Looks like Texas just got a little bigger.
As first reported by USA Today, Dwight Howard has chosen to join the Houston Rockets. Howard had met with the Rockets earlier this week and also several other teams vying for the affection of Dwight. Howard now joins James Harden and Jeremy Lin in hopes of bringing a championship back to Houston.
This might not be the only star player the Rockets get. Houston and Atlanta might make a sign-and-trade deal involving sending Josh Smith to the Rockets in exchange for Omer Asik who doesn't want to play with Dwight Howard.
A huge day for the Rockets as their bar has been raised to championship highs and instantly with this news. It's probably fair to expect a championship now that Howard is on the team but unless they can get Josh Smith as well, I'm not sure whether they are the best team in the West. OKC is still strong with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, San Antonio has proven to never count them out, and even Golden State can surprise you.
As for the Lakers, they are apparently still in denial. It's a first that an all time great player has walked away from the Lakers. Though to be fair, the Lakers sort of drove Howard away. While Dwight and Kobe might've never gotten along anyway, the Lakers hurt their chances of keeping Howard long term when they hired Mike D'Antoni as head coach. Combine that with how everything else went in LA during Howard's one year there and how do you expect him stay?
The Rockets now look like title contenders while the Lakers just look like another borderline playoff team at best. Oh what a difference a year makes.
Showing posts with label Kobe Bryant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kobe Bryant. Show all posts
Friday, July 5, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Lakers Get Swept Out of the Postseason in Round 1
It was no surprise that the Lakers got eliminated from the postseason in the first round, especially when Kobe Bryant went out with an injury. But getting swept out... that's just icing on the cake.
The Spurs beat the Lakers last night 103-82 and completed their 4 game sweep of the Lake Show. Tony Parker was one of five Spurs players to get into double digits in scoring netting 23 points. Dwight Howard of the Lakers only got 7 points as he was ejected early in the third quarter after receiving his 2nd technical for arguing with the officials.
Please, please, let that be how Dwight's career in LA ends.
Dwight and the Lakers season does end with a lot of questions left to answer, most notably, will Howard return to the team next year or go somewhere else. He will be a free agent this off season and can choose to go anywhere he wants to. If I was him, I'd go to Brooklyn or Dallas. You know, to a team that actually knows what they are doing. Hell, the Bobcats might a better choice right now.
Okay, that last one might be a bit of a reach, but almost any franchise would be better for Howard than the Lakers. Not having to clash with Kobe (who might not be up to par when returning from injury), or having to play with a coach that knows nothing about using big men or playing defense, or having to play for management that isn't big enough to hire the right coach for you. Staying in such a place would be madness, Dwight.
But alas, Dwight might stay in LA anyway out of guilt. He really needs to stop caring about what other people think. We hate that about him so much.
The Spurs beat the Lakers last night 103-82 and completed their 4 game sweep of the Lake Show. Tony Parker was one of five Spurs players to get into double digits in scoring netting 23 points. Dwight Howard of the Lakers only got 7 points as he was ejected early in the third quarter after receiving his 2nd technical for arguing with the officials.
Please, please, let that be how Dwight's career in LA ends.
Dwight and the Lakers season does end with a lot of questions left to answer, most notably, will Howard return to the team next year or go somewhere else. He will be a free agent this off season and can choose to go anywhere he wants to. If I was him, I'd go to Brooklyn or Dallas. You know, to a team that actually knows what they are doing. Hell, the Bobcats might a better choice right now.
Okay, that last one might be a bit of a reach, but almost any franchise would be better for Howard than the Lakers. Not having to clash with Kobe (who might not be up to par when returning from injury), or having to play with a coach that knows nothing about using big men or playing defense, or having to play for management that isn't big enough to hire the right coach for you. Staying in such a place would be madness, Dwight.
But alas, Dwight might stay in LA anyway out of guilt. He really needs to stop caring about what other people think. We hate that about him so much.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Kobe Out with Torn Achilles
Add injury to insult.
During last night's 118-116 win over the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers lost the Black Mamba. In the 4th quarter, Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles on his left leg. While he will have a MRI later today, the expected news from the team seems to be a "probable" or "complete tear." Kobe has been ruled out indefinitely with his season over.
Kobe's chances of a 6th ring just took a big hit. While he will likely try and mount a comeback, his return is obviously unknown with next season in jeopardy. Recovering from this injury can take a few months to a year. Bryant will be 35 if he manages a comeback sometime next season which will likely be a lost cause as well.
If you're the Lakers, this might be the best time to try and make the transition into the Dwight Howard era. Assuming, of course, Howard wants to stay in LA.
P.S. Look at that. Suddenly teams want to play the Lakers in the 1st round of the postseason.
During last night's 118-116 win over the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers lost the Black Mamba. In the 4th quarter, Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles on his left leg. While he will have a MRI later today, the expected news from the team seems to be a "probable" or "complete tear." Kobe has been ruled out indefinitely with his season over.
