 PM ^
August 9th, 2012 at 10:52 PM ^
Can't wait for next year. LeBron at the height of his power is something to behold.
August 9th, 2012 at 10:46 PM ^
August 9th, 2012 at 10:50 PM ^
Shaq/Kobe with both in their primes is one of the Top5 NBA pairings of all-time. Howard is a defensive beast but nowhere near the offensive skills Shaq had.
August 9th, 2012 at 10:57 PM ^
August 9th, 2012 at 10:47 PM ^
Also - I gotta place most of the blame here on the owners for paying out such ridonkulous sums of money for scrubs in the first place - that's what got the ball rolling. (Google 'Jon Koncak' sometime) I mean, if you're J. Random 7 ppg backup center and the owner offers you $42 million/ 3 years, are you supposed to tell him to spend it on the better player with more athletic upside?
August 9th, 2012 at 10:54 PM ^
It's not over. ESPN-L.A. will now give updates on Dwight's house search and stuff. I am very interested in his choice of utensils.
August 10th, 2012 at 2:02 PM ^
In a year he'll be a free agent.