Lakers at Thunder 3/5/13

This number 12 sucks big ones....

If I see this bum take another falling away hook shot over a smaller denfender, Im throwing my remote through the tv...

Id rather have a hurt bynum on the bench than this scrub....

If he can't play thorugh the pain/discomfort than he shouldn't be on the court...

I wish it was obvious LA wasn't making the playoffs because I would love to see Dwight benched right now...Let's see him play for a contract from the bench...

Dwight must go.  I have been saying this for months now.  Tired of the moron...

Honestly, you have to be pretty ignorant about basketball to think the Lakers should get rid of Dwight Howard.  

I sincerely, literally can't think of any other way you arrive that conclusion.  

I get that some of you guys think Howard's not trying hard enough, but what's so hard to understand about BACK SURGERY?

The difference Howard makes on the defensive end alone should be enough to completely reject any notion of getting rid of him.         

It was as if the Lakers were playing with only 2 stars.  Need a third to beat OKC.  Yes, Howard got 16 rebounds, but OKC took a lot of shots this game.  96 to the Lakers 77.

A large portion of this is because the Lakers took 40 Ft's. The Thunder did create second chances but the possession difference was probably around 10.Plus as QID pointed out the Thunder only had 2 turnovers which is hard to put on Dwight.

Honestly, you have to be pretty ignorant about basketball to think the Lakers should get rid of Dwight Howard.  

Clearly, I am very ignorant!  Because, IMO it takes a cohesive unit (see:  Teamwork) to win Championships.  I'm really only satisfied with Championships.  

Dwight is and has always been about Dwight.  We have heard many of Dwight's current and past "co-workers" that have taken issue with Dwight.  Dwight is not a champion and I'm afraid he never will be...

Doesn't the NBA require five players on the court at all times?  Shouldn't those five players play together as a unit?  Shouldn't they have the same goal?  Similar work ethic?  Wouldn't there be dissention if one of those players is percieved as not giving his all or plays when he wants to?  Or, laughs when their team loses an important game?  

I'm not saying we have to agree.  But, there is no reason for name calling here.  I have stood by my feelings about Dwight and I am free to post those feelings on this board.  If you don't agree, then please feel free to disagree.  But, saying I am ignorant about the game of basketball because I feel Dwight Howard is not needed to win Championships is IMO out of bounds.  Especially, in the day and age where Centers are not critical.

What I am ignorant about is what options the Lakers have going forward.  Can we sign and trade Dwight?  Does he have max value on the market at this time?  Or, will teams shy away for the reasons I have indicated in this post and others in the past?  
 

This is the crux of our disagreement:

But, saying I am ignorant about the game of basketball because I feel Dwight Howard is not needed to win Championships is IMO out of bounds. Especially, in the day and age where Centers are not critical.

To me it's pretty ignorant to think centers aren't critical to winning NBA championships.  I guess you could point to MIA last year, but I don't see how that trumps decades of NBA championships mostly being won by teams with either an offensively or defensively dominant big man in the post.     

Doesn't the NBA require five players on the court at all times?  Shouldn't those five players play together as a unit?  Shouldn't they have the same goal? 

At first I thought you were talking about Kobe.  Then . . .

Wouldn't there be dissention if one of those players is percieved as not giving his all or plays when he wants to?  Or, laughs when their team loses an important game?  

. . . I realized you were referring to Dwight Howard's perceived lack of effort.  You might see fumbles on the offensive end that instead I see as horrible entry passes or am more willing to write off as working through injury.  I have seen some plays that look lazy, like that bounce pass from Howard at the top of the key to Nash in the post, or sometimes complaining on calls instead of getting back on defense (everybody does this, especially Kobe), but overall you can't get around the fact that a guy who's pulling down 12 boards a night is simply not lazy or not trying.

As for laughing after losses, I think you're reaching to draw any conclusions about his "will to win" from a camera that catches him in conversation when you don't know what was said.  What if what was said was actually really funny and completely unrelated to the game?  Sounds reasonable enough.  I don't know, but I think the better approach is to argue about his lack of effort on the court.     

What I am ignorant about is what options the Lakers have going forward.  Can we sign and trade Dwight?  Does he have max value on the market at this time?  Or, will teams shy away for the reasons I have indicated in this post and others in the past? 

Dwight Howard will get the max amount of money that a team can offer him no matter where he signs.  Most NBA franchises still highly value and covet dominant big men, including the Lakers thankfully.   

Funny how Kobe has done everything possible to help bring 5 Championships to LA and Dwight Howard has done nothing.  Yet, you imply Kobe is the one who doesn't play with his team as a unit or has an ulterior motive. 

Don't even joke about Kobe Bean Bryant.  Dwight Howard doesn't even belong in the same building as Kobe.   

If you can't see the direction of the NBA as it relates to centers, then you should pay closer attention.  I'm not even going to dignify myself trying to point out the painfully obvious.  This is a guard/forward dominated league.  Plain and simple...

 

I didn't say anything about ulterior motives or intenetions.  I was referring to the Kobe Show.  It happens sometimes, admit it.  Seems we can agree that the best way for the Lakers to play is as a unit, let's leave it at that.  

Dwight Howard doesn't belong in the same building as Kobe Bryant?  Okay.

I've been paying attention.  Seems like there's been a dearth of offensively dominant big men and the game reflects that.       

The operative word being DOMINANT. How many games this year has Howard been dominant?

So, my problem with Dwight is well documented.  If Kobe is going to pass the torch I don't think it should be passed to Dwight Howard to be the face of our beloved franchise.

If we are going to pay the max and mortgage the franchise, wait a year or two and go after LeBron or Durant.   

The debate is really about a change in the league to favoring more of a spread, single-post offense as opposed to a dominantly post-oriented offense.  Suffice it to say I don't think dominant bigs are suddenly any less important just because MIA and DAL won the last two championships.  In regard to Howard, he's the closest thing we've seen since Shaq to a truly dominant center.  I think you should ease up on him a bit.