Howard made his debut Sunday night at Staples Center, and no one left disappointed. He played 33 minutes and collected 19 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, controlling the rim at both ends.
On offense, Howard converted alley-oop passes into dunks. On defense, he swarmed Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, making life in the low post miserable for the young stud.
The Lakers lost again and fell to 0-6 in the preaseason, remaining the lone team without a win. That won’t matter very much when the games begin to count next week and the juggernaut starts rolling through the Western Conference.
Over in the East, the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls don’t have to see the Lakers until the NBA Finals. But to get there, they do have to get past the Miami Heat, who just happen to be the defending champions.
Have the Celtics added enough to overcome the Heat? And how much of a title threat will the Bulls be once Derrick Rose returns sometime after the All-Star break?
I discussed those topics Monday with CineSport’s Noah Coslov. Click on the video box on the previous page to give a listen.