Getting blown out is part of the NBA, even for great teams. Then again, Dwight Howard has felt this experience more often than he cares to admit. With the trade deadline passed, is he regretting not leaving to play with Derrick Rose or Kobe Bryant?
Rose-less Chicago Bulls humiliate Howard and Orlando Magic at home
Not having an MVP like Rose would sink a lot of good teams but the Chicago Bulls have made a habit out of winning even when their stars are hurt. That habit was on full display when they limped down to Florida and completely hammered the healthy Orlando Magic and their star center. Howard and his teammates had no answer for a Bulls' defense that suffocated them through four quarters, only allowing a franchise record of 59 points scored. Meanwhile, the offense didn't come from Derrick Rose but it did get a boost from Carlos Boozer who scored 24 points. The Bulls' win avenges a rough defeat the team suffered from Orlando earlier in the season but also opens up a world of question about whether Dwight Howard made a mistake staying put. His trade value was the highest of any player in recent memory and he could have gone anywhere he wanted. The problem was the list of teams he wanted to go to was puzzling, specifically not including Chicago which would have paired him with superstar point guard Rose. He also could have left for the west coast and joined another star name in L.A.
Los Angeles Lakers likely wish Bryant hadn't broken up major trade offers
When fans celebrate the Los Angeles Lakers settling their biggest trade of the year being Ramon Sessions, clearly something went wrong. That something was team leader Kobe Bryant. At the height of the Howard trade mania, experts all thought it was destiny that the Lakers would break up their aging core to bring the All-Star center west to pair with the future Hall of Fame guard. Instead, to the surprise and sorrow of fans and the front office, Bryant spoke candidly that he thought Howard at best was a second or third option for a real championship team. Not long after those comments came out the trade rumors around the L.A. dried up. Robbed of their biggest prize, Los Angeles settled for shipping a first round pick and Derek Fisher to Houston for a young point guard in Sessions. It was the second trade to fall apart in the calendar year for L.A., and unlike the Bulls, they've had to claw and fight for wins even when they're healthy.
No one can call Dwight Howard stupid but they might call him selfish. He could have played with two of the best in the NBA. The Chicago Bulls hammered his Orlando Magic without Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant didn't even want him on the Los Angeles Lakers. He claims he wants that same franchise status those two enjoy, which explains why he stayed put. However, one has to question whether he has what it takes to shoulder that burden when the time comes to win a championship.
recommend
Facebook
Twitter
bookmark 
print
Comments: 10
The idea of having players build their own teams has made James--and to some degree, Wade--into manipulative villains.
Is that what we want the wave of the future, to be, in the NBA--Designer PowerHouse teams?
Do we want to watch video highlights for 5 Blake Griffin's on one starting team?
What's the fun in that?
What we need, in the NBA, is fundamental basketball that was once played by the early 70s Knicks and the 50s/60s Celtics.
The worst thing that happened to the NBA was Alvin Iverson.
[Congrats to the Bulls, for beating the Heat, without Rose. Doc released, to you, quite a coach. We miss him.]
And believe me when I say we are very grateful for Thibs. It's hard accepting a great coach in this city since we had Phil Jackson, but given his love for defense he fits in nicely with the Chicago mentality. Hope things turn out well in Boston.
But I think they're gonna take `em.
A Thunder/Bulls final would be fabulous.
After the Green, if it weren't for the Thunder, I'd root for the Bulls.
Your team makes the absolute most of its skills. I'm actually not sure HOW they do it. Deng's a particular favorite of mine. And I admire Noah's work ethic.
But I can't agree with you about the NBA.
Part of the problem is the way the NBA has been promoted for 25 years.
Stern should be placed in protective custody and the league should go into moral Receivership.
Doctor J begat Air Jordan and Air Jordan begat Griffin.
Don't get me wrong: the Doctor and Air Jordan were great, great players.
But sooner or later their FLASH STYLE would reach the Lowest Common Denominator possible: Blake Griffin is talented but will NEVER be a winner.
In his own way, in that regard, he's like `Melo.
And don't kid yourself: Havlicek was BETTER than Bird. Not by much, but he was.
But I DO take your point, to some degree, about a mixture of flash and fundamentals.
But ya gotta understand. I'm old enough to have witnessed the real traditional Celtics fast break.....
Although he was highly regarded, I STILL think he was underrated.
Wilt
Russell
The Big O
Jordan
James
Alcindor
Akeem
Magic
Havlicek
Bird
Baylor
Michael Jordan
Jerry West
Bill Russell
Larry Bird
Magic Johnson
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Oscar Robertson
Hakeem Olajuwon
Dr. J
Goose Tatum
We agree on 7 of them.
I wanted to find room for West--but couldn't. [I was going to put him down, as honorable mention, so you understood that I hadn't forgotten him].
I don't think you're giving LeBron enough credit and Dr. J., a bit too much.
Who the hell's Goose Tatum?: Is this a trick insertion?; a Globetrotter?; the real name of someone known by an alias?
I have heard that name, somewhere--but can't remember where......was it that schoolyard great, who ran into some hard times, recently featured in high-circulation news print?
Sometimes I think that Olajuwon was better than all of `em.
Remember that American Express AD, with him and Pippen?....
Also, in the next year or two, if you have the chance, study Wilt's game more; you'll see that it wasn't simply his height that made him great.
[I met him once.]
You probably don't want to give him the benefit of the doubt--because of his height and, too, not enough rings?
I'll bet Sir Charles (and Jeff Van Gundy, as well as Hubie Brown) agree with me, about Wilt.
Can't believe that Jeff Van Gundy isn't coaching. He's wasting his time. I think he's better than Popavich.
My greatest regret in basketball is not seeing the Olajuwon Rockets meeting the Jordan Bulls in the Finals.