At this point only the Orlando Magic front office knows if or when Dwight Howard will be traded. What we do know is that if Howard is traded to the Lakers, LA's new "big three" of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard will immediately be considered serious contenders to be next year's champions.
Many fans bemoan the newest trend in team building; superstars teaming up in free agency or demanding trades in order to play with other elite players. The epitome of this new model obviously is the Miami Heat's signing of LeBron James and Chris Bosh to pair with Dwayne Wade.
The New York Knicks' acquisitions of Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire also seems to embody this new top-down, superstar-driven team building blueprint.
That fans are disgusted by this new trend in the NBA is understandable (especially if you do not root for one of the teams lucky enough to be assembling this glut of talent) as it thins the ranks of true title contenders and makes the league rather top-heavy.
Yet this trend is GREAT for the league.
The first three games of this year’s finals were the highest watched since 2004. People were tuned in to watch one triumvirate of stars in the Miami Heat battle another in the Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden-led Thunder.
The vast majority of fans were not concerned with the depth of either team's bench (unless of course you consider sixth man of the year and hipster fashion icon James Harden merely bench depth).
It is no coincidence that the 2004 Finals were the last finals to draw so much interest, as it featured another super team, in the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant-led Lakers. The NBA, like most American sports, is entertaining not because of parity but because of a desire to see greatness.
The 1980's are often considered a golden age of basketbal...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
