LQOTD: Will Dwight Re-Sign?

Texas Lakers Fan wrote:We have some really stupid fans. I thought Cowboy fans were bad.

Seriously. I'm embarrassed to read this thread.

it all depends on how the season pan out ... so far it doesn't look good

WilliamHaven wrote:

Texas Lakers Fan wrote:We have some really stupid fans. I thought Cowboy fans were bad.

Seriously. I'm embarrassed to read this thread.

Clearly, you didn't read the "Lakers are clearly the best team in the West" thread where the OP claimed he was absolutely certain the Lakers would win 60 games and that the 0-8 preseason was not an indication of anything. That one will really knock your socks off!

Basically, what we want Howard to do is sign with us mainly for non-basketball reasons. We'd have to convince him that we can win if he stays here despite all of the toxic contracts we have.

WilliamHaven wrote:

Texas Lakers Fan wrote:We have some really stupid fans. I thought Cowboy fans were bad.

Seriously. I'm embarrassed to read this thread.

Quit acting like the Lakers are looking so attractive to Howard barely getting touches with Kobe shooting 25+ shots a game & an under .500 record with D'Antoni as the coach for the next few years.

therealdeal wrote:Houston? Please. How is Houston so much better than LA? You think that core gives Dwight a chance of winning so much greater than LA that it's worth blowing 20 million dollars over? Ridiculous.

they have a better record right now

Yea, it's funny to me how some think it is sooooo out of reach for Howard to bolt given the terrible scenario he is currently in. I suppose it is hard for us to comprehend that teams like Houston & Atlanta are actually playing better ball than us.

khmrP wrote:

therealdeal wrote:Houston? Please. How is Houston so much better than LA? You think that core gives Dwight a chance of winning so much greater than LA that it's worth blowing 20 million dollars over? Ridiculous.

they have a better record right now

For now

But the point is does Asik/Lin/Harden sound better for the long term than Bryant/Nash/maybe Pau and then in a year or two a rebuild around yourself and a superstar, maybe even LeBron James.

And on top of that, does it sound better than the countless endorsements you get in LA?

And on top of that, does it sound 20 million dollars better?

therealdeal wrote:

khmrP wrote:

therealdeal wrote:Houston? Please. How is Houston so much better than LA? You think that core gives Dwight a chance of winning so much greater than LA that it's worth blowing 20 million dollars over? Ridiculous.

they have a better record right now

For now

But the point is does Asik/Lin/Harden sound better for the long term than Bryant/Nash/maybe Pau and then in a year or two a rebuild around yourself and a superstar, maybe even LeBron James.

And on top of that, does it sound better than the countless endorsements you get in LA?

And on top of that, does it sound 20 million dollars better?

Lin in LA would be beyond huge.

I think we could probably get a better guard somewhere else, but his popularity would be through the roof worldwide if he played for the lakers.

But to stay on topic, the pundits are already talking trade scenarios for Dwight THIS year. And you can probably chalk some of it up to his back injury, but he certainly doesnt look like a guy who's super stoked to be here...

therealdeal wrote:

khmrP wrote:

therealdeal wrote:Houston? Please. How is Houston so much better than LA? You think that core gives Dwight a chance of winning so much greater than LA that it's worth blowing 20 million dollars over? Ridiculous.

they have a better record right now

For now

But the point is does Asik/Lin/Harden sound better for the long term than Bryant/Nash/maybe Pau and then in a year or two a rebuild around yourself and a superstar, maybe even LeBron James.

And on top of that, does it sound better than the countless endorsements you get in LA?

And on top of that, does it sound 20 million dollars better?

well I'm not as 100% sure like some of you guys, there are a lot of negatives going against this team right now, I'm just thinking from both sides. I'm sure we have the upper hand for now but if things keeps getting worse I wouldn't blame Howard for leaving.

Texas Lakers Fan wrote:We have some really stupid fans. I thought Cowboy fans were bad.

so which fans are you calling stupid? The ones who think Dwight is gone or the ones who think Dwight will stay?

puffyusaf#2 wrote:

Texas Lakers Fan wrote:We have some really stupid fans. I thought Cowboy fans were bad.

so which fans are you calling stupid? The ones who think Dwight is gone or the ones who think Dwight will stay?

