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Los Angeles Lakers don’t need Dwight Howard, he needs them

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 26: Dwight Howard #21 of the Washington Wizards looks on from the bench during the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on March 26, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 26: Dwight Howard #21 of the Washington Wizards looks on from the bench during the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on March 26, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers were dealt terrible news on Thursday when it was revealed that DeMarcus Cousins suffered a torn ACL.

The last 20 months have been brutal for DeMarcus Cousins. A very promising year for Cousins on the Los Angeles Lakers never left the ground stages as Cousins suffered a torn ACL on Thursday.

Cousins is going to miss the entirety of the 2019 season and his injury will have a big ripple effect on the Los Angeles Lakers. Cousins was being tasked with being the team’s primary center, making this loss all the more painful.

Since the injury, plenty of people have thrown out different suggestions on who the Lakers might bring in. Right now, the team’s only pure center is JaVale McGee and the idea of him getting 30+ minutes per game is not promising for Laker fans.

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At this point of the offseason, though, there really are not that many options that could make a legitimate impact. However, there is one that has some success in his past and has emerged as the bonafide favorite for the new role: Dwight Howard.

Nobody expects Dwight Howard to be the team’s starting center but the narrative of him re-joining the Lakers has become the focal point post-injury. The second half of Howard’s career has been nothing short of chaotic and that chaos arguably started when he became a Laker in 2013.

His feud with Kobe Bryant will always live in infamy and it is that feud that is leading to some fans rejecting the idea. However, for some, Howard is worth the minimal risk. And hey, if it is just a one-year veteran minimum deal then there won’t even be any risk involved.

The thing is that the Los Angeles Lakers don’t need Dwight Howard, and if anything, he needs him. Yes, the Lakers are much thinner now at the center position than they were before, but it is not like the position is completely bleak.

Although he said that he prefers playing power forward, Anthony Davis is more than capable enough to take over starting center duties. And luckily for the Lakers, they have Kyle Kuzma to fill the starting power forward role.

This likely means that McGee won’t get the 30+ minutes that fans are fearful of. Would it be nice to get another center to help bolster the depth and give Davis and McGee more rest during the regular season? Absolutely. Do they need to bring in Dwight Howard for that? Absolutely not.

And to be clear, I am not completely against bringing in Howard. If Howard knows his role and promises that the headaches won’t follow then there really is no risk involved with bringing him in. And yes, it does make a dang-good redemption story.

However, trouble has followed Howard wherever he plays and if there is any worry whatsoever that it might follow him to LA then there is no reason to even consider bringing him in. The team can wait for a midseason buy out or even bring in someone like Greg Monroe.

Next. Who will start at point guard for the Lakers?. dark

Because at the end of the day, the Lakers do not need that much out of whoever they decide to bring in, despite the panic that has ensued after Cousins’ injury.

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