Questions regarding Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers' futures spread across the sports world like verbal wild fire. And the general consensus amongst the fans and media was that Los Angeles needed to make some drastic changes and adjustments to return to their championship contender status.
Forget about the fact that although the Lakers played poorly in their series against Dallas, the Mavericks are potential NBA champions. Many teams would use such an occurrence as an excuse, but not the Lakers.
Los Angeles has already found a coach to replace Phil Jackson in Mike Brown and now has their sights on obtaining either Chris Paul or Dwight Howard via 2012 free agency or trade. While we have to admire the Lakers' willingness to accept nothing less than a championship appearance, they may be jumping the gun on their ambitions.
The Lakers may be among Paul's and Howard's list of preferred destinations, but either acquisition is far from a lock.
It widely known that the Lakers would prefer Howard because a dominant big man is so hard come by, and their Andrew Bynum experiment has not paid off thus far. Howard would be a great addition to the roster, especially if given the opportunity to play alongside Pau Gasol.
However, Los Angeles may be a tougher sell than most people realize.
The problem with the Lakers is that they do not have the right balance between veterans and youth. Kobe, Ron Artest, Derek Fisher and possibly Lamar Odom have all seen the best of their days already, and Howard may be reluctant to join a team that is a house of cards talent-wise. Either of these players performance levels could head south anytime now.
In order to give themselves the best possible chance of either signing Howard, or convincing ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
