Ranking potential backup big men candidates for the Lakers

2. Dwight Howard

Stop me if you’ve seen this before. Last time, in 2012-13, it resulted in a wildly disappointing one-year stint where the Lakers were swept in the first round of the playoffs. They haven’t been back since.

Injuries obviously played a role, but Dwight Howard’s first tenure in L.A. basically ended Kobe Bryant’s (and the Lakers’) time in the NBA as a legitimate contender. Perhaps this would be history repeating itself, but then again, maybe the best way to end the Curse of the Dwightmare is to make amends.

Pros:

• D-12 would legitimately help on the boards as one of the league’s all-time great rebounders. Until last year’s nine-game season with the Washington Wizards, he had never averaged less than 10 rebounds per game in 14 NBA seasons.
• He’s a future Hall-of-Famer who never garners the proper respect as an eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA selection and three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner. That kind of experience could be invaluable if fostered correctly on a championship-caliber team led by someone like LeBron James.
• In his last healthy season, he averaged 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game while logging 53 double-doubles. That’s not nothing.
• Expectations would be different this time around. Last time he came to L.A., he was supposed to give Kobe his last shot at winning titles. This time, he’d be shoring up the frontcourt in a reduced role where he could thrive as an overqualified backup.
• Someone should give Howard another shot. He’s still a legitimate NBA player, locker room concerns aside.
• The Memphis Grizzlies don’t want him, so a buyout of his $5.6 million contract and ensuing cheap signing is viable if the Lakers want him.

Cons:

• Haven’t we seen this crash and burn before, only with a better and younger version of Howard?
• Locker room chemistry.
• Does Dwight still think he’s an NBA starter? Because putting AD at the 5 or starting McGee are superior options until Howard really proves himself.
• There’s probably a reason he’s been rostered by five different teams in the last four seasons. That reason is locker room chemistry.
• Howard’s lost a step defensively, making him a liability on perimeter switches and diminishing his impact as an interior shot-blocker. In short, his days as a DPOY candidate are well behind him.
• He’s a liability at the free throw line as a career 56.7 percent shooter from the stripe.
• The Lakers fanbase literally hates him.
• He played in nine games last season due to spinal surgery to relieve pain in his glutes, as well as a hamstring injury. He’s been mostly available throughout his career, but at age 33 and with dwindling athleticism, last season’s injury troubles are concerning.
• Those dank farts can’t be good for locker room chemistry. And I’m not saying he definitely tore his glutes by letting one rip, but I’m not not saying it….
• If LeBron takes another page out of Kobe’s leadership book in 2019-20, Dwight may just curl up in a ball in the Staples Center locker room until he’s trade-eligible in December.
• Did we mention locker room chemistry?