Showtime Laker Bemoans Absence Of 2 Former All-Star LA Centers From NBA

We miss them too.

Your Los Angeles Lakers' current frontcourt is impressively pedigreed. 

Beyond eight-time All-Star center Anthony Davis and 19-time All-Star small forward LeBron James, the club will also boast power forwards Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt in some order (my prediction is Hachimura, fresh off signing a new three-year, $51 million contract this summer, will start) and newly-added forwards Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes.

Although Los Angeles may not need the services of two of its former All-Star veteran luminaries, former title-winning Lakers power forward Spencer Haywood spoke out on their behalf during a brand-new YouTube Scoop B Selects interview with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson. The five-time All-Star bemoaned the absence of (technically) the two former Lakers centers around the NBA at large.

"I think it’s a disgrace but that’s just my opinion that [DeMarcus] Boogie Cousins is not playing in the league, Dwight Howard is not playing in the league because they said that they don’t want to play big guys because it slows down the motion," Haywood opined. "No because you can throw it inside if they sag and you then you can throw it back out and you have a good easy three but, analytics is sometimes… you know? It makes people have jobs that shouldn’t have ‘em."

Cousins hasn't played in the NBA since the 2021-22 season, but he's currently suiting up for Puerto Rican club Mets de Guaynabo. He signed with the Lakers at the start of their 2019-20 title run, but didn't actually suit up for the team at that time due to a left ACL tear. Los Angeles had to cut him to make room for power forward Markieff Morris ahead of its playoff push, though the team did ultimately reward the four-time All-Star with a ring after it won the NBA Finals in the fall of 2020.

Howard, who proved to be a critical frontcourt contributor on that 2020 championship squad, had his last NBA gig to date on the ill-fated 2021-22 vintage of the Lakers. He's been playing for Taiwanese club the Taoyuan Leopards, for whom he was named T1 All-Star, a T1 League First Teamer and All-Defensive First Teamer, and the T1 League's Most Valuable Import.

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