ESPN columnist and talking head Bill Simmons apparently is extending his NBA expertise from Boston to Los Angeles.
Simmons, who feuded with former Celtics coach and new Los Angeles Clippers coach over the past week about comments Simmons said on the night of the NBA draft about Rivers quitting on the Celtics, now is getting into Los Angeles Lakers analysis business as well.
According to latinospost.com, Simmons did an interview on ESPN's Mike & Mike morning show Wednesday and said he believes the Lakers will start dumping salaries and blow up their roster if they fail to sign center Dwight Howard.
Howard played last season for the Lakers but became a free agent on July 1.
Simmons said he believes the Lakers won't be a title contender without Howard, which is not breaking news. But the Los Angeles franchise would start getting rid of their big-money contracts, including those of Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace and Steve Nash.
That would put the Lakers in position clear up cap space to land one or more big-name free agents next summer - LeBron James will be a free agent after 2013-14 - and if they play poorly enough, also would have a chance to draft high school phenom Andrew Wiggins.
Wiggins will play for Kansas this season with the likelihood of entering the 2014 NBA draft.
Simmons' logic, however, does not mesh with Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant's recent announcement that he would like to play three more years. At the end of last season, Bryant had been saying he thought he might be through in two more years.
But Bryant then tore his Achilles heel just prior to the 2013 postseason and now apparently has been invigorated. Bryant's history has shown that he is too competitive to allow the Lakers to become one of the worst teams in the NBA.
oward said he hopes to make his decision by Friday. The Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks also are in the running for his services.
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