Los Angeles Lakers

Apr 24, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (12) drives for a dunk between San Antonio Spurs forward Tiago Splitter (22) and Matt Bonner (15) during game two of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at AT The Dwightmare is upon us once again. Last night, an article by Dave McMenamin. It seems Dwight Howard has finally said something about the Lakers head coach, Mike D’Antoni. Howard said that he felt underutilized and that he had no say when it came to suggestions and leadership — he only listened to Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant. The article later goes on to say that the loss of assistant coach Chuck Person and the potential leaving of Steve Clifford hasn’t helped the relationship between the two. When you mention Dwight Howard, people automatically think of drama and what he did to Stan Van Gundy last year in Orlando. Is he going to do the same thing to Mike D’Antoni this year? I really don’t think Dwight is trying to cause something here; I believe he is just being honest on what happened this past season. It looks like the Lakers may have to pick between D’Antoni and Howard — this might not end well. We all know this is going to take up most of the summer, so we might as well get used to seeing every little that happens to Dwight create chaos. Oh, James Harden is now following Howard on Twitter? Of course he is. I’m sure they’re friends. More than that though, why wouldn’t Harden try to sway the best center in the game to come to his team? Whatever people say right now, I’m not really paying attention to. We will hear a million different things this summer on where DH might go; I’m not believing a thing until I see Dwight Howard’s signature on a contract. What do YOU think will happen between Dwight Howard and Mike D’Antoni? Will one stay, will they both stay, or are they both gone? Sound off in the comments section down below! To fulfill all your Laker fan needs, don’t forget to LIKE our Lake Show Life Facebook page. Also, you can FOLLOW the website  and myself  on Twitter.

All information regarding Dwight Howard's free agency packaged together with a bow. Good for Dwight Howard. Dave McMenamin of ESPN has reported that Howard expressed "frustration" with Mike D'Antoni during his exit interview and all I can say is good for Dwight. Howard's free agency is a blessing in disguise Howard's free agency will hold the NBA hostage through the Summer. Despite the chance that he can leave the Lakers without any return, letting Howard decide what he wants to do is the best thing that can happen for both him and L.A. That's what an exit interview is for, right? To express what you think about the team's direction, what you would like to see changed, and the future. Howard is in line to be the leader of the Los Angeles Lakers -- should he accept that mission -- and the front office should, without pause, "pop" the question to him. "Will you marry this coach for the next two seasons?" The problem for the Lakers front office is clear. Through a season filled with injuries and a "mid-season early-season" swap of Mikes, the story is the Lakers played well after the All-Star break. They got back on track and looked better than they did to open the season, which wasn't a huge bar to clear. Howard's health improved dramatically. They finally had both Steves. Pau Gasol eventually crept back into the lineup and helped cap off their strong finish. Things were in working shape But how much better did they play? Take the win-loss increase away, look at the numbers, and there doesn't appear to be much of a difference. In fact, the uptick was not an empowered defense but a slightly-worse defense boosted by a mildly-better offense: By the numbers the largest leap is on offense where the Lakers averaged 2.1 points more every 100 possessions. The defense allowed .6 more points per 100 possessions, but who's counting, right? They played better. The remaining numbers look by and large the same. There are small percentage changes, but nothing that seems to correlate to the drastic shift in their results. So the Lakers won games. Post All-Star break the Lakers finished the season 20-8. Through the first 54 games they were only 25-29. They burst back into the playoffs after looking like they'd miss entirely. You remember those games though, right? The comebacks -- how Kobe Bryant hit an assortment of insane shots in multiple games to keep the Lakers floating, played nearly 48 minutes a game, and also had the help of the infamous New Orleans Hornets' botching of an inbound play along the way. Little things went the Lakers way in that second half. A few wins were considered miraculous finishes. But was there improvement on a team level? Without the overblown crutch that the Lakers played better after the All-Star break it's a fair question, and one that Howard has clearly considered if the report is accurate. The Lakers did this to themselves, though. Signing D'Antoni to a three-year guaranteed deal was giving a big window to a man with very little space to nurture giant expectations. The glass has officially shattered -- the shark outgrowing the small tank the Lakers needed to contain it in. Howard is 27 now, and if he does sign the five-year max with the Lakers he will be 32 by the time his contract expires. Beyond his prime as a big man who's defensive impact is based on his athleticism and quickness, and may or may not have developed a post move repertoire. Not a good spot for Howard to be once he reaches his next free agency period. If the Lakers weren't feeling pressure before, Howard has them by the jugular now. Not only will he consider other teams, but has also made his stance regarding D'Antoni clear. Take Howard out of the situation, though, and the Lakers still had to consider their coaching situation, right? The question becomes what's next for the Lakers. Multiple coaches are already lining up interviews, have already been inked to new deals, or appear to be off the market. Can the Lakers aff

