If Lakers can't motivate Howard, then what will?

***** G: Al Attles (1): Played in two NBA Finals during his 11-year career.

Ian Thomsen | Nov 8, 2013

If Lakers can't motivate Howard, then what will? /

Dwight Howard had 15 points and 14 rebounds and shot 5-of-16 at the foul line against the Lakers. — Dwight Howard had 15 points and 14 rebounds and shot 5-of-16 at the foul line against the Lakers :: David J. Phillip/AP

Russell Westbrook has showed some rust, but was plenty aggressive in his first two games back. — Russell Westbrook has showed some rust, but was plenty aggressive in his first two games back :: Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images

*****

Amir Johnson is coming off his best season, with averages of 10 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. — Amir Johnson is coming off his best season, with averages of 10 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks / SI

Once traded by the Celtics, team president Danny Ainge is now the executive pulling the stringers. — Once traded by the Celtics, team president Danny Ainge is now the executive pulling the stringers :: Josh Reynolds/AP

G: Al Attles (1): Played in two NBA Finals during his 11-year career.

Published Nov 8, 2013

IAN THOMSEN

Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated Senior Writer Ian Thomsen, who joined the magazine in 1998, is one of SI's top basketball scribes. Along with writing columns and features for SI, Thomsen is a frequent contributor to SI.com. Before joining SI, Thomsen spent six years in Europe as the sports columnist for the International Herald Tribune, the world's largest international English-language daily. While at the paper Thomsen wrote about an array of sports for a global audience, including the major world and European soccer tournaments, the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Olympic Games, Ryder Cups, Grand Slam tennis events, Grand Prix auto races and, very rarely, cricket. Thomsen, who graduated from Northwestern with a journalism degree in 1983, was a feature writer for The National Sports Daily during its short, expensive run of 1990-91. His first job was with The Boston Globe, where he covered Doug Flutie's Boston College Eagles and all three of the Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals of the 1980s. Thomsen was a feature writer at SI before taking on the NBA beat fulltime in 2000. With Luis Fernando Llosa and Melissa Segura, Thomsen covered the 2001 scandal of overaged Little League pitcher Danny Almonte and wrote the first SI cover story on Kobe Bryant in 1998. Thomsen lives with his wife and two children near Boston.