Lakers Bringing Back Dwight Howard Would Be a Complete Disaster

It looks like the Los Angeles Lakers sent Dwight Howard a "you up?" text following DeMarcus Cousins' torn ACL, and Howard was ready to respond.

Howard has already expressed interest in returning to the Lakers, but recent reports indicate that LA is now reciprocating. If the Lakers actually follow through with signing the 33-year-old, it will once again be an unmitigated disaster.

The three-time Defensive Player of the Year was supposed to help bring the Lakers an NBA title alongside Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol in 2013. Instead, they got swept by the Spurs in the first round after squeezing into the postseason as a seven seed.

Howard was an All-Star that year, led the league in rebounds with 12.4 per game, and averaged 17.1 points. That's certainly a solid campaign, but when the expectation is an NBA title, a first-round exit is all people will remember.

Since 2013, Howard has played for Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte and Washington, got waived by Brooklyn, and is expected to get waived or traded by Memphis too. Now his next stop may see him return to Hollywood.

Should the reunion come to fruition, the Lakers would be getting a past-his-prime, injury-riddled player whose game hasn't evolved. Howard is still the same interior player he was when he joined the league, and unfortunately for him, the game no longer favors that style of play.

We can believe that Dwight has finally changed his behavior, but the Lakers can't afford the risk right now. They've waited several years to finally become legitimate title contenders, so maintaining the locker room chemistry is absolutely vital right now.