duncan228
11-14-2008, 02:21 PM
Quietly dominant, Howard will make noise (http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8793894/Quietly-dominant,-Howard-will-make-noise)
by Mike Kahn
It would take a moment or two for even the most ardent of NBA fans -- or even media -- to remember who was named first team All-NBA center for the 2007-08 season.
The gut reaction is always Shaquille O'Neal or Yao Ming, or even Tim Duncan if we cheat a little bit and slide him over from forward.
He is the 22-year-old who had the first triple double of his career Wednesday night, a two-time All-Star, owner of a 2008 Olympic gold medal and presently leads the NBA in rebounds and blocked shots.
If we were playing Jeopardy! the question would be "Who is Dwight Howard?"
You've probably already had enough clues to know that. And it's hard to fathom that a 6-11, 265-pound post-monger can bask in anonymity in the middle of his burgeoning superstardom, but it certainly appears that way.
Day after day, game after game, year after year we hear about Duncan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, and this season Paul Pierce has entered that same ilk. For some reason, Howard just doesn't seem to garner the same level of kudos. And let's face it, the guy is a monster in the middle and everybody knows it.
It's more than just the 30-point, 19-rebound and 10-block game he put up to steal the thunder from Oklahoma City Wednesday night. Sure, those numbers are special on any occasion, let alone his first career triple-double -- even against a horrible team devoid of a center. In the case of this season, however, he's taken it to another level.
He's continued his annual improvement in scoring up to 23.9 per game, which is ninth in the league entering Thursday's game. And he's leading everybody with 15 rebounds and 4.4 blocks a game. He still needs to work on his offensive game overall with a more dependable jump hook and other nuances of footwork around the hoop. The only pronounced weakness is his free-throw shooting -- which is reaching epidemic proportions -- dropping to a career-low .515 and becoming more problematic for him late in games. To put it into perspective, if he improved to a still less-than- average .667, he'd be averaging 25.9, which would put him fourth and the Magic would have a couple more wins.
Still, the rest of his game is so impressive that the real issue is the lack of appreciation. He didn't even get it at the Olympics, with some contending the team was better when Chris Bosh, a smaller and more finesse-oriented player, was at center. There are some who believe the Magic are primed to make a run at the Eastern Conference title.
Obviously that is in tribute to Howard.
It isn't going to happen though, if only because of the overrated players around him. The maximum money the Magic put out to lure Rashard Lewis in the summer of 2007 was way too much for a guy who can really shoot the ball, but contributes little else on the floor. Indeed, Hedo Turkoglu earned the Most Improved Player Award a year ago, but his numbers are already down from last season, and headed back to his career norm -- solid and diverse, but generally mediocre.
Keep filling those stat sheets and soon Dwight Howard will be a household name to even non-NBA fans. (Fernando Medina / Getty Images)
They went out and spent good money on free agent Mickael Pietrus to be their shooting guard, but he's not a very good shooter at all. The diminutive Jameer Nelson is tough as nails, but erratic as can be shooting the ball, and ineffective running the offense.
So that leaves Howard to control every game, with almost no sizeable help up front, and when they fail to win, it lands on his very young and very broad shoulders. Championship teams prove year in and year out they can't win solely dependent on a big man. Without at least one exceptional perimeter player capable of breaking down a defense off the dribble, it limits the potential of every possession.
That doesn't mean Howard's potential is limited, just the team. The future of the franchise is at the feet of general manager Otis Smith to put a crew of players on the floor for coach Stan Van Gundy to compliment Howard. Right now it creates a situation of the dumping the ball into Howard and spotting up all around him -- the boring gambling NBA way of today. If they're hitting 3-pointers, they win. If not, and Howard is counted on to hit his free throws, they'll lose.
Of course, that isn't the only reason his exposure is limited. Orlando is a small market, and he's such a low-key unassuming person, it doesn't push him into the public eye. His McDonald's commercial most likely leaves at least 80 percent of the views wondering who that big guy is.
Eventually, they'll know. For all the publicity Greg Oden has gotten despite playing in just two NBA games, Howard has played in all 336 possible since being drafted first overall in the 2004 draft out of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He has outgrown his initial desire to convert every player in the NBA to his version of Christianity. And he's not the same naive kid that walked in the door after his four-plus seasons and Olympic experiences with the rest of the more savvy young stars.
But he's generally unassuming in personality and in a lot of ways, still a kid -- a huge one at that with more athleticism in such a big man than we've seen in many years. So as you think of MVP candidates when the spring rolls around, he'll be right there near the top of the list. He won't win it this year and maybe not next year, but he'll be getting a lot of votes along the way, and everybody will know who he is, whether the Magic ever win the Eastern Conference or not.
by Mike Kahn
It would take a moment or two for even the most ardent of NBA fans -- or even media -- to remember who was named first team All-NBA center for the 2007-08 season.
