CP you have to stop comparing this Dwight Lakers future situation to Shaq.
The Lakers lucked out big time in the 1996, traded for Kobe Bryant at a time HS school players were still risky and NBA scouting was elementary. That's what happened that made the next 17 years so damn bright and prosperous.
Is that what you expect to happen? Is this where to expect history to repeat itself?
Lets say the Lakers keep Dwight, who do you expect to get in 2014? Which free agents?
Kevin Love in 2015, but is Dwight going to wait till he's 30 years old to get a chance to start winning?
Essential you said Houston is no NYC, LA, Chi. You're right, they're ranked right behind them as the 4th biggest market/city in the United States. You make it seem like Dwight would be going to Portland or Minnesota.
If this current Rockets team was the Lakers, 100% chance Dwight signs.
Food for thought.
You watchin this trade deadline? Nobody doin ****. Nothing. No one wants to add money, they all afraid of the tax, etc.
We're clear as a bell in 16 months. (provided we sign Dwight, he becomes the main cog, and we open the rest of the payroll to add pieces)
We become buyers, regardless of what's for sale. Now, we don't wanna just be buyin up trash, course not, but what we could do is buy a player that a team doesn't want to lose, Josh Smith would be this year's guy. Not enough for us, right? But in 2-3 years, those players, or player types, could be a lot better.
You guys crack me up. You act like the Lakers are new money or some ******g thing. Like we'll never be good ever again, callin us Cowboys and ****.
All we heard, and I mean, ALL WE HEARD when Shaq left, done, dead, never see again, LA no more, gone, old news, over, forget it, blah blah blah. It took us FOUR years to be back in the finals. From our "death" bed.
Now I'm being told, naw, ya'll done, the Rockets, yeah, that's where it's at now.
I know Jerry is gone, but do not forget, this new regime has landed CP3, taken away, Sessions for Luke Walton, that's a win, Jordan Hill for D Fisher, win, Nash for draft picks, meh, dunno how I feel about that, and Dwight for a guy not even playin. Oh, and turned Earl Clark into somebody, just like we did with Ariza and Shannon Brown. Bums to useable pieces.
The only misstep they have made is MDA over Phil coming back. Otherwise, that track record right there is up there with anybody else in the game, including super duper Morey.
Jerry might be gone, but the people that run things were all well trained at their jobs. And I don't think we goin broke anytime soon, so........?
Biggest, and most important key in all this, Dwight has to be healthy. If he ain't, none of it matters. If he gets healthy, and that's a big if right now, then it works out in time.