Dwight Howard is vexing me

The only thing I have to add is that I see an extremely immature egomaniac in Howard.  I don't want "the face of the Lakers' franchise" to be Dwight Howard.  The Lakers are a class organization with a long lineage the likes of Kareem, Magic, West, Baylor, Worthy, etc...

Seems to be the popular consensus.. That's fair.  But here's the catch: find me another face of the franchise caliber player that is available in the next 4 years then (other than LeBron).  They don't grow on trees.  I'll take talent and winning over negative personality quirks.  Even LeBron has his personal issues.  Kevin Durant's don't grow on trees bro..

As for the Lakers being a "class organization", maybe they were at one time, but in the Jimbo era they certainly haven't been.  Classy organizations don't call the best coach of all time after midnight and show the complete lack of courtesy and respect they did.  Classy organizations don't purge hardworking long-time personnel just because of their connection to a former coach.  Classy organizations keep an up and coming assistant coach in the dark and not even extend him a courtesy phone call..

I know guys like 32 who have this Lakers 80's ideal in their head will come in throwing up there arms at this, but it's the truth..  

Classy organizations don't keep an up and coming assistant coach in the dark

And, once again, we are back to the subject of Dwight Howard.  Is he a beast or a burden?  As far as I am concerned at this point, arguing about it is moot, because we are not going to trade him.  He's hurt, we all get it.  I question his motives (yet again) for not making a definitive decision about surgery or no surgery, just as I question his motives about not commiting to the Lakers for the long term.  If he is going to be the future of this franchise, by all means, get the surgery on your torn Labrum and allow your back to fully heal.

On to Pau.....reports that I have read indicate that, while he will be a trooper this year and play under D'Antoni's system (whether it be off the bench or in the starting lineup), he is not inclined to do the same next year.  

So now what?  No commitment from Dwight OR Pau for next year.  Should Dwight decide to walk, Pau likely stays.  But what are the Lakers to do in the meantime?  Pau's trade value is not going to increase between now and the beginning of next year.  It can only go down if his knees continue to deteriorate.   

It appears to me that the Lakers are all in with what they have this year, and will roll the dice with whatever might happen in the offseason.  That's all well and good.....that is a team business decision that they have to make.

It is just frustrating to me that the Lakers are now totally revolving around the every move of Dwight Howard.  Trade Pau or not.....the front office can't decide because of Dwight.  Shut Dwight down or see if he can play through injury.....the front office doesn't know because they don't know if the team can make and compete in the playoffs OR if Dwight will re-sign (if they have their doubts, let him play through it and hopefully help the team, if the are convinced he will stay, shut him down, ride Pau as the starter for the remainder of the year, and protect your long term asset -- after all, why would they want to risk him doing further damage to his labrum or back by continuing to allow him to play this year?).

My opinions really don't matter in the long run - I get that.  I am but a humble fan.  I will say that I do not believe the Lakers can win a Championship this year.  I still advocate trading Pau and getting the maximum return (even if we shut Dwight down and he has surgery).  Would we be an awfully scary team in the playoffs if Dwight were at 100%?  Damned right we would be!  But he is not going to be 100% this year which equals huge flaws defensively - which equals no realistic run at a Championship.

Right now it's all about Dwight, and I don't think he has earned that right during his short tenure as a Laker.  Until he can commit to ANYTHING, I am against putting the Lakers' future in his hands.

I guess I should take comfort in the response from Kobe when asked about whether or not he was concerned about Dwight walking after the season.  In essense, Kobe said that "if he leaves, he leaves......the organization will find a way to right itself - it always does".    

 

I really, really, really hope he emerges to prove me wrong...because if he doesn't, the Lakers franchise is going to be caught between a rock and a seriously hard place.

Case in point.. Welcome to the damn club, finally... LA's immediate and long-term future rests with Dwight, which some of us have been saying since LAST YEAR before we got him.  It seems you're finally coming to terms with this reality, and it appears to be an unfortunate one (as it is for most).

Q, I'm not finally coming to terms with the reality that the Lakers long-term future rests with Dwight, I'm FIRST starting to come to terms with the vexing reality that Howard may not be everything he's cracked up to be, and SECONDLY realizing that the Lakers short term future is now inextricably linked to his shaky right shoulder.

