Did Kobe Bryant Deter Dwight Howard by Telling Him the Lakers Are His Team?

With just under two months to go until the NBA trade deadline, Dwight Howard’s future is still a complete mystery.  One thing that is safe to assume is that every team would like to have Howard in their front court.  Or would they?  Between Patrick Ewing urging Howard not to play for the Nets and Kobe Bryant reportedly making sure the big man knows the Lakers are Kobe’s team, Superman’s decision may be a lot more difficult than we thought.

According to the L.A. Times, Kobe has spoken with Howard at least once about the potential of the two joining forces and he didn’t offer a great deal of support.

Kobe Bryant has had at least one in-depth phone conversation with Howard recently, even discussing how Howard might fit in with the Lakers’ scheme.

One person with knowledge of the conversation said Howard came away feeling as if he wouldn’t be the Lakers’ top option, for obvious reasons. It’s Bryant’s team.

The fact that the Lakers are Kobe’s team goes without saying, but if he felt the need to reiterate that to Howard in a phone conversation it may not be the best match.  That’s the same thing Kobe said about Andrew Bynum after last season ended, so this shouldn’t surprise us. This report also confirms what another source told LBS about Dwight’s attitude towards the Lakers.

From a personality standpoint, Howard is very similar to some guy named Shaquille O’Neal.  In case you have forgotten, Shaq and Kobe were once teammates.  They won some rings, but they weren’t exactly best friends.  At this point in his career, Kobe probably has no desire to share the spotlight.

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