Howard to the Lakers

[BNB]

Disagree.

Orlando had no choice but to move Dwight now. After they turned down offers to HOU and NJ, which IMO weren't much better then what they received from this deal, Howard told them where he stands. Trade me now to LA, trade me mid season to NJ or I walk. They had ZERO leverage. They took the deal here that they had because they had too. They wanted something in return for Dwight, not just letting him walk.

I agree the deal is a tad bit one-sided, but hey it happened. Howards constant annoyance caused this.

no choice but to move him now? The trade deadline is in 6 months, dude. What's the hurry?

You said right there in your last post. "Trade me now, MID-SEASON or I'll walk." so they didn't NEED to trade him NOW, because they had a choice. And you said you thought the NJ deal was probably better. So why not wait until mid-season and trade him then if that deal was better? Why the hurry now?

And again, they could have traded him to HOU. Just because Howard didn't wanna go there doesn't mean they couldn't deal him there. HOU didn't care if Dwight signed an extension. ORL doesn't owe dwight shit. He wants to leave.. why should they make sure he winds up happy?

[scottiepippen1994]

Goodbye Miami Heat championships.


But also goodbye Chicago Bulls Championships any time soon either.
We all Loose.



And what baffles my mind is how the hell the Lakers brass always manage to make steals in trades.

New Nickname: "HOLLYWOOD HOWARD"

[Uman85]

Howard is a diva and a whiny bitch. Now I'm really glad he didn't go to the Olympics. He has no business representing this country and certainly no business winning a medal or a championship trophy. So much ego in pro sports and it gets worse every year thinking they're owed something on top of the fucking ridiculous amount of money they already earn. Fuck them.

[scottiepippen1994]

I wonder what team Rose will choose to go to when his contract is up unless he demands to be traded in a few years when he realizes winning a championship in Chicago is a longshot next to none, especially with a standpat management and ownership that gets nothing done and are unable to onvince any kind of star worth getting to come here.

I HATE YOU PAXGARDORF!!!!!!!!!!
YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Uman85]

I wonder what team Rose will choose to go to when his contract is up unless he demands to be traded in a few years when he realizes winning a championship in Chicago is a longshot next to none, especially with a standpat management and ownership that gets nothing done and are unable to onvince any kind of star worth getting to come here.

I HATE YOU PAXGARDORF!!!!!!!!!!
YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They think they have 5 superstars already: Rose, Noah, Deng, Boozer and Hamilton.

[clonetrooper264]

How the heck do the Lakers keep stealing players like this? They got Gasol for pretty much nothing except his brother (who no one thought would be good at the time) and now they pretty much traded Bynum for Howard straight up while keeping Pau. What...the...eff.

How high is the Magic GM? That return is TERRIBLE. Heck, they could've gotten a better deal from us.

Good deal for the 76ers imo though. They were lacking a big man badly and now they have the 2nd best C in the league.

I figure it'll be either Wilson Chandler or Iggy at the 2 for the Nuggets. Crazy athletic backcourt with those guys and Lawson. Fastbreaks for them will be fun to watch.

[Mr. Cub]

At least as of now, on paper, it appears the Heat aren't guaranteed a championship now. The Thunder should still be good to though. They should have a chip on their shoulders this season. But the Lakers will be legit. With Kobe, and a real point guard ( which they haven't had probably since Magic) and Pau and Superman they should easily contend. It's going to be one of those 3 though.

[clonetrooper264]

At least as of now, on paper, it appears the Heat aren't guaranteed a championship now. The Thunder should still be good to though. They should have a chip on their shoulders this season. But the Lakers will be legit. With Kobe, and a real point guard ( which they haven't had probably since Magic) and Pau and Superman they should easily contend. It's going to be one of those 3 though.

I guess you could say Brooklyn or SAS are dark horses, but yeah it'll pretty much be one of those teams.

Might be time to start picking a secondary teams to be rooting for now. We know the Bulls are gonna be crap for at least the next 2 years.

[Mr. Cub]

I guess you could say Brooklyn or SAS are dark horses, but yeah it'll pretty much be one of those teams.

Might be time to start picking a secondary teams to be rooting for now. We know the Bulls are gonna be crap for at least the next 2 years.

Yeah, I thought about the Spurs too. But they are old. But they are "old" every year and yet somehow still be a damn good team. So the Spurs can count. And I am not sold on the Nets yet. They should be a playoff team in the weak East but that's probably about it.

[BNB]

If David Stern allows the Lakers to get Dwight Howard, I'm done with the NBA. No parity at all when you allow super teams to be built. The CBA was supposed to help? Who are you trying to fool, comrade?

This made me chuckle. Mostly because small market owners were hoping the new CBA would help them when in fact it screwed them over even more.

Old CBA:

Big-market owners with a lot of money went deep into the luxury tax freely and regularly because the penalty they had to pay wasn't too harsh. Since they made a lot more money than SM owners, they could go 20+ million over the luxury without a care.

SM owners went over the LT occasionally when they felt like the player was worth it... but did it carefully because a lot of those teams were losing money and didn't want to spend even more money on taxes that they didn't NEED to pay.

