[Chron] Howard all smiles while shedding reputation with Rockets

Magic didn't have Dream....

In fact the only teams to win a chip without at least two or three All-Star level players were the Pistons in 04 and Rockets in the mid 90s...

They aren't hating on his chips, they are hating on the lauding he gets for being such a great closer and having killer instinct when without the All-Star level teammates his teams haven't done that well.... Which is true for just about everyone not named Olajuwon since the 80s....

 

How come Dwight is so happy but the team is playing sub par?

 

This is starting to annoy me as well. The clowning around is okay if the team is winning but as a leader and one of the best players on the team, its hard to be that effective of a leader when you clown around especially if team is having a tough stretch. He may be trying to keep the atmosphere light but dammit the team doesn't need a clown as their leader right now they need a true alpha dog. This is why people criticize Howard and say he doesn't have the heart and desire to truly win championship with this mentality.

 

Q AND A: DWIGHT HOWARD

For Sam Cassell, the target was about an inch wide.

When Hakeem Olajuwon got post position, holding off the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson or Patrick Ewing with his left arm, he wanted -- he demanded -- the post entry pass be thrown exactly at a piece of tape that was on one the fingers on his right hand. That's where he wanted the ball.

Throw to the tape, Olajuwon told Cassel, and all the Rockets' guards, over and over. And if you can't throw to the tape, throw it right at my face, hard. I'll catch it.

What Olajuwon didn't want was a lollypop, lob pass. By the time it floated to him, Shaq or Robinson or Ewing would have time to adjust their angle -- in basketball parlance, quarter him -- and the brief second he had good position on them would be gone.

Big men want the ball right away, so they can get to their moves before help arrives.

That's part of the puzzle of watching the Rockets play this season, with Dwight Howard. Is Houston going to be a team that feeds its big-money free agent in the paint until he drops, allowing him to utilize the moves he's developed over 10 NBA seasons -- and that he's polished the last couple of years in the offseason working with the Dream? Or will the Rockets be a slightly different version of the spread-the-floor group that rained threes on the NBA and reached the second round of the playoffs last season, with James Harden leading the way?

Coach Kevin McHale seems to think the Rockets are better the latter way, with Howard getting his points by running the floor, running the occasional screen-roll with Harden and by his teammates getting him the ball early in the post. That's a continuing issue for Houston, which is 10 games above .500 but hardly in a dominant position in the west -- which is why you consistently hear the Rockets aren't yet done making moves before the trade deadline.

Howard's numbers this season are roughly in line with what they've been throughout his career -- averaging a double-double, shooting 58 percent from the floor, still a box of chocolates at the foul line -- but he's expected to lead the Rockets somewhere special during the four years (and $88 million) of his new contract.

For Howard, it's a balancing act, as he tries to lead while also getting back the smile and goofiness that is at the heart of who he is (Saturday, during the "rain delay" at Verizon Center, he blocked a ballboy's shot and stuffed the Wizards' mascot -- what is it with Howard and mascots?).

Me: This is the oddest .600 team that I've ever seen.

Dwight Howard: Oh, yeah. We've got to get better. There are a couple of things that we're going to continue to work on, and we'll continue to get better with time. This is our first 35 games together. So we're just trying to get better. The only way we'll do that is to continue to work on our game, and get good wins like [Saturday].

Me: Is this a classic, feed the post 40 times team, or is it a push-it-up, get points on early threes in transition team?

DH: Well, we've got to be able to do both if we want to be successful in the playoffs. When we play inside out, we're also hitting threes, we're also doing other things, it makes it tough for teams to guard. We've got guys who get out and can play downhill, and we can also slow the game down and post up. That's something that we're working on. Once we get that down and we can play inside out, and we can run, I think we'll be unstoppable.

Me: Where's the balance point between those two styles?

DH: We have to get a balance. Sometimes, it takes a lot of games to get there. We're learning. We just have to learn and feed off of each other.

Me: Kevin McHale mentioned your frustration when you bust it and run right to the nail, turn and seal, and the ball doesn't get to you.

DH: I get upset sometimes. But I understand, I think it's different for these guys. Last year, they didn't have a big post-up target. That's not knocking [Omer] Asik's game, but they used him more in pick and rolls, stuff like that. So it's a little bit different for the guys. They just have to learn to play that way. So, I'm fine. I'm just being patient and doing whatever I can to help this team win.

Me: He also said the team can play at least two levels higher than it is now.

DH: I think we can get three. Two or three more levels. I think we've got three levels we can get to. It's going to take some time, but at the rate we're going, we should get there.

Me: What's the best way for you and Harden to play off of each other?

DH: Well, me and him in the pick and roll. Me and him in post up situations where he's feeding and cutting off, and I'm running the floor and getting easy buckets in transition. That's what he's best at. But also me and him in pick and rolls. We've gotten a couple where he caught it in the post, and I threw it to him, downscreen. That kind of messes the defense up, because he's curling to the basket, and he's got Terrence [Jones] on one side, and me on the other side, and he's got two shooters. So we're doing a good job of that. We just have to continue to do that.

Me: His playmaking is really the X-factor on your team, isn't it?

