Los Angeles Lakers: Best-Case, Worst-Case scenarios for new additions

Dwight Howard

Best-Case Scenario

Many Lakers fans would love to see Dwight Howard get back to 75% of the player he was before he injured his lower back during his last season in Orlando. That kind of thinking makes little sense, though.

75% of your favorite song means that the unique beat and excellent chorus that you love are gone. Then what you’re left with is an ordinary song, played by a mediocre group that you’d hear at a bar in downtown LA that features a live band every Saturday night. That extra 25% is everything.

Before Dwight’s first major injury, he was a combination of size, speed, and athleticism that the league hadn’t seen since Shaq hung up his jersey.

75% of that mixture of pure athleticism and raw power that Howard once possessed, translates into an oversized D-2 player hoping to land on a small-time European squad after he graduates from college. Just like a great song, that 25% makes a huge difference.

Let’s stop hoping that Dwight gets back to 75 or even 80% of what he once was. That guy is gone. Howard’s age, poor diet, and injuries have taken their toll on his body.

Howard isn’t going to explode toward the rim with reckless abandon the way he once did, and he’s not going to dominate on defense, single-handedly transforming games as he did under Stan Van-Gundy.

Instead, his best-case scenario for next season consists of three modest goals:

1. On the fun side of the ball, he’s able to crash the boards for offensive rebounds.
2. On defense, he does his best Roy Hibbert impersonation and protects the rim well, in Frank Vogel’s “funnel everything towards the middle” schemes.
3. Most importantly, he plays through the season with the good attitude he promised to exhibit during his recent audition.

If Howard shows up next season, and he reaches the three goals stated above, then the Lakers will become the prohibitive favorite to win the title, because he’ll transform the center position from one of the only weaknesses on the team into a strength.

Worst-Case Scenario

Howard’s worst-case scenario for next season is uncomplicated; he suffers another devastating injury that causes him to miss a big chunk of the season.

If Dwight doesn’t suffer another significant trauma to his body, then his alternative worst-case scenario is that he shows up with a poor attitude.

One original idea flowing through social media is that Dwight Howard is washed up. That’s not true. He’s more like a piece of driftwood floating casually out at sea, 50 feet behind the outside sets. It’s going to take some time for the current to catch said log and then for the waves to WASH IT UP onshore.

Howard’s got a couple of good seasons left in him.

Howard’s worst-case scenario revolves around his arrogance.

Over the last decade, Howard has had the worst attitude in the association.

Here’s what the Paula Uggetti from theringer.com had to say about Dwight Howard;

"“Since Howard left the Lakers in the summer of 2013, his reputation has corroded. From Houston to Atlanta, Charlotte to Washington, he has devolved from coveted free agent to a player that teams can’t wait to get rid of. Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard called the deal that sent Howard to Memphis for C.J. Miles “the quickest trade I’ve ever done in my life.” The Hornets were reportedly desperate to get rid of him, and Hawks players were reportedly “screaming with jubilation” when he was moved. Howard is beyond having baggage; at this point, he might as well be covered in yellow warning tape.”"

In other words; over the last five years, Howard hasn’t just been a locker room cancer, he’s been a deadly strain of a transformative zombie virus.

Vogel’s come out and said that Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee are going to compete for the starting center position during the preseason.

If Howard loses battle with McGee and comes off the bench, you should feel concerned.

After five games, if he starts hanging his head after only getting ten minutes of playing time, you should feel worried.

Ten games into the season if he starts jacking up contested 3-pointers then you should feel anxious.

If Howard’s worst-case scenario comes to fruition and he gets cut early on, it’s not that big of a deal. Championship caliber squads don’t usually have roster upheaval during the first quarter of the season, but if Howard is removed during the early portion of the year, Rob Pelinka can quietly usher him and his non-guaranteed contract out. Then Rob can quickly welcome in Joakim Noah or Amir Johnson to take his place.