My question exactly. Either way, none should be called stupid for having an opinion judging by how this rollercoaster season is going.

khmrP wrote:well I'm not as 100% sure like some of you guys, there are a lot of negatives going against this team right now, I'm just thinking from both sides. I'm sure we have the upper hand for now but if things keeps getting worse I wouldn't blame Howard for leaving.

There's pros and cons for sure, but I just don't see another situation where his life gets a lot easier, that's all. I don't see him being any more competitive for a ring anywhere else and if that's true, then he stands to lose a hell of a lot more money leaving.

Not to mention abandoning another team would look great on his resume when he's clearly not a guy who wants that on his shoulders.

And if he DID leave... so what? The Lakers then blow it up and go into rebuild a year earlier. Trade Gasol for picks and then you have Nash/Kobe retire as Lakers in a year. Go out and get LeBron/Love or Wall/Love or something else ridiculous and move forward.

therealdeal wrote:

khmrP wrote:well I'm not as 100% sure like some of you guys, there are a lot of negatives going against this team right now, I'm just thinking from both sides. I'm sure we have the upper hand for now but if things keeps getting worse I wouldn't blame Howard for leaving.

There's pros and cons for sure, but I just don't see another situation where his life gets a lot easier, that's all. I don't see him being any more competitive for a ring anywhere else and if that's true, then he stands to lose a hell of a lot more money leaving.

Not to mention abandoning another team would look great on his resume when he's clearly not a guy who wants that on his shoulders.

And if he DID leave... so what? The Lakers then blow it up and go into rebuild a year earlier. Trade Gasol for picks and then you have Nash/Kobe retire as Lakers in a year. Go out and get LeBron/Love or Wall/Love or something else ridiculous and move forward.

I think what some folks are saying is that maybe you can't see another situation where life gets better for Dwight, but maybe Dwight does.

He doesn't look like he's having very much fun here, and if I were him, I'd find it hard to believe that this is the BEST that basketball life gets for me.

Go ahead and tell me where and why it's better. I've already taken apart that argument. If he leaves, that's his decision obviously, but I've already detailed why leaving makes less sense than staying.

therealdeal wrote:Go ahead and tell me where and why it's better. I've already taken apart that argument. If he leaves, that's his decision obviously, but I've already detailed why leaving makes less sense than staying.

Well, I think you have good points actually.

I was just saying that what sounds sensical to you or I, may not be shared by Dwight. I think you're right that bailing on another team won't look good on his resume but we don't know that he cares about his resume.

So I don't think you can tear apart an argument for why Dwight would leave, unless, you knew for sure Dwight wouldn't leave for that reason. All people are doing is stating some reasons why Dwight could justify leaving, whether he will, no one but Dwight really knows.

therealdeal wrote:Go ahead and tell me where and why it's better. I've already taken apart that argument. If he leaves, that's his decision obviously, but I've already detailed why leaving makes less sense than staying.

I dont agree with your assesment of Hou, they have youth and the coach will actually play to his strenght, McHale has been know to be a good big mans coach. $20mill isn't exactly a throw away either, its just an extra year he would otherwise not get if he didn't resign here, when people present this argument you guys make it sound like both teams are giving Howard the same amt of years but $20mill less elsewhere that is misleading. Losing 1 year of gurantee contract is a risk but given his ability to even play this quickly after back surgery and his history injury its safe to say he has a very low % chance of having some career ending injury throughout the course of that 4yr contract. Marketing can be done anywhere, with Lin in Hou and Yao past pressence in Hou I can see him being a big marketing tool in the chinese market as well. I know Howard made it known during the summer he didn't want any part of Hou but alot has changed since then in terms of the makeup of that team.

khmrP wrote:

therealdeal wrote:Go ahead and tell me where and why it's better. I've already taken apart that argument. If he leaves, that's his decision obviously, but I've already detailed why leaving makes less sense than staying.

I dont agree with your assesment of Hou, they have youth and the coach will actually play to his strenght, McHale has been know to be a good big mans coach. $20mill isn't exactly a throw away either, its just an extra year he would otherwise not get if he didn't resign here, when people present this argument you guys make it sound like both teams are giving Howard the same amt of years but $20mill less elsewhere that is misleading. Losing 1 year of gurantee contract is a risk but given his ability to even play this quickly after back surgery and his history injury its safe to say he has a very low % chance of having some career ending injury throughout the course of that 4yr contract. Marketing can be done anywhere, with Lin in Hou and Yao past pressence in Hou I can see him being a big marketing tool in the chinese market as well. I know Howard made it known during the summer he didn't want any part of Hou but alot has changed since then in terms of the makeup of that team.

