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A chronicle of Dwight Howard's downward spiral

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by RV6, Jan 22, 2015.

  1. Deckard

    Deckard Blade Runner
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    Interesting post. As someone who's had chronic back pain for several years due to a disc fusion that went south, I can tell you that psychologically it has had quite an impact, and in all sorts of areas. I've become wary of doing things I had done without thinking all my life before the injury. While I have varying degrees of pain, I can do something entirely mundane and it suddenly ramps up, big time. I hesitate to do physical activity. Hell, I've put myself into bed with ice packs for two days simply from throwing a frisbee with my kids. Sitting on a hard surface for 10 or 15 minutes can cause a flareup that last for a day or longer. I could go on.

    So what does that have to do with Dwight? His problems are different from mine, but my point was that these kinds of injuries just naturally make you cautious, and being cautious doing what Dwight does for a job has to impact your performance, with some incidents when you weren't being cautious leading to hurting like hell, increasing the impact on his game.

    Yeah, I'm worried about the guy. The change in his play has been obvious. At least he has some very good people working on him, but it seems crazy to not give him some extensive time off to "reboot" and get as healthy as he can short of having surgery, which would prevent him from playing in the post-season. They should consider doing that, in my opinion. We need him in the run up to the playoffs, when we'll be fighting for seeding, and we sure as hell need him to be effective in the playoffs.
     
  2. RV6

    RV6 Contributing Member

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    This picture?

    [​IMG]

    It was in reference to him wearing a posture shirt. The shirt is suppose to help keep your shoulders back, not forward and rounded. However, when Howard steps up to the free throw line, he has this routine of pushing his shoulders forward, as if he's squeezing his chest, which is basically the posture he seems to be stuck in already, so he's reinforcing it, rather than correcting it, every time at the free throw line. Seems counterproductive to me..not sure if he's conscious of that or if the team is.


    [​IMG]

    Protraction isn't necessarily a bad thing, you need to be able to do it, but not so much that you weaken or even lose retraction.

    As far as how it may effect his shooting, if he's stuck or too strong in protraction, then that's going to affect the ability of some joints to move in certain directions, including his shoulders and thoracic spine (chest area). Technically, that could keep him from getting his arms higher to get a better arc on his shot, for example.
     
    #82 RV6, Jan 23, 2015
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2015
  3. bmd

    bmd Member

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    Lots of basketball players have shoulders like that and shoot fine.
     
  4. Normalus

    Normalus Member

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    We need monster double-double today, c'mon Dwight! You're not old!
     
  5. kchin

    kchin Member

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    Dwight is not in a downward spiral. Everyone just has it in for him. He is not like Anthony Davis who can play within a motion offense. Dwight is a true big man who plays in an inside/out offense and sometimes that gets lost in their "watch James Harden" offense.
     
  6. RV6

    RV6 Contributing Member

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    Protraction also has to do with the scapula, not just the shoulders. He could have small shoulders and still be in protraction. You also can't just compare shoulders from player to player and assume their whole bodies will function the same just because the shoulders match....

    Look at these guys with similar or bigger builds, they don't have rounded, protracted shoulders:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    Yet, you'll constantly catch dwight like this:
    [​IMG]

    It's probably why his chest looks so small. It's caved in...and yes, i know he's exaggerating that posture in this picture, but that seems to be his thing. Keep doing it and it will eventually become your usual posture.
     
    #86 RV6, Jan 23, 2015
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2015
  7. RV6

    RV6 Contributing Member

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    I know accidents just happen sometimes (I say it here all the time), but from what I understand, Dwight rolled his right ankle unprovoked last night. The more "accidents" occur that aren't caused by some outside force, the more likely something wasn't right to begin with.


    <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://instagram.com/p/nv6cunn8dP/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Although the hip joint and the ankle joint anatomically are pretty far away from each other the impact they have on one another makes them inseparable..decreased hip abductor muscle strength can alter ankle mechanics and stability especially when loading one side @ a time. To sum that up..if ur hip is weak ur ankles are probably living in fear. @snutherapy @strengthnu #kineticchain#thesystem#whataconcept#chiropracticwillneverbethesame#rehab#prehab</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Dr. Kevin Marryshow (@drkev_hybrid) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2014-05-08T20:06:26+00:00">May 8, 2014 at 1:06pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
    <script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>

    Hip abductors are key in lateral movement. They are also part of the glutes. We already know McHale said Dwight had weak glutes and that dwight has problems with lateral movement.

    I also forgot to include Dwight's ankle strain late last season in the OP. I can't remember how that happened, but that one was on the left side. Again, I can't say it's related, but it's just something to add to the list.
     
  8. Exiled

    Exiled Member

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    No one worried about Harden? he seemed more in danger than Howard
     
  9. RV6

    RV6 Contributing Member

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    Updated, compressed version (original version in OP)



    2011-2012 (Magic)

    April- back surgery to repair herniated disk

    2012-2013 (Lakers)

    January- Torn labrum

    --------------------------------

    Begins to compression undershirt to correct posture

    2013-2014 (Rockets)

    Signs with Houston- McHale says his flexibility is "funky", cites strength imbalances from leg to leg

    2014-2015 (Rockets)

    June -Treatment with mobility/movement specialist.

    -----------------------------------

    June-Trains with P3 to break down the mechanics and look for issues that need to be corrected.