So, the SM owners want a CBA that would level the playing field so that the BM owners don't have the money advantage.

new CBA:

The penalty for going over the luxury tax is much steeper, especially if you're a repeat offender. BM owners? No fucks given. They'll spend w/e the fuck they want just like in the old CBA.

SM owners? S.O.L. You thought going over the old LT was bad? Try going over this one. Oh wait.. you won't try.. meaning you'll be guaranteed of staying under the LT while the same BM owners are still spending big and getting w/e players they want.

[clonetrooper264]

This made me chuckle. Mostly because small market owners were hoping the new CBA would help them when in fact it screwed them over even more.

Old CBA:

Big-market owners with a lot of money went deep into the luxury tax freely and regularly because the penalty they had to pay wasn't too harsh. Since they made a lot more money than SM owners, they could go 20+ million over the luxury without a care.

SM owners went over the LT occasionally when they felt like the player was worth it... but did it carefully because a lot of those teams were losing money and didn't want to spend even more money on taxes that they didn't NEED to pay.

So, the SM owners want a CBA that would level the playing field so that the BM owners don't have the money advantage.

new CBA:

The penalty for going over the luxury tax is much steeper, especially if you're a repeat offender. BM owners? No fucks given. They'll spend w/e the fuck they want just like in the old CBA.

SM owners? S.O.L. You thought going over the old LT was bad? Try going over this one. Oh wait.. you won't try.. meaning you'll be guaranteed of staying under the LT while the same BM owners are still spending big and getting w/e players they want.

Pity the Bulls act like the smallest market out there. Most profitable team in sports...refuse to spend like a big market anyway.

[Uman85]

Pity the Bulls act like the smallest market out there. Most profitable team in sports...refuse to spend like a big market anyway.

If you're an owner and you can make loads of $$$ and not win, you're a good business man or your fans are stupid. Maybe it's both, but I'm really sick of Chicago teams not competing like a big market team. Really tired of it.

[clonetrooper264]

Yeah, I thought about the Spurs too. But they are old. But they are "old" every year and yet somehow still be a damn good team. So the Spurs can count. And I am not sold on the Nets yet. They should be a playoff team in the weak East but that's probably about it.

Don't think the East will be that weak. Still got New York, Boston, Indiana, Philly (especially now that they have Bynum...assuming health of course), and us sorta. That's 5 pretty good teams right there. Milwaukee is bound to be decent having Monta for a full year. Cavs are getting better. Not like the East is total garbage. Granted, West is still the stronger conference, but it's not like the mid 2000s where you could be under .500 and be a playoff team in the 5th or 6th spot.

[BNB]

I'm not a baseball follower... can someone answer me this. MLB has no salary cap, right? How much does Reinsdorf spend on the White Sox each year?

[clonetrooper264]

I'm not a baseball follower... can someone answer me this. MLB has no salary cap, right? How much does Reinsdorf spend on the White Sox each year?

Not sure, but probably more than he does for this team. I bet Bulls tickets are more expensive though.

[Uman85]

I'm not a baseball follower... can someone answer me this. MLB has no salary cap, right? How much does Reinsdorf spend on the White Sox each year?

They've spent enough to have one of the top 10 payrolls in baseball, but that's still low compared to most contenders. Unfortunately for Sox fans, JR doesn't spend out the wazoo because the team is sort of like an investment hobby for him. If he breaks even, he considers it a success. Also, their low attendance figures kind of handcuff the GM from making large moves that take on salary.

[clonetrooper264]

They've spent enough to have one of the top 10 payrolls in baseball, but that's still low compared to most contenders. Unfortunately for Sox fans, JR doesn't spend out the wazoo because the team is sort of like an investment hobby for him. If he breaks even, he considers it a success. Also, their low attendance figures kind of handcuff the GM from making large moves that take on salary.

Dang...JR is a baseball fan and he doesn't even spend money on the team he likes? #Reinsdorfcheap

[Mr. Cub]

Don't think the East will be that weak. Still got New York, Boston, Indiana, Philly (especially now that they have Bynum...assuming health of course), and us sorta. That's 5 pretty good teams right there. Milwaukee is bound to be decent having Monta for a full year. Cavs are getting better. Not like the East is total garbage. Granted, West is still the stronger conference, but it's not like the mid 2000s where you could be under .500 and be a playoff team in the 5th or 6th spot.

Yeah, but I mean they are weaker compared to the West in that the 3-8 spots in the East have no shot at title contention. Whereas the West now have 3 legitimate contenders with the Lakers, Thunder, Spurs and maybe even Dallas, but losing Terry and Kidd is going to hurt. The Heat and maybe the Celtics are the only teams in the East that can stand a chance. Maybe the Bulls if they'd stay healthy and somehow get one more needed piece. But I don't really know what they need right now besides some mechanical parts for Rose.

[BNB]

They've spent enough to have one of the top 10 payrolls in baseball, but that's still low compared to most contenders. Unfortunately for Sox fans, JR doesn't spend out the wazoo because the team is sort of like an investment hobby for him. If he breaks even, he considers it a success. Also, their low attendance figures kind of handcuff the GM from making large moves that take on salary.

