He is receiving a non-guaranteed deal. This means, he will have to earn his shot to be on the roster. He will have to prove himself before Jan. 10 when contracts are guaranteed for the rest of the season.
If he does receive a roster spot, he will replace DeMarcus Cousins. The big man tore his ACL after signed a one-year deal with the team in July.
The Grizzlies granted Howard permission to speak with the Lakers. Los Angeles considered Howard, Joakim Noah, and Marreese Speights.
All three players
worked out for the team before the Lakers decided to go with Howard. He
previously played for the team for one season in 2012-13.
Howard was traded to
the Lakers in a blockbuster deal. However, things did not work out in his first
tenure with the team.
This time around, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said the Lakers players were involved in the process. The NBA insider is also reporting that Howard’s back is healthy and he’s down 25 pounds.
Howard has been criticized for the way he has handled his teammates and coaches, as of late. This is one of the reasons he has bounced around for the past several years.
Lakers are entering a Howard partnership with caution. For years, he's talked about making changes in how he interacts with coaches and teammates. He's still saying those things now, but the ability to cut him without cost keeps leverage with organization. https://t.co/Q7i5NcAtJA
Howard came to meet Lakers after dropping 25 pounds; showed his back was healthy. Lakers want him to protect rim/rebound in limited role. There was sense Howard realized he hit "rock bottom" and had been humbled. Still they'll judge him on actions, not words. He's been warned.
Sources: Dwight Howard surrendered nearly $2.6M of his $5.6M guaranteed salary to Memphis in buyout. He can earn $2.6M on his vet minimum deal with Lakers — if he survives on roster past early January. Ideal outcome for Grizzlies, who never intended to bring Howard to camp. https://t.co/uLglUip1JT
According to Yahoo! Sports NBA writer Chris Haynes, Washington Wizards Center Dwight Howard had surgery on Friday to relieve pain from his gluteal injury. The injury was in his buttocks.
This injury has only allows him to play in nine games this season.
Dwight Howard warms up against the Miami Heat (Getty Images)
The procedure is expected to cost Howard at least another two or three months. The operation was performed by Dr. Robert Watkins.
The decision to have surgery was made following his visit with a nerve specialist.
It was best for Howard to have the surgery now, as the Wizards are struggling. And if he is healthy prior to the trade deadline, Washington could move him.
When he did play in those nine games, he was averaging 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds.
The Wizards are 8-114. The team suffered another setback on Friday night, as they were defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers.
He signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the franchise in the off-season.
Washington Wizards Center Dwight Howard is expected to have surgery. Once he has this operation, he will miss significant time.
He has been sidelined with a gluteal injury, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He met with a nerve specialist on Thursday.
Dwight Howard warms up against the Miami Heat (Getty Images)
Howard could seek a second opinion. Either way, it is expected that he will have to have surgery and miss time.
He has been out since November 18th against the Portland Trail Blazers. He aggravated his piriformis muscle in the game.
According to the Spine Health, the piriformis muscle is a muscle located deep in the buttocks. This muscle connects the lower spine to the upper surface of each femur.
Howard has only appeared in nine games this season.he also was sidelined for the team’s training camp.
In the off-season, Howard signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the team.
The 32-year-old Atlanta, Georgia native made nine starts. He’s averaging 12.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks in his first season in Washington, D.C.
The Wizards are the sixth NBA team in his career. In 1,044 games, including 1,043 starts, he is averaging 17.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 2.0 blocks.
According to the Summit Medical Group, Howard could be experiencing a gluteal strain, which is a stretch or tear of a muscle in your buttocks. It is also referred as a pulled muscle.
This type of injury often is from running or jumping. It is common in hurdlers and dancers.
The Washington Wizards have signed free agent center Dwight Howard on Thursday. He signed with the Wizards after being bought out by the Brooklyn Nets.
On June 20th, he was traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Nets in a deal involving Timofey Mozgov. Howard has agreed a one-and-one deal with the Wizards, as he will have an option for the second season.
Dwight Howard is seen here as a member of the Charlotte Hornets (Getty Images)
“Dwight has been known throughout his career as one of the league’s best defenders, rebounders, and finishers around the rim, all areas that we needed to improve heading into next season,” Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld said. “His insider presence and athleticism will give us a much different look and will open up opportunities for us on both ends of the floor.”
Last season in 81 starts with the Hornets, his lone season with the team, the 32-year-old big man averaged 16.6 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game. He also shot 55.5% from the field.
Howard was fourth in the league last season with point-rebound double-doubles.
He is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, as he won three straight from 2008-09 through 2010-11. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.
Howard has averaged 17.4 points, 12.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.0 blocks per game in 1,035 games, including 1,034 starts. In 14 seasons, he has played for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, before joining the Hornets.
