Dwight Howard

Amid economic uncertainty and a more restrictive labor deal, one thing remains unchanged. NBA superstars still make a ton of money. According to Hoopsworld , Kobe Bryant's $27.8 million salary in the 2012-13 season will make him the highest paid NBA player. So too do the players behind him, including Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki ($20.9 million), New York forward Carmelo Anthony ($20.4 million) and New York forward Amare Stoudemire ($19.9 million). The Lakers will also pay top dollar to other players next season, including Dwight Howard ($19.5 million)

SAN ANTONIO - Surprise, surprise, the Lakers made it to the Western Conference finals. Not really. But they did get repeatedly name-dropped Saturday by the San Antonio Spurs, which made sense considering the frontcourt duo the Spurs face in this round of the playoffs somewhat resembles the Lakers' tandem they quickly dispatched in the first round. Even one of the last names is the same. Instead of Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard, the Spurs must contend with the Memphis Grizzlies' Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph starting Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of the conference finals at AT&T Center.

Little by little, there are hints that Dwight Howard's surgically repaired back is healing. The latest: Howard appeared on "Ellen" and performed the "Gangnam Style" dance for 45 seconds. If he can look that smooth and mobile on the dance floor, imagine how he'll look on the basketball court. Still, Howard looked out of breath after the dance, suggesting his conditioning could improve. Or perhaps he was just overwhelmed by the moment. After all, Howard revealed on the show that he's had a crush on Ellen DeGeneres ever since hearing her "sexy" voice as Dory in "Finding Nemo.

Pau Gasol will undergo a minimally invasive procedure Thursday to try to combat tendinitis in his knees. Gasol sat out eight Lakers games this season because of tendon soreness in both knees. The procedure is called Fasciotomy and Surgical Tenotomy (FAST) and is an effort to eliminate scar tissue by inserting into each knee a probe that emits ultrasonic energy. Healthy tendon tissue is not disturbed in the procedure. A timetable will be released Thursday for Gasol, who has one more season and $19.3 million remaining on his contract.

For the first time since having back surgery six months ago, Dwight Howard participated in full-court five-on-five scrimmages.  So when Howard will actually step on the court? It won't happen Wednesday, when the Lakers are scheduled to play the Portland Trail Blazers in Ontario. And Howard wouldn't say if he'd be ready for the following preseason game, Saturday against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center.  "I'm getting there," Howard said. "I'm getting better. " Howard's participation in five-on-five drills happened in what the Lakers called "limited minutes," and he said he needs to improve his conditioning.

Mike Brown says he hasn't the slightest idea when Dwight Howard will play in a game, appear in full five-on-five contact drills or fully recover from back surgery. But the Lakers center performed a few moves in Friday's practice that left Brown fairly excited -- and basketball operations assistant Kyle Triggs a bit wounded. "Kyle took two forearm shivers to the throat," Brown said after Friday morning's practice at the Lakers' facility in El Segundo. "That knocked him on his behind twice in a row. Dwight is a charismatic guy. He's a fun-loving guy. But when he needs to get nasty, he's going to get nasty.

Kobe Bryant's smile widened. The Lakers star then placed his hand on his head and winced. His facial expressions suggested he was watching a home video of his childhood past. But as he appeared Friday on Ellen," Bryant actually saw Ellen DeGeneres' previous interview with Dwight Howard. There, the Lakers center recalled a conversation where he told Bryant he's making progress on his back rehab. "That's good," Howard said in Bryant's scowling voice. "I need you at 100%. Trying to win a ring.

Within a seven-hour span, my opinion on whether the Lakers should pursue Dwight Howard completely changed. Call me fickle and uninformed. But the same could apply to Howard, too. After constantly going back and forth on whether he wants to stay with the Orlando Magic or leave for presumably greener pastures, Howard finally put his proverbial foot down. He told Yahoo Sports on Sunday night that he wants to play for one specific team, which sources close to him indicated was the Brooklyn Nets.

For over a year, the Lakers couldn't get themselves out of what appeared to be a little batting slump. They clearly hit the ball out of the park by landing Chris Paul. But the umpire (NBA Commissioner David Stern) ruled it a foul ball. It then appeared the Lakers whiffed when they traded away Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher. Then they repeatedly hit balls that landed foul. They acquired a promising point guard in Ramon Sessions, but he couldn't handle the playoff pressure. A bloated payroll made Deron Williams skeptical of wearing purple and gold.

A long time awaits before the Lakers even begin playing basketball. But if Laker fans don't already have their tickets by then, they may need to hand over a few bills to secure seats. That's always been the case for Laker games, but Dwight Howard's arrival just put ticket demand into overdrive. Fansnap.com , a ticket search engine that compiles results from major ticket marketplaces and ticket agencies, said the average ticket price rests between $270 and $323 per seat since last week when the Lakers acquired Howard.

