Star power. Elite or versatile skill set. Youth and/or
superb health record. Superior athleticism. Leadership/dependability.
Obviously, in an ideal world, you want your franchise cornerstone to have all
five of those qualities (and really, I listed eight qualities)—but there’s only
one Lebron James and only one Kevin Durant.
That said, if you have a player that checks off four of
those five boxes, you’re definitely thinking about offering him a max contract
and feeling confident that he can be a vital piece if not the foundation for a
championship-caliber franchise.
So, the question the Los Angeles Lakers should be asking
themselves is—is Dwight Howard a franchise player?
Let’s go down the list after the jump.
