Page 6 July 19, 2012 TORRANCE TRIBUNE Up and Adam The Dwight Fright Saxons Look to Start With Spark By Adam Serrao clear their books and begin rebuilding the Many big-name free agent pieces have team for life after Dwight. Unfortunately for By Adam Serrao the Saxons have lost four out of the last six fallen into place around the NBA within the Nets, they didn’t have that kind of talent The North High Saxons have fallen under meetings between the two clubs. It should the last two weeks, but there still remains under contract and were also unwilling to a spell of bad luck in previous seasons, but be an interesting game to open the season one player who has the ability to change a take on those expiring contracts. Attempts are finally looking to move forward and get in order to see which team can get its year team’s fortunes overnight. Dwight Howard to get third and fourth teams involved in the ball rolling in the right direction once started off the right way. has been one of the top five players in the the trade became too complicated. The again. The 2012-’13 football season is one If anyone knows how to motivate a ball club league, but during his stay with the Magic Nets felt they were waiting too long for an that the Saxons and head coach Todd Croce to play, it is Croce. In the eight seasons that consistently stood firm on his demand to answer from Orlando and they eventually think that they capitalize on and so the team Croce has been with the North High Saxons, be traded to a different team. Possibly the re-signed their center from last year (Brook has been working hard this offseason and he has compiled a 45-36 record despite all of best center in the league, Howard has been Lopez). in turn giving up on their pursuit over the summer to do just that. In a stingy the bad luck that he has run up against recently. the most sought after big man in the NBA of Howard-ness. and tough Pioneer League that has proven North High must have known what it was since Shaquille O’Neal was past his prime. Lakers’ fans are incredibly adamant about anything can happen in seasons past, Croce getting itself into by hiring Croce, though. In Many questions loom, however, especially the fact that Dwight Howard would come and the Saxons are going to have to be on his first season with the club back in 2004, after Howard’s season ended prematurely last in and play alongside Kobe Bryant and the the top of their game to come away with a he made a lasting impression on the school year due to back surgery to repair a herniated newly acquired Steve Nash and immediately Pioneer League title and a chance to win and its players by compiling a 12-2 record, disk. With all of the drama hanging above help the team. Not so fast. Howard already the much-coveted CIF championship trophy. going undefeated in league play and capturing Howard’s massive shoulders, the question discussed his displeasure with the idea of The North High Saxons have done well to the Pioneer League crown. The Saxons went remains: Is he worth the risk? joining the Lakers to make a championship set themselves up for success recently, but a on to win their first three playoff games that If you’ve been reading the sports headlines run, saying he didn’t want to play alongside series of untimely injuries has complicated year before being clipped in the final against lately and all you’ve been seeing is Howard’s Kobe because he wants the opportunity to everything that they have looked to get out Crespi. Croce compiled another great record name painted across the page demanding be the number one option on the team. Not there on the field. Namely, Ryan McDaniel. for the team in the ’08-’09 season when the a trade, don’t think that it’s the first time. only does it sound like Howard doesn’t want McDaniel was the star of the North High Saxons went 9-2 and 4-1 in league, but lost in Howard fell out of love with the team that a championship, but it also sounds like he’s football club and the offense, needless to say, the first round of the playoffs. The year 2010 he became a perennial all-star for as early being incredibly greedy and wants to hog basically ran through him. When McDaniel also saw the Saxons make the playoff but go as last season and began demanding a trade all of the limelight. Since Howard has been went down early last season with a knee injury, out in the first round when Croce guided the then. Obviously, Howard’s wish wasn’t under contract with the Magic, they have Croce had to figure out a way to tweak his team to a 7-4 record (4-1 in league). magically granted right away and naturally been allowed to do as they please and trade offense and still be successful even without The good news for the Saxons this year is both the head coach and general manager of him to any team in the league. That’s where the 6’0,” 220-pound running back lining that they won’t have to make the transition the Magic last year were terminated. Was the tricky part comes into play. Howard has up in the backfield. Naturally, tweaking an to playing without all-star running back Mc- it to please Dwight and try to convince openly expressed his wish to be traded to offense that was so heavily based on one Daniel in the backfield. When McDaniel (who him to stay? Everyone involved with