I just found the numbers.

http://www.stevetheump.com/Payrolls.htm#2011payroll

So he's been dishing out near, or well over 100 million dollars a season on his players/staff.

over the last 12 years, the Bulls pay roll has been between 50-70 million each year, and we were often in the bottom 10 in terms of payroll.. Maybe the rumors are true of him using the Bulls as a cash cow? If he's making a boat load of money on the Bulls and not making money on the sox... yet he's spending a ton on the sox and not much on the Bulls, there might be some truth to it. Especially since he is very open about being a HUGE baseball fan.

[X-Factor]

The Lakers starters are every bit as good as the heat right now, imo, and they're deeper.

[zack54attack]

no choice but to move him now? The trade deadline is in 6 months, dude. What's the hurry?

You said right there in your last post. "Trade me now, MID-SEASON or I'll walk." so they didn't NEED to trade him NOW, because they had a choice. And you said you thought the NJ deal was probably better. So why not wait until mid-season and trade him then if that deal was better? Why the hurry now?

And again, they could have traded him to HOU. Just because Howard didn't wanna go there doesn't mean they couldn't deal him there. HOU didn't care if Dwight signed an extension. ORL doesn't owe dwight shit. He wants to leave.. why should they make sure he winds up happy?

So what if the Nets didn't make an offer for Howard midseason? Orlando holds on to him all season for nothing? They took the offer they were given. Do you think they really want a Dwight Howard for 1 year thats going to pout and bitch all season? No.

For the past several weeks all we've heard is "LA and Orlando in trade talks" We knew it was going to happen, yet everyone is still bitching because it happened. If you couldn't see this coming, your eyes need to be checked.

Orlando made the move they were given. It's really not that bad of a deal for them. They were put in a tough spot and made the move.

Again, it's not about him being happy. It's about Orlando getting rid of him and getting SOMETHING in return. You think if the HOU and NJ deals were "so much better" like you proclaim, the Magic wouldn't take them? Doubt it.

[clonetrooper264]

The Lakers starters are every bit as good as the heat right now, imo, and they're deeper.

Yeah it'll be quite close talent wise.

Nash vs Wade
Kobe vs Allen
MWP vs Lebron
Gasol vs Bosh
Howard vs Haslem or whoever

Great matchups all around. It'll probably end up with Nash and Allen guarding each other and likewise for Wade and Kobe.

Not sure who the Lakers have on their bench, but I bet they wish they still had Odom. That would put them way over the top imo. Heat pretty much just have Chalmers, Battier, and Lewis on their bench.

[BNB]

The Lakers starters are every bit as good as the heat right now, imo, and they're deeper.

They're not deeper. The Lakers bench is actually pretty bad, imo. Steve blake, jordan hill and Antawn Jamison. Those are the bench players that stand out for the Lakers.

I'd take Miami's bench with Battier, Rashard Lewis, Ray allen, Haslem, and Cole. Even James Jones... that dude is a good ass shooter. And if Mike Miller is healthy, he's pretty decent too. I doubt he will be though.

In terms of starters though.. hard to disagree. Howard/Gasol shit on Bosh/Anthony. Nash is better than Chalmers.... and Kobe/Wade are pretty even at this point. LBJ shits on Artest... but it's close overall.

[zack54attack]

How the heck do the Lakers keep stealing players like this? They got Gasol for pretty much nothing except his brother (who no one thought would be good at the time) and now they pretty much traded Bynum for Howard straight up while keeping Pau. What...the...eff.

At the time they got Gasol for nothing, now Marc really isn't a bad haul for the Grizzlies. The Lakers giving up Bynum, a young Center, for Howard isn't really THAT lopsided. In your post you even state that Bynum is the 2nd best Center in the league. So what one is it? Laker rip off or what?

Keeping Pau was key for the Lakers. I have no idea how they did it, but they pulled that one off. Dwight, Nash and keeping Pau? That's a great off-season. Almost as good as the '96 one.

How high is the Magic GM? That return is TERRIBLE. Heck, they could've gotten a better deal from us.

No one knows if it's 'terrible". Let it play out over the next few years and see how it ends up. Howard isn't guarenteed to sign an extension anway.

No, they really couldn't have. Orlando didn't want to take on big contracts like Noah, Deng and Boozer.

Good deal for the 76ers imo though. They were lacking a big man badly and now they have the 2nd best C in the league.

76ers got better. Losing Iggy sucks, but Bynum as your center when you had Hawes and Kwame is a great pickup.

But losing the 2nd best center as you gain the first best is a ripoff?

I figure it'll be either Wilson Chandler or Iggy at the 2 for the Nuggets. Crazy athletic backcourt with those guys and Lawson. Fastbreaks for them will be fun to watch.

[zack54attack]

The Lakers starters are every bit as good as the heat right now, imo, and they're deeper.

Agreed.

Lakers arguably have the best starting 5 in the NBA right now.