Sam Kaplan

Staff Writer

After failing to land Dwight Howard for the team this past summer, the Los Angeles Lakers now need him more than ever. The Lakers’ head coach, Mike Brown, stressed the importance of involving the big guys, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, as much as possible this season.

As the season is almost half over and heading towards the all-star break, the Lakers have shown very little to prove that they can get back to their championship ways. The only bright spot has been superstar Kobe Bryant, who has been playing out of this world, averaging nearly 30 points a game. The lack of a decent point guard, three-point shooters and a solid bench has really hurt the Lakers. Gasol and Bynum have shown some flashes of greatness but ultimately fans are starting to write them off.

Milken students feel that Howard would not only change the identity of this current Lakers squad, but put them back in championship contention.

“I think Dwight Howard would give them a dominating force that they haven’t had since Shaq. But I think if you trade both Gasol and Bynum, the Lakers would have no reserves to make up for the loss of them both,” Yoni Steinschriber ’12 said.

“I love the idea of Dwight Howard being on the Lakers,” Skyler Gisondo ’14 said. “I would rather just trade Bynum for Dwight, but if the Magic wanted both I would not do the deal. However, if we got a younger and quicker point guard along in return, then it would be worth it.”

With the Lakers struggling to keep on pace with the high-flying Los Angeles Clippers, it will be interesting to see if general manager Mitch Kupchak and owner Jerry Buss can come around and make some moves. As Milken students and Lakers fans worldwide are becoming frustrated with their current team, the 16-time NBA champions continue to play like a team destined for another early playoff exit.