Lakers: CBSSports: Dwight is a lock to return

[Michael Jordan.]

To making his decision on where to sign

With the Lakers hoping for a swift decision from Dwight Howard on his free agency this summer, the All-Star center has given no indication he will rush the process and has privately indicated that he plans to give strong consideration to multiple teams, league sources told CBSSports.com.

Though Howard is adamant that his free agency not be marred by the circus-like environment that surrounded his departure from Orlando last summer, word already has spread to multiple levels of his support staff that Howard re-signing with the Lakers is far from a done deal.

With six weeks to go before Howard becomes an unrestricted free agent, the team that is said to intrigue him the most is the Houston Rockets, according to multiple people briefed on internal conversations surrounding Howard's free-agent decision. The Rockets have a young star, James Harden, who has proved himself worthy of playing the leading role for the franchise; a budding 3-point shooting threat in Chandler Parsons; a defensive-minded coach in Kevin McHale; and Omer Asik, the kind of 7-footer Howard is believed to want next to him in the frontcourt.

The Rockets are a couple of minor moves away from having room to sign Howard; they have a team option on Francisco Garcia's $6.4 million and Carlos Delfino's $3 million is fully non-guaranteed, for example. If they chose to or needed to make a trade to create room, they have numerous attractive young players on tradable contracts, such as 2012 No. 5 pick Thomas Robinson. Such assets could be moved to a team or teams under the cap to create room or packaged in a possible sign-and-trade with LA -- if the Lakers became convinced that Howard would leave and they'd receive nothing in return.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/ke...ued-by-rockets

[irishock]

sup mike

[Michael Jordan.]

Sup dawg.

[Quadzilla99]

Botched grammar. Should have said a lock to return...to being an indecisive egomaniac attn .

[lmbebo]

can't see Asik and Howard working well together offensively. Defensively, could potentially be an imposing front line.

[Budkin]

Mike breaking the Kobe retiring AND the Dwight staying stories!

[LakerHater]

Dwight Howard 'intrigued' by Rockets, Mavericks, according to report http://ow.ly/1WquZo

[AaronY]

can't see Asik and Howard working well together offensively. Defensively, could potentially be an imposing front line.

They would then deal Asik most likely..he would definitely have teams wanting him after the year he put up..

[Killakobe81]

him i saiiid ... if he dont want to stay let him walk ...

[TheyCallMePro]

I'll never understand the Dwight Howard hype. He has an extremely poor all-around offensive game. He's never made a shot outside of 2 feet from the basket in his life. He won't use his size and strength to dominate, and he's a TERRIBLE free-throw shooter.

Dwight benefited a ton from being on the Magic. They were loaded with 3 point shooters that allowed Dwight room inside, which he badly needed. And it sickens me that Dwight gets credit for Orlando's run to the finals a few years ago. Their 3 point shooters got them there. Hedo Turkoglu played like MJ until he went ice-cold in the finals. When the Lakers guarded the 3 point line, the series was over. They realized that Dwight was a paper tiger inside, and so they said "Let's try to make Dwight beat us". He failed.

Any team that pays Dwight the max is a team that will regret it dearly. He has MAJOR, MAJOR flaws in his game, and like Charles has said before, he's shown NO IMPROVEMENT WHATSOEVER since day one. He's the same player he was in 2004, and that's just sad. Shaq was a 100 million times better than Dwight. , why are we even comparing them?

Baynes shut Dwight down. So did Bonner. So did Splitter. , anyone we put on Dwight held him in check. Don't tell me he's an elite center. He has a freakish body and THAT'S IT.

[whitemamba]

I'll never understand the Dwight Howard hype. He has an extremely poor all-around offensive game. He's never made a shot outside of 2 feet from the basket in his life. He won't use his size and strength to dominate, and he's a TERRIBLE free-throw shooter.

Dwight benefited a ton from being on the Magic. They were loaded with 3 point shooters that allowed Dwight room inside, which he badly needed. And it sickens me that Dwight gets credit for Orlando's run to the finals a few years ago. Their 3 point shooters got them there. Hedo Turkoglu played like MJ until he went ice-cold in the finals. When the Lakers guarded the 3 point line, the series was over. They realized that Dwight was a paper tiger inside, and so they said "Let's try to make Dwight beat us". He failed.

