The NBA: Houston, We DONT Have A Problem!

Dwight Howard announced on Twitter that he will join the Houston Rockets.
That was about 5 hours after reports came out that he already made a decision.
(Photo from: Dwight's Twitter)

They sent a couple of basketball Hall of Famers to help recruit him. They have one of the best rising (super)stars in the NBA and they have no state income tax. This team also has a huge following in Asia and especially China where marketing and endorsement opportunities are enormous. The Houston Rockets received a verbal commitment from Howard that he will join their team for 4 years and 88 million dollars. Nothing is official yet because players cant sign until July 10 -- so, things could change because this is Dwight Howard but that probably wont happen, right?

Dwight Howard made the right decision for himself and his career. He will be joining James Harden to form an inside-outside duo that could rival the pairing of Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler that brought a championship to the Rockets in 1994-95. The Rockets turned themselves into championship contenders overnight while the LA Lakers could actually miss the playoffs next season. James Harden, Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons are all under the age of 25 which gives them time to grow and mature as a team. Expectations are lower in Houston and the fans plus the media are more forgiving compared to Lala-land. Howard needs an environment where he can laugh and smile more often because that is his personality.

The Rockets boosted their appeal to Dwight because James Harden made him feel more welcomed. Harden will be their main guy but he was willing to share the spotlight with Howard. This will be a fresh start for Dwight with no bad history at all. The same cannot be applied to Kobe who butted heads with D12 and even criticized him last season. Howard also had a tough time playing for Mike D'Antoni so a new coach (Kevin McHale) definitely interested him. The Rockets also have a younger and healthier core who could give Howard multiple shots at reaching the NBA Finals.

On a basketball level, Houston was the best fit. The Rockets could employ an offense similar to what the Orlando Magic did during Dwight's better years. Houston has multiple shooters who can space the floor well  which leaves Howard as the only big man around the paint. Teams will be hesitant to double team him down low because of all the open shooters. Additionally, Coach Kevin McHale was among the best low post players in NBA history so his constant tutelage of Howard could result in the eventual growth of his offensive moves. Plus, Hakeem Olajuwon is a consultant for the Rockets and his influence on Howard cannot be understated. Howard is scheduled to train again with Olajuwon this summer to improve his post moves. We might even see Calvin Murphy (former player and broadcaster for the Rockets) -- career 89% FT shooter who made 78 straight FTs at one point -- return to the Rockets to help Dwight and his awful FT shooting.

Overall, the entire Rockets' organization wanted Dwight Howard to play for them. Im not sure the same thing applied to the Lakers.

P.S. players on new teams that signed or got traded after July 10 are eligible to be traded starting on December 15 until the March trade deadline.

Kobe Bryant posted this photo on his Instagram right after Dwight
Howard tweeted that he would be joining the Houston Rockets
(Photo from: Kobe Bryant)

Kobe Bryant immediately posted a photo of himself with Pau Gasol on his Instagram after Howard tweeted his departure from the Lakers. Then, Kobe un-followed Dwight on Twitter while Gasol copied Kobe and un-followed Dwight as well. Im still waiting on Metta World-Peace to tweet his thoughts on Howard.

The Lakers did not get Howard for the next 5 years but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Even with Dwight, the Lakers were not considered as championship contenders because of Kobe's Achilles injury and the overall health of the other Lakers (Hill, Gasol & Nash). The Lakers also have a very thin bench with the departure of Earl Clark to the Cleveland Cavaliers while Antawn Jamison remains unsigned. Depending on how many games Bryant will miss for this season (if any), the Lakers might actually miss the playoffs which could be a blessing in disguise. It's quite possible that the Lakers might even consider "tanking" because the draft class of 2014 is impressive (Wiggins, Randle, Parker, etc). Early comparisons of 2014 have been linked to the abundance of talent found in the class of 2003.

The Lakers will also have a ton of salary cap space for 2014-15 since Pau Gasol, MWP and Kobe will all become free agents. That gives the Lakers a fighting chance to make a run at LeBron, Melo and the other free agents of 2014. A lost season for the Lakers in 2013-14 could also be beneficial for Kobe Bryant. Maybe he will realize that he does not need to rush his recovery and decide to sit longer and miss more games. There were rumors that Kobe could be ready by opening tip but an Achilles injury typically takes a year or longer to fully recover. His age (35 in August) and the 53K+ minutes played in his career, should make the Lakers extra careful with his return. The extra time off could potentially extend his career.

The Lakers lost Howard but they could end up getting more from Kobe during his final years. How many Lakers' fans out there will choose Dwight over Kobe?