It is a known fact that the Los Angeles Lakers desperately need help at the point guard position, and in the team's losses to the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, the myth of Andrew Bynum was exposed as well.
Some people have offered the theory that Dwight Howard has become less of a Lakers free-agency priority due to the recent strong play of Bynum. But against Miami, Bynum was mostly ineffective, and in Orlando, he was simply out-played.
Or dominated may be a better way to frame it.
Bynum had a respectable 10-point, 12-rebound double-double against the Magic, but Howard nearly doubled his output with 21 points and 23 rebounds, and he was a much more imposing presence in the paint defensively.
Bynum and Howard's head-to-head matchup should have put a muzzle on anyone saying Bynum might be better for the Lakers in the long run, and recent statements by New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams may really give Lakers fans a reason to dream big.
The Lakers missed out on point guard Chris Paul when NBA commissioner David Stern nullified a deal that had been completed with the New Orleans Hornets, but Williams essentially would serve the same purpose.
Some may argue that Williams is not on the same level as Paul, but he's still an elite point guard, and if the Lakers do manage to acquire Williams, I doubt the dealing would be done.
If Stern had not nixed the deal for Paul, it is widely assumed the Lakers would have used Bynum as the centerpiece of a trade to acquire Howard.
The Lakers can still achieve the same goal with Williams, especially if it becomes clear that Howard will not sign with the Nets.
Williams' future with the Nets is tied to their ability to obtain Howard, so if Howard does sign with another team, or is traded somewhere like Los Angeles, then the Nets' odds of re-signing Williams are drastically reduced.
Even though the Magic may act like they are prepared to play out their season with Howard on the roster, losing him in the summer for nothing could be potentially devastating to their franchise.
And right now, Bynum is still the only player Orlando can get who is at least comparable to Howard, and the Lakers have a first-round draft pick, a trade exception and young players they could also offer.
Nets center Brook Lopez was thought to be New Jersey's best chance of acquiring Howard, but ironically, Bynum's numbers on the court look much better than the uncertainty surrounding Lopez's foot injury.
Adding Williams to the Lakers' roster will be a little more complicated, but if they can manage to retain Pau Gasol while acquiring Howard, they have a starting point.
According to ESPN.com, the Nets will not accept a slew of marginal players for Williams if it becomes clear he will not re-sign, and while Gasol may be a little older, he is far from marginal.
Gasol's age may be a reason for concern, but as the clock ticks closer to free agency, he could be the best player available for the Nets.
The Lakers would probably be forced to part with all of their young talent—Andrew Goudelock, Darius Morris and Devin Ebanks—in order to acquire both Williams and Howard, and probably a few veterans as well.
But since the future is at stake, it may be well worth it for the Lakers to make the next defining moves to carry them into the next decade. And Williams may have left a door open to make it happen.
Williams also named the Lakers in addition to the New York Knicks and the Nets as teams he would be willing to play for, and considering that he calls San Diego home, it's not that far out of the realm of possibility.
I'm not sure if the Lakers have the pieces or the imagination to make a Williams-and-Howard-to-Los Angeles scenario a reality, but after watching the team flounder on the East Coast, it's certainly worth a try.
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