Sources: Dwight doesn't see himself as a Rocket next year

He'll be on his 4th team in 6 years

By far one of the most OVERRATED athletes in the history of all sports

Be interesting to see who gets robbed this offseason

 

This is absolutely untrue. He's a hall-of-fame center, easily. It's too early to get salty.

 

Dwight's not going to the Hall of Fame man

Too many Hall of Famers are quoted as saying he is soft and a loser

Sorry Bro, that ain't happening

 

Rockets played awesome last year with Howard injured out of the lineup. They've already proven they can play without him...Morey has an interesting Summer ahead

 

I'm not a howard fan, don't hate the guy either but he's absolutely going to the hall of fame. His 3 straight years of getting DPOY award as well as the youngest player to achieve 15k points and 10k rebounds is more than enough.

Is he a top 10 center? No but he is a HOF center and just because some ex lakers have a bad opinion of him wont change that.

 

All those teams that you mentioned have had dust ups. It's not a big deal because guys get it' because you want to win so they talk out everything. I don't think Dwight gets that. I think in our player only meetings guys tip toe around him and no one wants to tell the truth about his play.

 

Look at his credentials (the stuff that matters in HOF voting), not the narrative. Look at allstar games, look at DPOY, finals appearance, all-NBA teams, all-defense teams, years as rebound leader, years as blocks leader, gold medals. Dude is a hall of famer, no question.

But some former players don't like him...

 

This is just all so tiring before a playoff push. If you're objective, you can see where Dwight's coming from, and in the same manner, you can understand how the Rockets have also moved away from Dwight. I love the debates about our roster, our loyalty to the Rockets and even the posts about our coaching issues.

What I despise is how some posters turn their resentment towards a player into a question of that player's overall talent. For whatever reason, some have created these petty, video-game like wars between players (usually at the same position) and fans. A dislike of a player does not mean that player is any less talented, even if you want to believe it. (And before someone tries to say I'm a Dwight fan, I'm not. I'm a Rockets fan, but I support Dwight's effort and I recognize his value as a player in different areas.) I hope the end of the season puts to bed this fan division of armchair warriors. It's like reading the drama from the Clippers or Kings!

Like CyberDaGawd posted, Dwight and the Rockets will likely part ways, but it's not on the bad terms that certain posters want it to be. It's not an issue of "fault." It's always going to be about winning. Right now, it's just a changing of times and moving on to the next chapter. But, the next chapter may not be someone on the current roster. I hope they don't absolutely lose it, but there's always a chance we go with SuperCoolBeas and turn the page with DMo. Maybe that's why the Dwight resentment is peaking....it's the fear that a guy with untapped potential may not be "the one."

I guess fandom is now a continuum of a honeymoon stage, followed by a period of semi- delusional, anger-laced judgment towards a player, often as a result of a fan's displaced frustration. To make matters worse, all logic goes out of the window and some type of narcissism about a player's strengths/weaknesses starts being the usual. (example: KLow vs. AB,or hell, "JHill is the next Amare")

They love you, then they hate you, then they love you again...The majority of Rockets fans are better than this. When this season is over, if you're fair, you'll admit that Dwight conducted himself well here and put in some great seasons for us. I don't even need to address the charity because he's done amazing there...

So if Dwight is gone after this year, it's all good. He was a professional, and even if we didn't win the 'ship with him, it doesn't mean he didn't put in work. And for those of you who don't understand back injuries, especially on the frame of a man of Dwight's size, please reconsider what "heart" is. Dwight has played through pain for the majority of his career, and he's put up some good numbers. I'm sure someone will go all ESPN on that, but any talent scout knows that Dwight was a special player and he's still able to contribute at a high level, even if it's not as the 1st or 2nd option. The numbers don't lie.

These notions of Dwight's lack of talent, being "done" as a player, having "no heart" and not helping the team are plain ridiculous. No, he's not Hakeem, but he's certainly not Hasheem Thabeet either.

You want to bench him for the duration of the season to play a raw Clint, an injured TJ, unproven Montrezl, a recovering, unproven DMo and a newly-integrated Beas? If your idea of logic takes you in that direction, I simply don't understand how you interpret basketball at any level.

We are/were lucky to have Dwight as a Rocket. Of course, we wish the results were a bit different, but Dwight deserves more respect than the trash being thrown at him on his way out. This isn't Scottie Pippen.

Stay humble, stay hungry.

 

which decade or century?

 

but then again you might be right...I didn't know the Comic Book Expo were involved in the Hall of Fame Voting lol

 

Codman,

where does this team go next? Is Cousins, in your opinion, a real possibility? You'd have to imagine a package of KJ McDaniels, Dekker, Capela and Montrezl would be ALMOST there. I'd have to imagine Cousins + Durant + Harden is the dream with Horford + Durant + Harden as 1)A)ii. It's sad to see the Dwight era come to an end without the team really ever jelling. It's almost as if James and Dwight could never be on the same page and neither were able to adjust their games to meet the other in the middle.

 

Most reasonable post of this thread. Well said man

 

thank you for this. agree completely.

 

yep me too and maybe he can figure it out with another team next season

 

Gotta spread more rep around so couldn't make it official, but this is so on point.

