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After yet another road loss that saw the Lakers fall to 6-14 away from Staples Center, Andrew Bynum was asked if the Lakers problems are fixable?

If we can be real with each other. Yeah.” Bynum said.

Alright Bynum, lets keep it real.

Kobe Bryant finished the night 9 for 31 from the field (29%).

Bynum shot the ball just eight times, one less attempt than the amount of shots Bryant had from the three-point line.

Bynum made six of his eight field goals (75%).

As someone who has watched the majority of Kobe Bryant’s games over his 14-year NBA career, that may have been the worst 2nd half I have ever seen him play.

He was 3 for 18 in the 2nd half (17%). Many of his shots were forced; he rarely (if ever) looked to pass.

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Bynum would seal his defender and have excellent post-position down low. Kobe would pull up from 20 feet with a hand in his face.

We have seen this movie before.

Back on January 1st, Kobe wasn’t having that great of a game, but that did not stop him from shooting.

He was 6 for 28 in that game (21%).

In that game Gasol and Bynum were dominating down low. The duo combined 15 for 27 from the field (56%), for 38 points. and 27 rebounds.

The Lakers lost that game, 99-90. Much like Wednesday’s loss in D.C., where the Lakers lost 101-106 after being up by 21 points earlier in the game.

You can point to turnovers, lack of bench production and bad coaching. However, if Kobe is going to be praised as a champion and MVP candidate, he needs to be criticized when he pulls what he did against the Wizards.

Bryant needs to learn not only to trust his teammates, but simply the law of averages.

No matter how good Bryant is, a lay-up is a higher percentage shot than any jump shot or fade away he decides to throw up.

That’s not to say he needs to come down every possession, throw it inside, and stand there and watch, but is it too much to ask for one of the best players of all time to pick and choose his spots?

What separates the good quarterbacks from the great quarterbacks in the NFL is the ability to adjust. If a slot receiver is lined up on a linebacker, you take advantage of that match-up. What if the defense is showing blitz and there are eight defenders in the box? Hard play action fake, and a quick pass to the Tight End.

Bryant needs to focus on taking advantage of match-ups, and if he doesn’t, Mike Brown needs to man up and remind him.

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Kobe, you’re not feeling it tonight, Bynum is making everything he is throwing up. Lets work the ball inside the next 3 or 4 possessions and see what it does for us.

All the above being said, after the aforementioned Nuggets game back on New Years, Bryant went on to score 37, 30, 39, 26, 48, 40, 42 and 42 in his next 8 games. During that stretch he shot 98/196 from the field (50%).

Conclusion?

Every once and a while your guard dog will bite you if you look like a stranger and try to hop your fence late at night. Now if you don’t want your dog to do that, then don’t expect it to bite the dude that hops the fence to come steal your 50 inch LCD.

Get it?

Yes, Bryant played poorly. He did not trust his teammates, and he shot his team out of the game against Washington. Let’s all acknowledge that and shame him for a poor performance.

Does that mean we are now betting against him the next eight games?

You’re joking, right?

Dwight Howard wants out of Orlando; that’s pretty obvious.

He’s probably not conscious of it but quotes from Howard over the last year or so can allow us to safely assume what teams he would allow a trade to.

Howard was asked whether he sees himself playing in a much larger market back in October.

“There’s more you can do in a bigger place,” Howard answered, according to Esquire.

So let’s assume he wants to go to a big market and to a franchise that is in a position to win an NBA championship.

Those two “demands” take a lot of the 30 NBA teams out of the running for Howard’s services.

The top three markets are, of course, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. So let’s put the Knicks, Lakers, Clippers, Nets, and Bulls in contention.

Chicago is interesting as they could potentially package Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson and first round draft picks for Howard. In regards to the Clippers, it’s simple. If Howard is coming to LA, it is not to play for the Lakers’ little brother.

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You could throw Miami and Boston in. However, those two teams have no trade pieces unless Miami wants to break up James, Wade and Bosh after one season.

