Lakers: Trade Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard?

The Lakers have just been swept by the Dallas Mavericks.

And after the sweep, there is now some major house cleaning to be done.

The Lakers might be on their way to adding Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard after the Lakers' improbable loss to the Mavericks, by trading still young and promising center Andrew Bynum.

It would have very little to do with Bynum's comments about the Lakers having trust issues, the sweep to Dallas, and the flagrant foul on Jose Juan Barea that resulted in Bynum's ejection, though none of those things helped.

No, it has more to do with Dwight Howard. The Magic center was rumored to be traded to Los Angeles during the regular season because there is the possibililty that the Magic won't be able to retain him.

Receiving Bynum in exchange might actually be a coup for the Magic. Bynum's upside is huge. The Lakers' center was taken as the team's first lottery pick since 1994 in 2005, and was groomed by legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Orlando would be adding a quality offensive player, who is younger than Howard. It also helps that he was pushed hard by the most competitive player in the NBA in Kobe Bryant, and the most demanding coach in the league in Phil Jackson.
Indeed, the Lakers have invested a great deal of time and effort in Bynum, but this could be his last hurrah. The addition of Howard might be too good to be true, and general manager Mitch Kupchak won't be able to pass it up.
The benefit of having Howard is limitless. Perhaps the best defensive center in the league, Howard is desperate to win a ring, and has no injury history, unlike Bynum.
Howard has a career-scoring average of more than 18 points, and has averaged nearly 13 rebounds per game. At 25, he still has great years ahead of him.
Another great asset that Howard brings is a new face. The Lakers have become predictable, and need a new infusion of talent.
Howard more than likely would welcome the move. He has to be bothered by the first round exit of the Magic, his role as the most prominent player on the team, and the lack of talent the team has on the horizon.
A straight-up trade between Bynum and Howard fits in terms of salaries, and that's a big deal. It would be a convenient trade in that there would be no necessary complications, unlike the saga with Carmelo Anthony, which dragged for months.
In fact, this trade might not be a possibility, but rather a probability.

Eye-opener: Did the Lakers quit on Phil Jackson?

If the Lakers fall in Dallas and no one is around, do they make a sound?
And when we say no one we mean no Lakers.
The two-time defending champions went out with thud instead of bang with a 122-86 loss to Dallas and a Mavericks sweep.

The LA reign is over
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Jackson, expected to retire after winning 11 titles, watched his teams go paws up. For the time in 65 playoff series, a Jackson team was swept in the playoffs as Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom were both tossed from the game.
"It was like the roof fell in on us," said Jackson who later added that he felt "there were a couple of players who felt daunted by the energy of the game. Their game was depressed. … A couple of players didn't step into the performance that I'd like to see them step into."
The Lakers had plenty of excuses for losing a series including age and the wear and tear of having played so many games in the past few years. But they didn't seem to have many excuses for such a dismal showing.
"I think you can be together too long," Magic Johnson said. "This group has been together too long. They're not in sync. They don't really believe in one other.
So did the Lakers run out of gas or did they quit on Phil Jackson?

NBA Playoffs 2011: Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics Show Reliability

Maybe this Easter Sunday of basketball doesn't mean anything for the Heat or the Celtics. After all, the Knicks were missing Chauncey Billups and had a very underwhelming version of Amare Stoudemire. After all, the Heat fought back from an early 15 point deficit, showing some mental toughness to make a game of things. We could assume that it is simply a blip on the NBA Playoffs radar.
But the truth of the matter is, I think it might tell us more than you realize. The Celtics, led by Kevin Garnett jumped out to an 17 point halftime lead and kept their foot on the gas just enough to hold off a Knicks squad that cut that lead to four midway through the fourth quarter.

Miami on the other hand, gave up a pair of clutch 3's to Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams giving the Sixers a two point lead with eight seconds to go. LeBron James then had his attempted game tying shot blocked by Elton Brand (yes, the same Elton Brand that is a miserable contract for the 76ers) and ended up failing to close out a sweep of the 76ers. 

The Celtics (as usual) seem to have it all figured out. They played miserably in Games 1 and 2 against the Knicks but had Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett hit go ahead, game winning shots to squeak out the wins. Then the Celtics did what they do best. They traveled on the road, in front of a Madison Square Garden crowd that was hungry for playoff basketball and finished the job. 

On the other hand, Miami rolled into a Game 4 in Philly and left us craving an answer to our season long question. With the game on the line, who gets the ball, makes the play or takes the shot? With LeBron's shot getting blocked, we'll continue to ask ourselves that question. 

The Heat left us with questions. The Celtics, meanwhile, gave us the same old reliable answer.