^^^ Even though that's one play it shows how limited he is. LZ Granderson was on ATH yesterday and he said he watched Dwight play some in high school in Atlanta, and that he still has some of the same issues he did then. He has not fixed these things, he has not added to his post game, he doesn't care about becoming more skilled down low, or maybe his teammates actually would feel more confident in giving the ball to him more. If he wanted to be truly great he could have been, but if you don't put in the work, your game doesn't grow, and when his athleticism fully goes, he's going to be garbage.
btw, to tie together some of the loose points here, I think howard absolutely MUST play with 4 three point threats on the floor. his offense just isn't good enough otherwise. nobody has done that for him since his Orlando days. he might put up points again if someone does. still not sure it means you win anything. dallas would be a great fit for him, as they would have been for Jordan.
Always used to wonder why Orlando, would fall to pieces after half times etc. Thought it was a SVG thing. After Dwight and his last playoff performance for us am convinced it was entirely a Dwight thing. He was asked about improving. He kept clucking on about hitting the weights. I like most people thought what about the post moves and the free throws? I feel Dwight is stuck in a trap. Weights are easy for him, they help him get the ladies. Basketball is work and he can fail at it. So what does he do? The path of least resistance that wont show him up. His problem is all summed up in that Rockets pitch. He wants to be epic. If he put in the work and shut up people would have liked him ok. Instead people "hate" and mock him. It was a really smart idea to take on LA's legend Kobe in LA with the stat sheet and that amnesty BS. My opinion is that Dwight is his own worst enemy. It is unbelievable he went from Kobe to Harden and thought he would become the man. He is that one contract away from irrelevancy. He doesn't care about winning, but he knows it is the right thing to say. And that is his story. But I am not rich, and I can't dunk so what do I matter?
I think this is what barkley was trying to tell him the other night. but they were imploring him to ring chase a la david west, I think. btw, don't be surprised if some Dwight to SA chatter starts percolating. great image rehab for him, needed defensive talent boost for them.
whoa. http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15596878/dwight-howard-qa-superman-returns there's WAYYYY more in there, including a lot about his time in la.
He just smacks of a person who doesn't get it. Everything that's happened to him negatively has happened because of extenuating circumstances. In the end he says "that's on me" or "I made a mistake" but that's for everyone else too. He's so afraid of failure, he'll never actually succeed. Deep down I think he's probably a nice guy, but he's not cut out for being a champion.
A really good read and interview. The gal from ESPN, Jackie MacMullan, if she was doing the interview, asked really pertinent and probing questions .... tough questions even and followed up on them. Well .... "really good read" .... if you care about what is going on in the mind of Dwight Howard. He really does have a need to be liked and a fear of looking bad on the floor. Says he practiced in Orlando tons on a short jump shot after contacting Kobe and getting his advice with the 1,000 shots a day routine. But then was afraid to ever shoot them because of how it would look if he missed or people said, what the hell is he doing. Agree with realdeal above that he's so afraid of failure. Exact opposite of Kobe Bryant. Well he was a champion in the dunk contest with the cape on. He'll always have that.
That was a really good interview. His problems are in his head. Always have been. Afraid to miss? Has he looked at Kobe's shooting percentage? "Every shot you don't take is a miss." (my high school coach always said that).
So he's guaranteed not going back to Houston then right? He just aired private conversations, threw his GM under the bus for his struggles. Vintage Dwight. He really doesn't get it, he says the same things he's been saying for years and he's too old for that crap now. Do it, or shut up. He says he knows he needs to not let not getting the ball hurt other parts of his game, his effort, uh, we've heard this before. And he still brings up a clash because Kobe "wanted" to still be the star. Kobe WAS still the star, if Dwight wanted to take over that team he still couldn't, he didn't have the talent to outplay or outshine Kobe. He WAS a Tyson Chandler and would have benefited from realizing it. Lastly I'd like to shake this fan's hand.
Howard...insecure with a lack of focus. Add those flaws with an entitled attitude and a weak will? Disaster. There was that comment about 24 wanting him to be a killer? Why question that as a deal to be great? Doesn't Howard remember the 2009 Finals when 24 refused to joke around with him during tip-offs? So clueless...
the tweet is funny, but i do think folks have gone overboard on dwight's on-court slippage. he's still a top-notch nba center, and he's still significantly better than festus ezeli.