Howard, Paul, Other?

[King Glorious]

Here in LA, there is a lot of talk about the Lakers trying to work out a deal to bring Dwight Howard here from Orlando. Everyone seems to think that a deal that gets them Howard in exchange for Bynum and possibly Odom would be a good deal. I wouldn't do it. In fact, I wouldn't exchange Bynum for Howard straight up if I was LA. I think that Howard is better defensively but that Bynum has an edge on offense. It's not fair to compare the numbers because Bynum plays in an offense with Bryant and Gasol which means that at best, he's a third option while Howard is a focal point of Orlando's offense. I think that Bynum has a more diverse game in the post with the ability to step out a little and shoot from 10-12 feet, a very nice drop step move, and he's pretty good shooting over either shoulder. A big advantage is that you can go to him late in games and he's not the liability that Howard is. On the other end, yes, Howard has the advantage but one area he's always had a problem with is moving his feet and not reaching and if he was in LA, unless the Laker perimeter players find a way to stop their men from driving around them at will, I could see Howard getting in a lot of foul trouble trying to help out. Also, back on the other end, if Howard is there with Bryant and Gasol, his numbers will drop as he will also be a third option like Bynum is. I feel like Bryant's got two, maybe three years left. After that, is Howard the one you want to be building your team around? It didn't get them a title in Orlando.

If I was LA, I'd be much more interested in going after Chris Paul. Since they are going to be abandoning the triangle offense, they might be in need of a more traditional point guard now. Having Paul, you'd have one of the best. You could offer up Odom and Gasol to New Orleans in some kind of package. Paul helps out defensively and even though I love Odom and his ability to bring the ball upcourt, I'd rather have Paul doing that. He also relieves much of the pressure on Kobe because now Kobe doesn't have to guard the other team's best perimeter player all the time and he also can spend a lot less time initiating the offense from the top of the key, which makes him a lot easier to defend. He'd be free to play the wing more which is what he prefers anyway and it's easier for him to attack from there. By giving up both Odom and Gasol, you'd be giving away a lot of rebounds and Bynum would really have to step up in that area and they might be able to pick up someone else somehow. I think that I'd rather have a threesome of Bryant, Bynum, and Paul over one of Bryant, Howard, and Gasol. As I said, in a couple of years, Bryant is gone and I think the Bynum/Paul combo is a better one to move forward with and they'd have the age advantage also.

[dalakhani]

KG- I understand your desire to think outside of the box, but saying you wouldn't trade bynum for howard straight up would make you probably the worst GM in the NBA. Besides all of the obvious stats which we don't really need to pour through, the most important difference is that Howard stays healthy. Howard has never missed more than 4 games in his NBA career. The most Bynum has played is 65. Howard is only two years older. Howard rebounds better and he doesn't need sets run for him to be effective because he could still get his points off of the boards.

I don't underestimate Bynum. He is a talented center and certainly underrated.

I love Chris Paul but I don't see a traditional PG being able to survive with Kobe. They both need the ball.

[somerfrost]

On paper at least I'd grab a chance to add Howard to the Laker lineup, assuming you keep Gasol that's a powerful front court and with Kobe...the Lakers could use an upgrade at the point (even though I love Fisher), but getting a monster like Howard...

[King Glorious]

Bynum's health is a huge factor. A couple of the injuries were just freak things that weren't his fault but yeah, overall, it is a concern. I just think that we've seen Howard's ceiling. He's very limited offensively and if he doesn't have a band of shooters around him, he becomes pretty ineffective down there and he remains a liability in the clutch because he can't make a free throw. I just wonder how much he'd give you as a third option, a second post option? I think we'd be looking at 16-17 points and 12-13 boards a game. I feel like with Gasol gone, Bynum can get you those numbers too right now and I think he's got more potential to grow. It's all on his health though but if he stays healthy and is able to keep a rhythm going, I think his offensive advantage over Howard overcomes Howard's defensive one.

[declansharbor]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

Bynum's health is a huge factor. A couple of the injuries were just freak things that weren't his fault but yeah, overall, it is a concern. I just think that we've seen Howard's ceiling. He's very limited offensively and if he doesn't have a band of shooters around him, he becomes pretty ineffective down there and he remains a liability in the clutch because he can't make a free throw. I just wonder how much he'd give you as a third option, a second post option? I think we'd be looking at 16-17 points and 12-13 boards a game. I feel like with Gasol gone, Bynum can get you those numbers too right now and I think he's got more potential to grow. It's all on his health though but if he stays healthy and is able to keep a rhythm going, I think his offensive advantage over Howard overcomes Howard's defensive one.

mighty big IF there. IF Tyson never went to jail.....IF Shaq could shoot free throws.....IF my aunt had balls.....ah well, you get the point..

[Cannon Shell]

How are the Lakers going to be able to afford Howard or Paul under a potential hard cap without giving up 3 major salaries?

Howard was an improved offensive player this year. He is the best rebounder in the league and the best post defender and basket protector. The fact that he shoots 59% from the line is tempered by the sheer number of fouls he draws against the opposition. He is so far better than any other center/post player that it isn't even debatable.

There is no Bynum versus Howard debate. It is simply a mismatch. Lets not forget that Bynum has been in the league 5 years now (Howard has 6 years) he isn't some young guy with potential. He shot 66% from the line this year. Howard consistently shoots better from the field. The durability concerns aside Howard is a better player than Bynum and it isnt that close.

As for Chris Paul, great player but are you really going to want a physically suspect Paul, a physically suspect Bynum and an aging Kobe as the nucleus of your team going forward?

[ateamstupid]

I'm no big fan of Howard, but there's just no way you can justify calling Bynum as good as him, let alone better.