In 2020, it appeared like the Los Angeles Lakers were going to start a dynasty with LeBron James and Anthony Davis with a strong supporting cast to aid this quest. However, the team’s general manager, Rob Pelinka, chose to dismantle the core instead of giving it another shot at winning.
Dwight Howard, who was a key contributor to the 2020 team, in his podcast “Above the Rim with DH” recently spoke out against Pelinka’s decision. Howard was one of the players affected by the decision and thus didn’t return after the championship season, and he feels that the front office made a mistake by breaking up the team.
After we won, they started tweaking the roster. I’mma tell you who it was. Rob Pelinka, man. God, Rob, why did you do that to us, man? Rob, come on, man. I still love you, Rob, but dang, man. We had the squad, bro. Even if we ran it back, we could have run it back. We would have been healthier for the next year.
Dwight Howard said on his podcast “Above the Rim with DH”
The following season didn’t go well as injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis saw them exit the playoffs. However, there’s still this belief that if AD hadn’t gotten hurt, the Lakers could have made a deeper run in the postseason.
The Lakers have now failed in their quest to win another title since 2020, losing to the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs last season, which has left some fans wondering what could have been if the championship team had been left intact. It’s a new season soon and the current Lakers roster would be eager to do better than the famous 2020 title-winning team.
Dwight Howard makes a compelling case for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the GOAT
The NBA GOAT debate is usually between Michael Jordan and LeBron James, not for Dwight Howard. The three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year on his podcast towed a different lane in favor of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the greatest basketball player of all time.
To make his point stick, Howard centers around Kareem’s unique achievement of dominating the sport under two different names: Lew Alcindor and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem’s career is marked by extraordinary longevity and success, including six NBA championships, a Finals MVP award, and holding the record for all-time leading scorer for decades.
He won at every level, first of all, he won with two different names, didn’t he? He was the greatest Lew Alcindor in the world then changed his name to Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
Dwight Howard said
Furthermore, Howard also emphasized Kareem’s ability to dominate the league in crucial categories like scoring and blocks well into his late 30s. This has always been Howard’s sentiment long before now, as he has been a strong advocate of “big men” being the league’s greatest.