Kobe's chances of a 6th ring just took a big hit. While he will likely try and mount a comeback, his return is obviously unknown with next season in jeopardy. Recovering from this injury can take a few months to a year. Bryant will be 35 if he manages a comeback sometime next season which will likely be a lost cause as well.
If you're the Lakers, this might be the best time to try and make the transition into the Dwight Howard era. Assuming, of course, Howard wants to stay in LA.
P.S. Look at that. Suddenly teams want to play the Lakers in the 1st round of the postseason.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Howard Still in LA and No Major Trades Done
The trade deadline in the NBA has passed and no major deal has been done. Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks, who was cited several times as the most likely player to move, is staying in place despite all the offers that the team received for him. The Hawks will take their chances with Smith in the summer. Josh, on the other hand, might end up somewhere else anyway with max money on his mind.
Dwight Howard was another player not traded away, not that many expected him to be traded from the incompetent Los Angeles Lakers. GM Mitch Kupchak has stressed that Howard is indeed the future of the Lakers despite the fact that Howard can walk for nothing this summer. There is a little hope considering that the Lakers won an emotional game against the Celtics last night 113-99. Howard scored 24 points and got 12 rebounds in the win.
There were a number of smaller trades around the NBA. The most notable player among them was J.J. Redick who was traded to Milwaukee as part of a 6 player deal between the Bucks and the Magic. And no, Redick looks nothing like Josh Reddick (I wish). There were 8 deals in all on Thursday.
Not great non-moves from the Hawks or the Lakers. Both teams are taking huge risks in hoping that their players will come back to them for another contract. Without them committing long term means a bleak future for those organizations.
That goes double for the Lakers who are putting their entire future on Dwight Howard. Nothing has really gone right in LA so far that would convince Dwight to stay long term: they hired Mike D'Antoni over Phil Jackson, he and Kobe Bryant don't get along, and the Lakers are not even over .500. To add on to that, Howard never wanted to go to LA in the first place. Likelihood is that this summer he will still want to skip town and head for either Brooklyn or Dallas.
I do have to give credit to Dwight Howard. For a guy that wants to be liked, he sure knows how to cause unrest wherever he goes.
Dwight Howard was another player not traded away, not that many expected him to be traded from the incompetent Los Angeles Lakers. GM Mitch Kupchak has stressed that Howard is indeed the future of the Lakers despite the fact that Howard can walk for nothing this summer. There is a little hope considering that the Lakers won an emotional game against the Celtics last night 113-99. Howard scored 24 points and got 12 rebounds in the win.
There were a number of smaller trades around the NBA. The most notable player among them was J.J. Redick who was traded to Milwaukee as part of a 6 player deal between the Bucks and the Magic. And no, Redick looks nothing like Josh Reddick (I wish). There were 8 deals in all on Thursday.
Not great non-moves from the Hawks or the Lakers. Both teams are taking huge risks in hoping that their players will come back to them for another contract. Without them committing long term means a bleak future for those organizations.
That goes double for the Lakers who are putting their entire future on Dwight Howard. Nothing has really gone right in LA so far that would convince Dwight to stay long term: they hired Mike D'Antoni over Phil Jackson, he and Kobe Bryant don't get along, and the Lakers are not even over .500. To add on to that, Howard never wanted to go to LA in the first place. Likelihood is that this summer he will still want to skip town and head for either Brooklyn or Dallas.
I do have to give credit to Dwight Howard. For a guy that wants to be liked, he sure knows how to cause unrest wherever he goes.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Lakers Owner Jerry Buss Dies at Age 80
Jerry Buss, owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, passed away today at the age of 80. Buss had been undergoing cancer treatments for the last 18 months but the immediate cause of death was kidney failure. Jerry Buss had owned the Lakers since 1979 and now leaves the franchise to his surviving family to run.
Certainly a sad day for the NBA to lose one of it's greatest owners. He had several legends play on his teams including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant. His desire to win and love of the Lakers made him a huge part of the LA community. His drive was evident to all his players.
"He was a visionary, he was a trailblazer," Magic Johnson said. "He did things that were, at that time, people thought wasn't cool, wasn't proper. He was a man who walked the walk and talked the talk. He produced championships, because he was the most competitive owner you could ever meet in your life."
The Lakers would win ten NBA titles with his will to win with the last one coming in 2010. In the 34 seasons under his ownership, the Lakers have made the playoffs all but 2 of those seasons. He's even perhaps the most successful owner in North American Sports history, even greater than the late George Steinbrenner.
Brilliant owners may come and go but there might not be one that had such impact on one team, on one sport, on one city like Dr. Jerry Buss.
Certainly a sad day for the NBA to lose one of it's greatest owners. He had several legends play on his teams including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant. His desire to win and love of the Lakers made him a huge part of the LA community. His drive was evident to all his players.
"He was a visionary, he was a trailblazer," Magic Johnson said. "He did things that were, at that time, people thought wasn't cool, wasn't proper. He was a man who walked the walk and talked the talk. He produced championships, because he was the most competitive owner you could ever meet in your life."