Welcome to the damn club, finally...

And another thing Q, this situation is days old and really didn't come to fruition until last Wednesday - it's not like this has been going on for the last 4 months!

Everything was going along swimmingly since the Lakers emerged from the long overdue "closed door" team meeting in Memphis, and in spite of the calamitous perfect shtstorm to start the season...that is until Howard took himself out of the game in Phoenix and is now a veritable "game time decision" for the foreseeable future.

Oh sh****iiiiitt! Jefe finally criticizing a Laker? I must be dreaming.

Q, I'm not finally coming to terms with the reality that the Lakers long-term future rests with Dwight, I'm FIRST starting to come to terms with the vexing reality that Howard may not be everything he's cracked up to be, and SECONDLY realizing that the Lakers short term future is now inextricably linked to his shaky right shoulder.

HE'S INJURED!!!!!!!!!!!  Jesus Christ.  How can anyone be all they're cracked up to be at 75% with now an ADDITIONAL injury?

As I said, LA's short-term and long-term success is linked to Dwight.  This was always the case. Clearly you're just realizing former on a large scale at your own admission.

Everything was going along swimmingly since the Lakers emerged from the long overdue "closed door" team meeting in Memphis, and in spite of the calamitous perfect shtstorm to start the season...that is until Howard took himself out of the game in Phoenix and is now a veritable "game time decision" for the foreseeable future.

IT WAS THREE GAMES FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, one of which we almost blew a lead to the lowly Hornets.  Swimmingly?  Seriously?  Sure, it was a great win against OKC, but it wasn't like we were playing like world beaters by any stretch.  And what about the previous 42 games?  Are those all on Dwight too?  Was Kobe's mindless chucking pre-"oh sht****, this team is actually more effective when I pass the ball" relevation on D12 as well? Every game in a season counts equally..

You need to come off it.  Again, you're just frustrated and are acting completely irrational.  




 

I'm about to sound like a broken record.........but the ONLY chance we have at building a title contending team for the future is by running this calculated risk and trying to sign Dwight Howard. Look, all this 2014 or 2015 stuff flies out of the window if there is not a young star already in place by the time 2014 gets here. Stars attract other stars. This organization is not going to attract a superstar based off of this just being the Lakers. We need a STAR and Dwight Howard is our only hope.....and I say only hope because a trade of Howard for another star is out of the window at this point. If we trade him, we are gonna be stuck with whoever(Lopez, Horford, etc.) for the forseeable future. Those names are not attracting anybody to the Lakers. You may say, well what if Howard leaves? I wholeheartedly believe he stays, but here's my question.....do you want to try to keep him, or do you wanna have a future with Brook Lopez,Al Horford or whoever? One last thing, where was everybody wanting him to committ when we first traded for him? We knew that this was the case from the start, so it baffles me that anyone is upset that he wants to wait until the end of the year before he says anything. What he said is good enough for me which was, I'm just committed to getting this team to the playoffs and winning a title this year. If I were him, I'd do the same. I'd consider all options first(which is what you do in the offseason) before I make a decision. 

As for the injury, I don't question the authenticity of it. I mean a strip of the ball/wrist etc. while he was going up for a dunk is how he first got hurt from the start. The thing is it's not so much the strip alone, it's the momentum of getting strip WHILE going up for a dunk. As for what he means on the court, I need no more evidence than the layup line that Micheal Beasely and Will Bynum put on while going to the goal in recent games, although that was always the case when Howard would sub out in games. 

Horsesht...Shannon got all ball and I guess because Howard was gripping the ball so tight, the recoil of the ball being stripped away had some bizarre slingshot effect on the whole mechanism that was his hand-arm-shoulder - point is, there was no physical contact on any part of Howard's hand, arm or shoulder.

This is the crux of the argument. Jefe, you think Dwight Howard is "milking" the injury, or faking it. Watch the replay again, regardless of whether Shannon got ball or wrist, did you see the pain Dwight was in? Are you telling me he was faking that? Because if you think he was faking or embelishing that (i don't) then we need to trade him right now, because he is mentally unstable enough to fake a serious injury in the middle of the fourth quarter of a competitive game.