    ------------------------------------

    Oct 8- Bruises left knee in practice during pre-season, has swelling. Plays on 0ct 19, so he sits 10 days, at most.

    ------------------------------------

    Nov 1- Bruises right knee in season opener, has swelling. Doesn't miss time (actually played next day on back to back)

    ------------------------------------

    November 17 Strains right knee and has platelet procedure done. Out about 23 days.

    ------------------------------------

    Jan 19- Strained knee still an issue. Continues to play through it.

    ------------------------------------

    Jan 21

    ------------------------------------

    Jan 23- Sprains right ankle against Suns. Has not played since..

    ------------------------------------

    Jan 27- Tweaks right ankle sprain in practice

    ------------------------------------

    Jan 29- Right knee edema reported
    Feb 4- Bone marrow injection, will be out up to 4 weeks.


    One thing I wanted to clear up. Originally, I thought he had bruised his right knee in practice during the preseason. When I went back to look at this more closely, it looks like he actually bruised his left knee in preseason, not right. However, he did eventually bruise the right one as well on opening night, Nov 1. I didn't realize there were two separate incidents, when i posted the OP. Then, he went on to strain the right knee on Nov 17, and so on.

    It's odd that he started bumping knees so often all of a sudden. I'm not sure why that would happen. It could be some "clumsiness" resulting from correcting his mechanics, but I'm not sure. It looks like he had edema each time, including immediate swelling on opening night, but he continued to play with pain that night. He also played the next night (back to back).

    This is a link to the opening night injury:

    http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2014/11/2/7144913/dwight-howard-injury-knee-rockets
     
  10. daywalker02

    daywalker02 Member

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    I think the hard truth is not 'heart' but neither Tmac nor Yao had the durability to win a 'championship'

    Dwight might not have the 'durability' to win a championship either so Harden is our only chance.
     
  11. RV6

    RV6 Contributing Member

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    I figured I'd add some stuff to this thread...

    I wrote this post recently


    Mchale said this yesterday:


    All this goes hand in hand with what I've posted in this thread...You can't move well laterally if you can't get low. Muscles are like rubber bands..you need a stretch first to get a "snap" back from them to create good movement. Dwight excels at the vertical game, which is just being upright, staying long to go grab a board or lob. Can't really move in any other way. They have been working on Dwight's mobility and therefore have been able to keep him from serious injury, but that's not enough. Either Dwight needs to commit more time to the program or they need a different approach. That's what will prolong his career and even improve his offensive moves and touch.
     
  12. kjayp

    kjayp Contributing Member

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    #4 ALL TIME FG% and shooting the HIGHEST % OF HIS CAREER THIS YEAR - but gets < 9 SHOTS A GAME!!!!!

    I can't imagine what the problem is.... smh....
     
  13. RV6

    RV6 Contributing Member

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    Not relevant to this thread...if he moved better he could have been David Robinson-esque.
     
  14. houtown

    houtown Member

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    Do you want to grow a possibly awkward goatee maybe like Dwight Howard?
     
  15. peleincubus

    peleincubus Member

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    he would have been a cross between kareem/wilt/walton

    but he still would not have been as good as hakeem in his prime ;)
     
  16. kjayp

    kjayp Contributing Member

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    fully relevant... people wanna keep talking about this 'downward spiral...' when in reality, while he is being hampered by injuries... but at the end of the day, the guy just isn't being utilized....
     
  17. Shroopy2

    Shroopy2 Contributing Member

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    Yeah I think "downward spiral" is generally a STRONG term meaning someone is totally just losing it all SEVERELY physically and MENTALLY, to harsh SUFFERING. Like Gilbert Arenas, Steve Francis, Vin Baker, etc.

    That seems a bit dramatic. "Downward trajectory" or just "physical decline" might be more apt.

    Dwight is still a useful player with obvious loss of athleticism. Its that he appeared as an indestructible Superman at first, and played like one. Now he's downgraded to just a human bball player, but the contrast is noticable.

    Interesting thread, RV6. I thought the focus on anatomy was a bit, much honestly. Though reading it without judging, its kind of informative and offers a unique perspective
     
  18. RV6

    RV6 Contributing Member

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    There's a reason for all the anatomy..it wasnt a thread about the downward spiral of his mind or personality, but of his body. Maybe I should have added "physical" to the title, but I thought that would be obvious given my focus on his body and injuries.

    Also, my plan was to continue outlining his "downward spiral" so this wasnt a finished thread. When finished, the title would have made more sense because my prediction was Dwight would run into a lot of problems at the rate he was going...however, the Rockets saw this too and they have done enough corrective work with him to stay out of his danger zone.

    From what Ive seen the Rockets do with him (his rehab routine + bringing in a movement coach + getting his mechanics checked at P3) and McHales comments (on 2 separate occasions) there's no doubt that my general thinking of his issues is correct. Obviously I don't have access to Dwight or inside info, so that makes coming up with very specific details difficult, but there's enough there to make good educated guesses.
     
  19. kingkingston

    kingkingston Member

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    he is going ok, age will be a bugger though, it is undefeated
     
  20. kingkingston

    kingkingston Member

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    lol here is a fact, he wouldn't have a high field goal percentage if he had more field goal attempts

    FGA's are not the true story anyway because teams foul him when he gets the ball before he can put up a shot, so really the FGA number is misleading
     

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