Yesterday Dwight Howard took to Twitter to express how he was feeling about the team and Lakers’ fans. He even dropped a hint that he may stay with the Lakers. We don’t know what decision free agent D12 will make (hopefully he won’t do what he did with the Magic), but Metta World Peace and Steve Nash both had something to say about it.
Via ESPN:
“I think we put a little too much pressure on Dwight and as responsible leaders, we gave him a little too much responsibility,” said World Peace.
“Kobe (Bryant), Pau (Gasol) and myself, we weren’t responsible enough. We should have been louder voices. So, I take a lot of responsibility and I’m sure Kobe and Pau do also. So next year, we definitely will. We have to be the voice in the locker room consistently.”
That is, if World Peace is back with the Lakers next year.
The 14-year veteran has a player option worth approximately $7.7 million for next season. If World Peace opts into it, he could become a target for the Lakers’ one-time amnesty clause, allowing the team to waive the 33-year-old and take his salary off its cap and avoid luxury tax penalties.
“You never know,” said World Peace, who added he would leave it in the hands of his agent, Sam Cornstein. “Anything can happen. You never know. Right now for me it’s just all about next year, about winning, coming back next year and winning.”
Another Lakers starter weighed in on Howard’s future. Steve Nash, who revealed his plans to dive right into rehabilitation on his right hip and hamstring that have required four epidural injections and a cortisone shot in the last two weeks and kept him out of the Lakers’ final two games against the Spurs, wants to be sharing the court with Howard next season.
“I’m very hopeful that Dwight will be back,” Nash said Monday. “I think this is the place for him. He’s in the prime of his career. He’s got his best years ahead of him. He can play for one of the greatest franchises in sports and an amazing city. This has got to be the place for him and I’m hopeful that he sees it that way.”
Nash, 39, has two years and $19 million remaining on his Lakers contract.
“I’m definitely going to prepare better than I ever have to try to make this year a distant memory and next year a phenomenal experience,” said Nash, who estimated his body should be back to “100 percent” playing shape in a month.
“I think the core pieces, with this season under our belt and the disappointment of this season as well, I think we could come back and form something special,” Nash said. “So, a lot to play for, a lot to work for. I think as we saw this year, it’s not a perfect fit but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have great pieces and we have terrific players that can find a way to make this work.”
Yes they all should come back and for my fav team I lov la. If they didn’t know they are team to be wrecking wit. Foreal no play if since dwight done got his back back in order and then even better he can get it better over the summer and comback next season and dominate all through da low and high post accourse I knw what my fav player gone as he always does kobe is da name rehab it up man comback stronger. Steve steve and jodie do da same comback strong put uall heads and talent together do like da team bult to do and that domainate da nba