Larry Brown Sports

The latest news surrounding Dwight Howard and the Los Angeles Lakers should come as a surprise to no one. While most people feel that Howard will return to LA next season if for no other reason than the Lakers can offer him over $30 million more than any other team, the decision may not be that simple.

According to ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Dave McMenamin, Howard is reportedly frustrated with Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni. Howard  was one of several Lakers to hold a personal meeting GM Mitch Kupchak after the season, during which sources say he discussed his relationship with D’Antoni.

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, part of the discussion between Howard and Kupchak centered around Howard’s frustration with D’Antoni — particularly how the center felt marginalized as the coach looked to (Kobe) Bryant and Steve Nash for leadership and suggestions and discounted Howard’s voice.

Kobe Bryant is obviously the leader of the Lakers, but apparently Howard felt that his influence over the team was undervalued. That could be one of many reasons he has decided to clear his head before making any decision about his future.

McMenamin also pointed out that Lakers assistant Steve Clifford, who spent five seasons with Howard in Orlando, could potentially leave to take a head coaching job with another team. One source said Clifford’s departure would “remove the buffers” between D’Antoni and Howard and could result in clashing.

The Lakers obviously want Howard to return and the max contract they can offer him gives them a major advantage, but a certain former NBA coach could tell you all about how difficult Howard can make things when he doesn’t get along with the people who are calling the shots. If Howard is planning on staying in LA, the best thing he could do is hammer out the contract before the media makes things ugly.

If there is one thing we know for sure regarding Dwight Howard and his impending free agency, it’s that he is highly unlikely to make a quick decision. Howard seems to enjoy flip-flopping and dragging these things out as much as possible, which is why his future with the Los Angeles Lakers still remains very unclear.

On Tuesday, Howard would not commit to whether or not he is leaning toward returning to LA.

“I’m going to take my time, get away from the game, my phones and everything and just clear my head,” he said during his exit interview, via the LA Times. “I’ll do what’s going to be best for myself, what’s going to make me happy. I can’t control who likes me, who dislikes me, but I have the right to be happy.”

Howard has to wait until June 30 if he plans on visiting with other teams, so this could — and probably will — take a while. If money is his top priority, the Lakers should have the upper hand. LA can offer Howard a max contract extension of five years and $118 million while other teams can only offer him a four-year, $88 million deal. General Manager Mitch Kupchak is hoping he makes his decision quickly.

“I think he understands that the sooner he makes a decision, the better it is for everybody,” Kupchak said. “I don’t know if that means a week, a month or seven weeks.”

Both Kupchak and Kobe Bryant have expressed how important it is for Howard to return to the Lakers if they get back into championship contention. He had a rough year in his first season with LA, but Howard is still very much an impact player. The fans got on him a lot of the time, but Kobe says winning can change that in a hurry.

“From a business standpoint it makes more sense, both contractually and also perception-wise,” Bryant said. “A lot of things go well for you if you win here.”

After he was ejected during the third quarter of what turned out to be LA’s final game of the year, Howard apologized to the fans on Twitter and seemed to imply he would be sticking around. Even if he does, history tells us he won’t do so without making as big a deal of himself as possible.

Dwight Howard was ejected during the third quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ Game 4 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night. The loss resulted in a sweep of LA, and in many ways it was the perfect ending to an embarrassing season filled with unmet expectations.

With Kobe Bryant watching the game from the sidelines and nursing a torn Achilles tendon, many have accused Howard of quitting on the team. The Lakers were trailing by more than 20 points at the time he was booted, and Howard’s ejection essentially eliminated any chance of a comeback. Dwight apologized on Twitter after the game.

“I’m still upset about tonight’s game and the way this season ended,” Howard wrote early Monday morning. “I’m mad I lost my cool. I’m sorry for letting my team and our fans down when they needed me the most. If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year it’s that I need to be more responsible for my actions and learn to breathe! Maybe I will take up yoga and come back calmer or @charliesheen can help me with my anger management.”

Since the Lakers had just been swept a few hours prior to the tweets, it was probably a little too soon for the Charlie Sheen joke. That being said, at least Howard apologized. He also hinted that he would like to return to LA next season.

“But despite our tough season, it is an honor being a member of a team with this amazing history (and) the best fans in the league!” he continued. “I hope I get the chance to make it up to you! Thank (you) LA!”

Based on some of the stuff Magic Johnson said after the game, it’s probably safe to assume he doesn’t think Howard deserves another chance. However, the Lakers would be wise to bring him back. Their roster is aging and ailing, and Howard is still in his prime. If they let him walk, they could be in for some very tough seasons over the next few years. Yeah, tougher than this one.

The Los Angeles Lakers could be facing some difficult financial decisions heading into the 2013-2014 season. The team paid $30 million in luxury taxes this year, and that number would jump to $85 million next season if their payroll remains above $100 million. One of the goals of the new collective bargaining agreement is to curb spending, and it may do just that.

With several veterans on their roster earning a hefty salary, the Lakers may decide to use the amnesty clause. According to the LA Times, Pau Gasol could be the player they use it on if LA is able to re-sign Dwight Howard this summer.

Waiving Gasol via the “amnesty” provision in July could potentially save them more than $60 million in luxury taxes. They would still have to pay his $19.3-million salary, though he could be snapped up by a bidding team that would owe the Lakers millions to help with that cost.