The Lakers would win ten NBA titles with his will to win with the last one coming in 2010. In the 34 seasons under his ownership, the Lakers have made the playoffs all but 2 of those seasons. He's even perhaps the most successful owner in North American Sports history, even greater than the late George Steinbrenner.
Brilliant owners may come and go but there might not be one that had such impact on one team, on one sport, on one city like Dr. Jerry Buss.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
See Kobe: Sharing is Good
A slightly new approach have given the Lakers new life
The new strategy seems to be one that hasn't been done before on the team: Kobe passing the ball. Over the last three games, Kobe Bryant has scored just 49 points but has 39 assists. This last game, Kobe had 14 points and 11 assists as the Lakers beat the Hornets 111-106. These last three games have been wins for the Lakers in which the 2nd one was a win against the OKC Thunder by 9. Lakers have a 3 game winning streak but are still 5 games under .500 at 20-25.
It loos like Kobe being "Team Friendly" is best for the team right now. Before this winning streak, Kobe was attempting over 20 shots a game for four games in a row and they lost all four. Kobe gets a bunch of assists and doesn't shoot more than 15 shots a game and they win three in a row. Now this might not get the Lakers in title discussion again but it certainly does get them back in the postseason talk.
P.S. Congrats Kobe on finally PASSING the ball.
The new strategy seems to be one that hasn't been done before on the team: Kobe passing the ball. Over the last three games, Kobe Bryant has scored just 49 points but has 39 assists. This last game, Kobe had 14 points and 11 assists as the Lakers beat the Hornets 111-106. These last three games have been wins for the Lakers in which the 2nd one was a win against the OKC Thunder by 9. Lakers have a 3 game winning streak but are still 5 games under .500 at 20-25.
It loos like Kobe being "Team Friendly" is best for the team right now. Before this winning streak, Kobe was attempting over 20 shots a game for four games in a row and they lost all four. Kobe gets a bunch of assists and doesn't shoot more than 15 shots a game and they win three in a row. Now this might not get the Lakers in title discussion again but it certainly does get them back in the postseason talk.
P.S. Congrats Kobe on finally PASSING the ball.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Still So Much to See with the World Ending
As the end of the world is nigh, there is so much that I wish I could've seen in the sports world before our time was up. Here are the top ten things I was still waiting to see before the apocalypse came.
10. The NHL to come back. Be nice for Hockey to at least make the list.
9. The Sharks win the Stanley C… HA HA HA HA YEAH RIGHT!!!!
8. Mayweather v. Pacquiao. We wanted it for years but the promoters were always just too much of a tease like Justin Bieber (he's gay, get over him).
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Well it's been a good life anyway having seen the SF Giants and the Red Sox each win a pair of titles, see Chelsea win the Champions Cup, and to see Mark Sanchez get Butt Slapped in the face by his own lineman. Or was it a "Tight End"?
10. The NHL to come back. Be nice for Hockey to at least make the list.
9. The Sharks win the Stanley C… HA HA HA HA YEAH RIGHT!!!!
8. Mayweather v. Pacquiao. We wanted it for years but the promoters were always just too much of a tease like Justin Bieber (he's gay, get over him).
7. See if Tim Tebow could be a good QB/player in the NFL throughout a career. If the heavens can help it, they might just postpone the apocalypse to just see if the "other" son of god can be a starter in the pros.
6. See if any of the PED users got into the Baseball Hall of
Fame. It doesn’t look good for any of the potential candidates from the steroid
era but I’m sure most of them were just happy not to go to jail.
5. The other woman finally step forward and identify Ben Roethlisberger
as her rapist. That and say Kobe joined in. See you a**holes in hell.
4. See the Cubs win the World Series. This is really the only significant thing in baseball that I would like to see happen. Them not winning in over a 100 years is the true disaster here.
3. Derek Jeter retiring from baseball. This I would've LOVE to see happen. I was going to throw a
great party with chips, dip, and a roast of Jeter. No, an actual roasting of
Jeter. He would’ve tasted so good in pinstripes.
2. 49ers win super bowl. While I was actually alive for three of
the 49ers super bowl victories, I was too young to appreciate or even be aware
of any of them. I’ve just been around for the heartache really.
1.The US get to the Semis of the World Cup. This one is more
of a dream than anything else. To win it would be the Impossible Dream.
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Well it's been a good life anyway having seen the SF Giants and the Red Sox each win a pair of titles, see Chelsea win the Champions Cup, and to see Mark Sanchez get Butt Slapped in the face by his own lineman. Or was it a "Tight End"?
It's been fun while it lasted. Now if you don't mind I got to try and die without my virginity. I don't want to go out like Tebow.
P.S. If the world doesn't end, be sure to click here for a preview of this weekend's 49ers game. Also be sure to check out the 49ers Section at Prosportsblogging.com for my take on the team before and after every game.
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