Also, this wasn't the first time Howard hurt this soldier. Weeks before he messed up his shoulder, the injury in the Suns game was a re-aggravation of the same injury that obviously hasn't healed.

Dwight Howard isn't Hurt, he is Injured, there is a difference. You don't play through injuries. 

HE'S INJURED!!!!!!!!!!!  Jesus Christ.  How can anyone be all they're cracked up to be at 75% with now an ADDITIONAL injury?

Q, first of all, relax - I know we're talking about your golden child and that this might be a slightly sensitive topic for you given how heavily you've been lobbying for him since day 1...and even before that...secondly, by "cracked up to be" I'm referring to his toughness and his motives, not his ability, which has never been in question.

As I said, LA's short-term and long-term success is linked to Dwight.  This was always the case. Clearly you're just realizing former on a large scale at your own admission.

No Q, what I'm "just realizing" has nothing to do with the extent to which the Lakers fortunes - short or long term - rest on Howard, but has moreso to do with my recent questioning of his resiliency and mindset at this particular juncture of the season.

Everything was going along swimmingly since the Lakers emerged from the long overdue "closed door" team meeting in Memphis, and in spite of the calamitous perfect shtstorm to start the season...that is until Howard took himself out of the game in Phoenix and is now a veritable "game time decision" for the foreseeable future.

IT WAS THREE GAMES FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, one of which we almost blew a lead to the lowly Hornets.  Swimmingly?  Seriously?  Sure, it was a great win against OKC, but it wasn't like we were playing like world beaters by any stretch.  And what about the previous 42 games?  Are those all on Dwight too?  Was Kobe's mindless chucking pre-"oh sht********, this team is actually more effective when I pass the ball" relevation on D12 as well? Every game in a season counts equally..

Wow...take it easy, dude!  I am by no stretch of the imagination looking to point the blame on what has transpired in the first half of the season on Dwight - like I said, that was a perfect storm of crazy circumstances that wrought havoc on the Lakers season right from the get-go and through the first three months.

But, yes, I would argue that since the team had it out behind closed doors in Memphis, and since Kobe made a concerted effort to become more of a facilitator, things have been going much better and that the Lakers were well on their way towards turning things around in a concerted effort to salvage the season.

You need to come off it.  Again, you're just frustrated and are acting completely irrational.

Q, with all due respect, it seems to me that you're the one getting a little unhinged at the moment...chill - have a drink...spark up a little hippie-smoke...

Look, I'm vexed by this Howard shoulder business that's all - no more, no less.  It's disconcerting and, yes, perhaps I'm vocalizing a little frustration...but I don't think I'm acting completely irrational.

As for the Lakers being a "class organization", maybe they were at one time, but in the Jimbo era they certainly haven't been.  Classy organizations don't call the best coach of all time after midnight and show the complete lack of courtesy and respect they did.  Classy organizations don't purge hardworking long-time personnel just because of their connection to a former coach.  Classy organizations keep an up and coming assistant coach in the dark and not even extend him a courtesy phone call..

Sad but true.  

 

This is the crux of the argument. Jefe, you think Dwight Howard is "milking" the injury, or faking it.

No, 570,I don't think he is "milking" it, or faking it...I just a little taken aback by how easily knocked out of games he is with this labrum injury of his, that's all.

I get it now - he's sitting it out until he feels better...lord only knows when...I guess Dwight will know and be the ultimate arbiter of when he's ready to play through.

"I'm not in any rush. I don't want to reinjure it," Howard said.

So be it.  Heal up, my brother, because whenever you're ready, we're gonna need you.  In the meantime, others will have to step it up and cover for you...it's the nature of the beast.

This just in:Q really, really, really likes Dwight Howard. Ditto for Phil Jackson, ha.

I don't see the sense in Q and Jefe arguing about Howard. Bottom line is, if the guy can get healthy and remain healthy(and be at least very close to the player he was in Orlando) I think we'd all agree that Howard remaining on the Lakers for years to come is in the Lakers best interest. Although I do think he's a bonehead(could think of other adjectives but cbs wouldn't post them, ha), he's still best center in the league when healthy. Key question is, can he at least get close to 100% this season and remain so?

