Report: Lakers Owner Unhappy With Kobe Bryant Over Dwight Howard Rumors

According to SI, Jerry Buss is less than pleased with talk around the League that Kobe Bryant has supposedly alienated (and potentially scared off) Dwight Howard: “For starters, the Magic appear undecided on which direction they’ll go. Now that the All-Star festivities are behind them, it appears they still might hold on to him until the end with hopes for a change of heart. Among the many complications here is that any and all hopes of landing Lakers center Andrew Bynum — the best big man in the league to fill the Howard void — appear to be dashed because of Howard’s view of the Lakers. Close friends of Howard say he was, in fact, informed that Bryant sees him as a second or third option on a championship-caliber team if he came to Los Angeles. And while the stance has its merits on the surface, it simply didn’t help matters to engage in any sort of alpha dog discussion if that’s what indeed went down. The Buss family that owns the Lakers, in turn, is said to be irked by Bryant’s alleged role in the matter and hopeful that Howard — who they see as the business and basketball draw for the next decade — can still be convinced otherwise. But Howard’s focus, one source close to him insists, was on the Nets regardless of Bryant’s perceived influence.”