is going to bring you a championship. Having followed this guy since Orlando, IMHO, he has the ego the size of Everest and the heart of a pea. Kobe--and I'm hardly a Laker fan-is a winner and quickly realized he and the team weren't going any where with Dwight, who has to be the center of attention to be happy but doesn't deliver the goods. A clash between the 2 was inevitable. He is an incredible physical specimen, a great rebounder and defensive player, who owns the middle, but who is rather limited offensively and kills his team in close games because he shoots freebies like a brick mason. First there was the 'Hack a Shaq'...now there's the 'Smite a Dwight', who is a career 57% from the free throw line. Dwight Howard seems to have trouble with coaches due to his ego and who, according to him, don't use him right. I expect nothing new in Houston.
Certainly Howard is an elite player, but he'll never be a champion from what I've seen over the last decade. And when things go wrong, as they eventually will, Dwight will be the first to point the finger at someone else and make excuses. Champions and winners don't do that.
OK, Dwight, I've had my enjoyable little rant here---Prove me wrong, if you can. I won't be holding my breath.
agreed. I was an Orlando fan for years...t-mac to me was still better than kobe before the injuries hit...but I had to leave that team behind for the way they let Dwight the diva run the show. an above average head coach lost his job to try and keep a guy who wanted out all along, just didn't have the nads to say it out loud.
that said, there is no center in the nba I would rather go to war with on my team. brook lopez? cant rebound. al hoford? is 6'9. demarcus cousins? will he ever "get it"? joakim noah? worse than Dwight at rebounding, shot blocking, defense, and scoring. Andrew Bynum? overrated product of kobe/gasol that cant even stay healthy enough to play 50 games a year. Tyson chandler? did you see how he got handled in the playoffs? plus, he cant score at all. roy hibbert? lol. no comment. Houston dropped the ball not getting josh smith when they had the chance. a d12/j smoove back line would have been brutal to score on, blocked a ton of shots and been the real lob city. harden, lin, parsons, smith and howard would have been a force. but he did get to the finals with rashard lewis, hedo turkoglu, jameer nelson, rafer alston, Courtney lee and I think even matt barnes was on that team. and they blew 2 of the 4 games they lost. should have been up 3-1 going into game 5. so I wont count him out just yet.
Rob with negative prose? Armageddon is surely right around the corner.
May I assume, Rob, that DH isn't on your Christmas Card list? Lol
When I read ego the size of Everest and the heart of a pea, I immediately thought of A-roid.
CoachFollowme Thank You2013= 28
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Yes, Dwight can be a prima donna. Yes, he may have gotten Van Gundy fired. But , as you recognize, he is clearly the best center in the league. His career averages are 18 pts., 13 boards and over 2 blocks a game. He's led the league in rebounding 5 times. He is a dominant force on the court. Last year, coming off a major back injury, he still posted a strong season (17 pts. and 12 boards, 2.5 blocks per game). And, for the most part, Dwight has been relatively healthy, playing over 78 games in a season 7 times. Yes, as you pointed out, he is seriously flawed as a foul shooter. An aspect of his game he needs to improve.
Only time will tell if the Rockets made the right choice investing in Howard. The true test will be when they are down in a series. Can Dwight raise the level of the team and fight through adversity? So far, he hasn't shown that he can. Maybe at age 27 things will be different. There are a lot of good teams in the West that will only get better with more experience (OKC, Clippers, Memphis, Golden State, Nuggets) and of course the "old men" in San Antonio will always be a tough out...Heck, I didn't mention the Lakers who based on their historical pedigree can never be counted out. So its going to be hard for the Rockets to even get to the finals. But getting Dwight was a move the Rockets had to make...you do not often get the opportunity to get a player as gifted as Howard, in his prime, via free agency.-- Modified on 7/26/2013 1:56:06 AM
My problem with Dwight Howard is what I perceive his character or lack of same to be-He blatantly lied when he said he wasn't going behind Stan Van Gundy's (the good looking Van Gundy) back and complaining when he clearly was-He is, as Kweezer noted, a diva. He has great talent, but in my view lacks the heart, guts and doesn't have it between the ears to be a champion. I agree with Shaker that its a good move for the Rockets, who will clearly be better-but as I see it the only banners they'll be raising to the rafters will be a white flag after the 2nd round of the playoffs-smile
And Coach, I think the A in Aroid stands for 'Albatross'-Imagine with the bucks they're paying that clown, you could get some real quality players who could get your scrufty Yanks to maybe 3rd place in the East-grin Is this the year my beloved, overpaid and perennially underachieving Dodgers come to the fore?
Have a great weekend, all 1rob......out 8-)
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