Dwight Howard is not interested in discussing his long-term plans with the Los Angeles Lakers with the media. "I'm not going to get into that stuff," Howard said Friday when asked. "I'm happy that I'm here. This year is very important, and I'm looking forward to doing some great things here." Howard can sign a five-year, $117.9 million contract with the Lakers this offseason, as opposed to a four-year, $87.6 million deal with a rival team. "Our feeling is that if he's with us for a year, then our chances are as good as any chances to have him return," Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. "That's been our take all along — just get him to Los Angeles in front of our fans and play with the guys that we have on this team and then this summer we'll see where it ends up." Howard will base a large part of his decision on how the Lakers play this season, according to people close to him. Read more: http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakers-20121020,0,2884816.story?track=rss
