Former Los Angeles Laker Shaquille O"Neal already took the time to admit his disappointment in Dwight Howard for signing with the Houston Rockets and now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is taking a reserved stab at the center for leaving. The NBA great took to his Facebook page to express his displeasure in Howard and confidence in the Lakers' future.
"Dwight Howard is a perfect example of the fact that "potential has a shelf life." Lakers fans should be patient and allow Mitch & company to prepare themselves to do some serious work in the free agent market."
Kareem's approach is slightly different than O'Neal's when the now NBA analyst said on national television that he knew good and well Howard was leaving and did not believe he was even in the top 2 of best centers playing in the league. Kareem references the run on big-named free agents come the summer of 2014. When players like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony will be available.
The Lakers will have almost every contract off the books except for Steve Nash. Kobe Bryant's $30.4 million salary and Pau Gasol's $19.3 million salary will all be gone. This will leave the team with plenty of money to sign players like James, Anthony, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh or Danny Granger. Bryant will likely re-sign but for slightly less money and the addition of possibly two other superstars could bring the Lakers back once again.
Bryant is planning on sticking around. He previously promised Lakers' fans that he could easily play three more years after he recovers from his torn Achilles. With the large market in Los Angeles and the overall prestige of the Lakers' organization, the team should have no problem recruiting a few players to join in. The issue will be whether these big named players are willing to be sidekicks to Bryant in his final playing years. He is certainly not going to take a backseat and let others get the spotlight, helping define the franchise he has been a part of for 17 years.
Kareem is well aware that the Lakers will bounce back better than ever. Despite the hole left by Howard, the team has a lot of potential. It might not appear that way in the upcoming season, but 2014 is looking brighter than ever.