i agree with the OP. Dwight is almost turning into a Mario in that if you simply look at the stats, he doesn't look so bad, but then if you watched the games closely, you don't really feel his presence. not on the offensive end, and not nearly "dominant" on the defensive end as everyone claims him to be. i'd argue that when Asik was here, he'd made a bigger impact on defense even though he didn't possess the same kind of atheleticism as Dwight. sometimes i can't tell the difference between when Dwight is on the court or when Dorsey is playing. only difference being that when Dwight is playing, his teammates would at least attempt to get him the ball, whereas everyone would just ignore Dorsey (and deservedly so) on offense. another way to look at his importance to the team is when he's playing vs. him sitting out. the Rox played more like a team with real ball movement when Dwight was nursing his knee. everyone was hustling, and we were piling up wins. after Dwight came back, there was more standing around, and the team isn't as focused or giving max effort (could you say Dwight's attitude is infectious). and i don't buy that he's still hurt. Dwight is never known for playing hurt and tough it out. if he really is, then stay off the court and be the highest paid cheerleader. it's not like we need him to win in the regular season because right now he's not doing the Rox any favors by playing. if he can't accept his role on this team, which is to play pnr and defense, then we might as well not have him on the team because he's a net negative on the court.
for a man who gets paid $20+ mil, you certainly don't get the feeling that he's serious about his job. there was another thread started by a Knicks fan the other day who made the same observation. Dwight was shooting 3's during pregame while Harden was working on his FTs. i am sure he's a great guy and all, but right now i look for him to put his game face on when playing. either that or sit out because i am tired of him goofing around. that attitude is infectious and not doing the team any favors. how long has he been in the league? just how much time people will give him to finally grow up?
agree. Harden has to have a MVP performance in the playoffs. If we get that, with "good Howard" i'm there. I have faith in Coach (who experienced big man injuries) to play Howard in the regular season for the playoffs. And I trust Howard will excel like he does in the playoffs.
very bad decision. DMo is excelling at PF, do NOT change that. Do not switch him to center. At least, not this year.
Damn..Rockets would be in trouble... if even half of this was true but it isnt so I think they are gonna be OK
The 11 game stretch that Dwight sat out this season is the longest he has in his 11 year career...Hell he played through a torn labrum AND Herniated Disks that had not yet recovered in LA to appease to their Fanbase...I don't know where you got the idea that he doesn't play through injuries unless I'm reading your post wrong
According to chron.com, Dwight continues to play with soreness and stiffness in his right knee. Long-term, it doesn't look too good that Dwight will get back to his previous form, maybe even his POR playoff form. That's why Morey is going all-in this year. Hopefully Shved can play well enough to eliminate the need for a trade.
This is the link: http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2015/01/dwight-howard-continues-to-deal-with-soreness-in-knee/ Rockets center Dwight Howard has held on to his “probable” status for several weeks now. Because of a right knee strain, there is some question to whether he will play each night. Howard, who played Saturday against Utah, said his knee is truly day to day. “Some days it feels really good and other days it is really stiff,” he said. “The Cleveland game, I felt really great, I was jumping well, but the next night was totally different. I guess that comes with age. I have played a lot of minutes. Hopefully I can get back where each night I have that spring and bounce.” Howard said he continues to balance his play and taking care of his body. The problems with his knee are new to him this season. “It’s just a process to get back where I want to be,” he said. “I never really had issues my whole career with my right leg, so I guess it isn’t used to feeling pain. Hopefully by the time playoffs come, I will be 100 percent and not listed as probably anymore.”
Its not stupid to want to trade Dwight.. Its just stupid to think that we CAN trade him. If you put yourself in the shoes of other teams, I dont see any other team giving up the bigs we may or as fans, may not want. maybe Ibaka would be the best we could get. IMO
in term of play on the field easily repleceable with the likes of black/dorsey and DMO or combination of them...BUT how you play is sometimes less important than how you are percieved... 1. I highly doubt any owner in this league is in it just becasue he wants to win...NBA IS BUSINESS and bootom line is almost all they care about...and they will always prefer to play bad players that are marketable over those who are better or efficient but less marketable(see for example the curious case of Kobe Bryant) 2. On the other hand popular player(whos is less efficient or even overall bad player) sometimes can contribute to team just because hes attractive to other FAs(for example in his 1 years Harden often played isohero dumbball but it paid off because he atracted Dwight and other FAs) 3.All this of course leads us to a need to redefine what efficiency and quality in baskeetball really is...
