Dwight Night


On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a move to get back to relevance — they landed free-agent point guard Steve Nash. Though 38, Nash is still a premier point guard and premier player in the NBA. The idea of pairing him with Kobe Bryant seems like it will instantly upgrade the Lakers' lineup.

But now comes the question — what will the rest of that lineup look like? Last year, prior to the start of the season, it seemed the Lakers were pursuing Orlando center Dwight Howard. Howard is a good defensive player, one of the best centers in the league, and a coveted player that seems to constantly be rumored to be available. Once upon a time, the Lakers scored big by prying a center away from the Magic. In that case it was Shaq, and it led to three NBA titles for the Lakers.

But is this the same type of situation? I say no. In fact, I agree with Bob Ryan, who on Thursday on PTI said he thought the Lakers were better off staying with the two big men they already have.

The Lakers front court now is dominated by Pau Gasol — who was great for three years and has been iffy the last two seasons — and Andrew Bynum — a talented young player that doesn't always show up big when he should.

Trading for Howard would, undoubtedly, cost the Lakers both Gasol and Bynum. So, would he be worth it? The answer is, probably not.

Howard is a good player, but he's mercurial. He's driven the Orlando front office crazy the past few seasons, he's not a great team player, and he's coming off an injury. Add to that his marginal offensive skills and poor free throw percentage, and you really have to weigh the costs.

Gasol can still be a great player. His summer playing for Spain in the Olympics might heighten that. And Bynum, for all his up-and-down play, is still a good young center. Those two combined with Metta World Peace (Ron Artest), Bryant, Nash and a few complimentary pieces just might be enough to return the Lakers to Western Conference contention.

Here's to hoping they don't over pay for an unproven commodity.

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