Dwight Howard Trade : What It Means For The Celtics
In a move that seemed almost inevitable, former Orlando Magiccenter Dwight Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers last night in a blockbuster four team deal that also included Andrew Bynum being shipped to Philadelphia andAndre Igoudala being sent to Denver.
How does this trade impact the Boston Celtics short term and long term? Without question this makes the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference as a whole that much more of a difficult race for the team in green this season. Even with Howard, the Magic clearly had a ceiling and were never going to be a serious threat to challenge for a top 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
They simply just did not have enough pieces around Howard. With the 76ers acquisition of Bynum, they clearly become a team worth watching. I am not going to say that they will challenge for a 1 or 2 seed in the east, but after Miami and Boston, why couldn’t they challenge for the third spot?
Along with Philly, Indiana, New Jersey, and New York all look capable of having solid seasons. Philadelphia can now field a lineup presumably of Jrue Holliday, Nick Young, Jason Richardson, Evan Turner, Spenser Hawes, and Bynum. The only part of that lineup I am not thrilled with is Hawes at the power forward spot. Bynum will be a beast wherever he goes assuming he is healthy.
Overall, this looks like a terrific move for the 76ers and makes them a much more balanced team. They have not had a legit big man like Bynum in years, instead going with a plethora of small forwards who all had their own limitations.
The Celtics clearly have the look of a top 2 seed in the east this season, but long term they are going to have challengers as they get older. Philadelphia, if it can resign Bynum after this season, along with the aforementioned Nets, Pacers, and Knicks, as well as teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, are building solid cores and have the potential to make vast improvements over the next few seasons.
The Howard trade has clearly made the Eastern Conference that much more competitive. The Western Conference still has arguably more talent, but if the Celtics think they are simply going to coast this season, they might need to reconsider.
Rob Lunder covers the Boston Celtics for Rant Sports. For all Celtics news, check out the Boston Celtics homepage on Rant Sports.