The gut reaction is always Shaquille O'Neal or Yao Ming, or even Tim Duncan if we cheat a little bit and slide him over from forward.
He is the 22-year-old who had the first triple double of his career Wednesday night, a two-time All-Star, owner of a 2008 Olympic gold medal and presently leads the NBA in rebounds and blocked shots.
If we were playing Jeopardy! the question would be "Who is Dwight Howard?"
You've probably already had enough clues to know that. And it's hard to fathom that a 6-11, 265-pound post-monger can bask in anonymity in the middle of his burgeoning superstardom, but it certainly appears that way.
Day after day, game after game, year after year we hear about Duncan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, and this season Paul Pierce has entered that same ilk. For some reason, Howard just doesn't seem to garner the same level of kudos. And let's face it, the guy is a monster in the middle and everybody knows it.
It's more than just the 30-point, 19-rebound and 10-block game he put up to steal the thunder from Oklahoma City Wednesday night. Sure, those numbers are special on any occasion, let alone his first career triple-double -- even against a horrible team devoid of a center. In the case of this season, however, he's taken it to another level.
He's continued his annual improvement in scoring up to 23.9 per game, which is ninth in the league entering Thursday's game. And he's leading everybody with 15 rebounds and 4.4 blocks a game. He still needs to work on his offensive game overall with a more dependable jump hook and other nuances of footwork around the hoop. The only pronounced weakness is his free-throw shooting -- which is reaching epidemic proportions -- dropping to a career-low .515 and becoming more problematic for him late in games. To put it into perspective, if he improved to a still less-than- average .667, he'd be averaging 25.9, which would put him fourth and the Magic would have a couple more wins.
Still, the rest of his game is so impressive that the real issue is the lack of appreciation. He didn't even get it at the Olympics, with some contending the team was better when Chris Bosh, a smaller and more finesse-oriented player, was at center. There are some who believe the Magic are primed to make a run at the Eastern Conference title.
Obviously that is in tribute to Howard.
It isn't going to happen though, if only because of the overrated players around him. The maximum money the Magic put out to lure Rashard Lewis in the summer of 2007 was way too much for a guy who can really shoot the ball, but contributes little else on the floor. Indeed, Hedo Turkoglu earned the Most Improved Player Award a year ago, but his numbers are already down from last season, and headed back to his career norm -- solid and diverse, but generally mediocre.
Keep filling those stat sheets and soon Dwight Howard will be a household name to even non-NBA fans. (Fernando Medina / Getty Images)
They went out and spent good money on free agent Mickael Pietrus to be their shooting guard, but he's not a very good shooter at all. The diminutive Jameer Nelson is tough as nails, but erratic as can be shooting the ball, and ineffective running the offense.
So that leaves Howard to control every game, with almost no sizeable help up front, and when they fail to win, it lands on his very young and very broad shoulders. Championship teams prove year in and year out they can't win solely dependent on a big man. Without at least one exceptional perimeter player capable of breaking down a defense off the dribble, it limits the potential of every possession.
That doesn't mean Howard's potential is limited, just the team. The future of the franchise is at the feet of general manager Otis Smith to put a crew of players on the floor for coach Stan Van Gundy to compliment Howard. Right now it creates a situation of the dumping the ball into Howard and spotting up all around him -- the boring gambling NBA way of today. If they're hitting 3-pointers, they win. If not, and Howard is counted on to hit his free throws, they'll lose.
Of course, that isn't the only reason his exposure is limited. Orlando is a small market, and he's such a low-key unassuming person, it doesn't push him into the public eye. His McDonald's commercial most likely leaves at least 80 percent of the views wondering who that big guy is.
Eventually, they'll know. For all the publicity Greg Oden has gotten despite playing in just two NBA games, Howard has played in all 336 possible since being drafted first overall in the 2004 draft out of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He has outgrown his initial desire to convert every player in the NBA to his version of Christianity. And he's not the same naive kid that walked in the door after his four-plus seasons and Olympic experiences with the rest of the more savvy young stars.
But he's generally unassuming in personality and in a lot of ways, still a kid -- a huge one at that with more athleticism in such a big man than we've seen in many years. So as you think of MVP candidates when the spring rolls around, he'll be right there near the top of the list. He won't win it this year and maybe not next year, but he'll be getting a lot of votes along the way, and everybody will know who he is, whether the Magic ever win the Eastern Conference or not.