Dwight Howard

I understand Howard's been injured this season, but I don't think edubbie or anyone else has actually explained what makes him a "cancer" beyond something we already knew when he traded for him: that he's waiting until the summer to decide his future, as he should and as ever other professional athlete before him has, including Kobe.  

What makes him a cancer is that he obviously puts himself above his team, and he's not worth the cap space he'll demand.  He's a great defensive player, IF healthy, but he's a killer on offense.  Plus, we don't know if he'll ever be healthy.  Any deal, with any team, that Nets a good young "big' (Horford) and a good young anything (L.Williams) should be taken in a heartbeat. 

Even if 100% healthy, after the last 3 seasons of chaos, what "superstar" is going to want to play with Howard?  The "Howard is the Lakers Future" campaign was a mistake and needs to end ASAP. 

He puts himself above the team. He is a coach killer. A GM killer. I have never heard one teammate come out and support him. It's all about Dwight 24/7. Doesn't work hard in the offseason to improve his offensive game, free throws, etc. I would say he has actually regressed. I mimic everything Butch has said. The problem is we will get fifty cents on the dollar if we trade him. But, I say do it. Look how well we played when he was "injured" and Pau was inserted. The team actually played together and with purpose.

"What makes him a cancer is that he obviously puts himself above his team . . . "

He "obviously" puts himself above his team?  Please explain that a little better, Butch.  I saw a guy playing with a bad back and numbing legs all season when he didn't have to, so it takes a lot of brass IMO to suggest he's "above his team."  It's actually the complete opposite.  

"[H]e's not worth the cap space he'll demand.  He's a great defensive player, IF healthy, but he's a killer on offense.  Plus, we don't know if he'll ever be healthy.  Any deal, with any team, that Nets a good young "big' (Horford) and a good young anything (L.Williams) should be taken in a heartbeat." 

This is your personal opinion, and does nothing to explain why Howard is a "cancer."  Meanwhile every single team in the league would gladly line up to have Howard on their roster instead of Horford and Williams.  If you don't think the best center in a league deplete of centers is not worth a max deal, especially when he's proven that he can still put those numbers up despite the injuries he's had, then we're not going to get anywhere with this and we should just stop now.        

   "Even if 100% healthy, after the last 3 seasons of chaos, what "superstar" is going to want to play with Howard?  The "Howard is the Lakers Future" campaign was a mistake and needs to end ASAP." 

I sure hope you're not one of those Kobe fanboys I love so much.  Howard's not a ballhog, he's the best rebounder and defender in the game EVEN WHEN HE'S NOT HEALTHY so you're absolutely grasping at straws or delusional if you don't think another superstar wants to play with that type of guy.

At best, this whole argument comes down to Howard being a "cancer" because he's been injured (and playing through it for the great majority of it), won't commit to the Lakers publicly (when he's said "summer" all along) and now apparently because Howard's not worth the cap space (every team in the league disagrees).  I don't get it.  DeMarcus Cousins is a cancer to a team, Allen Iverson is a cancer to a team.  But Dwight Howard is simply a highly sought after FA with a lot of speculation constantly surrounding him, for all the right reasons, namely his talent.

Dwight won't be Dwight on this Laker team with this coach. The right coach was Phil to mentor a young player like Dwight and Dwight would have felt to be secure in the Laker organization. Instead we brought a coach that is clueless on how to use this talent and focuses on how to make a 39 yr old point guard effective rather than using our 2 7 footers. Dwight is not really part of the team but his demeanor is not right either. Kobe is on the other end of the spectrum. Kobe takes jabs at Dwight which also is not helping the case. There is no camaraderie and that's where Phil would be stepped in. Even Bernie had a better feel for the team than D Antoni. The only way that Dwight stays is if MDA is fired, probably in the summer and we have someone who can connect Kobe and Dwight. Dwight needs to grow up a bit in becoming more determined and not smiling after losses and Kobe needs to embrace him and not criticize him publicly. All these discussions should be in private and not thru the media. Being a Laker is different than any other franchise and there's pressure associated with that. The right coach would have straightened this out. Jim Buss has a lot of fault in this as well. This is not a Dwight thing. It's a franchise thing. Dr. Buss would not have made that mistake. Too bad.

this should make dpw happy - the Wolves waived former Running Rebel standout Lou Amundson today (to make room for former Lakers training camp attendee Mickael Gelabale)...maybe this is the season the Lakers finally give dpw's former #1 fantasy draft pick a shot on the roster!

