Howard now a Laker

[ohara831]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/82...-deal-complete

Looks like it becomes official Friday. Out of our division.

[KembaSlice]

Done with the NBA. No point in caring anymore.

[captaincrunk]

Done with the NBA. No point in caring anymore.

Why? The two best centers in the league just essentially got traded for each other.

[ALong13]

Orlando got raped in this deal. You give up the best center in the game and you can't land a single all-star? Arron Affalo is a intriguing prospect, but he is nowhere near a all-star caliber player. Al Harrington, career 7.8 PPG scorer? an unproven rookie in Moe Harkless, and a unproven sophmore in Nikola Vucevic. Don't get me wrong I like Harkless and would have started him at PF in Charlotte had we landed him, but we are talking about the #1 center in the league, a several time all-star, defensive player of the year and you get this crap for him?

But hey they got 3 first rounders for him...3 protected first rounders that is. With these teams you'll be lucky to get a top 20 pick, and realistically, how many players outside the lottery become studs? Orlando isn't necessarily the best drafting team either.

Man had I known Orlando wanted this little for Dwight, I would have easily given up Diop, Carroll, and Tyrus Thomas and the next three years worth of second rounders (really is our second round pick much worse than the these picks??)

Absolutely horrible trade by Orlando, but hey David Stern will fix them up, they'll have the #1 pick this year...watch it

[anton273]

Hey we might not be the worse team in our division now...

[Chef]

Orlando got raped in this deal. You give up the best center in the game and you can't land a single all-star? Arron Affalo is a intriguing prospect, but he is nowhere near a all-star caliber player. Al Harrington, career 7.8 PPG scorer? an unproven rookie in Moe Harkless, and a unproven sophmore in Nikola Vucevic. Don't get me wrong I like Harkless and would have started him at PF in Charlotte had we landed him, but we are talking about the #1 center in the league, a several time all-star, defensive player of the year and you get this crap for him?

But hey they got 3 first rounders for him...3 protected first rounders that is. With these teams you'll be lucky to get a top 20 pick, and realistically, how many players outside the lottery become studs? Orlando isn't necessarily the best drafting team either.

Man had I known Orlando wanted this little for Dwight, I would have easily given up Diop, Carroll, and Tyrus Thomas and the next three years worth of second rounders (really is our second round pick much worse than the these picks??)

Absolutely horrible trade by Orlando, but hey David Stern will fix them up, they'll have the #1 pick this year...watch it

this was my first reaction and i still think they could have done better but i don't think it is as bad as everyone will say. neither howard nor bynum are coming as an extended contract. both have said they will test free agency next year so i don't necessarily think it is horrid.

howard will most likely resign with LA but without it being guaranteed i am not sure what else orlando could have hoped for. if they aren't in love with the trio of houston's first rounders from this year, i am not sure that was a far and away better deal. they want to bottom out and start over so they probably did not have much interest in lopez, bynum, gasol, al horford etc.

[ALong13]

this was my first reaction and i still think they could have done better but i don't think it is as bad as everyone will say. neither howard nor bynum are coming as an extended contract. both have said they will test free agency next year so i don't necessarily think it is horrid.

howard will most likely resign with LA but without it being guaranteed i am not sure what else orlando could have hoped for. if they aren't in love with the trio of houston's first rounders from this year, i am not sure that was a far and away better deal. they want to bottom out and start over so they probably did not have much interest in lopez, bynum, gasol, al horford etc.

Here's the thing Chef, Harrington still has 3 years with about 22-23 Million left, Affalo has three years left at about 22 million, all of the first rounders (one from each team) are going to be late first rounders, how often do late first rounders give you solid production? Not very, they want the chance to start over, but got minimal cap relief and big contract for so-so players. Affalo will start and is the centerpiece, but dropping from Dwight to that is just crazy. Harkless has potential, but so does ever rookie, Vuecic is a 7 footer, but doesn't have the inside game to back up his size.

If I'm Orlando I just don't see how this trade really benefits me, you have the biggest trade piece in the NBA, and you can't land cap relief or a single proven all-star to build the team around? Not one?

[ziggy]

Absolutely horrible trade by Orlando, but hey David Stern will fix them up, they'll have the #1 pick this year...watch it

Absolutely, Positively THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[murphman]

Damn the West is beyond stacked. None of their eight playoff teams last season got worse and many got better like Denver, Clippers & the Lakers. I'm still going to go with OKC as the best team with SA and the Lakers right there with them.

[ziggy]

Even after this deal, I like the thunder's chances in the west next season more than the Lakers. Kobe is getting older by the second and Nash is already ancient. Also we'll need to see if Howard, Pau, Nash and Kobe can work from a team chemistry perspective.