Jack Kent Cooke stiffed Wilt Chamberlain on his new contract after 2 straight Finals years, including 1 championship. So Wilt jumped to the ABA San Diego Conquistadores as player-coach. Laker fans have forgotten, but I haven't.
I don't think it's a case of Laker fans forgetting, as much as most Laker fans didn't know that happened, or that Wilt even played on the Lakers. Or who Jack Kent Cooke was for that matter.
I think it's more than never knowing. I think even the graybeards who followed the team in 1973 fall for the dogma that no big star had ever dumped the Lakers till Howard. They have been so indoctrinated over the years that they forgot. So they fail to pass on that bit of history to the young, who thus never know. It's forgetting for the old, not never knowing, due to Official Laker History erasing unpleasant thoughts.
Repped. I think that Howard wants superstar attention but doesn't deliver like a superstar. Even the real aholes (Exhibit a: kobe bryant) delivered in the clutch.
I think we were so spoiled by star centers in the 80's and 90's that someone like Dwight just doesn't live up to the standard. Hakeem Shaq David Robinson Ewing I'm sure I'm forgetting a few just off the top of my head, but Dwight looks like a giant bowl of steaming shit compared to those guys.
True, but by then Chamberlain was at the end of his career. And he didn't even play for the Conquistadores. After one season of coaching, he retired. Dwight Howard is going to be the first super-star to leave the Lakers and then haunt them for a few years as a player, maybe even winning an NBA title with another team.
Yes, D-Ho is a D-Douche. Yet, I hope Howard knocks the Lakers out of the playoffs. How sweet would that be?
In order to have your number retired, don't you have to BE retired???? Has any active NBA player ever had their number retired? Seems a bit premature for Dwight to talk about having his number retired while he's still an active player. BNM
As sweet as it would be to have Portland make the playoffs and not the Lakers. Dwight used to be a pretty chill dude. I just don't think he has the maturity to deal with scrutiny. He was great as long as everyone loved him.
I am glad Orlando has moved on from the Dwightmare. I would not have had a problem with #7 being worn either. Has BRoy been around Portland since coming to the game on Crawford's b Day?
Yeah I definitely have enjoyed a superstar turning his back to the Lakers. Hoping this is the beginning of terrible decade of piss and gold teams. The Knicks have shown that just spending a ton of money and being in the biggest market doesn't guarantee anything.
Wilt was 37 at that time, a graybeard in his own right. He scored less than 15 PPG two straight seasons and hadn't scored 30+ for 8 seasons. He made up for it with his excellent free throw shooting. He used to be a really big star.
Shaq went to the Heat and won a championship. That's what you call a former player haunting the L*kers.
Somehow I feel that won't happen with D-Ho. That team is winning a championship if Harden can will it, not the other way around. Now if this was 2009 Dwight were talking about, it might be a different subject altogether. Nevertheless, the league was not as strong then as it is now (no D-Rose dominance, LeBron in Cleveland, Indy weak, NYK weak, KD not quite beasting at his best yet, etc etc).
Howard was a much better player than Hardaway, and although he gets a bad rap, he plays a ton of games each year, and plays in pain.
Yes, but just barely. The Heat retired number 23 in Jordan's number on April 11, 2003, 5 days before he played his last NBA game and retired for the third time. It was his last game in Miami, and he'd already announced he was retiring after the regular season was over. Pat Riley wanted to honor Jordan for his contributions to the game. So, they raised a half Chicago/half Washingtonth number 23 jersey to the rafters in Jordan's honor. Of course, Jordan never played for the Heat. It was also the first number the Heat retired. Since the Blazers are the most generous team in all of sports, when it comes to retiring numbers, maybe we should retire #12 in Dwight's honor. That way, if things don't work out in Houston, Portland would be his first choice of where to go to next. With his great shot blocking and rebounding, he'd be the perfect mentor for Meyers Leonard. BNN