A compilation of all of the Lakers' postmortem material recently published in your paper would read something akin to "War and Peace. " Hey, they had a rough season, they have some decisions to make and the future is uncertain. Enough said. Bud Chapman Northridge :: Bill Plaschke represents the worst in sports journalism. His knee-jerk reactions are better suited for mindless reality television, scripted of course. The article asking for Dwight Howard's dismissal Monday is a prime example.

The Champions League final will feature two German teams for the first time after visiting Bayern Munich completed a surprising 7-0 rout of Barcelona. Playing with a big cushion after a 4-0 win in the first leg at home last week, Bayern beat Barcelona, 3-0, in the second leg Wednesday night on goals by Arjen Robben in the 48th minute and Thomas Mueller in the 76th around Gerard Pique's own goal in the 72nd. Bayern, which relaxed when it saw injured Lionel Messi wasn't in Barcelona's starting lineup, is in the final for the third time in four years and will play Borussia Dortmund at London's Wembley Stadium on May 25. "I think it is a terrific performance, it is a little bit of history," Robben said.

It will be the story of the Lakers' off-season, they hope without anything remotely resembling "The Decision. " Will Dwight Howard stay or go? Howard said this week he deserved "the right to be happy" and he has a handful of choices to mull in free agency beyond the Lakers. Of course, the other four suitors have won a total of four NBA titles, one-fourth the Lakers' championship collection. Anyway, here's one writer's insights into where Howard ends up. Dallas Commonly known as the Mavericks, for this story they'll be The Biggest Competition For Dwight Howard's Services Other Than The Lakers (TBCFDHSOTTL)

We have a major difference of opinion. And I understand why you are wrong. You began the season thinking, and being told by the media, the Lakers were going to be great because they had so much talent. You didn't get it in the first five games, so Mike Brown was dismissed as coach. Then you heard they were talking to Phil Jackson only to hear Mike D'Antoni announced as new coach. You're not used to being so disappointed by Lakers management. You might have to adjust your thinking.

On farewell day, they waved until their hands hurt. Kobe Bryant pleaded for Lakers management to pay millions to Dwight Howard, millions to Pau Gasol, millions for the luxury tax, anything to keep the Lakers together for the final year of his contract. "It's a lot on the table for them . . . it's a tough call to make," Bryant said. "But then again, it is one more year . . . it's one more year. " Mitch Kupchak confirmed the Lakers still want to re-sign Howard, then pleaded for him to make his decision quickly so they can figure out if they can keep Kobe happy.

There's unanimity within the Lakers. Kobe Bryant and General Manager Mitch Kupchak both want Dwight Howard to return. There's also a problem within the Lakers: Howard isn't so sure. He declined to reveal which way he was leaning after his one-year run with the Lakers. "I'm going to take my time, get away from the game, my phones and everything and just clear my head," Howard said Tuesday in an end-of-season interview at the team's practice facility. "I'll do what's going to be best for myself, what's going to make me happy.

As a man of many voices, it doesn't take long for Lakers center Dwight Howard to start imitating people.  He already nailed Kobe Bryant in mid-August during his introductory press conference. Howard plans to mimic Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace, too. But Howard isn't limiting his voice talents to poking fun at teammates. He's carrying his gift into the cartoon world in an episode of Disney XD's "Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil" that will air at 11 a.m. Saturday.  In the episode Howard will provides the voice for daredevil Rock Callahan, who is Kick Buttowski's idol.

The Lakers' success largely hinges on whether they can upgrade by Thursday's trade deadline. But the tea leaves suggest that Laker fans will be disappointed that the team may not acquire Dwight Howard and Deron Williams. Here's why neither scenario is likely to go down. Dwight Howard, Magic center Why it's unrealistic: The Magic is waiting until the final hour to decide whether to trade Howard, and it's possible they'll just keep him, since Orlando remains in championship contention.

Steve Nash couldn't finish this season because of injuries, but he knew where to start next season. With Dwight Howard. Nash was "very hopeful" the soon-to-be free-agent center would return to the Lakers. "I think this is the place for him," Nash said Monday. "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. " Howard, 27, can sign a five-year, $118-million deal with the Lakers in July or a four-year, $88-million deal with another team.

That was a waste of a season. Now what? The Lakers' headaches won't get any smaller after a first-round sweep by San Antonio. Will Dwight Howard stay or go as a free agent this summer? If he remains, will Pau Gasol be traded or waived via the amnesty provision? What about Coach Mike D'Antoni, who still has two more years and $8 million on his contract? And a host of lesser players whose contracts expire in June? General Manager Mitch Kupchak will be a busy man, though it won't start for a while.