Brian Windhorst was in disbelief that Stephen A. Smith suggested the Los Angeles Lakers should consider signing Dwight Howard. Screen grab: ‘First Take’
By Ben Axelrod on

One of the secrets to Brian Windhorst’s success at ESPN is his willingness to play along. Few possess the ability to bounce between breaking news, reporting in-depth stories and dishing hot takes on morning debate shows as seamlessly as the senior NBA writer can.

Every once in a while, however, Windhorst will find himself a part of a segment in which it appears he’s reconsidering his life choices.

Such was the case on Tuesday, as the Akron, Ohio, native joined First Take to discuss the state of the Los Angeles Lakers with Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe. That’s because when it came to the glaring hole in the Lakers’ frontcourt, Smith had quite the suggestion for how Los Angeles should fill the void.

“I’m finding it hard to believe — all you need is somebody to defend and rebound — why not look at a Dwight Howard? Why not look at somebody off the scrapheap?” Smith asked. “He’s always in shape. He never looks out of shape at all. Don’t get me wrong, I understand, Windy. I know we haven’t seen him in a while. But Shannon brought up names like JaVale McGee. I would say this to you, Windy: Look around the league. Who’s available? I mean, what are we talking about here?”

“What are we talking about here?” appeared to be exactly what Windhorst — who was closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead in apparent frustration — was thinking.

“DeMarcus Cousins is playing in Mongolia, why don’t you call him?” Windhorst responded. “Dwight Howard’s going into the Hall of Fame because he’s [been] retired for so long. His last time he played, he was in Taiwan. Are you being serious right now?”

Smith confirmed that he was serious and did his best to justify his stance, stating that the Lakers merely need “a big body who can rebound and kind of do something to play defense.” That, however, only provided Brian Windhorst with an the opportunity to get another potshot in.

“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s a free agent,” the longtime NBA reporter joked.

“Really? That’s what we’re doing?” Smith responded

In Smith’s meager defense, the suggestion the Lakers take a look at Howard initially came from Sharpe, who remained in agreement with his First Take counterpart throughout the debate with Windhorst. And to their point, the list of current free agent centers isn’t exactly an inspiring one, with Mo Bamba, Alex Len, Boban Marjanovic, Robin Lopez and Daniel Theis among the more notable big men currently available.

Still, the suggestion that Los Angeles turn to the 39-year-old Howard, who hasn’t played in an NBA game in nearly three years, is an absurd one and it’s hardly surprising that Brian Windhorst immediately dismissed it. But while it’s one thing to disagree with Smith, it’s another to openly mock his stance to his face, which is a part of what makes Windhorst one of ESPN’s best.

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

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