With Howard set to meet with the Mavericks and Lakers later today, I wouldn’t be shocked if we didn’t get an announcement by day’s end.
To begin, if you haven’t already, be sure to check out Slim Thug’s pitch to Dwight Howard. It’s a brilliant dissertation on comparative cost of living and housing prices. To quote Deadspin, truly Slim’s best work since his cameo in “Check on it.”
There had already been preliminary talks between Dwight Howard and Time Warner on a show if he returned to the Lakers.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) July 1, 2013
Besides Kobe, Nash, Kupchak and Jim Buss, reps from Time Warner will also be in the meeting with Howard Tuesday.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2013
The lawyer in me immediately sees red flags painted all over this situation. Shelburne’s follow-up tweets intimate that the league has given consent to TWC’s presence at the meeting and that no compensation would be offered. I personally don’t see how this isn’t bordering on outright circumvention of the CBA, but what the hell do I know?
Overall, at the time of writing, my mood is one of skepticism. The Lakers are putting on a full-court press in catering to Howard’s greatest vulnerabilities from emotional appeals to his desires for the glitz and glamour of the big city. And as I wrote earlier, I do not think the magnitude can be understated of the impact of the Lakers pitching last. While some saw it as a good sign, I think Houston was in the most disadvantaged position of all of the suitors by going first. If I had to guess, I’d predict that we’ll hear by tomorrow that he’s staying in L.A. We’ll know what Dwight Howard’s priorities are soon enough.
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