Orlando won’t want any of the aging three up in Boston. Rondo could be packaged, but it’s hard for me to believe Howard would want to go to the Celtics when their championship window is closing rapidly.

Dallas, although they won the championship, doesn’t have many pieces to trade either. The Mavs won’t give up Dirk who was surrounded by a bunch of above average veterans last year in Kidd, Terry, Chandler, etc.

The New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets are a viable candidate. Rumors had Brook Lopez and two first round picks being offered for the services of Howard.

However, that rumor was quickly shot down by Nets general manager Billy King, who said he hasn’t talked to the Magic about a trade since February.

Even if the trade went through, can Howard and Deron Williams win a championship together? Does that give Howard the best opportunity to win?

I think not.

In my opinion, this really comes down to two teams.

The New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers and the Knicks are two of the rare teams that have the ability to trade a star or stars for Orlando’s superstar.

The Knicks can offer Amare Stoudamire and fillers to be able to pair up Melo with Howard, a traditional big man that controls the paint rather then a big man that plays the wing.

The Magic got nothing in return for Shaq in 1996 and they know they have to get someone notable in return this time around. A player like Stoudemire would still be a piece to build around and get people in the seats at Amway arena.

Finally, the Lakers.

It seems the best bet for Orlando would be to get a young center they can possibly build around in Andrew Bynum, and a 6^th man of the year and all-star caliber player in Lamar Odom.

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Don’t forget what Howard said on All-Star Weekend when he was asked by a reporter who the one player he would like to play with is.

 Number 24, Kobe Bryant,” Howard said without hesitation.

Howard has the personality for Hollywood and can be a main attraction for the Lakers after Kobe decides to hang it up.

There are a couple reasons why this would benefit the Lakers.

1.) Kobe is in the latter part of his career and the Lakers need to start looking at the future. Howard is someone you can build around in the following years and give more offensive control to, as Kobe gets older.

2.) Andrew Bynum is a mess. He has had multiple knee and foot injuries and cannot stay on the floor. If Orlando actually thinks he can turn his career around and help them in the future, then more power to them.

I think you must get something for Bynum now. He is one more injury away from being completely worthless and un-tradable. The 24 year old has missed 47% of his regular season games in the last four years.

The negative?

This would put the Lakers in a very tough financial situation where they would have to pay a lot of luxury tax over the next few years with Gasol, Bryant, and Howard under contract.

But who cares?

The Lakers will be making $150 million per year on their television contract with Time Warner alone. Factor in tickets, jersey sales, and concessions, and the Busses have enough money to pay the steep luxury tax recently put in with the new CBA agreement.

Or they can play it safe and work towards staying under the cap.

But when have the Lakers ever played it safe?

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Heisler points out that the NBA did not get a full ban on sign-and-trades. With that being said it gives the Lakers room to work with their fortune and still sign big time Free Agents.

When the NBA couldn’t get a full ban on sign-and-trades, it left his Lakers in position to pull off a coup they’re dreaming of, which would make signing LeBron James pale by comparison.

If Dwight Howard and Chris Paul wind up on the market — a safe assumption as far as I’m concerned — the Lakers could offer Andrew Bynum for Dwight and Pau Gasol for CP3, or vice versa.

Nothing says that they will be enough to land either player, but it should put the Lakers in the running for both.

(Oh, and Dwight likes the Lakers. Asked which All-Star he would most like to play with last season, he answered “Kobe Bryant.”)

It would seem that landing both guys would be a pipe dream. One or the other may be more realistic.

Would you rather have Dwight Howard or Chris Paul? More importantly who are you willing to give up to attain one or the other?

Comment below!

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David Brickley breaks down what happened early Saturday morning as the Owners and Players have reached a tenative deal to end the Lockout and start the NBA Season on December 25th

Rundown

• NBA & Players End NBA Lockout
• AUDIO: David Stern, Derek Fisher
• What to look forward to for Lakers season

Download Link: Voice of the Nation – NBA Lockout Ends

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