Grantland's Bill Simmons has been putting out a plausible theory that could turn inevitably moribund 2013-2014 Los Angeles Lakers season into a renaissance year for the league's most blessed franchise. From the Sports Guy's article a couple weeks ago: Don't rule out Chris Paul becoming a Laker next year. Here's how they could pull it off: If they amnestied Kobe Bryant, then traded Pau Gasol to Houston for a dirt-cheap salary (say, Donatas Motiejunas), they'd suddenly be lopping close to $49 million off next year's cap, leaving them with commitments to Metta World Peace, Steve Nash, Steve Blake, Chris Duhon, Jordan Hill, and Gasol's cheap replacement for less than $30 million. That's more than enough to sign Chris Paul and re-sign Dwight Howard if they took a little less … which they might, since it's the Lakers and all. To clarify, LA is very much over the $58 million dollar salary cap threshold--around $40 million over it. The 2013-2014 roster amounts to roughly $78 million in commitments, which doesn't count a figure for Dwight Howard if he were to re-sign. Pulling off Simmons' theoretical scenario would involve clearing the cap room and then signing Chris Paul to a 4-year, $79 million dollar deal (the most he's eligible for a team that's not the Clippers) and Dwight to a 5-year, $118 million dollar deal. No easy feat. (For the uninitiated, the amnesty clause is a one-time provision every team has in order to waive one player and thus clearing his salary from their salary cap number. The player cut will still receive his payment in full, but the team will not have to pay any luxury tax on the contract, if they are indeed over the cap limit. Also, the team that waives the player cannot re-sign him for the entire duration of the original contract. For this case specifically, if the Lakers were to amnesty Kobe Bryant, they would not be able to re-sign at any point during the 2013-2014 season) As insanely cold-hearted as it may be, the Sports Guy might not be crazy. LA could completely rebuild in just one season, launching themselves back into championship contention after a mere three years in title-purgatory. Make no mistake: a Chris Paul/Dwight Howard core would, health permitting, be more than a match for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors and perhaps Finals-bound Memphis Grizzlies. If it were to happen, that is. Beyond all the complexities of essentially cutting Kobe Bryant (and don't be naïve: if Kobe Bryant were to get cut via the amnesty provision by the Lakers, do you think for one second that a disgruntled and disrespected Mamba would ever come back to the purple & gold, even after he was allowed to? He's still upset at the Phoenix Suns for beating a Kwame Brown and Smush Parker-led team 8 years ago. He would never get over this), there are too many technical difficulties to get this coup to happen. Let's go to the tape: 1) The clock is against them. The Lakers can ONLY use the amnesty provision between July 10th and July 17th 2013 If the Lakers are going to make such a franchise altering decision, they'll need to do it all in a two-week period. Every NBA team can talk to free agents starting on midnight on July 1st. Though teams cannot officially sign players, they can "agree to terms" before pen is put to paper. This is in no way legally binding, meaning that the player is not compelled under contract law to sign with the team, but 9 times out of 10 will end up inking a contract. On the 10th, teams can officially sign free agents. In regards to the amnesty provision, the Lakers can use it for a one-week window immediately following the 10-day negotiating period (called a moratorium) beginning in June. If not used in that time frame, they won't be able to use it going forward--the only players eligible for the amnesty cut are players that have been on the Lakers roster prior December 2011. In other words, the only players left this summer eligible to be waived by the provi

From Dave McMenamin, ESPN LA: The Los Angeles Lakers do not yet know Dwight Howard’s decision for next season, but the All-Star center made his feelings about Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni known before starting his offseason. Nearly three weeks have passed since Howard had his exit interview with the Lakers and there’s been barely a peep out of Howard since. While he hasn’t had anything to say to the press, Howard had a lot to say to Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak back before the relative silence, however. Howard was one of several Lakers – Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol being the most noteworthy — to have an extended separate meeting with the GM after his exit interview with both Kupchak and D’Antoni, multiple sources confirmed to ESPNLosAngeles.com. From