Now comes information that there’s growing concerns over Heat power forward/center Chris Bosh’s health. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, he had a blood-clot scare.
His season hasn’t been considered over, but this may have been the real reason why Bosh pulled out of the NBA All-Star game. He said that he had to miss the game with a strained calf; however, he returned to Miami for further tests, according to Jackson.
According to the veteran reporter, a person in contact with the Heat’s front office indicated that a problem surfaced on Monday beyond just a strained calf.
He missed the second half of last season after he suffered from potential life-threatening blood clots were found in his lungs. This current situation is not life-threatening, according to Jackson.
Bosh’s agent Henry Thomas sent a text to Jackson saying “it’s too soon” to say whether Bosh has a blood clot in his calf. If it is, then he’ll have to go on blood thinners that would cause him to miss significant time.
He was on blood thinners for seven months last season after having blood clots discovered. Should he be out any time, the Heat’s playoff hopes would take a significant hit.
This news could also affect their strategy going into Thursday’s trade deadline. This may cause them to be sellers instead of buyers, unless, of course, if they can pull off a blockbuster deal to acquire Howard.
Howard would give the Heat a replacement for Bosh until the summer when he’s expected to be just a rental player, before opting-out of his contract, which he’s already indicated that he’s going to do. He could garner at least $30 million or more in a new max deal in the summer time.
The Boston Celtics are intending to trade power forward David Lee before the trade deadline. If that’s not possible, they’ll agree to a buyout with him to that he can move onto another team for a late postseason push.
If they buyout his contract, he’ll have to sign with the team by the end of this month to be eligible for the postseason roster spot.
Lee has been on the trading block for the past several weeks. Lee and his representatives are working with the team to move him onto a new situation, according to TNT’s David Aldridge.
Lee is making $15.493 million this season and will be a free agent at 32-years-old in the summer.
With the Celtics, he is averaging 7.1 points per game with 4.3 rebounds per game. He’s also averaging 1.8 assists per game in 15.7 minutes.
He’s made four starts in 30 games.
Earlier today, we reported that the Celtics and the Houston Rockets are talking about a trade involving Dwight Howard. It’s believed that if the Celtics can acquire Howard, Lee’s expiring contract would have to go back to the Lone Star State in return.
The Rockets are looking to get something for Howard, who intends to decline the team’s option for next season at $23 million. He can sign a maximum contract with the Rockets at $29 million per season.
Earlier this season, Howard was linked to the Miami Heat in a potential trade involving young star Hassan Whiteside. The Heat denied any potential trade talks were being discussed, as they’d like to re-sign Whiteside before he becomes a free agent.
Lee is the oldest Celtic at 32-years-old. Amir Johnson and Evan Turner are the other older statesman on the team with many young players.
With the Celtics having depth at power forward and point guard, the Celtics could easily pull off a trade for Howard.
If they acquired Howard, it wouldn’t mean that he would re-sign with the team this summer. It would be a huge gamble for any team that would acquire him.
The Houston Rockets and the Boston Celtics have begun negotiations on a potential trade involving Dwight Howard. Since talks between the two teams, it’s early who could go back to Texas in the package.
The Rockets have been secretly willing to trade Howard since he said he would turn down his $23 million option for next season. He’s eligible for a max contract beginning at $29-plus per season.
Earlier this season, it was mentioned that Howard could be traded to the Miami Heat for rising star Hassan Whiteside. The Heat plat out said that they weren’t trading Whiteside, who they would like to sign to a contract extension since he’s a restricted free agent this summer.
Since the Celtics have point guards and power forwards depth, it wouldn’t be surprising if the package includes them. Also, David Lee would be a good candidate as he has an expiring contract, which could help the Rockets use in the summer as they look for another big man.
Lee would have to be involved to make the finances work. It would be hard to make a deal without his expiring contract — which used to be a luxury in the NBA, but not anymore with the salary cap and TV deal increasing the cap to have massive contracts.
Howard would give the Celtics a big center to push them in the Eastern Conference for the rest of the season and potentially in the playoffs, as well. It would also give the Celtics a boost to compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are expected to win the Eastern Conference.
Philadelphia sports are really bad right now. To make matters worse, the Philadelphia 76ers have lost another game.
With a 116-114 loss to the Houston Rockets, the 76ers lost their 17th straight game to begin the season. It is also their 27th straight loss dating back to last season.
The 76ers set the record for the longest losing streak in Major U.S. professional sports history at 27 games. The Rockets need 50 points from James Harden to give the team the record.
The 76ers scored 34 points in the fourth quarter, as they began the quarter trailing the Rockets 91-80. The Rockets scored 25 points, which was their lowest in a quarter in the game.
The Sixers lead 104-97 before Harden hit a three-pointer. With with less than a minute left, they trailed 112-110 with Dwight Howard on the free throw line.
