Hey lets just completely dismiss Chandler says Howard

[LogicMan]

Twist the facts in retrospect. Cmon guys, lets try to be somewhat honest on here. Everybody in LA wanted the guy, and he wanted to. He just wanted Phil in the deal....and Buss would not allow that.

Its not rocket science guys.

The big issue was how they and some fans skewered and continue it to this day as all D12.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

Twist the facts in retrospect. Cmon guys, lets try to be somewhat honest on here. Everybody in LA wanted the guy, and he wanted to. He just wanted Phil in the deal....and Buss would not allow that.

Its not rocket science guys.

The big issue was how they and some fans skewered and continue it to this day as all D12.

I said it before and I'll say it again. What coach has the opportunity to coach Nash, Kobe and Dwight and says 'I'll think about it'. Obviously Phil is too old to travel, or else he'd be coaching today.

Gotta love the people who never watch the Lakers constantly criticizing.

 

[LogicMan]

Once again, not how it went down....

 

[OutlawImmortal]

Once again, not how it went down....

So you're saying Jackson didn't take his time deciding after he was offered the job without hesitation?

 

[trojanfan12]

The USA Today saw it as begging.


The Lakers are literally begging Dwight Howard to re-sign | For The Win

Who the hell cares how USA Today saw it? Lakers beat reporters, at least one of whom was in the meeting, described it pretty much exactly as I described and said the tension in the room was palpable. He also said that it was obvious that Dwight didn't want to be there and the Lakers didn't really care if he accepted the offer or not.

There were literally 2 reasons why the Lakers even bothered to make an offer. One was that he could be a complimentary piece to a ring, but he will never lead a team to one. If he had stayed, he'd have been Robin to Kobe's Batman and for that matter, if Pau was still there, Dwight probably would have ended up being Batgirl.



The other was that they had to or it would have sent the wrong message to future FA's.

Dwight, somehow thinks he knows more about winning a ring than a guy with 5. He also refused help from a current Hall of Famer who happens to have 6 rings himself and refused help on his free throw shooting from one of the best free throw shooters in NBA history?

Why would the Lakers want to deal with that? It's one thing to put up with Kobe who is arguably one of the biggest asshole's in the league. But at least he backs it up with his play, his will to win and the 5 rings that he's been a huge part of.

What has Dwight done that a team should put up with his crap?

 

[trojanfan12]

Howard was once my favorite player in the NBA. Now I can't stand it when he is even on TV. This coach killing diva deserves to fail in the playoffs every year.

I can't tell you how happy I was when the Lakers got him. He was one of my favorite players too. I even had a couple of Orlando fans tell me how bad it really was in Orlando, beyond what was reported.

My response was "He'll be fine. It's the Lakers. He'll see the trophies, he'll get help from Kareem and Kobe, etc." They just said "Hope you're right, but don't think you are".

By the time the season ended and he intentionally fouled out of game 4 vs. the Spurs, I was ready to drive to L.A., pack his crap up in my truck and drive it to Houston myself.

 

[trojanfan12]

Once again, not how it went down....

That's exactly how it went down. Jim and Mitch met with Phil. Phil said he needed the weekend to think about it. Mitch told him that the Lakers were going to continue with the interviews and Phil said that he expected they would.

The decision to hire D'Antoni was signed off on by Dr. Buss who wanted Showtime era basketball back on the Lakers.

 

[Inimical]

Maybe when he's in his mid 30s and desperate. Sorta like the Gary Payton situation in Miami.

Pretty much what im thinking. He can make some Snickers commercials when hes 40.

 

[Triplexxx23]

To me dwight fucked up the lakers future. Lakers always have a plan and usually it goes their way but it didn't happen with Dwight. And I'm pretty Carmelo anthony would had sign with the lakers this year if dwight didn't leave L.A.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

That's exactly how it went down. Jim and Mitch met with Phil. Phil said he needed the weekend to think about it. Mitch told him that the Lakers were going to continue with the interviews and Phil said that he expected they would.

The decision to hire D'Antoni was signed off on by Dr. Buss who wanted Showtime era basketball back on the Lakers.