 

On another quick serious note..another great center that brought it every night...glad he's safe and sound"

Dikembe Mutombo was at Brussels airport during attack
By Matt Young Updated 2:10 pm, Tuesday, March 22, 2016


Former Rocket and second-all-time leading shot-blocker Dikembe Mutombo receives a standing ovation during the first half of the Houston Rockets game against the Atlanta Hawks, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015, in Houston. ( Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle ) Photo: Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle
Photo: Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle
IMAGE 45 OF 50People react outside Brussels airport after explosions rocked the facility in Brussels, Belgium Tuesday March 22, 2016. Explosions rocked the Brussels airport and the subway system Tuesday, just days after the main suspect in the November Paris attacks was arrested in the city, police said.IMAGE 1 OF 50 Former Rocket and second-all-time leading shot-blocker Dikembe Mutombo receives a standing ovation during the first half of the Houston Rockets game against the Atlanta Hawks, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015, in Houston. ( Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle )
Former Houston Rockets center Dikembe Mutombo was at the Brussels airport during the terrorist attack Tuesday morning, but he's fine.
Mutombo posted a couple photos and messages on Facebook to let everyone know he's safe.
Mutombo posted: "God is good. I am in Brussels Airport with this craziness. I am fine."
Mutombo played 18 sesons in the NBA, including the final five seasons of his career with the Rockets. After retiring in 2009, Mutombo has become known for his humanitarian work around the world.

 

It's pretty quiet right now in terms of free agency, mainly because of the playoffs around the corner. What's really discussed is coaching vacancies, and for good reason. We've seen how the player/coach relationships have either improved a team or completely destroyed morale (SacTown,Phoenix).

It's well-known that DM likes Boogie. But then again, so does the entire league. I bring up coaching for the simple fact that the Kings will dump George Karl before moving Boogie. It's a waiting game...you have to anticipate who crumbles first.

What I've heard about SacTown is pretty standard, but when you look at the contracts on that team, the roster is set to move. Consider this: Rondo is about to be a free agent. He and Boogie are very,very close. Rudy Gay has wanted to go, but the Kings haven't found the right deal. George Karl is being kept around because of his contract. All of these things put Boogie in a bad spot. When Rondo jets out of there, I expect the other pieces to fall. The Kings are going to have to rebuild, and while Boogie claims to like the organization (not the coach), he's very, very open to finding success elsewhere. Again, the Kings will be the team that falls apart like dominoes.

DeMarcus will have his pickings about a destination, free agent or through some sort of "pushed" trade.

Personally, he's my favorite "big" outside of the Rockets. He'd take us over the top easily, but I haven't heard enough about his plans.

What I have learned over the years is that Houston is still a desired destination. And, despite what so many posters think, James is very well liked around the league. He's friends with everyone...that helps with recruiting. We'd be in trouble if he had the Kobe-esque relationship with the league that scares players away.

The big names will certainly give Houston a listen, but like SacTown, our coaching situation will need some stability before guys like KD think about a future here.

 

I remember when cyberx broke "Chances Dwight comes to Houston growing" in here before the playoffs were even over and everyone went nuts. Guess things come full circle.

 

Dwight Howard has lost some of his ability. He cannot move laterally as well as he did in the past and he does not get off the court as fast as he used to. This is to be expected, but what Dwight has done is "cheat" to ensure that he gets big numbers, especially big rebound numbers. He does not come out at all on rotations. He stays close to the basket, to the huge detriment of the Rockets team defense, all so he can pad his rebounding statistics. He does not box out at all anymore and he will often give up on plays when he is not an option.

Now, Dwight Howard isn't the first player at 30 to do this. Efficiency has often given way as a player ages and it is more difficult to get the same production.

So what is the problem with what Howard is doing? Well first, he is as big a reason as anyone in the organization that the Rockets are a .500% team. He does not do the little things anymore, because they do not show up cleanly in the stat sheet. When you have players not playing team defense, and "cheating", it disrupts everyone one else on the court.

Second, these "Howard may be traded at the break" leaks did not come from the Houston Rockets organization, they came from Dwight's camp. Now, Howard gives this interview? HE isn't on the same page with the rest of his teammates.

When Howard leaves (and he will), the Rockets will be diplomatic and most likely Howard will be mostly diplomatic (sometimes he cannot help himself).

Still, Howard hasn't been "right" all season long.

 

I don't recall Hasheem Thabeet asking for more post touches. Let's not act as if people are being unreasonable just because they are being honest about Howards abilities. If Howard wanted to take a pay cut and wasn't constantly whining about getting more post touches (Something he's not good at) you think people would be saying the things they are saying about Dwight? No.

Despite noticeably declining and the Rockets being a .500 team this year he still wants a pay raise of millions of dollars and you think we should all just be like "Hell yeh!! Great idea!! Lets give a guy who cant hit the broad side of a barn more post touches and a 4 year contract a 30 mil a year." I'm sorry that's not wise and people on this board are unreasonable for saying so.

I'm a big Hakeem fan but I wouldn't give him 35 minutes per game and more touches at 30 mil just because I respect him. He's aged and can't do what he used too. I'm not evil for saying it, it's just the truth. And Hakeem actually played several productive years here for us. I appreciate what Howard had done for a year and a half but things are not working out now and we should not give a guy what he wants because he played well for barely two seasons.