Mark Heisler, Lakers Nation: Another one of those summers looms in Lakerdom.Rather than take the extra $30 million and jumping into the Lakers’ arms as a Hall of Fame wing of great centers had, Dwight Howard will check out other teams. It’s all preliminary. With Howard under contract through July 1, everything–visits, welcoming pageants, talks—is in the planning stage. In other words, this is the off-season’s preseason. Laker fans with enough brain cells left may remember that their last preseason didn’t go so well, what with all the injuries and the 0-8 record. Nor does the off-season’s preseason look like it will be much fun with Howard intent on touring the NBA. The likeliest outcome is still that he stays, after drawing it out as long as possible, raising hopes in as many cities as he can, and ultimately disappointing the maximum number of teams and fans possible. From Drew Garrison, Silver Screen & Roll: Good for Dwight Howard. Dave McMenamin of ESPN has reported that Howard expressed “frustration” with Mike D’Antoni during his exit interview and all I can say is good for Dwight. That’s what an exit interview is for, right? To express what you think about the team’s direction, what you would like to see changed, and the future. Howard is in line to be the leader of the Los Angeles Lakers – should he accept that mission — and the front office should, without pause, “pop” the question to him.”Will you marry this coach for the next two seasons?” The problem for the Lakers front office is clear. Through a season filled with injuries and a “mid-season early-season” swap of Mikes, the story is the Lakers played well after the All-Star break. They got back on track and looked better than they did to open the season, which wasn’t a huge bar to clear. Howard’s health improved dramatically. They finally had both Steves. Pau Gasol eventually crept back into the lineup and helped cap off their strong finish. Things were in working shape From Kurt Helin, Pro Basketball Talk: Kobe Bryant thinks this Lakers roster can work. Well, he at least thinks his chance at a much-coveted sixth ring is more likely if the Lakers bring back two of the top big men in the game, as opposed to having just one and restructuring the lineup to be closer to what Mike D’Antoni prefers. So Kobe took to twitter to say what he thinks the Lakers should do as they consider the future ofDwight Howard (a free agent, the Lakers will offer him a five-year max deal) and Pau Gasol. From Ramona Shelburne, ESPN: The clip runs frequently on Time Warner Cable SportsNet, the Lakers channel in Los Angeles — the day after the Lakers pulled off the megatrade that brought Dwight Howard to Los Angeles, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak walks Howard through the team’s training facility and points at all the retired jerseys on the wall. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Magic Johnson … the list goes on. In the foreground, you see some of the Lakers’ 16 championship trophies. Howard grins from ear to ear. Kupchak senses his excitement and turns to deli

Good for Dwight Howard. Dave McMenamin of ESPN has reported that Howard expressed "frustration" with Mike D'Antoni during his exit interview and all I can say is good for Dwight. Howard's free agency is a blessing in disguise Howard's free agency will hold the NBA hostage through the Summer. Despite the chance that he can leave the Lakers without any return, letting Howard decide what he wants to do is the best thing that can happen for both him and L.A. That's what an exit interview is for, right? To express what you think about the team's direction, what you would like to see changed, and the future. Howard is in line to be the leader of the Los Angeles Lakers -- should he accept that mission -- and the front office should, without pause, "pop" the question to him. "Will you marry this coach for the next two seasons?" The problem for the Lakers front office is clear. Through a season filled with injuries and a "mid-season early-season" swap of Mikes, the story is the Lakers played well after the All-Star break. They got back on track and looked better than they did to open the season, which wasn't a huge bar to clear. Howard's health improved dramatically. They finally had both Steves. Pau Gasol eventually crept back into the lineup and helped cap off their strong finish. Things were in working shape But how much better did they play? Take the win-loss increase away, look at the numbers, and there doesn't appear to be much of a difference. In fact, the uptick was not an empowered defense but a slightly-worse defense boosted by a mildly-better offense: By the numbers the largest leap is on offense where the Lakers averaged 2.1 points more every 100 possessions. The defense allowed .6 more points per 100 possessions, but who's counting, right? They played better. The remaining numbers look by and large the same. There are small percentage changes, but nothing that seems to correlate to the drastic shift in their results. So the Lakers won games. Post All-Star break the Lakers finished the season 20-8. Through the first 54 games they were only 25-29. They burst back into the playoffs after looking like they'd miss entirely. You remember those games though, right? The comebacks -- how Kobe Bryant hit an assortment of insane shots in multiple games to keep the Lakers floating, played nearly 48 minutes