Top 5 Landing Spots for Dwight Howard
Oh, the irony! Three years and two championships after LeBron James started the trend, Dwight Howard will be announcing his own "Decision" with July 10 as the reported date. Here's to hoping desperately that he doesn't do an ESPN special like LeBron did where he holds 21 million people captive for an hour despite making his announcement in the first two minutes. Man, was that awkward or what?!
So now that Howard is on the market and reportedly won't return to the Los Angeles Lakers, we'll take a look at the top five landing spots for the Big Headache as the 2013 NBA free agency period gets underway. His decision will likely hinge at least somewhat on what Chris Paul decides to do, but that's another Rant.
Howard whined and moaned about his awful situation with the Orlando Magic and then finally got his wish to play in L.A. only to pitch a fit like a spoiled three-year-old there as well. So now we're back to square one with a lot of people disgusted with Howard and a lot of teams begging for his services regardless. Well, here goes.
5. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks think they want Howard, but they really don't. However, this would be a great fit from Howard's perspective as Dallas is Dwight-crazy right now and the Mavs need a defensive pretense in the paint.
4. Los Angeles Lakers
Really and truly, Dwight would be pretty well-suited to stay put in L.A. If he, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash can get back to playing All-Star basketball, the Lakers could be scary good. Of course, that's assuming that Howard will act like an adult at any point during the season, which is highly unlikely.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland is slowly but surely climbing its way out of the whole LeBron left when he bolted for South Beach and Howard has a golden opportunity to join fellow No. 1 draft picks Kyrie Irving and Anthony Bennett in creating a talented young Cavaliers squad. Again, it will require Howard to act his age instead of his shoe size, so no guarantees.
2. Atlanta Hawks
Howard could easily return to his hometown of Atlanta and play for the Hawks as they have room to sign two players to max contracts this summer. Of course, Howard's decision to play at home will likely hinge on what Chris Paul decides to do, so don't hold your breath waiting on these two drama queens to decide.
1. Houston Rockets
Finally, Howard would be best-suited in Houston where he wouldn't be the center of attention. The Rockets already have a solid squad and a surefire superstar in James Harden. The best fit for Howard would be a place where he can play his game without the drama and Houston fits the bill better than anywhere else by a mile.
