Jill Painter on the Lakers: Dwight Howard should do more than walk off the court


The last image you should see of Dwight Howard in a Lakers uniform is the one where he's walking off the Staples Center court with his head down after he was ejected via a second technical foul.

The Lakers should let Howard walk in the offseason.

Sure, there aren't that many 7-footers who average double-doubles and have so much potential.

But Howard can't lead the Lakers, and he proved that in these playoffs, all four games in which the San Antonio Spurs swept the Lakers.

He can't play well with Kobe Bryant. He can't play well without Kobe Bryant.

He attended a boxing match the night before the Lakers' first playoff game in San Antonio.

He can't shoot free throws.

But he sure can giggle a lot before games.

Here's a cheer for him:


Minutes after Howard made his way to the locker room, Bryant hobbled out to the Lakers' bench during the third quarter and received a standing ovation for about a minute. It was the only thing Lakers fans had to cheer all day.

Presumably, when Howard entered the locker room, Bryant was too irritated to be in the same ZIP code and left for the court.

Bryant didn't want to leave the court when he had a torn Achilles tendon.

Howard couldn't stay on the court because of his immaturity.

Howard did nothing to impress in the playoffs, and his season ended with seven points, eight rebounds, five turnovers, a tackle on Tony Parker and six missed free throws in nine attempts.

What about Howard says the Lakers should invest another penny in him?

If the Lakers were to re-sign Howard, and everything the Lakers have said indicates they want to, he would receive $117.8 million over five years. If he signs with any other team, he will get a four-year deal worth $87.6 million.

Asked if what happened Sunday would change the Lakers' position on Howard, D'Antoni said: "Nooooooooooooooooo," with a laugh in there.

Maybe Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak feels differently after Howard's antics, especially the words directed at him. Howard and Kupchak had an exchange while Howard was on his way off the court. Conveniently, Howard doesn't remember what he said to him.

Kupchak should remember that Howard left the Lakers in a lurch.

Howard was whistled for an offensive foul 68 seconds into the third quarter. He was whistled for a technical foul - his second of the game - for arguing with an officials with 9:51 left in the third quarter.

Instead of biting his tongue, he blabbed his way out of the game.

"It's over with now," Howard said. "I've got to do a better job trying to keep my cool. It's very tough out there playing. It's an emotional game. You don't want to lose. Sometimes when things don't go your way you react the wrong way. I just gotta keep my cool."

He wasn't around for every painstaking turnover and missed shot by the Lakers, or every jumper by Parker or all those early exits by fans.

Howard was just like those fans. He couldn't take any more.

And neither should the Lakers.

And remember, Howard might not re-sign with the Lakers anyway. He called this season a "nightmare" and might not want to relive it.

"You never want to see a guy get ejected," Lakers guard Andrew Goudelock said. "He felt a certain way, and he voiced his opinion. I didn't want to see him go, he's such a dominant force. Sometimes, guys lose their cool.

"I'm pretty sure he's kicking himself. In future playoff games, I'm sure he won't do that again. It's a learning experience for him."

Even the guy who has been playing in the NBA Development League all season and just got thrust into the spotlight knows that.

It doesn't matter the Lakers already were down 52-34 and were going to get swept by the Spurs with or without Howard on the court.

He needed to be there for his teammates.

"I wish he didn't get ejected so we would've had him on the floor and he would've stuck all the way through with the team, but things happen," Pau Gasol said.

But Gasol and D'Antoni coddle Howard.

D'Antoni acutally said he felt bad for him. Yes, we all know Howard gets hammered out there. That's the hazard of being a 7-foot bad free-throw shooting center.

Howard gets paid millions to keep his cool.

How about feeling bad for Goudelock, who had to try to lead this team on his D-League shoulders?

Bryant would do anything to play. Howard had that luxury, and he chose to put himself above the team.

Howard walked off the court on his own.

Let's hope the Lakers let him walk in the offseason.

jill.painter@dailynews.com twitter.com/jillpainter

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