Reuniting the two athletes is something worth exploring for the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Mar. 3, Howard's Lakers took down Smith's Hawks by a score of 99-98. Howard finished with 15 rebounds, while Smith tallied 19 points, seven boards, seven assists, three blocks and a steal.
Prior to the game, Howard admitted that playing against Smith isn't the only long-term option, per Medina's report.
...Howard conceding [he and Josh Smith] have repeatedly talked about reliving [their AAU] days and teaming up together.
"We have a couple of times," Howard said. "But unfortunately that hasn't happened."
That is an intriguing scenario to imagine.
By no means is this a suggestion that the Lakers must acquire Smith. No matter how athletically gifted he may be, Smith's price tag will be high and the Lakers have no cap flexibility whatsoever.
For that reason, the only plausible way to get a deal done would be through the sign-and-trade process that the new CBA has made all the more complicated.
What is to be acknowledged, however, is that pairing the two together could breed extremely positive results. For evidence, simply check what Smith has been able to do on his own.
Thus far in 2012-13, Smith is averaging 17.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. He's doing so with a Player Efficiency Rating of 17.52.
Paired with elite athleticism, Smith's contributions would certainly be welcome on an aging Lakers team.
Athletic Perimeter
The Los Angeles Lakers could place Josh Smith at power forward and utilize him as a floor-spacer with Dwight Howard in the middle. They cou...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
