Sources: Houston has started contacting teams about trading Dwight Howard

I have no idea, but his information seems pretty informative and on line with what's going on.

 

Watch, just watch! Where ever Howard ends up, he's going to be utilized THE RIGHT WAY. You don't think a coach like Budenholzer would put Dwight in the best situation to score down low? Pick and roll all day. Same if he ended up in Boston with Brad Stevens or Miami with Spo and Riley.

Over here in Houston, we just feed him a sloppy pass after he's relinquished deep positioning, he's not given much room to work with with our ****ty shooters, or he touches the ball like 5 times the whole game. The Rockets have reduced Dwight to Joakim Noah. Just play defense and score off offensive rebounds. The Harden/Howard pick and roll could have been dominant. But it was just a pipe dream.

 

This season Dragic’s been playing elite level defense which is quite obvious to anybody who watched at least a few Miami games. Numbers support this claim.

Dragic is currently the 6th best guard in Defended field goal percentage, holding his opponents to 39.2 FG%. That’s 4.8% lower FG% when Dragic is defending the player compared to this player’s usual FG%. Dragic has the 6th best Percentage points differential (Diff%) among guards. For comparison Beverly’s DFG% is 43.9 with only -0.4 Diff%.

If there’s any consensus among Heat fans on Dragic this season, than it’s gotta be that he’s played great defense since he’s being underutilized on offense.

You also made a few false statements regarding Dragic’s usage which is currently the lowest since his rookie season. He is a very valuable player if he can handle the ball, which has also been quite obvious during the games where he handles the ball a bit more. Coincidentally Harden’s and Wade’s usage is virtually identical. Harden is 2nd with 32.4 USG% and Wade is 5th with 31.2 USG%. Dragic has 19.7 USG%.

Dragic started this season horribly due to a poor offseason but has since regained his shooting form and has been shooting 40.7% from three and 51.4% overall during his last 20 games. In fact he’s been close to 40% from three since the beginning of december. He started the season shooting 25.9% from three in the 1st ten games which explains his current lower than usual percentage.

 

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Jumpman, jumpman, jumpman, jumpman up to something!

 

Isn't that the happy times guy?

Seems like he is just drafting off of Codman and everything else out there?

 

There's more information there that i've seen around, seems clearer....

 

Lol, so true. We'll end up w/ Pablo again, hahah

 

Whilst I am the first person to hop on the train that's going to McFail station (and subsequently JB too because of being taught by McHale)

You must realise that it isn't the coaches issue that Dwight doesn't run the p'n'r.

I do not give the previously mentioned coaches much credit because I think they're quite incompetent.

But to think they don't realise Howard is best in the p'n'r as opposed to posting up...... I don't know what to tell you.

The reason we don't run the p'n'r nearly every possession is all Dwight.

 

I know I must have had too much to drink.....




T_Man

 

Need more info I'm a junkie

 

I'm happy to eat crow and admit I am wrong on some of those numbers (usage mainly). In fact, Dragic has had some really good games this season, but my point was his overall body of work (considering his age and contract) is not impressive at all.

He is not a good defender. It probably helps Miami is a top three defensive unit in the league. Harden would be a good defender statistically at San Antonio, Golden State or Miami. It's to do with scheme, personnel and coach. This is an example of numbers not telling the full story. He gets routinely blown by but his mistakes are masked by Whiteside, Bosh and to a lesser extent Wade. He gets killed in pick and rolls and can't stay in front of most starting guards in the league.

If people think bringing Dragic back is going to move the needle at all they are wrong (unfortunately). Jeff Teague is a far better option.

Nevertheless, great post and it was informative rep for you my friend.

 

When Howard played for the Lakers, even Steve Nash had difficulty getting him to run the pick-and-roll. Nash was forced to yell at Howard in the middle of nationally televised games to get him to run pick-and-roll offense. Here's an older article talking about this issue:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/howard-495416-nash-lakers.html

 

You might be right about Teague being a better fit. I won't argue that point, but I would like to point out that Dragic's defensive numbers I posted are player tracking defensive numbers and don't have much to do with other players or the system. Though it does help when you have an elite rim protector in Whiteside behind you, which allows you to be more aggressive on the perimeter. Dragic has been visibly much more aggressive on defense in the Miami games I've seen this season.

Wade on the other hand is the one that's being hidden in Miami's defense and Whiteside is not a great pick and roll defender because he likes to hang back and chase blocks.

 

I was actually just about to say that Wade has really fallen of a cliff defensively in another thread. His effort is Harden esque right now. Good to see we agree on something

I think Teague would be a better fit because he's a more explosive athlete, gets into the paint at will, isn't gun shy and is shooting 40% from downtown. It also helps he is younger.

 

I admit, during down time at work I've been refreshing this thread, ESPN, and Twitter hoping for any new info.

 

You guys do realize that there is like a 25% chance that a #1 draft pick ever performs at the level Harden does regularly and it typically isn't till year 3 or 4 of their career but some of you idiots want to trade Harden in his mid 20's with several years left on his deal for the CHANCE at getting the #1 pick this year??

Are some of you people just special or what? Harden isn't perfect but the fact is he's still a top 8 player in the league if not top 5, and was the 2nd best last year. He's easy to criticize but so was Iverson in his prime who didn't practice, Shaq couldn't fit free throws & was always out if shape, Kobe is a ball hog, Lebron is afraid of the big moments and top passive, Duncan is boring, Curry has glass ankles, and James Harden falls asleep on defense.

The guy is still a top NBA player. If you guys can't handle your star player being criticized by the nation media or whatever then you will never have a star player. They are ALL criticized and beaten to death by the narrative and perception that is built up to get page clicks and ticker catch phrases at the bottom of the sports center screen.

So NO we do NOT want to trade James Harden. STFU

 

Agreed. Don't trade your superstar unless he pulls a Malice at the palace. Imaging if the rockets gave up on Dream in 1991. Or the mavs quitting on Dirk after 2007.

 

Amen bro

 

No Harden No Durant.. period.. keep Harden..

 

Stop making sense bro. This is ClutchFans. Where illogical stupidity happens.