If I was Dwight Howard, I’d start looking for places to live near Houston but I wouldn’t start packing yet. At the present moment, it looks like the Rockets would undoubtedly the favorite spot for him to land if he chose to leave the Lakers. They’re essentially a better version of the Orlando Magic, where Howard was most successful. They’ve got a very talented backcourt who can shoot the ball extremely well, and although Asek is no scrub, Howard would be a definite upgrade at the center position.
The only reason I would say that Howard should hold up on making this decision is because the Lakers have a history of retooling these disappointing teams seemingly overnight. When Kobe threatened to leave, Kupchak went out and got him Pau Gasol. Also, not many franchises could deal Shaq in his prime and still compete at the level Los Angeles did.
Right now, the smart money says Howard should go to Houston, but I’m just saying wait a second and let one of the best front offices in sports do their job. I know Kobe is old and hurt, Gasol is probably on his way out, Nash is just plain old, and the coaching situation is a clusterf***. They’re still the LA Lakers we’re talking about, and because they’ve proven they can rebound from tough situations like this, I have reason to believe that this may be a different story a few weeks from now.