Howard is superior in strength, size and leaping ability Dream was superior in quickness, coordination and timing
how much can he actually lift though? We all assume he's strong and can bench press the moon, but i rarely see real numbers or displays of brute strength ont he court. A lot of Dwight is simply aesthetic. He was born with very wide shoulders, which always enhance muscle appearance. I'm sure he's not a weak guy, but im not sure he's that strong. Also, let's keep in mind dream didnt really lift for muscle size, yet he displayd solid strength on the court going up against "stronger" players. It's very likely he'd be just as strong as Dwight if he bothered to lift more. Thank you. You got people in here listing components of athleticism to describe Dream, yet they give the edge to Dwight because he's a "better athlete"?? It doesnt matter who was superior at what, but who was better as a whole athletically. If James white dunked on a 14 foot rim and Budinger couldnt, many would claim White is a better athlete. However, White can't even incorporate his dunks within a game, he's all vertical hops combined with some length. Bud would have higher than average hops, plus the coordination and agility to use those hops during games. He has less length, but still good size and is stronger. That's how Dream is more athletic, he's above average in pretty much every component of athleticism, many of them better than dwight, can incorporate them into live action, and even combine them all in one play.
Amen to this. Too many of the younger or not as knowledgeable guys have a hard time understanding the different between an aesthetically pleasing physique and one that produces functional strength. Dwight Howard certainly has an impressive build but it doesn't translate into basketball, usable strength all that well. He has trouble establishing position against defenders who are around his weight and against guys who are bigger than him he is almost neutralized (see youtube clips of him bouncing off of Yao).
yeah that goes back to what i said about his shoulders. they stand out naturally, so he's probably always focused on them a little too much to make them pop even more, sort of his "beach muscles". If you look at the rest of him, especially his lower body, he's not overly muscular. Look at any of his pics, cover his shoulder area and he looks a lot more average.
for people saying stregnth, you really had to see the young dream play, yeah he was skinny but he pushed people around, snatch balls from other big men's hands. dwight is probably stronger, but don't slight Dream my appreciation for him grows with these threads
Coordination is the most important aspect of athleticism, Dream has the edge in that department for sure
yes, but Eaton was also a defensive player. Yao? He can hold his own, but that's not his bread and butter. Yao gives DH problems mostly because of his base, Eaton gave problems using his play.
Hakeem guarded the likes of Shaq so he definitely isn't weak. He could hold off guys on the post in front OR in back with just one arm. In his younger years everytime he went for a dunk you weren't sure what was going to give. The ball or the rim. Hakeems hands were so fast to and footwork was superior. Hakeem is the overall better athlete by far in my opinion. A unique blend of strength, speed, eye-hand coordination, footwork and catlike reflexes combined to form one of the greatest nba players of our time.
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I'm amazed at how many people say Howard is a better leaper. Watch some Dream footage where he goes up a good 3 feet behind the primary defender and still blocks the shot. Watch Dream sky over whole front lines for the rebound. Just watch Dream. There's no comparison. Howard looks good in a dunk contest, Dream looks awesome in a game. Power, quickness, timing, explosiveness, second jump, height, ability to move in the air... Dream is a better leaper. Look at the poor Knick faces...
Recently, I read an article (probably linked here) that talked about that. It said people are so focused on Dwight's upper body they don't realize he has skinny legs and a small backside that make him unable to establish post position against stronger players. Sometimes I wonder if the guy wants to be a bodybuilder or a basketball player. I heard him say in round one this year that he gets mad when other players think they are as strong as him. I've also read that the guy is a major narcissist and can't pass a mirror without looking at his physique.
better to compare Dwight to Kevin Willis or Dream to Wilt Comparing Dream to Dwight is like comparing Barkley to Big Baby
Dream was a better athlete. The man was a jumping machine and then the way he moved on offense was almost poetic. He owned the center position back when it was filled with great centers. Dwight IMO needs to stop lifting some weights and start chasing some chickens like rocky to get some foot speed. :grin:
Sounds like someone who was always the skinny kid growing up. Thats what skinny dudes do when they get buff, can't stop looking at every mirror they pass by.
After seeing many excellent posts about Hakeem's abilities, I have been persuaded to believe that Hakeem is the clear winner (I say Hakeem was a 10 and Dwight's a 9). But, many are using the fact that Hakeem was twice the basketball player Dwight will ever be to severely short change Dwight's freakish athletic ability.
