Its different to have skills/Fundamentals like Yao and become injured in way that you can no longer play. Then you have Dwight who never learned fundamentals and basic shooting skills. He relied on his athleticism and got injured but his injuries allowed him to still play. The problem is he doesn't have his athleticism anymore but not only does he still think he can play like he used too but he thinks it's not too late to develop a post game. He's been working with Hakeem for three years now it's time to let it go. The player only meetings should go like this: Dwight Howard you are not Hakeem, You're no Shaq, You're not Marc Gasol, and you sure as hell are not Pau Gasol. You can't make a post shot, You can't make a free thow, You cant hit a midrange jumper, You don't even defend like you used too. You are not an All Star. The only thing we want you to do is set a proper pick and get dunks and rebounds. I guarantee none of this is said and it's the reason we still have problems because no one wants to say it. In the offseason he needs to take a serious pay cut or just leave. And if he doesnt recognize his roll then he should just leave.
I'm sure Dwight's wishing this was the 90's era Rockets with a center-focused offense, but it's not and he's not Hakeem.
Only because Yao was injured often!! Had that not been the issue with Yao, I'd take him 9 times out of 10 over Dwight!! Yao actually had "big man" moves down low and could 12-14 foot jumpers , make his free throws, played D!!! yeah let's not do this!! Jumping out of the gym doesn't make you a skilled 5 see Jahvale McGee
This. The big problem with this team is that no one has the balls to say to Dwight's face that his offense and defense just flat out sucks right now.
If Dwight decides to leave us, I hope he and Parsons get the max and rot in Dallas along with Cuban's money.
the only thing that could stop yao were hairline fractures and golden state with their midgets. The thing that stops dwight is the how Low post offense thing. =) I agree with dwight's frustration though. you go 7/8 and they don't keep feeding you.
All you need to know about Deandre's "frustration" was how scared he got when he originally wanted to go to Dallas but realized he'd be under a bigger spotlight offensively and then he nutted up and went back LA where he doesn't have to do anything but catch dunks from CP3.
Both have zero post up game and score majority of their points through lobs and dunks. If Dwight should get more shot attempts, then so does DeAndre. He leads the FG% for gods sake. Let DeAndre take 30 shots a game. That makes sense.
lol...Pau has actual offensive skills and was clearly not utilized enough with Kobe on the same team. Dwight is in a similar situation, but with less skills, so you can't expect the same outcome. This is basically his way of increasing his value for this summer and blaming his issues on a bad fit.
[rquoter]Q&A with Rockets' Dwight Howard Joy has been replaced by job. That one-letter switch is pithy, to be sure, but nonetheless an accurate representation of the change in Dwight Howard's demeanor these days. Long gone -- perhaps, simply, now withheld from public view -- is the goofy, gangly kid who did a devastating impression of his then-coach, Stan Van Gundy, and reveled in the attention that came with being the game's best big man. He wowed with his cape-clad dunks in the 2008 Dunk Contest, having loved the "Superman" moniker he gave himself. He has since been injured and blamed and shunned, the target of constant prodding from another great center who started his NBA career in Orlando, Shaquille O'Neal. He blew up the Magic when he grew tired of Van Gundy's demanding style, and even after Orlando fired SVG, Howard pushed to be moved -- first to the Lakers, where he spent a miserable year with Kobe Bryant, and then to Houston as a free agent, where the idea was that Howard would grow old playing next to James Harden. But that decision has seemingly curdled as well. The same team that got to the Western Conference finals less than a year ago has fallen apart, now fighting just to get into the playoffs. Houston fired coach Kevin McHale after 11 games, but the Rockets are no better without him, and the subpar season has led to friction and speculation -- friction between Howard and the organization, which explored trade options for him before the deadline in February, and speculation that Howard will bolt this summer in free agency, having had his fill of watching Harden's dominance of the ball (he told USA Today's Sam Amick in an extended interview last week that he has "no hate in his heart" for Harden). At 30, Howard is still averaging a double-double this season, but his recurring back problems look to have slowed his offensive game significantly. His search for his lost joy continues. Me: From the 30,000-foot view of someone who hasn't been with your team all season: why are you here, scrambling just to make the playoffs, after having such a great season last year? Dwight Howard: I don't think we've played our best basketball all season long. We've had our highs and our lows, and we haven't been as consistent as we need to. And that's why we're in the position we're in. Me: The numbers in March have been better defensively. What has changed or improved? DH: Well, I just think our communication is one thing. And the trust, especially on the defensive end. You have to be able to trust your teammates. Because sometimes you may be reluctant to go if you don't think your teammate is going to be behind you. It's just small things that we have to fix, and I think we've done a better job of that. Me: You said something in the USA Today interview that was interesting about shots. When you get a lot of shots, you have put up numbers this season. DH: Well, I didn't actually say that; it was Sam (Amick). I don't really pay attention to that. I just know that I have to do whatever it takes for my team to win. I think James has done a good job of scoring, you bring in Michael Beasley, who's done a good job of scoring. I have to really focus on helping our team defense. All of us have to do a better job on defense, and the offense will be easier. But we have to focus in on the defensive side of things: how can we help each other? Because there's going to be mental breakdowns, there's going to be times when people get beat on backdoors and guards get beat coming down the lane. And we have to be the protectors. I think we've gotten a lot better at it. And I think by the time the playoffs come around, we'll have everything down pat. Me: What is most encouraging about the way you're playing, and what concerns you the most? DH: Well, I think our defense has been pretty good. Our communication has been a lot better. Just like with any relationship, the biggest thing is communication and trust. It may take a while, but I think our communication and trust has gotten a lot