消息来源:http://ppt.cc/vBH9
Dwight Howard torn between Lakers and Houston Rockets
Up is down and down is up these days in Los Angeles, where it's the legendary
Lakers who are a hot mess and the Clippers who are no longer confounding.
The Lakers have a Dwight Howard crisis on their hands and are facing a summer
that may wind up even more disappointing than their underachieving season.
The big man who so badly wanted to be there, who pushed his way out of
small-market Orlando in order to shine under the brightest of lights in the
biggest of markets, is having second thoughts again as his free agency looms.
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Despite all signs pointing to his Lakers return late in the season, the star
whose infamous indecisiveness led to his Orlando saga being dubbed "The
Dwightmare" is – according to a person with knowledge of his situation –
torn between the idea of Laker life or the notion of joining a Houston
Rockets club that looks so much more appealing with James Harden & Co. in
tow. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity
because of the private nature of Howard's process.
Across the Staples Center hall, the Clippers' decision to part ways with
coach Vinny Del Negro on Tuesday was the latest step forward for the
once-woeful franchise. It was a calculated choice that will perfectly
position them for the likely re-signing of free-agent-to-be Chris Paul this
summer and years of Western Conference contention follow.
It wasn't an indictment of Del Negro as much as it was a reality of today's
NBA, as talent rules all and parting ways with the coach was clearly a
prerequisite to holding onto Paul after the Clippers fell to Memphis in the
first round.
It was handled cleanly, decisively, with a clear vision in mind from all
involved parties of both the player and front office sorts. It was, in other
words, the opposite of everything unfolding in Lakers Land.
MORE: Top five destionations for Dwight Howard
The Lakers, who hoped Howard's return would help bridge the gap to a new era
that could be kickstarted in the summer of 2014 when they have so much salary
cap space and may not have Kobe Bryant, are flirting with quite a fallout
here. General manager Mitch Kupchak had already urged Howard to choose
quickly in the days after the season ended with a first-round sweep by the
San Antonio Spurs, informing Howard that he'd be holding up the team's
business if he waited until the official free agency period in early July to
make up his mind.
But then came the criticisms of coach Mike D'Antoni that were kept quiet
before, the passive aggressive claims made through the media that he wasn't
used the right way on the floor or respected properly off it in their one
season together. It presents quite the irony for the Lakers, who could fix
their problem in one fell swoop if only they took the Clippers' tact.
But as Kupchak has long since made clear, D'Antoni isn't going anywhere
anytime soon no matter how many times Howard wishes upon his LA star that
Phil Jackson is coming back. The Lakers are far too proud of a franchise to
take that route, far too hell-bent on not repeating a Magic Johnson-Paul
Westhead moment from 1987 to take a page out of the Clippers' playbook and
let their star call the coaching shots.
So while the Clippers look forward to the good times ahead, an era of
top-notch basketball with Paul and Blake Griffin and their new coach in tow,
the Lakers will be waiting on Howard while wondering if unprecedented
struggles lie ahead. It's upside down day in Los Angeles, the new way of
their shared world.
重点:草莓现在在选择湖人还是火箭间挣扎
湖人GM已经在催促草莓赶快做决定!