Lakers Rumors & News Recap: Seeing If Dwight Will Sing a New Tune

This summer was about the blockbuster deals that sent major talent to L.A.. However, as many have stated before, the chemistry on this Lakers team is going to be the first thing that people watch. Elizabeth Benson of Lakers Nation does a great job of analyzing the Laker chemistry potential. As she puts it, “ultimate success at any level does take great chemistry, commitment and mutual accountability… things need to click on the court at a consistent rate in order for ultimate success to occur.”

The most nervous piece of this possible team bonding is Dwight Howard. His behavior last year was inexcusably childish and has had me nervous from the beginning when sources first started to talk about the center coming to L.A.. Admittedly, the idea of him on the team has grown on me the past month or so, until today when I saw his interview with ESPN. Here, Howard had this to say about his departure from Orlando:

“I don’t have any regrets, you know. I think everything happened the way that it was meant to happen,” Howard told ESPN. “I really just wish some of the lies and some of the things being said didn’t come out the way it did, you know.”

In his defense, things can get blown out of proportion, especially during something as high profile as the fight between Howard and the Magic last year. But, can he admit to any fault? I understand Howard is approaching his departure with a “things happen for a reason” air, and he admits to trying to make so many people happy he lost himself a bit.

My point is, as much as his playing ability is one of the best, his attitude makes me nervous. I want to see a stellar Lakers team this year, as I am sure many of you do. But with all this talk of chemistry and how detrimental it is going to be, is anyone else not nervous that Howard is going to be a problem? The Lakers are a different team, so comparing them straight on with Orlando isn’t fair. But, we all know Kobe is a little hot-headed. His rivalry with Shaq years ago was much about how big both of their egos were. And with other great talent on the team, like Nash, I worry that the smooth season we all hope for is going to be harder to strive for than we think. Maybe if they are winning, constantly, emotions will remain merry and conflict will subside. However, what may happen if the Lakers have a bad couple of games? Who is going to be the diva first?

A quick list of my favorite articles from the past few days:

Kobe was named by Dime Magazine as the Player of the Century. It’s nice to have some ammunition in the age old debate of Lebron vs Kobe, especially from a magazine I like to read.

Good relationships and connections are the theme of today, and with that has been a legacy of talent coming from UCLA to the Los Angeles Lakers. Included in this list is recent Hall of Fame inductee Jamaal Wilkes. And who could forget one of the best players of all time, Kareem Adbul-Jabbar.

Dwight Howard was ranked only 96 in NBA 2K13 rankings. Seeing as he is expected to miss upcoming games as his back is not 100 percent, I can imagine that ranking him higher may have worried some people. Still, the number felt too high. What would you have ranked him?

Lakers Nation News

NBA News: Dwight Howard Ranked 96 in NBA 2K13

Lakers Nation Wishes Happy Birthday to Phil Jackson

Thunder’s Kendrick Perkins: ‘We’re Not Chasing the Lakers’

Why Do Kobe and Dwight Howard Want to Live in Newport Coast?

Lakers Will Need Chemistry in 2012-13 to Achieve Championship Goals

Dwight Howard on Departure From Magic: “I Don’t Have Any Regrets”

Dwight Howard Didn’t Want to be Like LeBron James

Dwight Howard: “I Never Wanted Anybody to Hate Me”

Matt Barnes Might Be Gone But The Lakers/UCLA Connection Continues

Dime Magazine Names Kobe Bryant Player of the Century

Lakers News