a game, and also had the help of the infamous New Orleans Hornets' botching of an inbound play along the way. Little things went the Lakers way in that second half. A few wins were considered miraculous finishes. But was there improvement on a team level? Without the overblown crutch that the Lakers played better after the All-Star break it's a fair question, and one that Howard has clearly considered if the report is accurate. The Lakers did this to themselves, though. Signing D'Antoni to a three-year guaranteed deal was giving a big window to a man with very little space to nurture giant expectations. The glass has officially shattered, the shark outgrowing the tank. Howard is 27 now, and if he does sign the five-year max with the Lakers he will be 32 by the time his contract expires. Beyond his prime as a big man who's defensive impact is based on his athleticism and quickness, and may or may not have developed a post move repertoire. Not a good spot for Howard to be once he reaches his next free agency period. If the Lakers weren't feeling pressure before, Howard has them by the jugular now. Not only will he consider other teams, but has also made his stance regarding D'Antoni clear. Take Howard out of the situation, though, and the Lakers had to seriously consider their coaching situation, right? The question becomes what's next for the Lakers. Multiple coaches are already lining up interviews, have already been inked to new deals, or appear to be off the market. Can the Lakers afford to wait much longer as the candidate pool shrinks? More importantly, can the Lakers afford to make their five-year pitch

Is Dwight Howard frustrated playing with the Los Angeles Lakers because Mike D'Antoni is the head coach? Dave McMenamin of ESPN reports that Howard discussed his "frustration with D'Antoni" during his exit interview with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak: Howard's free agency is a blessing in disguise Howard's free agency will hold the NBA hostage through the Summer. Despite the chance that he can leave the Lakers without any return, letting Howard decide what he wants to do is the best thing that can happen for both him and L.A. According to sources with knowledge of the situation, part of the discussion between Howard and Kupchak centered around Howard's frustration with D'Antoni -- particularly how the center felt marginalized as the coach looked to Bryant and Steve Nash for leadership and suggestions and discounted Howard's voice. D'Antoni is signed with the Lakers for two more years for $8 miilion. The Lakers have not added any coaches to their staff despite losing a handful of assistants since they were eliminated in the playoffs. If the report is accurate, you can see the leverage Howard has applied to the organization from the middle of the Pacific ocean. While he did not give the front office an ultimatum, he made it clear where he specifically wants change. In the Lakers favor is that his free agency does not begin until July 1, giving them time to sort through the situation. Teams across the league have already begun interviewing, and signing, coaches while the Lakers have not indicated they will be firing D'Antoni, however. The Lakers did financially benefit from the Cleveland Cavaliers signing Mike Brown, who was still being paid by L.A. after being fired. Will they consider cutting D'Antoni loose as they prepare to make their pitch to Howard this Summer? With news that Howard is "intrigued" by both the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks, and expectations that the Atlanta Hawks will make a run at the big man, the Lakers will have competition for Howard during free agency. - Drew - Follow this author on Twitter @DrewGarrisonSBN

Jim Buss is the owner and the man in charge of the Los Angeles Lakers. Mitch Kupchek, as general manager, is the one whose job it is to make roster moves and develop the team for the future. But Kobe Bryant may be the most influential man on the Lakers. Already we’ve seen Kobe Bryant sub himself into games and run the offense with more say than head coach Mike D’Antoni at many times. Other times, it doesn’t seem that Bryant has the say in big decisions that it seems like he does. Last fall, it was all-but-decided that Phil Jackson would succeed Mike Brown as the Lakers coach–a move publicly supported and requested by Kobe Bryant–but as you know that wasn’t the case and D’Antoni was hired. Monday evening, Kobe tweeted this: Interesting off season looming.. Will spend time with d12 #stay and talk with the Buss family in hopes that Pau stays as well #my2cents — Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) May 21, 2013 He points out his plans to discuss the future with Dwight Howard and ask the Buss’s that Gasol stays as well. Bryant was just reinforcing his position on this issue. He’s mentioned his hope to keep the two big men before. It’s nice to know that nothing has changed though. Many seem to think that this tweet improves the Lakers chances of retaining these players, as Kobe typically gets what he wants. It really brings up an interesting question… Who do YOU think is the most influential person in the Lakers organization? Share your thoughts in the COMMENTS section below. To fulfill all your Laker fan needs, don’t forget to LIKE our Lake Show Life Facebook page. Also, you can FOLLOW the website or the author of this article on Twitter.

