If Howard's injury isn't affecting him..

[HarlemHeat37]

It's evident that he doesn't give a fuck and is giving a limited effort, tbh..

Anybody that has followed him knows that his post game progressed nicely every year, and prior to his injury last season, he added several moves to his arsenal..his hook shot was consistent and difficult to stop, as well..he was still a terrible passer, but Van Gundy's system masked that deficiency in his game..

His defense was always elite and his motor was endless..

It's evident that he doesn't give a shit about the Lakers, and those reports during the Summer appear to be credible..next season, he'll revert back to his dominant form IMO..

He wouldn't be able to pull this shit with Phil or Fish, tbh..

[HarlemHeat37]

Howard is barely moving, yet the Bulls are still having trouble moving him and boxing him out..

[TDMVPDPOY]

sounds like royce white

[baseline bum]

If you're a Laker fan, which do you prefer? That his back is trashed or that he just doesn't give a shit?

[Mugen]

Kobe killing the spirit of the biggest fun loving clown in the league is pretty damn amazing tbh.

[Mugen]

If you're a Laker fan, which do you prefer? That his back is trashed or that he just doesn't give a shit?

:lol

[HarlemHeat37]

I followed him in Orlando when VC was with them, and this nigga was a legit superstar, tbh..defensively, opposing players wouldn't dare drive on him, and by the end of that season, there were only a few players that could contain him in the post..

Also, as a Spurs fan, I watched him routinely dominate the Spurs for years, tbh..

[StrengthAndHonor]

Hard to tell. Maybe its the offensive set ran by the D'antoni, but the dude gets stripped 75% of the time which leads to transition offense by the other team.

[StrengthAndHonor]

Kobe :lmao

[mercos]

I honestly think it is a combination of back problems and not giving a shit. Howard wants to play in Brooklyn. I don't think he is going to be happy until he gets his way. We'll see at that point how bad his back really is.

[HarlemHeat37]

Hard to tell. Maybe its the offensive set ran by the D'antoni, but the dude gets stripped 75% of the time which leads to transition offense by the other team.

Agreed, but he has never been as poor at controlling the ball as he has been this year, taking into consideration his lower usage rate and offensive responsibility..Van Gundy's system and spacing obviously aided his post game, but he was still getting doubled and swarmed frequently..

[Ghazi]

Early in the year I saw the Lakers in a game and was amazed by Howard's impact defensively in the immediate basket area.. felt this team could rebound once Gasol/Nash came back. I figured they could be a top 8 defensive team... after all Howard led a bunch of sieves in Orlando to top 5 efficiency every year.

They're back.. and Howard is now invisible on both ends, Gasol is invisible, Nash is invisble, Kobe's invisible... the bench is lousy, Metta's a below average SF. Clark is just a typical energy player, yet the Lakers bench is so bad some fans rave about him. Dwight's been a top 5 player the last 3-4 years... now he looks like a decent center only.

17-24 with the margin of victory of a 45 win team.

8th seed and 1st round exit appears to be their ceiling.

:lol at DPG calling this team historically talented

[Juggity]

Howard gets stripped so much these days. Every other possession. I'm starting to wonder if he's actually trying to throw games by putting the ball in a vulnerable position. How else can this be explained? :lol

[midnightpulp]

Early in the year I saw the Lakers in a game and was amazed by Howard's impact defensively in the immediate basket area.. felt this team could rebound once Gasol/Nash came back. I figured they could be a top 8 defensive team... after all Howard led a bunch of sieves in Orlando to top 5 efficiency every year.

They're back.. and Howard is now invisible on both ends, Gasol is invisible, Nash is invisble, Kobe's invisible... the bench is lousy, Metta's a below average SF. Clark is just a typical energy player, yet the Lakers bench is so bad some fans rave about him. Dwight's been a top 5 player the last 3-4 years... now he looks like a decent center only.

17-24 with the margin of victory of a 45 win team.

