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Last week, the Los Angeles Lakers learned that DeMarcus' Cousins had torn his ACL, a tragic turning point for one of the league's most prominent stars. After the shock, the discussion turned to the replacement of the list. Over the weekend, one name dominated: Dwight Howard, currently a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, but who should not play for the young team.
Admittedly, the rumors seemed to come mainly from Howard's camp. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne announced Sunday night that the Lakers did not intend to bring Howard bought for a second tour at the STAPLES Center, but that they were exercising due diligence on the market waste centers.
Joakim Noah (on the Grizzlies, oddly enough) is another name related to the Lakers right now. It would not be a surprise if Aron Baynes, currently on the Suns, has made a cycle of rumors. Kenneth Faried is probably the best option as a free agent, or Amir Johnson if you think he has another season in the tank. (How many Lakers fans discovered this weekend, to their dismay, that Greg Monroe and Kosta Koufos had signed in Europe this summer?)
But finding a replacement in a central position is only part of the problem, and probably even a minor part of the problem. Rudy Gobert (not a major offensive threat), Nikola Jokic (a problem for everyone), Karl-Anthony Towns (stuck in a mediocre team), and LaMarcus Aldridge (getting up years ago). Kristaps Porzingis and Clint Capela are somewhere in the mix, depending on different things. If the Lakers made the playoffs and met the Nuggets, Jokic would have been a problem with or without Cousins. The rest is a wash.
What the cousins actually represented was however more than a slit in one position. Cousins was the Lakers' X factor, the affordable accompaniment that could be a main dish any night. We know that LeBron James and Anthony Davis are a formidable pair, although we have not seen it yet. LeBron and Davis are inevitable. The cousins were going to be the little extra. A player of caliber All-Star acquired at a good price, able to make the difference between a very good team and a awesome team, if things went well.
Things did not go well.
Now, the Lakers are legitimately relying on Kyle Kuzma to make a leap forward, on one of the slightly announced young players who reveals something fierce, or on LeBron and Davis who form not only one of the best shots of basketball modern ball, but never. The Lakers with a rejuvenated and resurrected Cousins could have won the West. What will it take now? It seems more than L.A. can offer.
Of course, there are not many recovery projects as explosive as the cousins, perhaps none enters the off season. Here's the problem: Howard can be a candidate on these grounds, in addition to being a center. Howard barely played in Washington last season because of an injury and ultimately ruin for the Wizards. Because the Wizards' group convinced themselves that Howard was actually a great recovery project last summer and that the failure was so dismal, not many people are willing to admit this summer that Home is an option. decent recovery project.
On the court, the performance was good when it is available. And he has played more than 70 games in five of the last seven years since his first tour in Los Angeles. The problem is that each team seems to want to get rid of it as soon as possible or is relieved when it disappears. This is related to a cloakroom or team culture problem.
Can the Lakers Team Culture Resist Dwight Howard's Disruptive Forces?
Do the Lakers have a team culture? Does it make it more risky to add a subtraction machine like Howard? Yes.
Is it still worth getting Howard's rebound and a chance to find a rejuvenated defense? Probably.
There are not a lot of potential 12-12-2 players sitting around, waiting to be recovered. Howard's advantage at age 33 is not close to what the Cousins have proposed this season, but if he really adheres to this project – a much more promising project than anything Dwight has been part of since Houston – and if LeBron can show him the light, it could be fruitful.
What Davis did not say is what Davis told the Lakers leadership about his desire to avoid playing center, and what the Lakers had promised him for that. Remember, Davis is not locked into a long-term contract with L.A. He's a free agent next summer. And although everyone assumes that he will recover after forcing an exchange at the Lakers, the team has yet to honor all the promises made to him. If a side agreement prevents Davis from playing the role of full-time pivot, it is essential to sign a minute memory center to help JaVale McGee.
Dwight Howard can not be a panacea for anyone. But then, the Cousins DeMarcus no more. The center that the Lakers lost was there to provide something more, something to take a team led by LeBron and A.D. on top. The body of Cousins deprived him of this opportunity. Howard can not offer the Lakers the potential of the greatness the Cousins have done, but there is a nugget of what has been lost in it, except that LeBron, the Lakers' staff, and Above all, Howard can find out.
Can they?
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