I'm not 100% sure of this, but isn't Texas one of the states that doesn't charge taxes on wages?

Not sure how the math works out but it's possible the dropoff isn't of the $20M variety, right?

JGC wrote:

khmrP wrote:

therealdeal wrote:Go ahead and tell me where and why it's better. I've already taken apart that argument. If he leaves, that's his decision obviously, but I've already detailed why leaving makes less sense than staying.

I dont agree with your assesment of Hou, they have youth and the coach will actually play to his strenght, McHale has been know to be a good big mans coach. $20mill isn't exactly a throw away either, its just an extra year he would otherwise not get if he didn't resign here, when people present this argument you guys make it sound like both teams are giving Howard the same amt of years but $20mill less elsewhere that is misleading. Losing 1 year of gurantee contract is a risk but given his ability to even play this quickly after back surgery and his history injury its safe to say he has a very low % chance of having some career ending injury throughout the course of that 4yr contract. Marketing can be done anywhere, with Lin in Hou and Yao past pressence in Hou I can see him being a big marketing tool in the chinese market as well. I know Howard made it known during the summer he didn't want any part of Hou but alot has changed since then in terms of the makeup of that team.

I'm not 100% sure of this, but isn't Texas one of the states that doesn't charge taxes on wages?

Not sure how the math works out but it's possible the dropoff isn't of the $20M variety, right?

Texas has no state income tax..... and yet still seems to meet it's budgeted spending..... Hmmmm... but I digress.

California will have a 12.4% income Tax on top of the new 39.5% Federal Income Tax.... so 52% of his salary is gone due to taxes if he stays in LA. If you factor in the endorsement income he will make as well we're not talking about couch change here....

Rooscooter wrote:

JGC wrote:

khmrP wrote:

therealdeal wrote:Go ahead and tell me where and why it's better. I've already taken apart that argument. If he leaves, that's his decision obviously, but I've already detailed why leaving makes less sense than staying.

I dont agree with your assesment of Hou, they have youth and the coach will actually play to his strenght, McHale has been know to be a good big mans coach. $20mill isn't exactly a throw away either, its just an extra year he would otherwise not get if he didn't resign here, when people present this argument you guys make it sound like both teams are giving Howard the same amt of years but $20mill less elsewhere that is misleading. Losing 1 year of gurantee contract is a risk but given his ability to even play this quickly after back surgery and his history injury its safe to say he has a very low % chance of having some career ending injury throughout the course of that 4yr contract. Marketing can be done anywhere, with Lin in Hou and Yao past pressence in Hou I can see him being a big marketing tool in the chinese market as well. I know Howard made it known during the summer he didn't want any part of Hou but alot has changed since then in terms of the makeup of that team.

I'm not 100% sure of this, but isn't Texas one of the states that doesn't charge taxes on wages?

Not sure how the math works out but it's possible the dropoff isn't of the $20M variety, right?

Texas has no state income tax..... and yet still seems to meet it's budgeted spending..... Hmmmm... but I digress.

California will have a 12.4% income Tax on top of the new 39.5% Federal Income Tax.... so 52% of his salary is gone due to taxes if he stays in LA. If you factor in the endorsement income he will make as well we're not talking about couch change here....

Haha. Funny, I was just talking to some family and saying, let's get out of here and move to Texas since they have their ish together and CA is heading downhill.

So the best case scenario for him (financially) would be to request a S/T from us to another team in a state with no income tax?

JGC wrote:

Rooscooter wrote:

JGC wrote:

khmrP wrote:

therealdeal wrote:Go ahead and tell me where and why it's better. I've already taken apart that argument. If he leaves, that's his decision obviously, but I've already detailed why leaving makes less sense than staying.

