For Lakers fans, their gaze has already been set on the summer of 2014. Dwight Howard's decision to bolt for the Houston Rockets this summer came with infinite implications. It made the Rockets instant contenders, pushed Daryl Morey to the top of every NBA general managers list and, most saliently for these purposes, put the Lakers in full transition mode in 2013-14.
The situation has been looked at ad nauseam, so I'll hook you up with the SparkNotes version. Kobe Bryant's Achilles injury may keep him out anywhere from zero games to 40. We have no idea. Pau Gasol and Steve Nash are firmly on the downward and declining position, not equipped to keep the ship afloat without Bryant. The front office brought in Chris Kaman to replace Howard and Nick "Swaggy P" Young, if only for pure comedic purposes.
The Lakers are at best a No. 8 seed next season, at worst pushing for the diamond-encrusted Andrew Wiggins championship belt. And the delusional folks have somehow convinced themselves that this is a good thing—that losing Howard for nothing is A-OK—because his departure means Los Angeles has enough cap space to possibly land two max-level free agents next summer.
Oh, and they're convinced one of them will be LeBron James. And that the other will be Carmelo Anthony. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst first stoked the fires by officially reporting the two superstars are at the top of the Lakers' wish list for next summer, creating a fairytale ending in the final act of this Dwightmare-plagued play.
The Internet, as it's wont to do, went bat, umm, you know where I ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