May 18, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forwards Paul George (24) and David West (21) high five each other as they defeat the New York Knicks in game six of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats New York 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports It’s been 17 years in the making, but I finally made it to my first playoff game. No, it was not a Lakers game, sadly. If the Lakers had played in Detroit or Indiana, you could have counted on me being at one game, at the least. Maybe if I lived in California, I would have gone to one of their playoff games, but I haven’t lived in California for six years. So, here I am in Michigan, about three hours away from Chicago, Detroit and Indianapolis. I’m not complaining, though. I had an awesome time. I arrived at Banker Life Fieldhouse an hour early so I could watch some shoot-around. I was able to stand court side and watch the likes of Raymond Felton, Iman Shumpert, Steve Novak, Lance Stephenson, and David West. I took quite a few pictures that you can see on Twitter (@Caleb_Cottrell) as well. My seats weren’t fantastic — they were up in the nosebleed area. Even though they weren’t great seats, they were cheap and I could see everything just fine. I would sit in that exact spot every game if I could. I was at an NBA playoff game, that’s all I can ask for. A lot of people tend to say that college games have a better atmosphere than NBA games — that was not the case on Saturday night. Bankers Life Fieldhouse was absolutely rocking throughout the night, especially in the fourth quarter. But, we’ll get into that a little later. Being able to watch Carmelo Anthony play in person is quite a site. In the first quarter, I could have sworn he was having a bad shooting quarter, but when I looked at the stats, he was 3 of 5 from the field (5 for 8 in the quarter). I also saw him get an assist! Those seem to be pretty rare these days. I also got to witness the Lance Stephenson takeover, which was pretty exciting. The third quarter was a blast. Iman Shumpert got HOT. At one point in the quarter he hit back-to-back-to-back threes. Right after Shumpert hit his, JR Smith came down and hit a three to make it four in a row; the Knicks were right back in the game after being down by double digits earlier in the quarter. Melo went on to shoot five of six from the field in the quarter to go along with Shumpert’s five of seven (four of four from three). The game was tied at 81 after three. This was exactly what I was hoping for. The fourth quarter of a close-out game: Where excitement happens. A tied game going into the fourth quarter of a knockout game — what else could I ask for? Okay, I could ask for Michael Jordan to walk through the door and suit up, but that’s not realistic. The arena was one of the loudest places I have ever been to; I couldn’t hear my dad talking to me even when he was talking into my ear. With five minutes left and down by two, the Pacers went on a 9-0 run that put them up 99-92. Who was behind the run? None other then Lance “Born Ready” Stephenson. He had seven of the Pacers nine points. The rest is history. All the Pacers had to do was hit some free throws to win the game — and that’s exactly what they did. With about 20 seconds left, the chants started to break out. One of them happened to be “Beat the Heat”. I heard this chant at least three times as I was leaving the arena that night. It was amazing to see how much support a “small market” team got from their fans. I hope this is one of many playoff games I attend in my lifetime because I had an amazing time. As a matter of fact, I just found out today I will be going to the Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers game on Sunday. I already know that game will as a good, if not better, if only for the fact that I get to watch the one and only

To be completely honest, I can’t find the strength to get worked up over any report regarding what Dwight Howard will or won’t do when it comes to his impending free agency. I just can’t do it. We’re still only in the middle of May and free agency doesn’t begin until July 1st…there’s simply too much time left in the process to get worked up over this stuff. That said, the very well regarded Ken Berger of CBS Sports is reporting that Dwight Howard will explore his options in free agency and that teams like the Rockets and Mavericks “intrigue” him. These are teams with good players, cap space, and other desirable traits that should intrigue Dwight. I can’t blame him, I’d be intrigued too. Again, though, I can’t get too caught up in this stuff. Not only is it early, but this is Dwight’s call to make and he can do so on his timeline. He’s earned that right. So, rather than focus on where Dwight may (or may not) go, let’s look at a different aspect of Berger’s report. One interesting thing he mentioned was the point about compensation and Dwight’s next contract. Here’s the relevant passage: The clear advantage for the Lakers in their effort to re-sign Howard is the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, which allows LA to give Howard a five-year deal with annual increases based on 7.5 percent of his first-year salary in a new deal — which will be in excess of $20 million. Another team with cap room to sign Howard could only give him a four-year deal with 4.5 percent annual increases — the same arrangement Howard would be limited to if he agreed to leave via a sign-and-trade. But Howard is only 27, and barring a career-ending injury, he’ll clearly get one more max deal after this one. A four-year deal with an opt-out after three years, for example, would in some ways be preferable to Howard because he’d hit the open market again at age 30 