Not true. Shaq don't get call for charges because his power moves were executed in the paint area. Dwight gets call for charges on his moves from the high post. It's an easier sell to make for a defender if he's flopping beyond the restricted area. How many time do you see Shaq dunking on a flopping player without a charge being call? Plenty. Refs don't call it near the basket. So Dwight needs to catch it in the paint to be effective.
Another reason Dwight gets called for charges is that he usually uses his shoulder rather than his backside to clear space. Dropping your shoulder into an opposing player is almost always called an offensive foul for all players - not just Dwight. And because he doesn't have the trunk junk, he isn't able to back his defender like Shaq or Barkley. So I don't think it's a matter of being officiated differently than Shaq - it's a physiological difference. Given this and his lack of touch/footwork ability, I think the Rockets coaching staff have to accept that Dwight will never even be a reliable post presence (let alone a good one). From my perspective, a team shouldn't run plays that are so infrequently successful as they will waste possessions and will also lower team morale (I'd be really resentful if I were DMo and saw Dwight getting touches for no good reason other than to assuage his ego). This is where James needs to be a leader and help the coaches convince Dwight to play to his strengths instead of trying to be something he's not. And if Dwight isn't interested in playing a team game, then you trade him ASAP. Because there is no way we win a championship with Dwight getting so many touches in the post and not converting on those touches.
Dwight can't play the Shaq game. Shaq had a devastating drop step move. And he had the most powerful body ever played in the NBA (only Wilt might have been able to match). Dwight just doesn't have the strength and the footwork of Shaq. And the flopping epidemic does make it more difficult for the power game. During the latter part of Shaq's career, he was frustrated by the offensive foul calls too. So was Yao.
lol You are ignoring a very important part of his and the teams success is that he is always among the leaders at drawing fouls. It makes no difference that he is terrible at shooting them. To force the opposing team to have to sit their top tier big and bring in a scrub opens up the basket. That helps the whole team and gives coaches nightmares, thus the nickname "Dwightmare". BTW does Dmo have this ability? No. Stop trying to change successful basketball as we want to win.
There isn't a PF on the roster capable of legitimately "stretching the floor" but DMo has been hitting his 3's at an acceptable rate for the last month or so, there's no better PF on the roster so there's no reason he's not the starting PF.
He's shooting 50% from the line. Just do the math in these scenarios of "impact" you're trying to conjure up, and you'll see we should continue to feed dwight, but in different ways. S/o to the original poster of that though. McHale needs to hire that man, ha.
The foul rate is a fair point although I think you are downplaying his inability to convert FTs - that is another reason we can't depend on him to be a legit post presence as we don't benefit from those fouls. Furthermore, I do not agree that the starter is always replaced by a scrub - most good teams have a legit 3rd big man off the bench. I can't remember the last time Dwight got a good post defender in foul trouble anyways - many of his fouls come from the weak side guy slapping at the ball. In any case, his fouls drawn do not translate to points or weaker defenses. Not at all and I challenge anyone to show me stats that prove otherwise. I think you're also missing the key fact that Dwight has not contributed to winning basketball this season on the offensive side. In the games we've won, he's almost always been a non-factor or a role player to Hardens big game. In those games where he's gone off, the Rockets have almost always lost. Again, Dwight has his strengths and for us to be a championship contender (not just a winning team), he needs to play to his strengths and avoid those plays that mostly lead to turnovers or missed shots. I'm not wholly convinced he's willing to do that.
lol Never said that there wasn't a PF starting besides Dmo. Dmo is the best we have going at that spot right now and he has been hitting the 3 much better lately. What I said was he is not stretching the floor YET so he is not a stretch 4 at the moment. He will not only have to keep shooting the 3 at an acceptable rate but shoot it more often at a good percentage and that is to stretch the floor. Of course that takes time. To just shoot it a couple times a game is not going to stretch the floor though and until then Dmo is a back up center playing the 4 spot.
lol Most games opposing teams have had to sit their starting big man because of getting that 3rd foul this year. Just last night they had to do so. It is a very real important fact that someone that can get the fouls and put teams in foul trouble is very important. Yes some teams have a legitimate bencher that can come in but very few and even then getting that starter on the bench is huge. Always has been and always will be. There is a reason that coaches have players in foul trouble to be less aggressive and Howard as well as any that takes the ball into the basket takes advantage of that. Does any others feel that the ability of teams able to get teams in foul trouble are not important? Harden and Howard is an awesome 1-2 punch in the guts.
