Dwight Howard to Lakers: Superman Reportedly Heading to LA in 4-Team Trade

A blockbuster, four-team deal sending Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakersis reportedly complete.

ESPN.com news services had this to say about this earth-shattering situation:

A four-team trade that would send Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers is complete, multiple sources told ESPN on Thursday night.

Per the ESPN report, "A source with direct knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com's Marc Stein the Lakers will receive Howard, the Denver Nuggets will acquire Andre Iguodala, the 76ers will receive Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson, and the Magicwill get Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and one protected future first-round pick from each of the other three teams."

On top of that, Orlando is supposed to receive 76ers first-round selection Moe Harkless.

This is a power move by the Lakers, who refuse to let Kobe Bryant live in frustration for the remainder of his career. With Dwight Howard manning the post, Bryant would see more open shots for the first time since Shaquille O'Neil was dominating the paint. Hanging on to All-Star power forward Pau Gasol only sweetens the pot.

With Howard, Bryant, Gasol and Steve Nash teaming up in LA, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder can kiss their dynastic dreams goodbye. Bryant is still a top-three talent in the game and Howard would only prolong the future Hall of Famer's career, essentially ensuring multiple trips to the NBA Finals for the next three to five years.

The Magic, who are essentially an afterthought in the NBA now, can finally rid themselves of the mind games and "Dwightmare" that has plagued the franchise for what feels like a damn millennium at this point.

Howard may have taken them to the NBA Finals against the Lakers a few years ago, but it has been an awful downfall ever since. The Magic Kingdom may have lost a superstar, but the franchise will be able to sleep easy knowing they received a viable asset in return.

Fans may resent Howard for how he handled his last remaining year in Orlando, but he'll have no regret about his waffling when he steps on the court with the Black Mamba. Now in one of the world's premier markets, playing for the NBA's premier franchise, Howard will truly feel like Superman.

Howard is a megastar that commands the bright lights with his sheer size and natural charisma. For the Lakers, this would be the second coming of Shaq. Now, it's Howard's turn to tear apart the NBA landscape in the Purple and Gold.

This deal rids the Magic of a major headache and makes Kobe Bryant a very happy player.

Are the Lakers the Favorites in the NBA with Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant?

Batman Shooter James Holmes A Super Villain For An Entire Generation

Last week, a young man's fancy turns to guns and death. There is no excuse for the rain of bullets and terror unleashed in Aurora, Colorado, early Friday morning by a man the media has already named "The Batman Psycho" — aka James Holmes. The families of those who died and the survivors of the attack will take years to recover. Gun control advocates and gun rights stalwarts have another brutal Colorado attack to argue over for years to come.

However, there are several conversations that will likely not occur. It is unlikely that the aftermath of the Colorado shooting rampage will be a moment when we as a country reflect upon the relationship between masculinity and violence. There most certainly will not be a "beer summit" about how accused shooter James Holmes is one more entry in a long list of mass killers who are white, male, and young.

When viewed through the white racial frame, there is nothing in his deeds on last Friday night that reflects upon the behavior of white people, generally, or white men in particular. From this perspective, his dressing up as The Joker, and killing more than a dozen people, and wounding many more, are the actions of one sick person.

As folks have worked through many times before in the common "what if?" game of race in America, if James Holmes were black or brown this would be one more signal to the existence of a "pathological culture" among said group. If James Holmes were Muslim American the Colorado shooting would be a clear act of "terrorism," and an example of the Islamic bogeyman next door who has occupied the dreams and nightmares of the "heartland" since September 11th. In one devastating burst of fire, he has ruined movie going for an entire generation. He has associated one of the most popular superheroes with the darkest side of human nature.

In America, folks often ask, "what the hell is wrong with black people?" In the aftermath of the Colorado Movie Massacre, Columbine, and many other incidents, we need to ask, "what the hell is wrong with young white men?

Sadly, that question will not be asked on a national stage. White privilege is blinding. In the case of James Holmes, it also mutes a much needed national conversation about the ties between (white) masculinity and violence.

The Dark Knight Rises Shooting in Colorado (My Reaction)

First of all, I'll like to say my heart goes out to all the people affected in the town of Aurora, Colorado, may God be with that town and their families. Across the country last night, after months of anticipation, sold out crowds filled movie theaters to take in the midnight premiere of the latest Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises." But the thrill of the movie's release has been utterly dashed in the wake of the horrific shootings during a screening in Aurora, Colo., in which a lone gunman opened fire on the audience, shooting some 50 people, 12 fatally, authorities say. At this point we know very little about the suspect in the shooting, James Holmes, 24, an Aurora resident. 


The Aurora Police Department released one statement earlier today, but it did not contain any information about a possible motive for the shooting or any indication of what Holmes has told police so far, if anything. Reports say Holmes's only previous run-in with the law was a traffic ticket in 2011.

Inevitably, speculation has run rampant about the suspected shooter's mental health. But one expert warns of making pronouncements until we know more. "It's really preliminary, and at this point it's hard to know what's behind [the shooting]," says Alan Manevitz, M.D., a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City and an attending physician at Lenox Hill Hospital.

Manevitz says while attempts have been made in the past to create a profile that would help us identify potential rampaging gunmen, there simply isn't one. "In the past we've seen people come from well-adjusted and well-to-do families, as well as from broken homes," he says. "Some are loners and some have had friends. No one shooter fits a definitive psychological profile." In Holmes's case, Manevitz wonders if the young man has a previous psychological history or a history of threats, violence or psychotic thinking. "We don't know any of that at this point."

The mass shooting at a Colorado movie theater has prompted the cancellation of the Paris premiere of the Dark Knight Rises, and has raised questions about how moviegoers will react in the wake of the violence. I'm an avid movie-goer, and really affects me. I still find it hard to understand the motivation behind such an attack. I always felt comfortable and safe in the theater while watching a movie, but now I know my thoughts will stray every so often to the incident in Colorado and think about how scared those people were.  A suburban movie theater is a place people are supposed to be able to feel safe and it seems like the typical reaction to a mass shooting in a public place is to tighten security where these kinds of things happen. And now it seems like you can't go anywhere in the states without a security check, does that have any effect on how we interact with each other? I believe it does, especially in terms of meeting new people and socializing at parties/schools because you don't know who out there is a "psychopath"

There has been a lot of shooting incidents in our society these days and I personally believe gun control in any nation is the right way to go. No guns should be allowed for any reason in our society. We are not a 'free' society if we allow our neighbors to collect weapons and use them at will, we are a stupid society.

James Holmes suspected in Colorado theatre shooting rampage

Police break a window of the apartment where the suspect in the shooting at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colo., lived.

WASHINGTON—U.S. law enforcement officials say the suspect in Friday’s deadly shooting in a Colorado movie theatre is James Holmes, a 24-year-old white American.

Officials believe Holmes killed a dozen people when he fired into a crowded movie theatre in a Denver suburb. He was wearing a gas mask and set off an unknown gas in the theatre.

The Defence Department says Holmes never served in the Army.

Holmes is in police custody, and the FBI says there is no indication the incident is tied to any terrorist groups.

The federal law enforcement officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.