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My annual Dwight Howard is going to be the next Shaq thread

Discussion in 'NBA Dish' started by rockbox, Nov 26, 2005.

  1. rockbox

    rockbox Around before clutchcity.com

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    Oh my, the kid is average 15 and 12 and he isn't even 20 years old yet. The kid is just a freak of nature in terms of size and speed and he hasn't even finished growing yet. There are only about 5-7 players in the NBA that I wouldn't trade for him and yes Yao isn't one of them.

    http://www.nba.com/media/magic/101805_howard2.jpg
     
  2. 12345

    12345 Member

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    He had a couple 20/20 games this season too. Very impressive. He just needs to improve his offensive skills; his rebounding is great.
     
  3. Hakeem06

    Hakeem06 Member

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    i've been watching him very closely and this guy is the real deal. he reminds a lot of tim duncan. he doesn't have the midrange game of duncan, but inside he's money on offense and rebounding and defense, he's top notch. this kid is awesome.
     
  4. tigermission1

    tigermission1 Contributing Member

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    He's going to be great, his combination of skills and a freakish body for a 20 year old is downright scary.

    He's an athletic freak, and Orlando just needs to build a nice little team around him and actually KEEP their stars for a change (losing Shaq and T-Mac hopefully taught them a thing or two).

    On the other hand, the MAgic might not even be in Orlando a few years from now...
     
  5. Panda

    Panda Member

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    A big man who can jump and kiss the rim has a bright future in this league, and that's Dwight Howard.
     
  6. apostolic3

    apostolic3 Member

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    I wouldn't compare him to Shaq at all because they are completely different players. But yes, Howard will be a very special player and is destined to be a dominant PF for years and years to come.
     
  7. Bullard4Life

    Bullard4Life Member

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    Shouldn't you wait until the Magic run a single play for Howard before annointing him the next Shaq? Against us he had 9 field goal attempts and only scored 12 points. Even Amare, a player who relies on freakish athleticism, was able to be somewhat of a go-to player in his rookie and second year. I have yet to see the Magic dump the ball into Howard, run a pick 'n roll between him and Francis, or any other obvious play for Howard. Let's wait to see if he can become a feature of an offense before claiming he's the next Shaq.
     
  8. StevieFlight3

    StevieFlight3 Member

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    That's the scary part he's not even part of the offense and he's getting 15 easy points.
     
  9. rockbox

    rockbox Around before clutchcity.com

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    The key is that he gets his despite not having someone dump him the ball. If you watch any of the great bigs play, they get half their points from put backs and just being there. The other half is from plays being called for him. Howard is averaging 15 and 12 without plays being called for him and not turning 20 yet.

    At the same age, Howard is putting up Dream type numbers but Howard is doing it against the pros while Dream did it against college players.

    Name another 10 plus rebounder in his rookie year that didn't turn out to be a great player. Add the fact that Howard was 18-19 years old when he did it makes it even more amazing.
     
  10. Bullard4Life

    Bullard4Life Member

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    How is that scary? If boxing a guy out takes him out of the game, that guy is cripplingly one dimensional. If the guy has been in the league for two years and hasn't become an integral part of the teams offense how can you ordain him as the next Shaq? Are the Magic gonna rely on him to get 25 shots a night off offensive rebounds or broken plays? Until he can demand the ball int he post, score in sync with the offense, and have an offense revolve around him, he won't even be all star caliber. Just look at the game he had against us. We put a body on him and you would hardly know hew was playing. I can't recall a single possession where they brought the ball down the court and tried to get it to Dwight Howard. What makes Tim Duncan and Shaq so unique is that they can command a double team with their own game, and when the double comes they work the ball around to their teammates. Right now Dwight Howard can't even run a pick 'n roll. He'll have some good games every now and then, but I'll take a player like Yao who can score on his own.
     
  11. Bullard4Life

    Bullard4Life Member

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    Ummm... Steve Francis isn't there? Brian Hill coached Shaq when he was a rookie and the Magic got him the ball all the time. Do you honestly think that the Magic want Deshawn Stevenson jacking up shots? If Howard was capable they would be getting him the ball.

