Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The “Dwight Howard experiment” was a nightmare. Howard is not a good fit for the franchise. He is not mentally tough enough to handle being the face of the Los Angeles Lakers. It is really not that hard to recognize.
So, why are the Lakers so desperate to keep Howard?
Let me break it down to you this way.
Lets act as if the Lakers will play the older, still-attractive boyfriend of this relationship and Howard is the young, hot girlfriend. The relationship seemed great at first, but then the honeymoon ended very quickly. Both parties became comfortable with each other and major flaws started appearing on both sides.
As the days and weeks went on, it became more clear that this relationship has reached its peak. So, then the girlfriend starts to think about her future and realizes the grass may be greener elsewhere. The boyfriend starts to become jealous after hearing rumors that the girlfriend is looking to move on to another’s arms.
The boyfriend starts confessing his feelings about her in public. The girlfriend does not acknowledge any of his statements. The boyfriend is confused. He starts thinking to himself, “How can anyone leave me? I have everything any woman could want. Fame, success and stability is what every woman dreams of.”
These thoughts are because the boyfriend is used to dumping his girlfriends as oppose to losing them. The girlfriend is not concerned about all the materialistic values of her relationship with her boyfriend. She just wants to be happy. So, on their last night out in town at Staples Center, the girlfriend gets into an altercation and decided she had enough. The boyfriend was their to console her, but she paid him no mind and left him behind.
After the incident, they talked about everything that has happened in their relationship and felt it was best to decide on their future at a later time. The couple is now separated and has had no communication for almost two months. The girlfriend then makes it known to the boyfriend that the she wants to date other people at the start of July. She said she wants to weigh her options.
All the boyfriend asked is if he can take her on one last date to convince her that they are right for each other.
The girlfriend, even though has already made up her mind that she does not want to continue the relationship, agrees to have one final date before she makes her decision. We all know how this story ends and it is not a good one.
Howard will reportedly meet with the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks. There might be a few other teams in the mix, but the Lakers will get their last chance to impress the All-Star center on why he should re-sign with the franchise.
In the story, the boyfriend (Lakers) was desperate to hold up to someone that does not feel the same way. The girlfriend (Howard) is obviously attracted to someone else and is ready to move on.
The Lakers are afraid of what will happen if they do not re-sign arguably the best center in the league. They need take their emotion out of the whole equation and realize that players come to L.A. because that is what they desire. It has always been that way and there are always different routes to take into building the franchise back into a legitimate contender. Howard is obviously not the right person to lead the franchise into the next era. That person is not on the Lakers’ radar yet, but he is out there, somewhere, and the Lakers must realize that and allow Howard to walk if he does not want to be there.
So, Laker fans, if Howard leaves, do not take it personally, because he left L.A. emotionally in Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs by getting ejected early in the third quarter. He quit on the franchise that night. Howard does not deserve the to wear the Laker uniform for that kind of behavior. Keep that image in your mind, so when he signs elsewhere, you will feel relieved, not disappointed.
Haz Bey is a writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @Haz_Bey, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google Plus.
