The Los Angeles Lakers must bring Dwight Howard back next season, but they will not be able to call themselves the favorites in his impending free agency race unless they make the playoffs this year. Howard is currently out with a shoulder injury and has subtly voiced his frustrations with head coach Mike D'Antoni's fast-paced offensive system.
Los Angeles has won five of six, but the Lakers are currently 22-26 and three-and-a-half games outside of the final playoff spot in the highly competitive Western Conference. There are still 34 games left to play, but each and every one counts for the Lakers.
Of those games, 18 are against squads that would make the playoffs if the postseason started today. Needless to say, the Lakers are in for an uphill battle—one that can result in Howard staying with the team if it is won.
Look at it this way. When Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak pulled the trigger on the blockbuster trade that made Howard a Laker last August, the team's fans went into a frenzy. Not only did Kupchak bring them a fine playmaking point guard in Steve Nash, but he also landed a three-time Defensive Player of the Year while trading ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Josh Benjamin
Dwight Howard: Lakers Must Make Playoffs to Re-Sign Star Center
February 5th, 2013 by Josh Benjamin Leave a reply »
Advertisement