Magic Johnson And Twittersphere Pile On Dwight Howard’s Bad Back

The dichotomy of Dwight Howard exiting to silence, while Kobe Bryant hobbled out of the tunnel to a rousing standing ovation was jarring enough. While Bryant had one of his best offensive seasons, Howard was roundly criticized for his inability to carry the Lakers offensively against San Antonio. After the Lakers elimination, the Twittersphere and Magic Johnson were merciless.

In addition to the trending hashtag #DwightHowardIsMoreUselessThan, it only took a few tweets from Johnson to gauge the pulse of Lakers Nation.

Much like Jennifer Hudson, Howard's bandwagon is lighter than ever. It’s in stark contrast to the fervor surrounding him when he was traded to Los Angeles, last August.

Howard’s market value may still earn him a max contract, but he’s fortunate Johnson owns the franchise that plays in Dodger Stadium instead of the purple and gold Staples Center organization.

Howard didn’t measure up to some lofty standards. Magic knows what it’s like to play with a Hall of Fame big man in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Howard averaged his fewest points per game since his second season, finished 14th in Defensive Player of the Year voting and his offensive repertoire remains at an elementary level.

In July, Howard will have to decide whether an extra guaranteed $30 million dollars is worth being the black sheep of the Lakers legacy big man heritage. He’s a player that thrives on the floor when he’s happiest off of it and he’s had a miserable audition with the Lakers. Most likely, he'll choose money over love, but he is facing an uphill battle to regain the love of Laker fans.

Johnson was never a fan of the Mike D'Antoni hiring and allegedly, Howard wasn't either. D'Antoni is the godfather of the current smallball epidemic that has swept the league and Howard is the prototypical center. Johnson saved one last barb for D'Antoni.

There is one offensive dynamo on a West Coast franchise that Johnson is fond of.

You'd be remiss not to acknowledge that Curry will be a free agent in 2017, when the Lakers expect to have a gaping hole to fill at guard.

 

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