Los Angeles Lakes might have only one season to prove they were right to take the Howard risk – NBA Feature
The Los Angeles Lakers formed the most dominating starting roster in recent NBA history when they added All Star Centre Dwight Howard in a blockbuster four team trade that was finalized on Friday.
The starting roster for the Lakers next season will now include Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard. The Lakers are being tipped to be the NBA champions next season after completing their roster with the trade
for Bynum.
But more than that, they have now left behind the Miami Heat as the team that draws the most media attention. LeBron James and company can now breathe a sigh of relief, which is if they did not like all the attention they have
been receiving for the past two years.
Ever since LeBron James moved to Miami in the summer of 2010 to form the big three of the Heat, they have been under pressure of delivering NBA championships. Erik Spoelstra has been the most scrutinized coach and James the most
scrutinized player. Ask James and he will tell you how difficult it was to play under all that pressure in the first season with the Heat. All that pressure finally caused James to crumble in the NBA Finals of the 2010-2011 season, where he flopped completely
as the Dallas Mavericks won the championship.
Now, the Lakers will be the team which will be expected to win the Championship next season. Any other finish will simply be not enough. Dwight Howard will now be the most scrutinized player and Mike Brown the most scrutinized
coach.
But the Lakers will have an added pressure to face when they take the court next season, a pressure that even James and company did not face in their first season with the Heat.
The Lakers might have to win a championship in their first season; otherwise this dream combination might just fall apart.
Keep in mind that Howard is scheduled to be a free agent next summer, and he has no intentions of signing a contract extension with the Lakers. The Lakers know this and are confident that once Howard joins a championship culture,
he would not want to leave.
This leaves open the possibility that Howard decides to pack his bags and leave the club after next season.
And why would he want to do that?
Well, because he is Dwight Howard.
D-12 was the darling of the Orlando Magic franchise, the centre of their world. When he joins the Lakers, he will be sharing the territory with a player who has been a Laker for life, a true hero for the people of Los Angeles.
And that player is Kobe Bryant. How the two egos co-exist both on and off the court is a big question mark.
Plus, managing a super star cast is not an easy job and there are chances that Mike Brown may not get it right in the first season. With so many superstars on the team, it’s not difficult to imagine a broken locker room. And if
Howard does not win a championship in his first season and feels like he is not being given the proper attention, he might just pick up his stuff and leave.
Rest assured there will be a lot of takers, and ahead of them all will be the Mavs.
Hence, it is important for the Lakers to get off to a good start. Brown has a huge task ahead of him, and it will be interesting to see how he manages the stars on his roster and how he effectively uses them on the court, while
keeping them united for the ultimate goal – the Larry O’ Brien trophy.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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