    That's not true. Half their points? Duncan isn't an offensive rebounding machine, Shaq does not get half his points off put backs, Kareem didn't have to crash the boards for his points, etc. These guys were great because they didn't need a lucky bounce to get a shot. They got the vast majority off their points by scoring in an affense designed for them.

    Dream averaged 20.6 and 11.9 rebounds his rookie year. Yeah yeah, he was older, but he hadn't played much organized basketball until arriving at Houston. Even when he was raw, Hakeem was a terror with the ball. I don't think defenders are quivering when Howard has the ball.

    The issue isn't whether or not he's going to be a great player, the issue is whether or not he's going to be the next Shaq. My position, from the beginning, is that just because a guy rebounds doesn't make him a superstart. A quick list of players that put up just at or above 10 rebounds in their rookie season.

    Bogut - 9.3 rpg per game so far this season.
    Okafor - 10.9 rpg.
    Mutombo - 12.3 rpg
    Antoine Walker - 9.0

    Are all these players good? Yes. Are they the next Shaq? No. Just because a guy can grab 10 rebounds while playing big minutes as a rookie, that doesn't mean he's ever going to be a go to guy on offense. Ben Wallace grabs a ton of boards, that doesn't mean he can carry the Pistons on the other side of the boards. Dennis Rodman averaged 8.7 rpg in his second season when he got actual playing time, did he develop into an offensive superstar? Rebounds are great, they really help a team, but that doesn't mean the player grabbing them is going to be an offensive juggernaut.

    There's my position, what evidence do you have that Howard will develop into a multi-dimensional player? It seems to me that you should reserve judgment, wait 'til he actually tries to score on his own, and then decide if he's the next Shaq.
     
  12. Hakeem06

    Hakeem06 Member

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    that's a problem with the magic if you ask me. they don't get howard the ball enough, and he's money on the block. has very good moves and finishes strong. they have turkoglu taking about 13 shots a game and deshawn stevenson taking around 10 shots a game. their coach has to tell these never have beens to pass the damn ball down to howard. he shoots and extremely high percentage and has very good moves. if they would run the offense through him and steve and make turkoglu an damn role player and not a key offensive threat who shoots less than 40% from the floor, you would see how good he really is.
     
  13. Legendary21

    Legendary21 Member

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    Stop your hating ;) the kid is obviously special. He might not be a great offensive threat yet, but just the fact that he gets 15 ppg with virtually no plays called for him pretty much tells the story for me.
     
  14. apostolic3

    apostolic3 Member

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    Bullard4Life, don't use just DH's games against us to judge him. You could do the same thing to Kirk Hinrich and wonder why he's in the NBA at all. If teams could choose between DH and Yao right now, I bet most would choose DH. The kid will be a special player. You're entitled to be as skeptical as you want. It's seems you are overly animated about it, but I have no problem with that.

    I agree comparing him to Shaq is a big mistake. It's unlikely he will be as dominant and they are very different from each other. A better comparison model for DH would be Garnett, or maybe Duncan. We may never see another Shaq in our lifetime.
     
  15. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    He probably will be playing center, he's so strong and a good shot blocker. he doesn't get plays run from him because his game is very unpolished which makes his number even more incredible.
     
  16. sun12

    sun12 Member

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    Shaq has benefited tremendously from the NBA rules.

    There is no Shaq in the future because the rules won't allow another Shaq anymore.

    The league is guards' league, emphasizing speed and quickness.
     
  17. alaskansnowman

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    The most impressive thing about Howard is just how freaking big his wingspan is. The guy is tall and everything, but when you look at his shoulders, they look disproportionately large. And when you have some extra broad shoulders, that makes for a sick wingspan.

    The guy definately is a freak of nature.
     
  18. RocketFan85

    RocketFan85 Member

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    Howard is very good. He could score 20\15 in his prime if you continues to get better. Chris Bosh is just as good and you argue that he is better. Just think how good a team would be if they had Howard and Bosh on the same team.
     
  19. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    steve francis cried on his way out of here but he may end up playing with the best player on both teams. If Howard develops post moves its over. he's grabbing 12 boards and scoring 15 pts a game on raw talent.
     
  20. vunny1408

    vunny1408 Contributing Member

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    can we steal him from the magic as well? :p
     

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