NBA Burn: Kobe and Dwight could end up being Shaq vs. Kobe 2
August 14, 2012 2 Comments
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Kobe Bryant has said of his time as a teammate with Shaquille O’Neal, that there can only be one Alpha male on a team at a time. And that’s the reason he and Shaq couldn’t get along. Yet they won three championships together. So I guess initially Kobe yielded to Shaq, but as time wore on he became more reluctant to do that, and the relationship deteriorated.
Kobe is clearly the Alpha male of the Lakers right now, but now that Dwight Howard is a Laker, will he automatically yield to Kobe? I’m sure that will be Kobe’s expectation of Howard, and maybe for the sake of winning a championship, Howard will yield to Kobe, but what if he doesn’t?
People assume that the Lakers are now the team to beat in the west, but as we saw with Kobe and Shaq, even the most talented team can be undermined by a lack of chemistry and unity. And Dwight Howard knows that he can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. So if things don’t mesh in L.A., he may still follow his heart to Brooklyn.
But maybe it will all work out in the end and Kobe and Dwight will get along great. But if it doesn’t work out, then we could see a sequel of the drama that ensued previously with Kobe and Shaq, which led to one of them being traded away.
We’ve seen the tactics Howard used to get his way in Orlando. Could Howard force Kobe out of L.A. as a prerequisite to re-signing with the Lakers? If a such a choice had to be made, who would the Lakers choose? More than likely it would be the younger player, which is Howard.
Or maybe the Lakers win the championship next season and they all live happily ever after. And I’m certainly not happy with seeing another super team being created in the NBA, but either way, it will be very interesting to see how this all plays out.
Related articles
- You: Kobe Bryant Must Become One of the Guys Instead of the Man for Lakers in 2013 (bleacherreport.com)
- Wilbon: Howard lucky to be Laker (espn.go.com)
- Dwight Howard, The Lakers & The Craziest NBA Off-Season Ever (avickers10.wordpress.com)
About Maurice Barksdale
There is more of a disparity in age between Dwight and Kobe which might make him acquiesce to Dwight. I mean how many more opportunities for another ring does Kobe have left? Also if YOU think there’s a chance that Howard will bolt after this season, wouldn’t you think Kobe realizes that too and thus might want to work together more?
Like you said, it should be interesting…
Nice Post!
Maybe the desire to win a championship will be the incentive for them to keep their egos in check. But as Kobe alluded, their can only be one alpha leading the pack, and Kobe believes he’s the alpha.
I think Kobe wants to win another championship on his terms, not Dwight Howard’s. Bottom line is someone will have to relent, but which one will? Thanks dor the comment.