http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2895611 Howard is sure to leave sweet legacy By RICHARD JUSTICE We measure them by their size and speed, by rebounds and home runs and all the rest. Sometimes we overlook the really important stuff. That's why Juwan Howard might be a role model for what every professional athlete ought to be. I have no idea how long he'll be with the Rockets, but I can tell you what will happen when he leaves. Coaches will say they've never had a player they liked more. They'll say they've never had one who worked harder or was more conscientious. They'll say they wish every player could be more like him. Howard's teammates will say a lot of the same things, and so will members of the front office. You'll hear that from those at the top of the masthead to those at the bottom. Years from now, they may not remember one rebound he grabbed or game-winning basket he scored. But they'll recall that he was smart, thoughtful, articulate and gracious, that he was one of those rare people who realized how blessed he was to make millions in the NBA. No.1 with the Bullets I met Howard in the summer of 1994, when the Washington Bullets — the team I once covered — made him the fifth pick of the NBA draft. Typical of a terrible organization, the Bullets immediately set out to humiliate him. They offered him a contract below market value, then attempted to make him look like the bad guy when he held out. To end the holdout, the Bullets gave him a 10-year contract at a lower average salary than he should have gotten. In return, Howard could become a free agent after his second season, thereby recovering any money he'd lost with the original deal. The Bullets (since renamed the Wizards) learned they shouldn't have doubted him. He made them look like fools. He averaged 17 points and 8.4 rebounds in his rookie season and 22.1 points and 8.1 rebounds in his second. Hitting the books What many of his former teammates remember was a game in Toronto near the end of his second season. Howard essentially was carrying a team that had been gutted by injuries, and after he'd scored the last of 42 points against the Raptors, he plopped on the bench and, overcome by exhaustion and emotion, began to cry. "You look down there, and he's sobbing," teammate Calbert Cheaney said at the time. "He played his heart out." That game was only the second-most impressive thing Howard did during those early years in Washington. His teammates thought he was aloof. They wondered why he always had his head stuck in books, why he was constantly writing in the notebooks that were always by his side. One player asked if he was writing rap songs. Howard smiled. "I'm finishing my degree," he said. The grandmother who had raised him died during his senior year of high school in Chicago. One of her last requests was that he get his college degree. He took those final 18 hours during his rookie season. "That was tough," he said. "I still remember studying before practice, after practice, on planes. I was determined to get it, but it was tough." Attending graduation ceremonies at Michigan remains one of the highlights of his life. Right about that time, the entire NBA fell in love with Juwan Howard. Stories about his work ethic spread throughout the league in the weeks before he was to become a free agent in 1996. One of those stories concerned the summer before his second NBA season. The Bullets had acquired his buddy and former Michigan teammate Chris Webber the previous year, and because both of them were true power forwards, Howard was asked to play small forward. Another player would have complained, but Howard went to work. That summer, Michael Jordan invited him to participate in daily scrimmages on a temporary court built for the superstar on the back lot of a movie studio in Los Angeles. In hours and hours of pickup games, Howard guarded the player who was then the league's best small forward — Scottie Pippen. Howard got beat up by Pippen that summer, but when the Bullets reported to camp, he was ready for anything any other small forward could throw at him. After his second season, he got a contract befitting a superstar — $105 million over seven years. He's 31 now and never really become one. He has averaged 17.8 points and 7.4 rebounds for 10 NBA seasons — solid but not spectacular numbers — and some have criticized him for failing to fulfill his potential. In truth, Howard worked so hard and maximized his skills so quickly that he improved only modestly over the years. He's now what he was then: a solid rebounder and defender and an offensive player with both a decent low-post game and consistent mid-range jumper. Since the Wizards traded him in 2001, Howard has been with four teams in four seasons. He played pretty well at every stop but kept getting bounced. When the Rockets got him in the Tracy McGrady deal last summer, they emphasized that he'd be a valuable addition. So far, he has been. Howard is averaging 10 points and 22 minutes a game, but he had 20 points in 24 minutes in Tuesday's 90-87 victory over Memphis. His role will be defined as coach Jeff Van Gundy fits the various pieces in place over the next few months. Howard won't complain, no matter what happens. "I'm here to win," he said, "and this team has a chance to do that. We've got a great makeup, and I'm happy to be part of it." Maybe his more lasting impact will come off the court with dozens of speaking engagements to schools and youth groups, with the way younger teammates see how he approaches his job. He has not been perfect either on the court or off, but he has left a legacy that will have little to do with statistics. "I've been very lucky," Howard said. "I've worked hard for everything I've gotten, but God has blessed me." richard.justice@chron.com
I want to give props to the Juwan Howard as described in this article. If he is the man that this shows then he brings the kind of work ethic and character that will build winning chemistry. Yao has the desire to do the right thing, put the team first, fulfill his responsibility. TMac is willing to sacrifice. Charlie Ward, Deke, Spoon are all blue collar workers who know there role and try to make the team successful. I like this core group. The attitude seems right. Hopefully the talent and the health will be there for this team to do some special things on the court. I see a pattern in JVG's logic. Get guys who pay the price without complaining. Who work hard for the team. Will trust each other and leave it all on the court every night. I hope TMac gets healthy, we could be special.
