Who Needs Who More: Lakers or Dwight Howard?

Dwight Howard may choose to sign with the Dallas Mavericks or Houston Rockets during the NBA's free-agency signing period, but if Howard does choose to take his talents anywhere else besides Los Angeles, then the depths of his cowardly nature will be exposed.

Of course, Howard reserves the right to take his abilities wherever he chooses, according to the NBA's new Collective Bargaining Agreement, but how would Howard explain an escape from L.A. to browner pastures?

Texas' tax law, Mark Cuban and the prospects of playing with James Harden or Dirk Nowitzki must be appealing to Howard, but these are the Lakers, and when it comes to basketball, things are much bigger in Los Angeles.

I'm well aware that every NBA team from Texas has managed to win a Finals series, but the Lakers can still double that bet with change to spare.

In other words, the Lakers have won twice as many championships as the whole state of Texas, and Howard's decision will have no bearing on this.

Success in Texas is appreciated, but excellence in Los Angeles is expected.

And Howard has proved that he'd much rather be appreciated as a player than critiqued as a star.

In Texas, Howard can flex his muscles and flash his grin while backing up Harden or Nowitzki, but in L.A., there has to be a little substance behind the posturing.

It's easy to strike a pose and smile when responsibility is laid at someone else's feet, but it's very hard to hide in Hollywood.

A season with the Lakers has already revealed that Howard has no offensive post game, poor hands and a level of maturity that rivals Andrew Bynum's.

So why exactly would the Lakers need Howard more than Howard needs the Lakers?



Howard is a great center but not Los Angeles great, and while he has a movie star's presence, Howard is shallow underneath.

Doesn't it speak volumes that no one would really be surpri...

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