Wow slugs, got much of a Howard crush?  You blast things I say as my opinion, and many may be, but you act as though everything you post is indisputable.

You know for a fact that Howard's back is "bad" and his legs numb, or you take his word for it?

You call every single NBA team and ask if they'd prefer Howard over Horford and Williams - even Orlando?


" . . . the best center in the league . . . " - where's the factual part of this?


Never been a big Kobe fan, and have openly criticized his shooting volume on this site.  Love his desire, effort and toughness though: all things Howard could apparently use a LOT more of.


Every team in the league disagrees? - again, you know this how?

Sure, Howard MIGHT return to being arguably the best Center in the League, and he MIGHT stay in LA, but that doesn't change my opinion that the Lakers, or any other team, would be better-off with the combination of players like Horford and Williams (for example), than with Howard.  Howard has never won anything, has played games with his teams (leaving management and fellow players hanging), and is obviously not a good fit for this team / coach (look at the results with just him vs. just Gasol).                 

We can debate forever who's the best center, but saying he's a "cancer" is just absurd. That's really my point. And yeah I'm partial to bigs, maybe overboard a bit even, but I'd hate to see Howard team up with Harden & Co. in our conference while we're left with pieces playing D'Antoni's small ball. That looks more like cancer IMO.

If I were Dwight I'd be eyeing Houston as well. They have talent AND youth. They are exciting on offense and Howard matched with Patterson and the other forward would be a nice frontcourt to go with Harden & Lin.

We can debate forever who's the best center, but saying he's a "cancer" is just absurd

That is funny because there is really no debate that Dwight is the best center.  

The debate is whether or not he is a cancer.  I believe he is.  I also think our Lakers will never win a Championship with Dwight in the middle.  This team has imploded since Dwight became a Laker.  There seems no unity, no sense of urgency, no one is having a good time, etc...  It's very clear there is an internal issue.

I happen to think that alot of the internal issues are with Dwight.  I guess time will tell.  

The internal issues are (1) D'Antoni's "system" not fitting an extraordinary roster, and (2) Kobe's volume shooting on said roster. Never heard anyone say, outside of this board, that any basketball team is better without Howard. All I've heard for reasons to trade him are because he might bolt. With fans calling him a cancer, I'd leave too, and prove them wrong elsewhere.

Blaming Dwight is comical.

The guy is not a cancer. Mike Dantoni is the cancer.

Never understood why the Lakers hired him in the first place.

Dwight would have been much better with a real coach such as Mike Brown.

If you don't want Dwight there's 29 other teams who would love to have him

We can debate forever who's the best center, but saying he's a "cancer" is just absurd. That's really my point. And yeah I'm partial to bigs, maybe overboard a bit even, but I'd hate to see Howard team up with Harden & Co. in our conference while we're left with pieces playing D'Antoni's small ball. That looks more like cancer IMO.

It is simply amazing how many Lakers fans supported Andrew Bynum FOR YEARS saying potential and if he goes to another team how good he'll be, here is Dwight Howard and as QID mentioned playing with mulitple injuries, it's amazing how much grief the guy gets ... Bynum a pass, and hate to say it, we've see Dwight Howard healthy and what he can do - yet a "cancer"???  If this is Bynum, we would have accepted shutting him down for the season and Lakers fans know it because we were used to it.

Bottomline, guess what ... Kobe has 2 years left, the Lakers would be idiotic to extend him for what he'll be demanding and if you haven't noticed the decline in production as well, would you if your the Lakers front office.  There is much more to the lack of success this season than Howard, Kobe etc ... injuries, coaching.  I'm still hoping for a playoff run where about that time the majority of the players will heal up and make a run. 

LET'S GO LAKERS ...

