The Lakers have pulled a major coup in the form of a four-team deal for Dwight Howard, while somehow able to keep Pau Gasol in Los Angeles. They have now become the clear offseason winners with Howard, Steve Nash and Antawn Jamison signing with the purple and gold.
The Clippers were trying to close the gap in Los Angeles with their tandem of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. After the Howard trade, though, the Lakers’ new fearsome foursome catapults them to the hottest ticket in LA once again.
Cue the paparazzi. Cue the nightly highlight reels. Cue the celebrities hitting the Staples Center in droves.
The Lake Show’s four stars feature some of the most recognizable players worldwide. Not to mention, three (Bryant, Howard, Nash) are on every NBA fans top ten players to see in person.
Consider the collective resumes of LA’s four stars: three league MVPs, three Defensive Player of the Years, 18 All-NBA First Teams, 32 All-Star appearances.
That’s without counting scoring titles, rookie of the year titles, rebounding titles. You get the picture.
First there’s the holdovers: Bryant and Gasol. They won two titles together as the Laker’s one-two punch only a short while ago. Now Gasol goes from being the second banana to the fourth option on offense.
Let me rephrase: the most skilled big man in the NBA is now a fourth option.
Somebody please get the Western Conference some oxygen.
This collection of talent even surpasses the Laker teams that won back-to-back in 2010 and 2011.
Recall the Lakers starting five during their last title (in my opinion, the better team). They had a starting five of Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Gasol and Bynum. Today, the Lakers still sport three out of five, with signi...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
