The Los Angeles Lakers are now the team to beat in the 2012-13 season after they acquired the best center in the NBA, Dwight Howard. Howard adds a completely different dimension to the squad and has helped form one of the best starting fives the league has ever seen, at least on paper.
Howard will be teaming up with one of the greatest players in NBA history, Kobe Bryant, and the duo is poised for great success. Bryant is currently in London competing for the Gold Medal, but the five-time champion is expecting big things for his Lakers come next season, according to the USA Today.
Are the Lakers a championship team now?
“Absolutely. We would have been a championship (caliber) team with Andrew. Add Dwight into the mix, along with Steve and Antawn (Jamison) coming off the bench. I’m sure they’ll make a couple of tweaks to thicken the bench a little bit.”
The Lakers also signed Jodie Meeks, a player who brings in solid three point shooting. Along with Meeks and Jamison, the Lakers also got Earl Clark and Chris Duhon in the Howard deal.
On paper, the Lakers are possibly the best team in the NBA right now. The Miami Heat may be the defending NBA champions, but the Lakers have possibly surpassed that team in terms of talent. The Lakers have a better starting five and their bench will be much improved from last season.
To make things better, the Lakers are a franchise that has a history of winning titles. Everyone understands what it takes to win it all, and this new lineup could turn into a dynasty. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash are veteran leaders who know the game better than most players. Bryant and Gasol already have a connection of winning titles and Nash will only make their lives easier.
Then there are Dwight Howard and Metta World Peace, defensive maestros who excel at that aspect of the game. Opponents will have trouble stopping the Lakers from scoring, and these two will make their time on the offensive end very difficult.
Kobe Bryant is one title away from tying Michael Jordan’s mark, and after two disappointing seasons, Bryant is ready to add some more hardware to his trophy case.
