my one star vote only brought it down two hundredths from 1.97 to 1.95. this thread would be dead if not for the OP massaging it back to life every other post... my opinion- Dwight is entering his prime, for what it's worth
My reply to that is the same as what you quoted me saying. I don't really see what all he really adds statistically that Asik can't bring and is worth all the trouble he would bring to our team's image and chemistry. Especially for what we would be paying him. I'm not saying Howard wouldn't be an upgrade. Just not enough of one that would warrant a huge salary while having to deal with all his baggage in my opinion. If anything I could even see us getting worse if his attitude effects our team chemistry in a negative way.
With no other additions, about 6 ppg, that btw turns a 4-2 loss into a 4-1 win. Dwight Howard is a $30m ($35m if he returns to normal, 40 if he develops a little on the offensive side, remember the guy that was the 2nd best and arguably the most dominant player in the nba 18 months ago, yeah that was him) player being paid ~$20, Asik is about a $12m player being paid 8, but for 2 more years, after that someone is offering him at least $12m and I wouldn't put it past some teams overpaying him 1-2m/year. Dwight can literally not be paid fair market price unless he completely breaks down or until he gets really old. But why does this matter? Because basically nobody on the Miami team is paid fair market price, not only are their stars worth more than they can be paid, their role players take discounts because their stars are so friggin awesome (case in point, Ray Allen is worth more than $3m, they get all the best min deals) You can argue all this stuff about roleplayers all you like, but it's basically, and I apologise for how harsh this sounds, but it's to make the point as clear as crystal, garbage wrapped in words. The Miami Heat is a $130m roster being paid $85m, the only way to compete with that is superstars and role players taking pay cuts, because you know what? that's what their roster is, superstars and roleplayers taking pay cuts, and they're so much better than everyone else it's not even fun. As for his baggage, totally overblown, he didn't want to play for a mediocre team from the point the Justice League of Miami made competing impossible for Orlando, and he spent this year playing with a difficult injury and only got criticised for playing badly.
Some of the points made by the OP are valid. It is a risk to go after Dwight,but if he is physically fit and mentally willing to come to Houston,Morey should grab it. Even if he fails,Howard will still have value in a trade.
Your opinion is fine, but an additional thread about the SAME damn topic is not, dude. You've been here long enough to know that.
Unless your Daryl Morey we're still going after Dwight rather you or LA or ATL or Dal likes it or not !
Yeah, but its not something that hasn't been repeated thousands of times before. I swear a new Dwight Howard thread pops up and its the same content... every... single... time...
Head and shoulders? Wrong. The stats don't bear that out this season: Asik: 10.1 ppg 11.7rpg 0.9apg 1.1bpg 2.1topg Howard: 17.1ppg 12.4rpg 1.4apg 2.4bpg 3.0topg Yes, he is slightly better in major statistical categories, but not enough to more earn more than double the salary of Asik. You can say all you want he was playing injured. Doesnt mean he wont be injured next year. They are the same age yes, but Dwight Howard has peaked. He will not get any better than he already is. He doesn't have the apptitude to be a dominant offensive player. Much like a rich man's Jordan Hill. All the athletic ability in the world, but no footwork. No skill. Even Shaq had footwork. We have YET to see Asik's ceiling. He has so much room to grow. He may never average 30ppg, but he will be a bargain at $8M. Spend that money on CP3 instead and watch Asik average 18ppg next year without a single play being run for him.
People recovering from injuries impacts things, other tell tale signs is how his averages post all star were 2 points and 2 rebounds above his pre all star stats. The turnovers aren't really a fair comparison as his rock like hands and lack of feel leads to turnovers for other people.
Don't get me wrong, I love Asik but you are comparing a workhorse to a thoroughbred. Remember that Dwight has been playing injured for much of last season. People say Dwight has no offensive game but he has a career average of 18.4 pts with plenty of 30 and 40 pt games (high = 46 pts). How many 30+ games has Asik had? Answer = 0 (high = 22 pts). Dwight Howard has more offensive talent in his little finger than Asik (and that's his weak point). Don't get me started on rebounds and blocks and defensive presence. Dwight is a super version of Asik. And he has not hit his prime. I believe Dwight's next 5 years will be his prime. Dwight is well worth the max contract (double Asik).
Lol what? Dwight is in his prime right now. To say he hasn't hit his prime (he did in Orlando) is a complete lack of knowledge. He will be in his prime for 3-4 years max if he stays healthy.
I agree to disagree. In the context of comparing the two players, yes. Dwight is a better player. In the context of which is better for our team given our current cap situation CP3 /Harden/Asik >Lin/Harden/Howard. Max players should be able to carry a team in my opinion. Howard cannot carry anyone. Hel;l Harden is more deserving of max than Howard.
Harden is a max player and is the person expected to carry the team. Howard is a second option and is quite capable of carrying a team. In fact, the Lakers want to make him their franchise player (they're not stupid). CP3 is not a good fit. Playing next to a ball dominant guard like Harden will actually reduce his numbers close to Lin's expected improvement next year. Do you think Asik will become an 18ppg player just with the arrival of CP3? Asik had plenty of good looks from Lin and Harden, he just has butter fingers. When Asik improves his hands, his points will go up.
You realised you just contradicted yourself didn't you? To say he hasn't hit his prime (he did in Orlando) is a complete lack of knowledge. He will be in his prime for 3-4 years max if he stays healthy. I'll state my opinion again. The next 5 years represent the prime years for Howard. You said, He will be in his prime for 3-4 years max if he stays healthy. So we disagree about 1 year.
How did Orlando make the nba finals? Rashard Lewis the elite? Even Paul's injuries concern me more than Howard's, because Howard showed continual improvement and Paul's issue, meniscus removal is just a time bomb. Howard also has far more synergy with our team, considering we have no low post presence whatsoever and we have a ball dominant shooting guard. It's not that Paul and Harden couldn't work it out, it's just the level of sacrifice would be far higher.
Yes. We're talking about the same Chris Paul that turned Omeka Okafor and Tyson Chandler into all stars right? All Stars because of their offensive stats.
Add Dwight Howard to our roster and we would still have no low post presence. 2" away from the block and he is not a threat to score. I'm sorry. He in not and never will be a dominant post player who commands a double team. And in the event he gets less than 2" from the block, he is easily frustrated with hard fouls and a liability on the free throw line.
What do you want me to say? I'm not arguing that CP3 is a scrub. Let me spell it out for you... CP3 will make Houston better, but Dwight is the better acquisition. ... for all the reasons stated previously.