better. The thing that I think can concern our team is just being consistent. We haven't been able to be consistent all year, and I think the more consistent we become as a team, the better we'll be, and you'll see more wins than losses. Me: How surprising is that? This is basically the same team from last year that went on that run. DH: It is. But this is a totally different season, and I think teams are playing us a little differently than they did last season. And they're really attacking us. We have to understand that. We have to know that every team watched us play and make that run to get to the Western Conference finals. They're going to come out and try to destroy us, and we have to be ready for that. Me: Let me amend what I said before: you're right. You didn't talk about shots. But you did say that because of the way the game is played today, big men don't seem to be as valued as in years past. DH: I think if you watch a team like Golden State, they shoot more threes than just doing postups and stuff like that. I think everybody is kind of taking that same style of play on offense, where they have one big on the floor. They call it 'small ball' now. It's not just me, but I look at all the guys around the league -- DeAndre [Jordan], you've got Andre Drummond, you've got those guys that are in the paint. It's small ball now, so everybody's forcing us out to play guys like Draymond Green, all those stretch fours. So it's a different style of play. When I first came into the league, it wasn't as much. Now, it's like every team is doing it. It's a pretty good strategy, but it's just something the game has evolved into. Me: Do you think it devalues big men? DH: I just think we've got to do more to show our value. So instead of focusing on the things, instead of letting things frustrate us, we've got to do all the little things -- block shots, rebound, deflect balls, go for steals. Do all of the things that can show our value on the floor. Just play hard and everything else will come from that. Me: But every guy wants to touch the ball, no matter what position they play. DH: That is true. Like I said, our job has to be, let's focus on the things that we can control. That's our energy, our effort and rebounding. That's something that nobody can take away from us. Me: You have changed agents, and you're now with Perry Rogers, Shaq's agent. DH: Yes, sir. Me: Why? DH: Well, I just felt like he has an opportunity to just focus on me. Any other agent, they have a lot of different clients and stuff like that. I felt like he was able to just focus on me. I think he's a really good guy. Me: Did you know him at all before? DH: Not at all. Me: So Shaq introduced the two of you? DH: He did, actually. So I had a great conversation with Shaq, not just about having an agent, but basketball and life and all that stuff. And he introduced me to Perry. Me: Would you say your relationship with Shaq has improved over the last few years? DH: I don't think that we've had a bad relationship. We've sat down and talked about different things, and why he's done what he's done. He's like, 'I just want to push you.' Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and Wilt [Chamberlain], he said, did it to him, all of the centers he watched growing up, they tried to find ways to motivate them. That's what he feels like he has to do with me. I don't take any of the stuff he says to heart. I understand that he has to do a job, and his job is to motivate me. And at the same time, he has to be one of my hardest critics, because he played the same position. I'm never going to be upset about that. I don't think a fan would really understand, because they're just watching. But I totally understand. Me: The stickum stuff. I know you said you used that for years, right? DH: Yes, sir. Me: So what do you do now? DH: Nothing. I just go play. I never knew that it was anything illegal, because I've been using it. I've never hid it from anybody. It's been in plain sight. From the first time I used it, I've used the powder. It basically does the same thing as the powder. I just didn't want the powder all over my hands when I'm playing. So I didn't know there was an issue. If there was, I apologize for people thinking that it was. But that's not my focus. I just can't get a deal with Elmer's Glue now. Me: There have been big guys like Kevin Willis that had small hands. Is your hand size at all an issue with why you used it? DH: Well, I just know that putting a lot of lotion on and all that stuff, it affects how the basketball feels. So I used to use the powder. I've used the rosin stuff. I also used the stuff called Power Grip. That's on the floor, all this stuff is at every arena, at every scorer's table. Just try to find ways to not let the ball just slip. And it's not like I'm playing football where I needed to catch touchdowns or anything like that. If anything, I probably have to stop using it, because it does mess up my free throws. I just think it was blown out of proportion.[/rquoter]
Thanks, JR. And thanks, Dwight. You deserve better than the rap you have. Q: (other than by opting in) words are that DHo seems to want to (at least consider) be in Houston moving forward. Would DM the GM re-sign him if he were to opt out? Or is there a desire to just move on?
80% free throw shooting for rest of the season confirmed. :grin: Seriously tho, with Dwight's struggles, how has this not been a thing with the coaching staff since he got here??? Surely McHale knew about it. I'd imagine you'd want your best rim protector on the floor to closeout games or nah? All I know is hack-a-dwight sucks. We'll see if his % improves. I'm going with ZERO improvement due to pre-existing 'mental/lack of focus' issues.
22 million dollar Butterfingers can't hold onto balls, can't make free throws, fouls a whole lot and moans on the court. No post up altho he tries repeatedly bricking shots. I can understand the lack of feeding Howard in the paint and I can understand him being frustrated. However, I think he's not looking at the reality. Players don't TRUST him to do the right thing with the ball on a consistent basis. Furthermore, he chooses not to adjust his game....setting screens, pick and rolls etc... Beasley comes in and Harden feeds him the ball all day long. Quite the case study. It didn't even take Beasley that long to assert himself. Howard been on the Rockets for 3 years. Beasley just comes to BALL. Howard got all this other stuff going on between the ears in my opinion
Howard isn't championship material. He's all talk. The guy doesn't do what it takes to win. If he did, he wouldn't be so atrocious on the foul line. He would have worked at his game, he would have figured out how to stay relevant and not disappear on offense. He's learn how to set effective picks! Please. He's a good guy, and works hard, and has had a great attitude in Houston, but he is not a winner.
