“All indications are no. But Dwight is not happy. He’s basically miserable. He doesn’t like the way he’s being used in Mike D’Antoni’s system. He and Kobe doesn’t have any personal beef but it’s hard for him to play with Kobe. Is Kobe gonna shoot? Is Kobe gonna pass? Dwight would certainly welcome a trade to Brooklyn. But I think the Lakers will call his bluff, even though Dwight hasn’t requested a trade and he will not. He doesn’t want to hurt his image anymore and request a trade. The Lakers can offer 30 more million dollars than anyone and one more year of security. They’re all in to make sure that he will re-sign there. If he doesn’t, there still is the sign-and-trade option at the end of next season.”
And then there’s Alex Kennedy from Hoopsworld with this piece about Dwight Howard.
For the second year in a row, Howard’s future is up in the air at the deadline and everyone around the league is curious to see what happens next with the superstar center. This time, Howard is in a large market with a star-studded supporting cast, just as he wanted. However, he’s just as unhappy in Los Angeles as he was when he was the big fish in a small pond in Orlando.
Even though Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has assured Howard that he won’t be traded before the Feb. 21 deadline, rival executives believe the 27-year-old may still be moved. The Lakers have fielded calls for Howard and are keeping their options open.
So basically, Broussard and Kennedy are saying is that Dwight Howard is not happy in Los Angeles.
It’s an adjustment for everybody. Mike D’Antoni is still trying to get used to the players and the players are still trying to get used to D’Antoni. But honestly, it seemed so simple. You have one of the best pick-and-roll point guards in NBA history in Steve Nash and you have the best roll man in the league today in Dwight Howard. But yet, he doesn’t want to do that, preferring to post up instead. He’s not exactly the best post-up player in the league; sometimes, it gets frustrating seeing him lose the ball when he’s posting up.
—- See Dwight Howard through the years in photos! —-
I understand where Dwight is coming from when it comes to holding off the deal until the offseason; the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has made it that players can make the most money after their deals expire. But he keeps talking and complaining, which has turned off a lot of the Lakers fans. The Lakers are in a bit of a conundrum here as he hasn’t played as well as he did in Orlando and yet they’re trying their best to please him.
I’ll personally still be surprised if the Lakers do deal him but I’m definitely not surprised that he’s not happy in Los Angeles. He hasn’t really sounded happy much of this season (some former players think he needs to change his attitude) and it just sounds discouraging that he seems to put himself ahead of the team.