You can think about Hakeem's maturation process. Everybody can probably look in the mirror and remember times when we went through some personal growth phase. It has been posted but everyone should carefully read these comments from Dwight. http://m.hoopsworld.com/hoopsworld/...usses-decision-in-qa,51d7a175da27f5d9d0f2c230. The comments are candid and reflect a lot of introspection and growth. - he admits he has a lot of room for growth in his game. - he recognizes that he has a window to win and nothing is guaranteed. - he is honest about wanting to get back "everything that he has lost" and that the criticism "hurt a lot" - about leaving LA - "I learned a lot from my situation in ORlando though, where I was afraid to walk away because I didn't want to hurt people." - about Colorado, "I love that place. I love the mountains, trees, and nature. That's who I am as a person" When viewed objectively, Dwight literally handled this decision perfectly and all these comments reflect a person who has something to prove and is ready to take the next step. I mean really, lets compare this to Lebrons Decision. He is a low key guy that fits our non nonsense culture very well. It's like he went after the big markets because he thought he was supposed to, because everyone was telling him to. This time, he found his center and got back to what makes him happy. I dont know Dwight's ceiling, but he will have a chip on his shoulders. The man has something to prove and is going to go back to his prior level of play, at a minimum. The question is how much will he elevate his game beyond that. In many ways, he is like Tracy Mcgrady in that his sooooooo naturally gifted that he has never had to really put in the work. Dwight never developed the post moves, but rather just relied on his athleticism. Dwight's legacy is on the line and he has the chance to write his own story. Will he put in the work? Will he make the sacrifices to win? He took the first step in writing that story by coming to houston, the right step. We will see whether he takes addition steps this summer in developing his post moves. Thanks to Morey, we get to see how this unfolds p close. But based on his comments last night, I think his head and heart are in the right place.
Yah some people I have talked to absolutely do not like this transaction but I fully back up and support Dwight Howard and I'll tell you why... When a player is put into a situation where they aren't really comfortable in, that the expectations are sky-high (yes, even in Orlando) a person tends to not be themselves. I say Orlando because he was a #1 pick and all eyes were on him. For the first 4 years or so, he flourished with them. After that, when he was the only option, I felt like he kind of buckled under pressure and started acting how some people view him as--a prima Donna. But I tell you, with him being in Houston now as a member of the Rockets, I feel really good of him turning it around. That being said however, I have liked and still like his silly/goofy demeanor. We need someone like that on our team. Sure Parsons and Lin (somewhat) may be like that, but Howard wins out. Despite what people have said to me about Dwight Howard, I truly believe that people can change when put in the ideal situation and I believe Howard will flourish and change with us as a member of the Rockets, thus, as an end result, his legacy starting and eventually winning his first NBA championship with Houston.
It didn't for me the first time either. Tried it again and it worked. But had to answer a question about chemical agents to view the text. http://www.hoopsworld.com/dwight-howard-discusses-decision-in-qa
didn't like howard back in 2008,2009, 2011,2012 but now I'm his biggest fan. Howard backing it in, backing it in, backing it in, backing it in, backing it in, dwightshake, up and under, yes! plus the foul.
Just got chills. Nice Geno reference!!! I am old enough to hear that voice from my childhood with names like Malone Hayes and the "Whopper". He was the best!!
I'm fine with this part as long as once he is at the foul line, he chunks it as hard as he can at the backboard for it to get all the way to the back court for Harden to shoot a 3. Otherwise, meh. Does that count as an assist? If so, Dwight might turn into Mr. Triple Double!
I'm just not sure if he has the offensive skillset that some of y'all believe he has. Great defensive center, but a guy with his athleticism not averaging 27 a game just makes me believe he is nothing more than a 20 points a game scorer. On offense, I think this team has to be Hardens with Dwight fitting into his offense. He needs to excel in th P&R.
I don't doubt that he wants to win now, he gushed over mchale saying he will hold him accountable everyday. i think he wants to take the next step, but will he put in the work? i'd like to see him work on 3 things: 1. strengthening his core, maybe with tim grover, because that helped wade in the injury department a lot. this is the most important as we saw what not rehabbing and training properly did to tmac. 2. low post offense. can't always rely on your athleticism. time to make sure that jump hook is a little more consistent and it will open up a bunch of counter moves. having unlimited access to the top 2 post players of all time should hopefully give him a legit array of post moves beyond the dunk and put-back. he would dominate both ends. 3. talk to hakeem about the mentality of being a champion. seemed to work for lebron pretty well. mchale knows a thing or two about that as well, and can tap into the celtics recourses of russel and bird for more guidance in that department. maybe shaq is available too. these guys both started in orlando and left LA because of kobe. maybe shaq would be interested in talking to him about mentality of being a dominant center. lebron talked to many former champions about what it takes and it worked out. dwight should do the same. if he does those 3 things he will be a top 5 player in the league for the next 5 years. and centers seem to last a long time so he could very well be top 20 for 5 years after that. with harden being so young we legitimately have a 10 year window if dwight takes care of his body. dwight and harden are 10 years younger than duncan and kobe. they have a real chance at multiple championships if they stay healthy.
Hold on a minute. Other than last season when he was recovering from a back injury, he was routinely posting 20 PPG with true shooting percentages in the 60's and PER in the mid-20's despite being the focal point of opponent defenses. I'm not sure how much more offense you're looking for.
I believe I said he is a 20 pts/game center. I think the most dominant center in the game should be 27 pts/game. I think his best season was 22 a game. He just doesn't have the low post moves.