Any team that pays Dwight the max is a team that will regret it dearly. He has MAJOR, MAJOR flaws in his game, and like Charles has said before, he's shown NO IMPROVEMENT WHATSOEVER since day one. He's the same player he was in 2004, and that's just sad. Shaq was a 100 million times better than Dwight. , why are we even comparing them?

Baynes shut Dwight down. So did Bonner. So did Splitter. , anyone we put on Dwight held him in check. Don't tell me he's an elite center. He has a freakish body and THAT'S IT.

boiled down...

there are no decent centers in the NBA... thats why

[100%duncan]

Please I hope this got stays in LA.

[td4mvp2k]

i thought LA fan wantd his # retired in LA?

[ElNono]

Please I hope this got stays in LA.

this x 1000

[djohn2oo8]

They'd deal Asik for a PF. Their sales pitch will be "we can bring in a 3rd star in 2015"

[dunkman]

Dwight said so?

Then . . . he's gone.

[Double-Up]

Kevin McHale is a defensive minded coach? Who the wrote this article?

[TheyCallMePro]

Kevin McHale is a defensive minded coach? Who the wrote this article?

Exactly what I was thinking. Wasn't the Rockets defense like historically bad this year? I watched all the games the Spurs played vs them and I was shocked at how bad their defense was. And Kevin Mchale just sat there.

[HarlemHeat37]

I'll never understand the Dwight Howard hype. He has an extremely poor all-around offensive game. He's never made a shot outside of 2 feet from the basket in his life. He won't use his size and strength to dominate, and he's a TERRIBLE free-throw shooter.

Dwight benefited a ton from being on the Magic. They were loaded with 3 point shooters that allowed Dwight room inside, which he badly needed. And it sickens me that Dwight gets credit for Orlando's run to the finals a few years ago. Their 3 point shooters got them there. Hedo Turkoglu played like MJ until he went ice-cold in the finals. When the Lakers guarded the 3 point line, the series was over. They realized that Dwight was a paper tiger inside, and so they said "Let's try to make Dwight beat us". He failed.

Any team that pays Dwight the max is a team that will regret it dearly. He has MAJOR, MAJOR flaws in his game, and like Charles has said before, he's shown NO IMPROVEMENT WHATSOEVER since day one. He's the same player he was in 2004, and that's just sad. Shaq was a 100 million times better than Dwight. , why are we even comparing them?

Baynes shut Dwight down. So did Bonner. So did Splitter. , anyone we put on Dwight held him in check. Don't tell me he's an elite center. He has a freakish body and THAT'S IT.

this post is horribly flawed, tbh..

[Double-Up]

this post is horribly flawed, tbh..

Seems accurate to me.

[djohn2oo8]

Exactly what I was thinking. Wasn't the Rockets defense like historically bad this year? I watched all the games the Spurs played vs them and I was shocked at how bad their defense was. And Kevin Mchale just sat there.

Well Parsons and Asik are literally the only two starters who actually play D. With as bad as Harden's defense is, McHale shouldn't get flak for that.

[djohn2oo8]

Parsons signed with Dwight's agent, btw.

[Thebesteva]

I'm reading from a few internet sources that Houston is the front runner to sign him. That is pretty embarrassing if true

[djohn2oo8]

I'm reading from a few internet sources that Houston is the front runner to sign him. That is pretty embarrassing if true

Could be leverage or may not be.

[Thebesteva]

Could be leverage or may not be.

The word here in LA during the season was that Dwight doesn't like being a Laker. Too much pressure, too much scrutiny. He's not used to it. I think he wants to go back to a medium sized market like Orlando aka Houston instead of a team with the type of expectations like the Lakers.

If he does leave, he will forever be villanized until he wins, which in his case may be never. In Lebron's case, I knew no matter how much people tore him down, he'd be loved and sucked off when he inevitably went on his reign. I just don't think Dwight has that ability to win a championship unless he has a guy like Durant or Lebron to help him.