What does the Dwight Howard trade mean for the Lakers?

Don't forget to answer your own question and tell yourself to "take care and be well" as if you're talking to someone else.

Well finally! After months of back and forth speculation and rumor the premier big man of this generation will patrol the lanes for the Los Angeles Lakers.This is as a result of a four team trade(involving the Lakers,Sixers,Magic,and Nuggets).

Three of the four teams improved their rosters.

I don't understand what the Magic did.They could have gotten Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries plus draft picks if they had traded him to Brooklyn earlier this summer.Yet now they get Al Harrington,Arron Affalo and three draft picks all lottery protected.Harrington and Affalo are good quality players;yet they are not great! Plus those draft picks lottery protected or not are meaningless.The other three teams are playoff teams and those picks are not going to be worth that much in terms of getting impact players.The Magic and their fans really are the ones who got left holding the bag.

The Sixers got a potentially great player if Andrew is motivated and feels like playing.The Nuggets got a defensive player in Iguodala that they sorely needed.

However the big winners are the Lakers.Provided Dwight's back is O.K. and he does stay in Los Angeles;the Lakers noiw have their man to now carry on the franchise after Kobe leaves.Plus the Lakers' interior defense just improved by an exponental degree.The Lakers probably need to and will work with Dwight on continuing to develop his low-post game.Yet with Nash and Kobe Dwight will get plenty of opportunites for dunks on lobs and around the basket.Kobe and Nash are great passers.As a Laker fan my real concern is their defense on the perimeter.The perimeter players of the Lakers are not young.The Lakers are now more vunerable to perimeter teams with great speed and quickness such as the Thunder and Heat.The Lakers need to improve their perimeter defense.They could make another trade to upgrade that area and/or they could try and re-acquire Lamar Odom to help their perimeter defense.Al Horford would be great(provided if he is healthy).Tyreke Evans would be great or players in that mold.

I know Kobe does not want Pau to be moved and I agree 1000% if Pau is the same player as he was in 2008-2010.Yet in 2011 and 2012 Pau has made only guest appearances in the postseason.If Pau continues to play this way the Lakers are vunerable to another second round exit in 2013.And let me say something here.I don't have anything but respect for Ron Artest.He is a very tough and good player who overcame a lot of issues in his life.Yet Ron is very volitile and explosive like dynamite.What he did to James Harden that sunday in L.A. when the Lakers played OKC in the regular season was deplorable.Ron can't do anything like this again and be a productive and winning player for the Lakers.Ron is the Lakers' best perimeter defender.If Ron's head is together then the Lakers can go forward with him.If not then the Lakers have to consider going in a different direction and amnesty him.

As it stands right now the Lakers are on par with the Spurs and if they solve their perimeter defensive problems they can be the best in the west and compete with the Heat and Thunder for a title.

The Lakers are back and I am looking forward to an interesting season and a promising future for the Lakers.

Take care and please be well.

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA!!!

What a maroon.