If he is still injured then he needs to sit until he is healed otherwise he needs to give a 100% effort each night. He needs to show up and play like a max contract player every game. If his shot is not falling then he needs to dominate on the boards, block shots, and set a ton of picks.
if he's really injured, then sit out and get well rested. it's a long season, so why bother risking to hurt yourself in these less meaning games early in the season? it's not like we need him playing so we can win games to fight for the playoffs, as evident by the fact that the Rox were winning games without him. but if you are going to play, then play your role, and play hard. people are forgetting this is how we used to treat Mario. the man would go through an entire game without hearing his name called, and then afterwards, a bunch of gossip about how he's hurting in the wrist or whatever "nagging" injuries that he sustained in the preseason. then in the next game, Mario would get two sacks and everyone proclaims he's back, and only to find himself disappearing again later. if he's playing, that tells me he's healthy enough. every NBA or professional player experiences some sort of minor injuries here and there. it comes with the territory. what we are not seeing now from Dwight is effort. don't tell me that he's giving his all when watching him play.
i fully concur with your assessment. right now he's just not helping the team very much. if he's not getting his touches, then he practically disappears. you don't really see him do the little things that win you games. i don't think Dwight relishes to play the role of a blue collar big man, and if that's the case, then he's got a much higher opinion of himself than what he's showing off on the court. on the other hand, i see Dmo doing all those little things to help the team. he's always looking to set picks, fighting for rebounds, help out on defense, and make passes out to open teammates. i can't believe i am saying this, but the Rox are better off with Dmo on the floor than Howard right now. he's paid 20 times more than Dorsey, but is doing anything that's 20X better than Dorsey? or even Black when Tarik was still on the team? Dwight had a history of feeling the need to be coddled, and not man up to secure his reputation. remember his Orlando days when he got Stan fired? also didn't both Shaq and Kobe questioned his effort and intensity during games? and we know Shaq and Kobe don't always see eye to eye. what does that tell you about Dwight?
Unlike most big men, Dwight's strengths are his athleticism - speed, power and bounce. This is what allowed him to dominate the league and without good knees, you take that advantage away. He is just another average big man. A Ferrari is nothing without its engine. We can't really determine if he is giving max effort or not. If his mind wants to do something but knees are not cooperating, not much he can do. We can only hope that we see the playoffs Dwight sooner than later. Be patient and keep the hope alive as it will be impossible to trade him at this moment.
Dwight played hurt for the lakers and led the league in rebounds. I agree that he needs to stop posting up but he could very well still be hurt. If you dont know for sure you shouldn't just attack his character.
I'd agree that he isn't playing as well as we are used to, I'm definitely not on the bandwagon to trade him or get rid of him. After watching the playoffs last season it is obvious that when Howard is "right", he's still the best C in the NBA. It's a long time before the playoffs get here....I think he'll be just fine barring any other injuries.
Playing with an injury, especially to a vital body part like the knee, is demoralizing. When your go-to moves (ie elevating to contest a shot, alley oop, elevating to dunk over opponents) cause you pain, it's demoralizing. You saw it last night when he was alone under the rim for the fast break. He laid it up, barely getting off the ground. You read it in the Chronical - the guy is hurting. "he should just sit if he's injured". Most players would sit. But most players don't provide double doubles and drop opponents' FG % to 28% just by being within 2 feet of them (while playing through said injury). We are in a tight playoff race and Injured Dwight still provides a valuable service, so he is getting big minutes. Dorsey and Black never did what Dwight is doing - that is troll level jibberish. Hopefully he gets healthy. Hopefully Milkhair finds a way to drop his minutes (he played 37 last night). He looks uninspired because he is. Pain will do that to you.
Go watch Lebron play in Cleveland this year. You see his stats and its obvious that he's still an incredible player, but you don't see his presence on the court like you used to. However.... ITS THE REGULAR SEASON There is a reason why both Lebron and Dwight needed to play with other great players to hold down the fort during the regular season. And keep in mind that both players have an incredible amount of wear and tear on their bodies going into their early 30's. This is the part of their careers where they have to start changing the way they play in the regular season. Anyone who thinks Dwight Howard, even in this state, doesn't impact the game even when he's drudging through the regular season doesn't know what they are talking about. I'd like you all to eat your words when both he and Lebron start turning it on around April when it starts to matter a little more.