DH: When they brought him from OKC, they brought him to be that playmaker. And he's very good at making plays like that. So hopefully he can continue to do that.

Me: What is your voice on this team, as opposed to the other places you've been?

DH: Kind of the vet. It's a situation where I've been around for a while. I understand the situations that I've been in. They listen to me. Because they know how tough the last two years was. I've had to overcome a lot. So these guys always listen, always try to find ways to get better. We just all want to grow together.

Me: Are you a talk to the team guy, or are you a pull a guy to the side guy?

DH: Ah, both. I can talk to the team. I also understand that some guys, you have to pull to the side. It's something that I've learned over the years. It takes time. Coming out of high school at 18, trying to lead a team is very difficult. I've learned a lot the last 10 years. I'm in a better place to lead than I have been.

Me: Did you learn from anyone you've played with before in terms of being a good leader?

DH: Basically, I had to learn through trial and error. Now, being in a different situation than L.A., a different situation in Orlando, I've learned what it's going to take to lead a team.

Me: How are you physically?

DH: I'm a lot better.

Me: But still not 100 percent?

DH: The doc says it will take a lot to get there. But I'm a lot better than I was. I'm a lot better than at the start of the season. Everything is flowing.​

 

Have you been listening to the things he's been saying in interviews? Obviously we can NEVER guess what happens in the locker room, but from all the things I have read and heard about/from Howard this yr, he's been quite mature a seemingly very good leader. They call people out, and Howard does too, including himself sometimes.

I'd much rather have Harden mature a bit more and demand more of himself from a responsibility/leadership standpoint, but he's young and will have to grow into it, as Dwight appears to have done.

 

People said the same thing about Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal, Robert Parrish and Wilt Chamberlain.....

Many factors come into play ultimately.... quality of teammates, coaching, luck, health... etc.

No, I don't think that Dwight Howard has the consistent focus that Jordan or Magic or Kobe had. However, Shaq lacked consistent focus and drive and won titles... same for Wilt and many others. Hell, Olajuwon was considered a focusless wild child until nearly 30.

 

I agree, I think that the talk about the "killer instinct" or "being a winner" is brought up too often. Basically, it's said about almost every star player when he hasn't won a title yet.
Another recent example: Dirk Nowitzki. People said that he was too soft, didn't have the killer mentality, that you couldn't win with him as your franchise player. Then he won a title and all the talk was over. If Kobe had gotten injured in Game 1 of the 2009 finals, the Magic would have probably won the title and no one would say that Howard isn't a winner.

 

All that smiling doesn't show happiness, it shows disconnection from the mentality and game. I can't think of another nba player that smiles like he does on every possible occasion.

Picture yourself as a player on a team where you see your 'Leader' or 'Superstar' smiling 24/7 which can easily be spotted as carelessness.

I'm certain this is a bad impact on the players which eventually falls back on Howard because if the team fails, most eyes will be on him.

 

Personally, I am sort of put off by all of Howard's goofiness (especially all of the clowning & goofy pictures) but I'm willing to wait until I see how he responds in a playoff setting when everything is on the line and it's win or go home. This is where the legends are forged and champions are won. After all, Magic Johnson had a huge grin on his face all the time, yet no ever questioned his commitment to being a champion. You don't have to be as fanatically driven as a Bird or a Kobe or a Jordan to be a champion - Hakeem & Duncan showed that - but if this article is really true (and not some fluff Rockets PR piece) then it will be up to Howard to step up when the time comes and show everyone that he, too, has that drive and desire to be a champion.

 

He meant to say DH loves McNuggets.

 

A lot of people buy into this idea of the warrior mentality as being one that is always stoic or angry but that isn't always the case. You don't have to be dour and mean to be successful in sports.

 

As long as he is not smiling while in court. I'm happy enough.

 

Very good post.

 

Man if he's left-handed, no wonder his FT's suck. He shoots them right-handed.

 

I certainly wouldnt give praise to LBJ cos he would certainly not win a championship on his own but come on, Magic came in during his rookie year and won the damn thing playing point center!! Kareem was on his down trend and was just a supporting cast. What did Kobe do? Bite his jersey and make a jump shot?

Look at it this way, do you think Kobe and LBJ would win a championship if they had to face the Bad Boys? Im pretty sure LBJ will be pissing in his pants before the game against them. The league have changed, its all touch fouls and this guys gets called a foul on them, the NBA today will be considered WNBA in comparison to the way they played the game in the 80s and 90s.

The sad truth today is, the NBA is set up in such a way, they focus on star players to attract viewers and sell jerseys. They can even come up with a show so they can tell everyone which team they will be signing with. how pathetic is that?

 

Kobe isn't on Jordan's level. Kobe wasn't the best player on his team for the first three.

And, like mentioned before, we had Hakeem. He was the nicest guy in the league in those championship years. Tim Duncan is a nice guy. Magic was nice. So is Dwight.

Plus, we have Harden, who's a young star. He's got that star mentality, and it just works well with Dwight's. If the team is in need a tough guy, they're not too hard to find. Hell, just give Greg Smith the green light to go bully some players on the court and look mean.

 

lol, what?


no one else caught this?

 

I did but I was like.. "Meh.."

 

It was called dream!