New NBA Lakers rumors for 2012 heading into the upcoming basketball season focus on which of the newest LA acquisitions has more pressure on them. Steve Nash and Dwight Howard are two superstars, but does the veteran point guard have more pressure to help deliver yet another championship to Los Angeles?

According to Bleacher Report, yes Nash does have more pressure on his shoulders. The difference is that he's an aging veteran, and at almost 40, he's not as durable as he may be once was when he was younger. Howard on the other hand, is in his prime, and currently the best center in the league. Unfortunately for Nash, he has sort of fallen by the wayside as other younger, quicker, and more agile point guards have come into the league.

In the video clip below, Nash talks about a lot of the things he needs to focus on at this stage of his career. He mentions improving his efficiency, as well as his defense. However, he mentions the key point that most guys around his age need to pay attention to and that is staying in great shape. That lends itself to helping prevent injuries, and limiting the time veteran players have to stay away from the court.

Basically, Nash has a small window of opportunity left in which to win his first ever NBA championship with the LA Lakers. For that very reason, he's got more pressure to deliver in that short bit of time, whereas Dwight Howard could very well have another decade to focus on winning more than one ring. It seems Nash has 1-3 years during which he could possibly get to that promised land, or else he will join another all time great West Coast point guard, John Stockton, as some of the best to never win the title.

Derek Fisher is one of the most popular LA Lakers of all time, but the NBA veteran is still looking for a new home after playing last season with LA and Oklahoma City.

The 38-year-old point guard showed up at some recent practise sessions in Los Angeles and that has sparked rumors about his return to Southern California. Fisher averaged over 5 points and nearly three assists in the league last season, but his lack of quickness led to breakdowns in defense and the team released Fisher.

The LA Lakers are nearly at $100 million in salary, but adding some help for their bench at the veteran's minimum is still a good option heading into training camp. The team doesn't have a solid backup to Steve Nash and while Fisher is still a liability on defense, he can still run the second unit and give the team some solid minutes off the bench.

The LA Lakers are now a favorite to win the 2012-13 NBA Championship, but it wouldn't hurt to add some insurance, especially in the back-court where the team has a lack of depth and his presence could help the younger guards on the team until they gain the experience needed to play for a contending team.

The NY Knicks are entering the 2012-13 NBA season with high expectations, but the team still has a need for depth at small forward and the latest rumor of the team looking to add veteran Josh Howard.

Howard averaged nearly nine points and four rebounds last season for the Utah Jazz with just 22 minutes of action. The 32-year-old plays terrific defense and would make a good addition for the NY Knicks.

The former first round draft pick has averaged nearly 14 points per game in his career and though he will never match the numbers he put up Dallas between 2005-10, he will give the team a much-needed small forward to play behind Carmelo Anthony and his signing would only help the team's shot at making the playoffs.

The NBA free agent market is very thin after a busy summer, but role players like Howard are still available and can help teams looking for depth. Howard won't cost much in salary and his experience will help any team that signs the veteran before the start of the upcoming basketball season.

While the Dwight Howard trade to the Lakers has been officially made real and killed all those rumors, it appears that the main man involved in he deal has yet to realize it. According to news from ESPN, Howard is excited to be on the team, but the deal has yet to hit him.

While D-Howard rumors circulated around teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks, in the end just one team could get him. Who else would it be but the "Hollywood Lakers," a team famous for bringing in the biggest and best stars to play under the bright lights. Jack Nicholson and other big celebrity superstars sit courtside and pay big money to see the top talents bring in championship after championship. That's what they will be expecting from their newest talent, who won't be competing against Kobe anymore like he is in the picture shown.

That latest talent is Dwight Howard, NBA center extraordinaire. He's given his services for years to the Orlando Magic, and while entering the NBA Finals just once, he now has a chance at his first title with the Lakers. He's joined by Steve Nash who also recently was brought in to the organization, and of course Kobe Bryant. It makes for a triple threat that will give the OKC Thunder and Miami Heat some serious issues, among every other team in the league.

While the Dwight Howard trade is official, it's still sinking in for the newest star in Los Angeles:

"It's kind of unreal. It finally happened. It's here. Just walking around upstairs and driving here ... I'm really a part of the Lakers. It hasn't really hit me yet. I'm just happy to be here and I'm going to make the best out of it."

He added when talking about previous LA legends like Mikan, Wilt, Kareem and Shaq:

"I don't want to try to compete with those guys. I want to bring my own flavor to L.A. I saw a picture last night. It was like the Mount Rushmore (of Lakers centers) and they had all those guys up there and said, 'Will he join the list of heads with the Lakers greats.' I want to be great in my own right. I want to write my own history and today is the first day of that history."

He certainly has written his own history just by the NBA trade rumors and the whole fiasco involving that. He basically held out for the best deal possible, commanding lots of media attention and speculation. He now will continue to receive that spotlight and sometimes unwanted scrutiny while playing in a media haven of an NBA city.

Don't worry Dwight, it may not have hit you just yet, but it will if the going gets rough in LA!