Well it's official, Dwight Howard will be a............. Houston Rocket? I know the majority of people in DFW are upset that instead of being in our lineup 82 games a season we have to face him 4. But this is actually what I was hoping for all along!
Let me start off by saying, yes D12 is the best all around Center in the game. He is a 20-15 guy (20 points 15 rebounds) and possibly can be for a while. But I believe that there is more to it than stats. There is a determination, a drive, a give it 100% all the time no matter what attitude that comes with being "Great". We all saw that Dwight could carry a team all by himself in 2009 when he singlehandedly eliminated LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavilers when LeBron averaged 30+ ppg 8reb and 8assists for the series. Dwight was unstoppable that postseason averaging like I said 20pts 15rebounds and 3blks a game. But then in the NBA Finals he ran into a machine, future teammate and future ex twitter follower Kobe Bean Bryant. The Lakers defeated the Magic in 5 games. But the inability of Dwight to put the ball in the basket that series is what stuck out to me. Dwight scored 20 points just once in the 5 game series and averaged just 15 for the entire series. Only 1 game did he lead his team in scoring and that happened to be the 1 game they won in the series. Great players are supposed to make plays. Now you can say, "Stan Van Gundy didn't do a good job of running an offense thru Dwight" or "Look at the spares he was playing with" but those are just excuses. Dwight was THE MAN in Orlando and could not finish when it counted most. For being the most dominant big man in the league and regress in the finals, that is troubling to me.
Dwight has appeared to me to be the guy who came into the league at 18 as fun loving, outgoing, goofy, and likeable. Now he is entering his 10th season in the league. He has 0 rings 1 finals appearance and when most players who have been said to be the "greatest at their position" this would be the point in their career where if they haven't yet will start to lock down, focus, and stop at nothing in order to win a championship. This season Dwight has publicly criticized Kobe's work ethic by saying "He is TOO SERIOUS". Now I'm not the biggest Kobe fan, but Kobe is the LAST person in the NBA who's work regiment and drive I would question. Metta World Peace even said earlier this year that he thought Dwight was too juvenile and that he played too many games.
I think that on paper and even watching him in action Dwight Howard has all the tools and skills to be a Hall of Fame Center and the face of a franchise. But the problem with Dwight is inside Dwight. He lacks the passion for winning and the drive to work to correct the flaws in his game. He lacks low post offensive skills, that are usually developed in college and groomed in the NBA. But in Dwight's case he jumped straight from HS where he was a good 5 inches taller than every player he matched up with. So I can give him him a pass on that... For the first 3 years of his career. Almost a decade after coming into the league he still possesses the same flaws he did as a rookie. No offensive skill set, no free throw shooting, immature, takes too many bad shots, and you can't count on him in the final minutes of a game. So Houston, I hope you are ready to try and mold this guy into something that Orlando w/ Patrick Ewing and LA w/ Kareem, Magic, and Worthy couldn't do. It's not like the bar is set very high down there, The Rockets have what 1 playoff series win in 16 years? Houston is a miserable place to live so people there are always depressed anyways, so I think Houston is a perfect fit for Dwight to spend the next 3 years underachieving. Yes I said 3 years even though his contract is for 4. He does have a player option in the 3rd year, and his track record up to date has not been one of a loyal employee.
As I am writing this, I have ESPN on in the background and coming up in 15 minutes is a story about how Dwight Howard is ''hurt" by the media and their coverage of his Free Agency. I'm sorry Houston for what I feel could be a disaster. Remember, things may look good on paper, but that's all it is, just a piece of paper. It's what's inside a man that makes him great.
Winners that appear to be losers:
The Los Angeles Lakers
LA, good for you guys! Dwight Howard was an awful fit for Mike D'Antoni's System. Only problem is that system is very unproven and will also get you nowhere! But I see you are about to sign Chris Kamen to be your Center this season... YAY
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