The normally woeful Howard from the charity stripe made both of them.
The Rockets scored 35 points in the third quarter to give them the double-digit lead going into the final quarter. The Sixers added 31, and had 65 second half points.
The visitors had just 49 points in the first half, while the Rockets had 56.
The Sixers will look to stop the losing streak against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday at 6 pm at FedEx Forum. If they lose that game, there’s a chance that they could get their first win against the Los Angeles Lakers (2-12) at home, as hometown star Kobe Bryant returns for the final time as a Laker at 7 pm.
The Golden State Warriors are off to an amazing start to begin their season. And to make matters even better – we guess – is that their doing it with an interim head coach.
Luke Walton, the son of NBA Hall of FamerBill Walton, is serving as the Warriors interim coach for the time being. He’s been the team’s interim head coach since October 1st when the actual head coach Steve Kerr had to take time off following a second back surgery.
This is Walton’s first experience ever as a head coach. And the team’s off to a 14-0 mark, which ties the record for the most wins by a defending champion to start a season.
Sure, the Warriors have the Splash Brothers, including Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, but nobody seems like they can defeat them yet. Even with an inexperienced head man calling the shots, it hasn’t hurt them at all.
They’ve had two close games, yet they’ve been able to escape with the W in each one. Both game this month involving the Los Angeles Clippers and the Toronto Raptors.
First, they defeated the Clippers 112-108 on Nov. 4th. Then, on Nov. 17th, they defeated the Raptors 115-110.
If he’s able to keep this up, it wouldn’t be surprising if Walton’s considered for many head coaching positions in the off-season should they become available. At this time, the Houston Rockets are the only team that’ll be looking for a coach next summer after they fired head coach Kevin McHale.
But would Walton go to the Rockets to coach James Harden and Dwight Howard? We don’t know, as Howard’s already being considered a coach killer, because he’s seen so many of his head coaches being fired throughout his career.
July 4, 2015 8:26 PM | By Anthony Caruso III, Publisher
The Los Angeles Lakers have been known for having the best big man in the league. But that hasn’t been the case in years.
One can even argue that they haven’t had a good big man since Shaquille O’Neal was traded when he was arguably the most dominant player in the league in the early 2000’s. Since he left town, the franchise had Andrew Bynum – who hasn’t been heard from in a while – Dwight Howard, and a mix and match since.
Roy Hibbert (Getty Images)
Howard was never a fit for Hollywood, as he left after just one season for far less money to join the Houston Rockets. Bynum was good for the Lakers during his tenure there, but since being acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers in the deal that sent Howard to Los Angeles, he’s been a bust, as he never played for them, and may never play in the league again.
Now, after having two seasons of having to split time at the center positions, the Lakers are close to acquiring Roy Hibbert from the Indiana Pacers. There’s already speculation that it’s a salary dump, as the Pacers will receive second round picks and possibly the rights to one or more foreign players.
The Georgetown product has a $15.5 million salary for next season, before becoming a free agent.
Hibbert will step into the center position immediately, as he no longer had a future in Indiana. They plan on going to an up-tempo team and the 7-footer would have been dragging them down.
He’s already better than the Lakers centers of the past two seasons. Since Howard left following the 2012-13 season, four players have split time playing center.
Those players are Chris Kaman, Robert Sacre, Jordan Hill, and Carlos Boozer. Those players do not scare anyone. Boozer might have if he was younger, but he’s on the down-side of his career.
Hibbert needed a change of scenery, but it may not result in an improved game unless Kareem Abdul-Jabbar can work with him. Still, that may not even work as Hibbert’s game is very limited.
Last season, he averaged 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game over 76 appearances. However, the 10.6 points per game average was his worst since his rookie campaign in 2008-09 when he averaged 7.1 points per game.
During the 2013-14 season, Kaman averaged 10.4 points per game with the Lakers from the center position. Last season, Boozer and Hill, who are primarily power forwards, made starts at center, so we won’t count their stats since Kaman was a true center.
In what is expected to be Kobe Bryant’s final season, the Lakers will need to get more out of Hibbert if they want to make the playoffs in the tough Western Conference. They haven’t made the playoffs in the past two seasons.
And for Lakers fans, that’s unacceptable, because they expect to win every year. They haven’t won the NBA Championship since 2009-10 over the Boston Celtics – but its been down him ever since.
They are hoping that with first round picks D’Angelo Russell and Lance Nance Jr., and the addition of Hibbert, they can at least make it as the eight seed. That’s going to be extremely tough as the New Orleans Pelicans clinched the 8th seed on the final night of the regular season with a 45-37 record.
Three years ago, they had 45 wins and was immediately exited from the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs when Bryant was injured. In the past two seasons, the team has a combined 48 wins with 116 losses.
The Capital Sports Report 