The choice to play with the Lakers

Every athlete wants the opportunity to win championships and go down as one of the best in their respective sport.

Dwight Howard, center of the Orlando Magic, is no different.

He too wants to compete at the highest level and win NBA championships.

The opportunity is there for the taking for Howard right now.

The opportunity is not with the Magic but with another NBA team.

The Los Angeles Lakers are the team he has that opportunity to win championships and go down as one of the best.

The Lakers are the team that gave many players the chance to win, win and win.

Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabber, Shaquille O'Neal, James Worthy, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant and etc. are just some of the many players who came and did a whole lot with the Lakers.

Right now the Lakers are pleading a trade that will send Chris Paul, one of the best point guards in the NBA right now, to Los Angeles where the Lakers look to win another championship and many more in the years to come.

Howard has a chance to be a part of that. He has the chance to go to Los Angeles and win, win and win with Paul and Bryant.

There is a problem though . . .

There is a rumor going around that Howard does not want to come to the Lakers only because he refuses to continue to be compared to O'Neal and have people claim he is trying to be like O'Neal.

Although that is something that can be irritating and annoying to be accused of being like someone--the chance to be as good or better than a hall-of-fame player is the best thin that can happen to a player, especially Howard.

Howard has the chance to be better than O'Neal and have people see him differently.

Although their roads started the same and can end the same. When the story is over, Howard has the control of deciding what people are going to compare when it is between O'Neal and him.

Howard cannot allow this to determine his choice to be traded to Los Angeles.

He will basically avoid winning simply because he does not want others to think he is copying O'Neal. What he should be thinking is that he is blessed to be compared to the likes of O'Neal and has the shot to experience what O'Neal did.

It is not a bad choice. O'Neal did it and he is one his way to the hall-of-fame.

The Lakers are a no brainier. The New Jersey Nets are not the right choice.

Deron Williams will leave and Howard will be alone.

The Nets are not going to be respected and the New York Knicks will always be the better team in the big apple, even if they suck.

The decision is simple and it is up to Howard to determine if he wants to be his own self or always let people to think he is the like O'Neal.

Los Angeles is where he needs to be. Paul and Bryant will be waiting for him.

Raiders are not the team for Los Angeles

A solid reason for why the Raiders should not be a serious candidate to move to Los Angeles was justified at last night's preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.

The nonsense game between the two bay area NFL teams was supposed to be a exciting match for fans to see their teams' progress as they prepare for the start of the NFL season, turned ugly as several fans were shot and beaten by opposing fans.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that several men were attacked by a Oakland Raiders fan following the 49ers' preseason win over the Raiders.

One man was beaten in one of the stadium's restrooms and another man was shot several times in the stadium's parking lot.

The senseless acts of violence that occurs regularly with Raider fans has stereotyped Raider fans as wild maniacs with no respect and up to no good.

Los Angeles already has its issues with having trouble identifying the suspects who beat a San Francisco fan into a coma at the Los Angeles Dodgers' opening season game in April, and the LAPD does not need more violence at sporting events if Los Angeles has the Raiders as the only NFL team willing to move to the proposed downtown football stadium.

The irresponsible sports fans are already a hand full at Dodgers' games and after the Lakers win a championship since some fans take the streets of downtown and terrorize the surrounding areas through riots.

During the '80s and '90s when the Raiders were in Los Angeles, stories of gang members stealing the logo and colors of the then Los Angeles Raiders, to use as their own began popping up. Then the stories evolved to gang members running around the LA Coliseum causing trouble during the games.

Last night's acts caused by one Raider fan only proves that the fan base of the Raiders is a serious issue and Los Angeles does not need those issues. If anything, the problem might worsen if the Raiders move back to Southern California because the few LA fans who cause trouble will find a way to ruin a wonderful accomplishment for the community of LA and beyond the stay of the Raiders in LA.

The message will continue by people opposing the idea of bring the Raiders back to Los Angeles because residents of LA knows they do not want those wild acts performed by idiot Raider fans happening in their city.

Al Davis, you had your chance in LA, please leave your goofball team where it is at.