Absolutely agree. At times, I think Houston doesn't understand how to handle having a star player on their team(s).
He's doing what he should be doing. The man is getting paid 22M dollars so he better play well. Right now, I would say he's playing a little below expectations but I will wait until all-star break to really judge him.
Dwight has been rock solid in terms of consistency this season. Even with his weaknesses, he has been dependable in the rebound categories and with his contributions to offense. I think it's unreasonable to limit him from "star" or "superstar" status simply because he's not scoring a ton of points. You have to remember that he's playing on a team where any given player can go off, and often do, for loads of points.
Howard is obviously talented. All he needs is a little bit hustle and right attitude to be a superstar in this league. Right now, he should be competing for the MVP if he was not trying his best to be a scrub.
hibbert, m.gasol, lopez, hawes can all knock down the mid range shot, score in the post, are decent from the free throw line. With howards salary he should be leading the league in blocks & rebounds because he is limited on offense. He also leads the league in turnovers out of PFs & centers. morey has stated plenty of times hes not here for offense. so as long as hes playing D & rebounding well he is meeting expecations here. But I wouldnt go as far as SUPERSTAR "this season" if you compare him to other centers in the NBA and what they can do and his turnover problems
His defensive rating and Asik's have a miniscule .02 PPP difference - the gulf between Asik and Howard on offense is .1 PPP. Over the course of a full game that's pretty significant. Furthermore he's been a part of both the best and some of the least-effective defensive lineups this year that the Rockets have had - so I find it hard to believe he's the problem. The mix of players around him seems to correlate more broadly (Jones on D isn't too effective, it seems, but Casspi at the 4 actually isn't that bad) http://www.82games.com/1314/1314HOU2.HTM Of course we still have small sample sizes here so not really even worth getting into.
even though he's in the league for 10 years he still young at 28 still immature he get frustrated so easily someone howard it's nothing new just deal with it and play your game
The difference between Dwight and Omer comes on the offensive end, and it's not even close. Also, defensively, Dwight has been phenomenal. What are you watching to say that the Rockets are better when they sit Dwight?
His per 36 stats are mostly at or above his career averages. This despite the twin tower experiment. The free throws are improving and the wins are coming at a better clip each month. I'm a happy man.
My guess is... Asik isn't much of a dropoff AND Asik mostly plays against teams' 2nd units (worse offensive units than the starters). So basically, the gap between Dwight and Omer's defense is smaller than the gap between the offenses they play against. Props to Dwight on his FT improvement.
He's not what he was, but he's still clearly the best center in the NBA, arguably the best big man in the NBA. I've been really happy to see that he seems OK with taking a lesser role in the offense as long as we're winning. He provides a big scoring boost compared to most centers but does not seem like he's getting angry when he doesn't get the ball.
Bolded is a very dangerous way of thinking. Stats are not infallible. In fact, they are often more misleading than you can imagine. They have to be properly used and properly maintained -- much easier said than done. After all, as Benjamin Disraeli once said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics!" Oh also, Asik goes against the other team's bench which may affect the numbers, too.
You completely neglected defense in your evaluation of top centers, and post defense from centers are the most important defense in the NBA.
He's rebounding extremely well and his defense is elite as always. Still doesn't excuse his putrid offense. If Harden can get called out publicly for his D, then why should Dwight get a pass? He needs to stop turning the ball over so much on post ups & increase his efficiency.
Dwight Howard is what I expected he would be, the best center in the NBA. Those people that expected him to suddenly develop post moves were not being realistic. He is 28 years old, he is not going to all of a sudden develop. Offensively, he is still a good, efficient player. He shots a high fg%, gets offensive rebounds and draws attention that opens up offensive chances for his teammates. He struggles from the line and is not a guy you feed, but what he DOES do on offense, he is very good at. Defensively he is elite, there is not a single center in the NBA that he cannot guard. He is strong and quick, and as a result can guard legitimate centers and power forwards playing the position. He alters as many shots as anyone in the NBA and is a super elite rebounder. He is what he is..... the best center in the NBA..... but he isn't Olajuwon, and anyone that hoped for that was being foolish. Lets put it this way....... how often do you favor the other teams center match up against Howard?..... never.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>Top Rim Protectors (OppFG% at rim v.Player, *min.6 FGA/gm & 5GP) 1.Hibbert 39.7% 2.B.Lopez 40.2% 3.Henson 41.8% 4.Noah 42.3% 5.Duncan 43.5%</p>— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) <a href="https://twitter.com/nbastats/statuses/411202622612578304">December 12, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Because he is not doing or saying anything controversial, which is a good thing for us. In this media culture, if you behave, you don't get attention. Yes, he's "really good." What did you expect? He's a max player. The least he should be is "really good." The thing is, people (including me) are frustrated with him because we expect more than just "really good." We want a superstar. But his offense is not up to superstar level. We simply cannot depend on him to produce on offense because he doesn't have a reliable game. It's like he's still not sure of what kind of player he is and is still finding his niche on offense. He's good sometimes and not very good sometimes. We expect superstars to produce night in and night out. Bad games should be exceptions. With Dwight, you don't know what will show up before a given game. And since he is already well into his prime, the likelihood of significant improvement is very slim.
LOL at the team's defense better without Howard. Stats probably say that cause Howard is always out there with Harden, while Asik plays most of his minutes without the defensive black hole that is Harden. But hey, hopefully James keeps up his defensive work of the last few games.