the the Brooklyn Nets and only the Brooklyn person became somewhat difficult to do and signed on to play football for the Washington situation will tell you no, but Howard had Nets. Should any other team acquire his before they even knew it, the Saxons were Huskies earlier in the year) went down with an extremely rocky relationship, to say the services, that team will basically be get- falling towards the back end of the Pioneer his knee injury early last season, the Saxons least, with head coach Stan Van Gundy and ting Howard on a one-year loan before League standings. had to get used to all the transition that they never could convince GM of the past Otis his contract expires and he is free to sign North began last year with a win against could possibly ask for in one year. With key Smith to acquire the necessary pieces to wherever he would like. All that the Lakers Redondo Union, but proceeded to lose five returnees who received experience in Mc- help Dwight and his team reach the ultimate (in addition to giving up Andrew Bynum) games in a row, including a cross-town rivalry Daniel’s unfortunate absence, Croce should goal of becoming NBA champions. would do is give Howard the opportunity game against West High and its first league be looking at football players who already For some reason, late last year Howard to leave L.A. after only one season with game of the season against Centennial. The know their roles, have been there and done picked up his player option to stay with the club. If that happens, the Lakers would season remained an uphill battle for North, as it on the field before and can start putting the Magic. It put him under contract with then be without Howard and Bynum, leaving it was only able to beat Lawndale in league away victories early on in the season. the team for another season, nullifying the team void of a center for the 2013-’14 play before unfortunately succumbing in the It has been a few seasons now since the his ability to become a free agent and to season and beyond. last two games of the season to South High Saxons have finished atop the Pioneer League choose to become a part of any team that With all of the drama surrounding Dwight and Torrance respectively. standings, but with a good showing early on he so pleased. Well, the Magic still don’t Howard, his ability to rebound from back With the troubles of last season in the rear Croce and company are looking to change have a new head coach and still don’t have surgery still pending, his open unwilling- view mirror and fading away quickly, Croce that and get back to what they are used to Howard on their side. Even when new GM ness to not want to be a part of the Lakers has his Saxons dreaming of better days--better doing. If Croce can get his team back to the Rob Hennigan called Howard two weeks organization--not to mention his horrible days that are set to begin this August when winning ways experienced in the first season ago, pleading with the all-star center to stay percentage from the free throw line prohibit- North kicks off the season opener against that he took over as the head ball coach, the with the team and vowing to bring in the ing him from being a clutch player down Redondo Union once again. Redondo has Saxons should have no problem coming away pieces necessary to compete at a champion- the stretch of any game--it is questionable traditionally been tough competition for the with a Pioneer League title while looking to ship level, all Howard had to say was, “I as to why any Laker fan would choose him Saxons. Even though North came away with a end their season with more accolades than already heard that from the other guy on over an up-and-coming center like Bynum 21-14 victory to open last season’s festivities, just that. • the phone,” referring to the previous GM to be a part of the team. Sure, Bynum Smith, all but throwing Hennigan’s words has had his problems too, but with a true right back in his face and holding on tight point guard for the first time in nearly 16 to his demands to be traded. seasons it should be interesting to see what Ideally, Howard would have liked to be two seven-footers can do down low while traded to the Brooklyn Nets. As unwilling simultaneously allowing Kobe to take back as Howard was to stay in Orlando, however, his natural position of shooting guard in the the Magic were just as unwilling to come to process. Besides, both the Magic and the terms on a deal to trade him to Brooklyn--and Lakers may have bigger problems now. With the negotiations soon fell short as the talks Howard and Bynum’s names being bandied then ended between the two teams. Orlando about in trade rumors so much lately, it either wants a top 20 player in the league would not be surprising to see both players in exchange for Howard, or they want a show the same lack of loyalty back to their multitude of draft picks and the ability to respective teams after their contracts are up trade away expiring contracts on the team at the end of the season. Imagine both the (such as Glen Davis, Jason Richardson, Chris Lakers and the Magic without an all-star Duhon and Hedo Turkoglu) so that they can center in their lineups after next season. •
Torrrance 7.19.12
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