Los Angeles Lakers Steal Dwight Howard and Become Favorites Again

Photo Credit: Keith Allison (Flickr.com)

Dwight Howard will be in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform this year and just like that the Lakers are the Western Conference favorites. How did they do it?

The Lakers gave up Andrew Bynum and a protected future first-round pick. That’s it? Yes, that’s it. Didn’t even have to give up Pau Gasol.

While Bynum has more offensive skill in the low post by a slim margin, he’s nowhere near the defensive dominator that Howard is. It’s no secret that Steve Nash isn’t the best defender in the world at this point in his career but now he has that monster in the paint to make up for a lot of mistakes.

As of now, the Lakers will have a lineup of Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Gasol and Howard.

It’s not a lineup that is very athletic on the wing but they will play big and they will be nearly impossible to defend. Nash is one of the best in the pick and roll in all of the NBA and Howard is tremendous at the rim. It’s a match made in heaven.

Gasol should get a ton of wide-open shots from the high post and if he’s making those, the Lakers are going to be nearly untouchable.

Teams like Oklahoma City or Miami can try to run the Lakers ragged and use their athleticism but the questions still lurk about who can guard the Lakers with Gasol AND Howard on the court at the same time.

Anything could happen and a key injury could throw a wrench in things but it’s certainly looking like the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat are on a crash course for a star-studded 2013 NBA Finals battle.

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