Its hard to imagine a group like our current would ever lose to a horrible team, say...the Bobcats, and come out with the ole "We just didn't take them seriously. They're Nothing." excuse. I suspect we are going beat most of the teams that we are "supposed" to beat this year, and work on chemistry to beat the elite.
Not only is Juwan a standup guy off the court, he's Santa Claus on the court. 1. Helped Webber get traded to the Kings. Now- makes max contract and dating Tyra 2. Helped Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace get traded. Now- both champions in Detriot 3. Helped MJ get back to basketball. Now-At least it wasnt impossible to get tix to see MJ like when he was with the Bulls. 4. Helped Denver get the #2 pick. Now-They made it to the playoffs with Carmelo (what's in my backpack) Anthony 5. Helped Orlando get great standup guys like Steve and Cuttino. Now- Orlando is going to be a playoff team. 6. Helped Grant Hill come back. Now- Mysteriously after leaving Orlando(Juwan), Grant feels better. 7. We got TMAC!
I've got a soft-spot for "good guys." Oh, sure, I'd rather have the ******* on my team if he happens to be a better player and want the same money...but all the same, I'd rather have the Nice Guy. And if we do have them, I want to know about it...
Nice article. I smell a trade coming soon. Usually when a player get complimented like this in public, his ass about us about to get shipped elsewhere.
Awesome post Tinman. The article makes an interesting point, Juwan Howard maximized his skills a long time ago. Some players are just like that, see the other seemingly underachieving Michigan powerfoward on the team. Sometimes you have to accept that what you see is what you are going to get, no matter what their contract suggests that they should be.
This article does bring to light one thing about Howard. That's his remarkable consistency over his career. The guy never had monster seasons, nor did he ever have any bad ones. He consistently have nice seasons year in and year out. Considering his age, this is a good sign for the Rockets. Perhaps he'll age better than normal NBA players.
Otis Thorpe is a good guy also. He waved to me at the McDonald's drive through in LaGrange. I said ' Yo O.T.!!'
When I did the "High Five Club" the other night (see my 'Time of my Life' post) I stood by Howard while waiting for the starting line ups & he was really super nice. Asked if I was having fun & how I liked this years team. Told him that I thought he should be starting & he simply said that he was glad to be on a winning team finally
Nice words sure, but the only real legacy Juwan Howard will have is as the beneficiary of one of the most bloated contracts in sports history.
Juwan is going to be a positive to this team. He's going to be the PF whose going to contribute at his position since Otis Thorpe. He's the 3rd weapon on this squad when someone needs to step up, as he showed against Memphis.
You got to be kidding me. Otis Thorpe is a legendary Rocket who was on the team that brought Houston a championship. Juwan is not even a starter. Otis was the perfect compliment to Dream, he rebounded, put back missed shots, threw great down court passes, and backed up Dream when he was on the bench. Juwan hasnt proved that he compliments Yao's game as a PF. Kato was a great compliment to Yao. Too bad he's gone. Tonight will be a good test for Juwan, Mo Taylor, and the poor dudes who have to guard Sam.
