The Los Angeles Lakers and everyone else will reportedly learn Dwight Howard's decision on Friday. As details emerge about the different pitches NBA teams gave Howard, which team gave the most convincing?
After a week of meeting with NBA teams, Howard planned to leave Los Angeles for a few days and ponder which team he'll sign with, according to Yahoo! Sports. Los Angeles and the four other teams he met with apparently won't have to wait long for Howard's decision.
Multiple sources reported Howard will announce his decision on Friday.*
Howard met this week with the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks. As of now, his decision is "totally up in the air," according to ESPN.
While the Warriors reportedly got Howard's attention with their pitch, Houston, Dallas and Los Angeles are the only teams believed to truly be in contention for the free agent center.
Each team gave Howard a different pitch, ESPN reported. Houston has the promise of rising superstar James Harden and the ability to add talent around Howard in the coming years; Houston also has the China connection. Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler attended the meeting with Howard, and Yao Ming spoke through Skype from China.
Dallas stressed its proven ability to win a title, pointing to forward Dirk Nowitzki and coach Rick Carlisle; Nowitzki also pledged to take a pay cut next summer to create salary cap space to bring in more talent.
Los Angeles appeared to emphasize Howard's marketing opportunities with the team. Both AEG and Time Warner Cable representatives, along with Lakers vice president of business operations Tim Harris, were present in one meeting. Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and coach Mike D'Antoni met with Howard in a second meeting, and general manager Mitch Kupchak and Lakers vice president Jim Buss met in a third.
Dwightmare II may finally be over on Friday.
*Multiple sources:
Sports journalist Peter Vecsey on Tuesday tweeted: "From what I'm told by someone privy to Dwight Howard's plans, a Friday decision will be announced without a question from (sportscaster) Jim Gray."
The veracity of the tweet is uncertain, given that Vecsey followed it with: "I have it on good authority, that before Dwight Howard makes his decision public, he promises to notify Dan Gilbert."
Fox Sports also cited Vecsey's report. Although Vecsey's tweet could be a pun on LeBron James' free agency drama from 2010, ESPN also reported a similar story. NFL Insider Adam Schefter, in a rare NBA cameo, tweeted on Wednesday a report from an anonymous source.
"Dwight Howard hopes to make his decision by Friday. Decision, per source, is 'totally up in air.'"