Yes, that's pretty much the gist of it.

But, they probably should have waited.

That's all Monday morning quarterbacking though.

Because if I'm honest, I expected the Lakers to win the Championship that year.

Who knew that the Suns were expert at letting guys go a year earlier, rather than a year late?

They sold you a lemon with Nash and the Knicks got the same with Amare.

Plus, everything that could go wrong, did.

It was the perfect shit storm.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Ariza is an upgrade, he's better defensively & only averaged 2 fewer ppg than Parsons.

Plenty of reason to hate DH, but this isn't a big deal imo.

 

[DJ Fieri]

That's exactly how it went down. Jim and Mitch met with Phil. Phil said he needed the weekend to think about it. Mitch told him that the Lakers were going to continue with the interviews and Phil said that he expected they would.

The decision to hire D'Antoni was signed off on by Dr. Buss who wanted Showtime era basketball back on the Lakers.

They fired MB because they panicked with Jerry's failing health. They screwed Phil, if I remember right he was on a plane to LA.

 

[trojanfan12]

They fired MB because they panicked with Jerry's failing health. They screwed Phil, if I remember right he was on a plane to LA.

Nah, Phil was at home. I don't remember if he was in Montana or L.A., but Mitch and Jim met with him and he told them that he wanted the weekend to think about it. Then they hired D'Antoni.

Phil screwed himself and then the Lakers screwed him too. Of course it's all speculation, but the "I need the weekend to think about it" was a classic Phil power play move. He figured that the job was his and the Lakers would wait on him, even though they told him they wouldn't.

I think that pissed Jim off and they decided to hire D'Antoni and he had Mitch call Phil in the middle of the night to tell him.

Basically, neither side has anything to be proud of in that whole fiasco, imo.

 

[RoboticDreams]

Good Lord I cannot stand that pos. I'm glad he is gone from the Lakers. I never wanted him to begin with.

 

[Jims_Doors]

We wanted him as a complimentary piece, not as the leader of the team, thus the whole 'teach you how to win rings'. He went to the Rockets because he wanted to be the leader and he wanted to team up with his buddy Harden and laugh it up on the court.

You wanted him as the best Center in the league.

Kobe had already made sure in an interview before Dwight played a game in an LA uniform that it was still Kobe's team.

The last thing Kobe wanted was for the public to say that he got carried again to another title by a big man.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

You wanted him as the best Center in the league.

Kobe had already made sure in an interview before Dwight played a game in an LA uniform that it was still Kobe's team.

The last thing Kobe wanted was for the public to say that he got carried again to another title by a big man.

I doubt that was ever a problem seeing as how Kobe carried them to the playoffs, how did Dwight do when he got all those 'touches' he was complaining about, he got swept. Went with Harden and hey at least he won a game as the leader of a squad this time.

Even if Kobe hadn't of established who the leader was, Dwight was never a threat.

 

[Jims_Doors]

I doubt that was ever a problem seeing as how Kobe carried them to the playoffs, how did Dwight do when he got all those 'touches' he was complaining about, he got swept. Went with Harden and hey at least he won a game as the leader of a squad this time.

Even if Kobe hadn't of established who the leader was, Dwight was never a threat.

Kobe established who the leader was so fans wouldn't resort back to him getting carried again to a possible title with a super team that included Nash.


“This is my team, but I want to make sure that Dwight, when I retire, this is going to be his,” Bryant said. “I want to teach him everything I possibly know, so that when I step away, this organization can ride on as if I never left.”

Read more: Kobe Bryant says Lakers are still his team, wants Dwight*Howard to take over leadership role when he retires* - NY Daily News

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

Kobe established who the leader was so fans wouldn't resort back to him getting carried again to a possible title with a super team that included Nash.


“This is my team, but I want to make sure that Dwight, when I retire, this is going to be his,” Bryant said. “I want to teach him everything I possibly know, so that when I step away, this organization can ride on as if I never left.”

Read more: Kobe Bryant says Lakers are still his team, wants Dwight*Howard to take over leadership role when he retires* - NY Daily News

Rather Kobe established it or not, there was going to be no confusion on who team it was.