DMo isn't a "stretch 4" and he's not a center, he's a big 4 like LMA is or like Duncan was for more than half his career. His versatility doesn't change what his actual position is. Just because he's tall and is good enough to play the 5 in a pinch, doesn't mean he's really a 5. Now, 10 years from now, maybe he'll have to make the positional switch, but as for now, he's MUCH better at the 4 playing next to a 5.
lol I can agree with this. He is not near the ability of LMA or Duncan. His versatility is he can do post moves and shoot with his left or right. That is a great ability to have but we need a stretch 4 to go with Harden.
His versatility is that he can play either the 4 or 5 and he can switch defensive responsibilities with the center and back at will. He'll probably never be at an LMA or Duncan level (almost no one ever will) but I think in his prime he has a legit shot at being one of the best bigs in the NBA. As to "needing" a stretch 4, I disagree. I think we need a 4 that plays defense and helps facilitate the offense....and that's DMo.
I'm surprised his free throws don't look like total crap, given his lack of touch around the basket. He has such a hard time rolling the ball off of his hand. He just drops it, rather than guiding it.
I disagree. I don't think he will improve much defensively. I also think many view him as a good defender because he plays next to Howard who will make any next to him appear better than they are. Last night was a great example when the 2nd unit came in and the opposing team scored almost at will. He did show me he improved his rebounding somewhat but defensively he was was a bad rim protector. He still looks like he has trouble against double teams but I have seen improvement from there so the best bet is we watch him when we play some teams from the western conference that have two bigs. I think he may have value as a 4 if he can get defenses to come out to the perimeter and thus stretch the floor. As a center he is a stop gap. As someone that can shoot either hand is a good thing. Very few defenders can stop someone that can shoot equally well with both hands but to do that he needs to play nearer to the basket than would be ideal with Harden needing open lanes. Value is as a 2nd team.
He doesn't need to, he's already one of the best defensive bigs in the NBA Which is odd because he put up great defensive numbers during the time Dwight was out with injury. Well you take out your 3 best defensive players, that can happen. That's simply not true. I think some people hear "rim protector" and think that means "shot blocker" but that's not what that means. DMo is one of the best rim protectors in the NBA, dropping opponent's FG% by even more than Howard when he guards them within 6 feet of the rim. Why would his value be as 2nd team? Do we start a lesser player at PF just to play DMo off the bench? Why? We've already seen that Smith flopped in the role of starting PF and Jones doesn't play any defense so it would seem that our best PF should start wouldn't you think? Also, trying to force him into a role as a stretch 4 is a bit ridiculous IMO, it's not needed and will only hurt the team. Play the players you have to their strengths, DMo is by far the best post player on the team and should be played as such, if a double team comes, you have an alley to Howard. That would be playing both players to their strenghs. Howard is best dunking the ball, DMo is best playing in the post. It also opens up 3's for Harden. Win/win/win.
lol No he isn't one of the best rim protectors in the game unless dwight is playing. Let us see when we play against teams without Dwight. We played well during that time because the team played well from the perimeter inward and Black was playing well and anchoring the defense. If we play Dmo without Dwight the rest of the year we will be lucky to make the playoffs. Dmo is not that great of a defender unless he has a DPOY next to the basket. The stats that showed he was showed his stats from 5 feet but Dwights stats showed he is playing at a DPOY with his stats 2 feet in. Yes Dmo's stats will look great as almost anyone when you have a great defender playing closer to the basket. Last night I watched the basket attacked at will with Dmo in and Dwight sitting. We won the game when Harden and Howard came back in. Left out there without Howard and Dmo would have lost us the game.