I dont agree with your assesment of Hou, they have youth and the coach will actually play to his strenght, McHale has been know to be a good big mans coach. $20mill isn't exactly a throw away either, its just an extra year he would otherwise not get if he didn't resign here, when people present this argument you guys make it sound like both teams are giving Howard the same amt of years but $20mill less elsewhere that is misleading. Losing 1 year of gurantee contract is a risk but given his ability to even play this quickly after back surgery and his history injury its safe to say he has a very low % chance of having some career ending injury throughout the course of that 4yr contract. Marketing can be done anywhere, with Lin in Hou and Yao past pressence in Hou I can see him being a big marketing tool in the chinese market as well. I know Howard made it known during the summer he didn't want any part of Hou but alot has changed since then in terms of the makeup of that team.

I'm not 100% sure of this, but isn't Texas one of the states that doesn't charge taxes on wages?

Not sure how the math works out but it's possible the dropoff isn't of the $20M variety, right?

Texas has no state income tax..... and yet still seems to meet it's budgeted spending..... Hmmmm... but I digress.

California will have a 12.4% income Tax on top of the new 39.5% Federal Income Tax.... so 52% of his salary is gone due to taxes if he stays in LA. If you factor in the endorsement income he will make as well we're not talking about couch change here....

Haha. Funny, I was just talking to some family and saying, let's get out of here and move to Texas since they have their ish together and CA is heading downhill.

So the best case scenario for him (financially) would be to request a S/T from us to another team in a state with no income tax?

If money is the biggest factor I guess. Texas is the only State without an Income Tax and a NBA Franchise. There are a number of States that have very low Income Taxes however.

Again, if it's a money only decision, he may make more total off merchandise and endorsements if he plays for the Lakers even with the tax factored in because of the exposure of the larger market....

khmrP wrote:

therealdeal wrote:Go ahead and tell me where and why it's better. I've already taken apart that argument. If he leaves, that's his decision obviously, but I've already detailed why leaving makes less sense than staying.

I dont agree with your assesment of Hou, they have youth and the coach will actually play to his strenght, McHale has been know to be a good big mans coach. $20mill isn't exactly a throw away either, its just an extra year he would otherwise not get if he didn't resign here, when people present this argument you guys make it sound like both teams are giving Howard the same amt of years but $20mill less elsewhere that is misleading. Losing 1 year of gurantee contract is a risk but given his ability to even play this quickly after back surgery and his history injury its safe to say he has a very low % chance of having some career ending injury throughout the course of that 4yr contract. Marketing can be done anywhere, with Lin in Hou and Yao past pressence in Hou I can see him being a big marketing tool in the chinese market as well. I know Howard made it known during the summer he didn't want any part of Hou but alot has changed since then in terms of the makeup of that team.

1. You say 20 million isn't a throw away number, then you throw it away. "well he can just sign another contract after his 4th, no big deal". Um yes, there's no guarantees in life and if you have an opportunity to get 20 million dollars ever, that's almost impossible to turn down.

2. You really want to compare Yao and Lin's popularity to Howard? You realize the difference of course. Howard is not nearly as marketable as Lin or Yao because he's not Asian, or more specifically of Chinese heritage. That's where 90% of the popularity comes for either of those players.

3. You can market anywhere... sure... but you cannot market anywhere as well as you can in LA or in New York. Easy. Anyone of fame would make twice as much in LA getting gigs and endorsements as they would in Houston. WIthout looking at the numbers tell me how much you think Howard can make in a commercial in Houston vs. a commercial in LA? Or how many shoes he'll see in LA vs Houston. You really think it's comparable? It's not even close. Not by a long shot.

Not to mention the vast fan base of LA spreads far across the world, much farther than the Houston Rockets can ever hope to achieve within Howard's career.

Howard stands to lose a TON of money by leaving. There's no financial situation he could find himself better than unless he somehow could find his way maybe the Knicks or Nets.

khmrP wrote:

therealdeal wrote:Go ahead and tell me where and why it's better. I've already taken apart that argument. If he leaves, that's his decision obviously, but I've already detailed why leaving makes less sense than staying.