The Lakers also could try to trade Gasol, but his hefty salary next season could be difficult to move and they would likely have to take back salaries totaling at least $15 million, which wouldn’t really help a goal to avoid ridiculous luxury taxes.

The Lakers could also use the amnesty provision on Metta World Peace, although it would not save them nearly as much money. Gasol has been at the center of countless trade rumors since last season, but Kobe Bryant once insisted Gasol will be a Laker as long as he is. Unless Bryant is planning to retire or demand a trade, it might not work out that way.

Since Mike D’Antoni became the coach of the Lakers, there have been questions about whether or not Gasol is a fit for his system. Mark Cuban thinks the Lakers should use the amnesty provision on Kobe, and that probably makes more sense now than it ever did after the torn Achilles. But that’s not happening. The ideal scenario is that LA can trade Gasol and not have to take back as much salary as they’re giving up. As we know, the ideal scenario is not always the one that plays out.

The Lakers have done a tremendous job over the past five months of reminding sports fans that crowning a paper champion is never a wise decision. With only five games remaining in the regular season, LA is currently on the outside looking in at a Western Conference playoff spot. The Lakers’ loss to the Clippers on Sunday left them one game behind the Jazz, who defeated the Warriors in Golden State.

Prior to Sunday’s game, Mike D’Antoni said his team is not afraid of anyone and that they feel they are one of the four best teams in the West.

Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni says they should be a Top 4 team and they don’t fear anyone.

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) April 7, 2013

Again, nothing is decided on paper. Oh wait, playoff seeding is. The Lakers need to win two more games than the Jazz over the last five, which is not impossible. If they are able to grab the eighth seed and sneak into the playoffs, D’Antoni could turn out to be right. But that will not be an easy task, especially given the way LA has played all season.

The Lakers have home games remaining against the Hornets, Spurs, Warriors and Rockets with one road game against the Blazers. The Jazz have home games against the Thunder and Timberwolves and will also travel to Memphis and Minnesota. Simply put, the Lakers are in serious danger of missing the playoffs altogether.

If LA does get in, they will likely be facing either the Spurs or Thunder in the opening round. Unless we see a completely different Lakers team than the one we’ve seen all year, I highly doubt they can beat either of those two teams in a seven-game series. Motivational tactics like this from D’Antoni seem to go in one ear and out the other.

Photo Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Just when you thought the Lakers were becoming a threat in the Western Conference, they go out and lose to the Washington Wizards at home. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol returned from injuries Friday, but the team blew a big third quarter lead and lost 103-100. After the game, coach Mike D’Antoni ripped into the team and decried their championship aspirations. D’Antoni’s biggest issue with his team is that they are mentally inconsistent.

“This is a good team that for whatever reason just can’t get collectively, mentally … get stimulated to do it every time,” D’Antoni said, via the Los Angeles Times.

D’Antoni then ranted about the way the team breaks from huddles.

“We put our hands in, and you guys have probably seen it, we say ‘Championship.’ God, that’s laughable. Championship? You’ve got to be kidding me. Until they understand the importance of every possession offensively and defensively and they’ve got to come out with some determination to be a good basketball team, then we’re just fooling ourselves. We’re just making a sham-mockery out of it or whatever you say it is.”

One of D’Antoni’s biggest concerns was that the team did not play hard enough. He thinks they took it easy after building an 18-point lead in the third quarter and began coasting. He’s probably right too — after being up 59-41 in the third, the Lakers allowed the Wizards to close on a 15-4 run and make it a two-point game after three quarters.

Kobe Bryant had 21 points and 11 assists playing 38 minutes in his return from a sprained ankle. Pau Gasol had four points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes playing his first game since Feb. 5. Bryant missed a potential tying three at the end of the game and sent a tweet to explain how he would be moving on from the loss:

When ur game take a s*i* . Flush it. Get up and move on #mambaism

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) March 23, 2013

Classic Mamba. The Lakers have finally started to look like a playoff team, but they’re still far from being a championship team. That definitely is not happening this season.

Photo Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat are still 10 wins away from breaking the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA record of 33 consecutive regular season victories. That means they have a long way to go, but anything is possible with the way LeBron James and company have played lately. If the Heat can erase a 27-point deficit on the road to extend their streak to 24 games, what’s another 10 victories?

Many people have been rooting against the Heat on a nightly basis, which is no surprise considering they are one of the most hated teams in sports. Lakers legend Jerry West, who was the starting point guard for the 1971-72 LA team that holds the record, is not one of those people.

“Honestly, I think they’ve got an incredible chance to do it,” West told reporters during a teleconference on Thursday, via the LA Times. “I really do. And people say to me, ‘Does it bother you?’ Absolutely not. I think it’s great for the league and I’m delighted obviously for my friend Pat Riley to be able to maybe replicate this not only as an executive but as a player. It’s pretty special.

“If they would break it, my gosh, I think it would be a wonderful story. I have no problem with that.”

You hear that, Mercury Morris? There’s nothing worse than a retired athlete who can’t let it go. Records are made to be broken, and the best thing you can do when one of yours is challenged is prepare to watch it fall with grace. West said if there is any game the Heat should be concerned about it’s there matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on March 31. If Miami has yet to lose at that point, a win over the Spurs could stretch its streak to 30 games.

Even the LeBron haters have to respect what King James has been doing during this incredible stretch. Just like he did in the playoffs last year, he has put the Heat on his back. Not even this insane fan was enough to slow him down.