8th seed and 1st round exit appears to be their ceiling.

:lol at DPG calling this team historically talented

Think DPG might be mildly trolling with that. This way, if/when the Lakers fail, he can drive the point home about how much of a catastrophic failure the "most talented team in NBA history" is. Also gives him more ammo to fire at Bryant, how he failed to make the playoffs with this team.

Objectively speaking, they're definitely talented (top 10 in the NBA) but not any more so than the other top teams. However, if they had any depth to speak of, then maybe they would be "historically talented."

[Ghazi]

Even if they had depth they'd only be super talented on paper..

but considering Howard/Kobe aren't playing like top 5 players and Gasol/Nash aren't playing like top 25 players, ALONG with the lack of depth, they're actually a very lousy assemblage of talent. You have to judge it by what you see, not by how players were performing at their peaks or simply their names.

[Clipper Nation]

The injury excuse is bullshit.... dude's basically 100%, he's just been exposed against the tougher competition out West as an overrated monkeyballer with ZERO post moves or actual skill to speak of...

[Latarian Milton]

DPG's size is a fair reflection of his shortage of basketball knowledge imho

[Latarian Milton]

nigga's injury is apparently affecting his performance but the lakers shouldn't be that bad even with a brendan haywood standing in the middle imho. injury and poor working ethic make equal bad impact on his game imho

[lefty]

http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/web04/2012/1/16/13/enhanced-buzz-25705-1326739385-51.jpg

[HarlemHeat37]

The injury excuse is bullshit.... dude's basically 100%, he's just been exposed against the tougher competition out West as an overrated monkeyballer with ZERO post moves or actual skill to speak of...

Howard's career numbers against the West are virtually the same as his numbers vs. the East..

[HarlemHeat37]

Howard in Chicago, last year..

u0nXF9ZTEr4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

He looks like a completely different player..

[StrengthAndHonor]

Agree, another one from last year. He was beasting on the same players. Offense is just a bad fit for him.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjkjNFb5B20

[ElNono]

The injury might have something to do with it, but I think there's more to it than that... back in Orlando he was the star, and in LA he's not really allowed to be. He's not really a run and gun guy either, so the system doesn't help too.

Frankly, the Lakers perimeter D is so bad it has to affect his overall D too. He's constantly closing on drivers after they basically walk around Metta/Kobe/Nash and that leaves the rim unprotected and him without a chance to board.

[HI-FI]

DPG's size is a fair reflection of his shortage of basketball knowledge imho
:lmao
i do agree with that nigga DPG Baggins, I thought this team was historically talented as well. I figured they would storm through the league and give Stern his ultimate kosher wetdream of Kobe and Lebron. fortunately I was stupid and over paranoid.

[Splits]

Howard in Chicago, last year..

u0nXF9ZTEr4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

He looks like a completely different player..

He looks completely unmotivated on the Lakers. I think he hates, both personally and playing with, iKobe. Even moreso than playing for SVG.

[irishock]

Howard went from legit in Orlando to a complete clown in LA with the headband.

[HarlemHeat37]

Apparently Howard complained about his touches following the game tonight..

Phil Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard through subliminal shots..those are some big names that have complained about Kobe's style of play..I don't remember a star player receiving this type of backlash from names of this caliber, tbh..

[Mal]

He doesnt give a shit. Lakers are done, he is done with them. It`s kinda weird that somebody doesnt want to play for Lakers, but this could be the case. Guess Kobe done his tricks.

Gasol is also done playing with Kobe.
Artest is too dumb to realize that.

Lakers struggle, they are big, but slow as fuck. Pringles only suggestion is to keep running... And Kobe is still shooting twice as much as any other Laker. And it keeps getting worse.

[lakerhaterade]

Dwight Howard is alright healthwise. He basically just doesn't give a shit about the rest of the season. It's obvious he's not putting forth the effort required to win. Goddamn the shit that happens to you mentally when you play next to the NBA's greatest chucker/snitch of all-time.