and could then secure his five-year max deal. The mechanics that Berger mentions are 100% spot on. The Lakers can offer a longer and richer contract. The annual raises would be larger and that 5th year in the contract the Lakers offer would be around $30 million dollars. That’s nothing to sneeze at. However, Berger is also correct in stating that Dwight Howard is in his prime. In 4 seasons, barring any serious injuries, he will still be in his prime (though maybe nearing the tail end of it) and should still command a max salary. So, as Berger implies, if Dwight were to leave the Lakers he’d likely recoup that lost 5th year represented in the Lakers’ deal he turned down in the 1st year of his next contract (whether that’s with the same team he signs with or another when he tests free agency again). I don’t really disagree with what Berger is saying here at all. If Dwight is performing up to his normal standard, he’s a max player and someone will likely pay him as such. However, my question is: should they? The new CBA is only two regular seasons old but it’s already showing us the influence it has on team’s mindsets about roster construction. The penalties against tax paying teams are real and maneuverability under the cap via flexibility in the contracts teams have on their books is looking more important than ever. We’ve already seen the Thunder trade their 3rd best player (and a legitimate star) with an eye on the future payroll implications. The Miami Heat may only have one more full season together before the prospect of being a repeater tax team chokes out their ability to field a roster with 3 max players. You can also zoom in and examine the circumstances the Lakers are facing this summer as a tax paying team. They can’t accept players in sign and trade deals. They can’t spend the full mid-level exception to acquire free agents. The bi-annual exception isn’t available to them either. Instead

Let’s be honest for a few moments: the Lakers were a failure last year. They had immense expectations, and none of them were as putrid as an 7th seed captured on the last day of the regular season, followed quickly by an uninspired sweep in the first round. Blame injuries, blame chemistry problems, blame the coach, but the Lakers failed. If this was any other season, this would, and maybe should, lead to a cleaning out of the house. The Lakers would rebuild and reload for the future. But this season was certainly an anomaly: injuries led to 171 games missed to injury, with 81 of those coming from the starters. To put that into comparison, the Spurs had a total of 86 games missed, with 50 of those from the starters. Sorry Timbewolves, but no one was unluckier with injuries than the Lakers. To put all this into context, the “Dream Team” lineup of Nash-Bryant-Metta-Pau-Dwight played just 189.2 minutes this season, which is the equivalent of 4 games. The Thunder’s starting lineup played 1306 minutes and the Pacers with 1218 minutes. Hell, the Lakers had lineups with Darius Morris and Earl Clark that played together more than the original starting five. Jan 27, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (12), shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24), point guard Steve Nash (10), small forward Metta World Peace (15) and power forward Pau Gasol (16) during a stoppage in play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports So what does all this mean? Well, as the Lakers said themselves, plan A this off-season appears to be keeping this team together. Without a doubt, this team did not get a fair shake at showing what they are capable of. Whether you believe in this starting five or not, the argument that they deserve another chance has a strong case. In their limited time together, the starting five, who were never 100% healthy when together, were one of the Lakers top lineups. However, all of this hinges on the fact that Dwight Howard returns, and this is far from a guarantee. Most experts and writers believe the Lakers are the leader in the clubhouse, but Howard has shown that loyalty means very little to him. While there is arguably no situation better for his future than the Lakers, resigning with them is far from a sure thing. But what happens if the Dwight spurns the Lakers for the Rockets or Mavs? Where do the Lakers go from there? Do they continue without Dwight or blow the team up? Do they give up on the idea of a Super Team after one season much like the Gary Payton-Karl Malone days, or do they try to salvage with what’s left. Or what if Lakers management changes their mind about plan A and decide they want to look into blowing the team up. Let’s take a look at some of the options the Lakers will have in this off-season. Player/Team Options Firth things first, the Lakers are over the cap limit, which will be roughly $70.3 million. Including a player option with MWP and a team option with Jodie Meeks, the Lakers sit at $78.1 million. If the Lakers turn down Meeks’ $1.5 million option, that brings them closer to the limit. I do, however, think they’ll bring back Jodie Meeks as he provided a solid spark off the bench and has a very affordable contract. There’s some hope that the Lakers may be able to turn down MWP’s $7.2 million option and sign him for less, which is something he said he’d be comfortable with. As is, I can’t see a way the Lakers’ keep MWP at over seven million this year and we. If he does accept his option, the likelihood of amnestying him becomes very real. Final say: MWP comes back on a 2 year, $6 million deal. Meeks’ option is picked up. Cap Number: $73, 459, 350 Amnesty Clause The amnesty clause was created following the lockout to help rid previous idiot owners of their stupid contracts. The catch was that