As far as the Lakers being a class organization.....They have dropped a little every since Jerry Buss stopped being the main man. Hell the slow decline actually began after Jerry West left over a decade ago. But I still say that even though they may no longer be thee best, they're still right up there. I look at the Phil Jackson hiring situation a little differently Q. It seems to me Jackson was attempting to have a pissing contest with the Lakers management and it backfired. Plus I know the Lakers want to win a title without Jackson as the coach. I can understand that, but I'll also admit that this may not be the time period to try and achieve that. Jackson probably would have been the best coach for this team right now. They have little or no leadership and too many egos. Jackson was a master at managing egos.

Q, first of all, relax - I know we're talking about your golden child and that this might be a slightly sensitive topic for you given how heavily you've been lobbying for him since day 1...and even before that...secondly, by "cracked up to be" I'm referring to his toughness and his motives, not his ability, which has never been in question.

Haha I'm fully relaxed.  You're the one who is throwing an absolute fit over someone not playing because they're injured and it's adversely affecting this team.

No Q, what I'm "just realizing" has nothing to do with the extent to which the Lakers fortunes - short or long term - rest on Howard, but has moreso to do with my recent questioning of his resiliency and mindset at this particular juncture of the season.

This is what you said: 
"SECONDLY realizing that the Lakers short term future is now inextricably linked to his shaky right shoulder."

It's all the same thing though.  In every single capacity LA's success is linked to Howard (and his health).  

Look, I'm vexed by this Howard shoulder business that's all - no more, no less.  It's disconcerting and, yes, perhaps I'm vocalizing a little frustration...but I don't think I'm acting completely irrational.

Yes you are.  You don't like Howard.  You think he's immature and doesn't care about this team.  Judging from this conversation you think he's either a little btch with no pain tolerance (even with a bad back and torn shoulder labrum) or that he's faking and embellishing this injury and it's affect on the team.  Either way, you're letting your frustration get ahold of your rationality.  Nothing you're saying is grounded in anything but the irrational.  It's pure frustration.

We're all frustrated, but there's a point where you drawn the line.. 

I just a little taken aback by how easily knocked out of games he is with this labrum injury of his, that's all.

See, who are you to assess it in that manner.  They had a doctor on LA radio the other day and he said everytime someone gets hit at all with a torn shoulder labrum it feels like a bolt of lightning in the shoulder.  It's clearly incredibly painful.  Throw in a bad back that he's been playing on all season and how can you possible conclude he's been "easily" knocked out?  

This just in:Q really, really, really likes Dwight Howard. Ditto for Phil Jackson, ha. 

No, I don't really like Howard.  I'm just siding with reasonability here.  

I do love Phil Jackson though, and will go full blown Optimus Prime and take you all on if you speak ill of Phil ha 

I don't think he is "milking" it, or faking it...I just a little taken aback by how easily knocked out of games he is with this labrum injury of his, that's all.

You are not Dwight Howard jefe. You don't know what level of pain and discomfort he may be dealing with. He was clearly hurt when Brown swiped down on the ball/hand/wrist. It was not only the swiping down by Brown that reaggravated the injury, but Dwight was also powering up with the ball. Combine the shoulder lifting the arm up with Brown swiping down preventing that motion and the result is going to be significant pain.

Dwight has been battling through this season while not 100% with his back. I'm really shocked that you are making such a huge deal about him sitting a few games because of the shoulder injury.   

I do love Phil Jackson though, and will go full blown Optimus Prime and take you all on if you speak ill of Phil ha


Phil hates lawyers and Phil is a proponent of reintating the Prohibition laws of the early 1900's. Just sayin'

If QID is Optimus Prime then DPTW is Bumblebee. I don't understand 90% of what he writes but yet like him just like the character.

well i don't know ish about basketball and all it's inner workings... and to be honest... don't really care enough to try and figure it out. You want to get into a strategic conversation with me about baseball. i can talk that all day