but damn, Lopez has become so good offensively, he's played extremely well against a physical team in Chicago, has not had a bad game yet, plus he's blocking 4 shots per and he hits his free throws...

I think Lopez has at least made it debatable depending on the other parts of your team. Teams are so physical with Howard and you wonder how these nagging injuries will affect him going forward, plus as a person he's most unlikable player in the league. Lopez is younger, got stronger last offseason, can easily continue to get stronger and can still become a better rebounder and passer out of the post.

There is a legit chance Lopez keeps improving while Howard keeps going in the opposite direction