I dont agree with your assesment of Hou, they have youth and the coach will actually play to his strenght, McHale has been know to be a good big mans coach. $20mill isn't exactly a throw away either, its just an extra year he would otherwise not get if he didn't resign here, when people present this argument you guys make it sound like both teams are giving Howard the same amt of years but $20mill less elsewhere that is misleading. Losing 1 year of gurantee contract is a risk but given his ability to even play this quickly after back surgery and his history injury its safe to say he has a very low % chance of having some career ending injury throughout the course of that 4yr contract. Marketing can be done anywhere, with Lin in Hou and Yao past pressence in Hou I can see him being a big marketing tool in the chinese market as well. I know Howard made it known during the summer he didn't want any part of Hou but alot has changed since then in terms of the makeup of that team.

yes, dwight is going to be so big in the chinese market because hes NOT chinese.

He's signing. Free agency is like pulling teeth for Dwight. If he felt bad about leaving the Orlando fans, he'll hate leaving LA (where NBA is the only show in town, MLB is a far 2nd), and its fans. I doubt he'll volunteer himself back into that process just to sign with the Hawks or Mavs. He'll make the most NBA salary here, and he'll make the most advertisement money here too.

And in spite of our historically bad start, the LA front office has proven time and time again that they're willing to commit to winning a championship. The Lakers are one of few teams who are in that category.

Dwight will leave if HE does not see the possibility of winning a championship here. And let's put it this way - there was a side of him that thought he could work it out with Orlando.

Haven't seen any mention of it in this thread at least, but what about a possibility of Dwight demanding Kobe be traded?

This would be similar to (unconfirmed but pretty much everyone believes it to be true) Kobe demanding Shaq be traded in 04 or else he would sign with Clippers, leaving Lakers with an aging superstar instead of a younger one. Lakers at that time went with the younger gun and said goodbye to the veteran.

Now, circumstances may be different. Kobe is nowhere near the disruptive personality that Shaq was. Kobe also has a no trade clause. But if things go even worse than they already have this year? Mitch and Buss would not risk losing Dwight to keep Kobe for one or two more years, as much as it would pain fans. And if Kobe even gets word that they want to trade him to keep Dwight, he may just want to retire, or he would waive his trade clause to go to a team of his choosing to try to win.

Now blast me to hell but its a possibility if things go really bad and Dwight sees no way of playing with Kobe for another year or two.

therealdeal wrote:

khmrP wrote:

therealdeal wrote:Go ahead and tell me where and why it's better. I've already taken apart that argument. If he leaves, that's his decision obviously, but I've already detailed why leaving makes less sense than staying.

I dont agree with your assesment of Hou, they have youth and the coach will actually play to his strenght, McHale has been know to be a good big mans coach. $20mill isn't exactly a throw away either, its just an extra year he would otherwise not get if he didn't resign here, when people present this argument you guys make it sound like both teams are giving Howard the same amt of years but $20mill less elsewhere that is misleading. Losing 1 year of gurantee contract is a risk but given his ability to even play this quickly after back surgery and his history injury its safe to say he has a very low % chance of having some career ending injury throughout the course of that 4yr contract. Marketing can be done anywhere, with Lin in Hou and Yao past pressence in Hou I can see him being a big marketing tool in the chinese market as well. I know Howard made it known during the summer he didn't want any part of Hou but alot has changed since then in terms of the makeup of that team.

1. You say 20 million isn't a throw away number, then you throw it away. "well he can just sign another contract after his 4th, no big deal". Um yes, there's no guarantees in life and if you have an opportunity to get 20 million dollars ever, that's almost impossible to turn down.

2. You really want to compare Yao and Lin's popularity to Howard? You realize the difference of course. Howard is not nearly as marketable as Lin or Yao because he's not Asian, or more specifically of Chinese heritage. That's where 90% of the popularity comes for either of those players.

3. You can market anywhere... sure... but you cannot market anywhere as well as you can in LA or in New York. Easy. Anyone of fame would make twice as much in LA getting gigs and endorsements as they would in Houston. WIthout looking at the numbers tell me how much you think Howard can make in a commercial in Houston vs. a commercial in LA? Or how many shoes he'll see in LA vs Houston. You really think it's comparable? It's not even close. Not by a long shot.

Not to mention the vast fan base of LA spreads far across the world, much farther than the Houston Rockets can ever hope to achieve within Howard's career.

Howard stands to lose a TON of money by leaving. There's no financial situation he could find himself better than unless he somehow could find his way maybe the Knicks or Nets.

Why did Jeremy Lin leave NY for Houston? Wouldn't he have gotten more money staying in NY? Or did NY not offer him a contract? I honestly don't remember.