I've been pretty hard on Howard, but here's what I've come to realize - what's been cancerous isn't Howard himself, but moreso his, and the team's, state of transiency. If the Lakers are truly "all-in" with Howard, and I believe they are, the Lakers will have to commit to him whole-heartedly. The pending "max contract" deal cuts both ways - just as the Lakers will be making a substantial commitment to Dwight in the form of a looming max deal this summer, Dwight will be afforded the opportunity to fully commit himself in sum and substance to the Lakers organization and their fans by putting all this uncertainty behind him and focus on truly becoming the face of the franchise in the post-Kobe era. Everything that has transpired this season shouldn't be viewed as a harbinger for the future - these are extenuating circumstances within a decidedly unusual season. I'd like to see Dwight Howard embrace the chance that the Lakers are likely going to be rewarding him with, settle in, and prove to everybody, once and fall all, that he truly DOES belong in the purple and gold and part of the Lakers enduring legacy of greatness. I truly believe that he has it within him, he just needs to get this tenuous business of free agency behind him.

Howard was a pain in Orlando's ass last year and it has just carried over into this season. He and Kobe don't like each other. Unless that changes, this isn't going to work. Period.

Howard was a pain in the ass with management in Orlando. He never had any issues with teammates until he played with Kobe.

Kobe always had issues with teammates while Dwight never did.

Which player is the common denominator here?

some of you are lways trying to blame dwight.

Dwight is not the one consistently throwing cheapshots at Kobe in the media is he?

As I said before if you don't want Dwight, there are 29 other teams who will gladly take him from you guys

Jesus punchline - shut the fk up!!!  Don't you know when it's time to troll and when it's not?

Hey BK, which player has 5 championships? Howard is crying like a little girl. The guy needs to grow up.

Howard needs to quit fking whinning. I'm tired of it. If he's too hurt to play, then don't play. Don't be all wishy washy about it like he is with everything else. And don't make it sound like Kobe made him play. Kobe can't make him do anything.

Ever heard of peer pressure?

Kobe threw Dwight under the bus to the media and by doing this he made it seem like Dwight injury is not as baad as he is making it out to be. So Dwight played just to show Kobe yes it is pretty bad still.

You don't question another teammate toughness to the media. Kobe crossed the line big time. I know you Kobe lovers would never admit it but its the truth.

Dude the guy's not 15.

And you know how bad it would have looked on Dwight if after Kobe question his manhood that he still didn't play?

Kobe knew what he was doing by throwing Dwight under the bus.

Kobe should know by now that consistently throwing teammates under the bus to the media is not exactly a good thing.

I'm not above being critcal of Kobe. I have been. But Howard opened the door on this one. He kept telling the media that he was probably okay to play but he was worried about the future. He should have just come out and said it:I don't want to risk missing out on a max deal this summer so I don't want to play even though I can.

This is why the Lakers shouldn't have signed a player without a commitment to a long term deal.

lf, I'm telling you, if and when the Lakers offer Dwight a max deal this summer, and assuming he makes the commitment to the Lakers by taking it, I really think we're going to see a much different player in the fold...just a hunch.

Meanwhile, punchline, stop trolling.

punchline... you've been a kobe hater for as long as you've been on here. Maybe once or twice in the five years I've been on these boards have you had a nice thing to say about him. So regardless of who's at fault in this Dwight Kobe thing.... you are just as equally unqualified to talk about how bad you think Kobe is, as are the Kobe lovers you think are just as unqualified to say he can do no wrong.

When you have a history of a completely impartial opinion, then you can talk about Kobe.... and even then... you shouldn't talk about him on here 

Howard is being outplayed (or at least matched) by some dude named Mullins from the Bobcats.  Need we say anything more on the subject?  Shut him down for the season.  Who cares what Kobe says.  Doesn't really matter at this point, does it?  Shut him down, let him heal, play guys like Sacre and Ebanks and pray for better circumstances (and supporting players) next year.  That's where we're at. The Gasol injury ended any shot we had at the playoffs and not necessarily because of Pau himself, but because of who we may have gotten via trade for him.  If we are truly committed to Dwight long term, we are doing him and the franchise an injustice by putting him on the floor and risking further injury to his back or labrum.  I still think we should trade him.....but being that we won't be doing this, shutting him down is our best hope of having a truly productive Dwight next year -- assuming, of course, he re-signs with us.    

12 pts, 9 reb, and 2 blocks.

Pretty good