Dwight Howard doesn't care
December 21st 2011 19:34
Being a big basketball and NBA fan throughout my life, I have definitely had a falling out with the players of today and their mindsets with regards to how they regard their careers as professional basketball players on and off the court.
Dwight Howard is 26 years old and has been playing for seven years with an organization that has paid him handsomely and "failed" to get him help. But really is that what this is about? Look the NBA is a star driven league but there are only so many impact stars to go around and try to lure them to your particular franchise.
I mean Dwight Howard could be in a much worse situation and he has been to the NBA Finals once three seasons ago and got swept. Still, he's been an All Star since 2007 and won three Defensive Player of the Year awards already. His career high in scoring was last season at just over 22 points per game, so yes the guy is the best big man in the game right now. 22 points in a Stan Van Gundy offense that values three pointers so that is impressive, but his situation could be like that of Kevin Garnett's in Minnesota not too many seasons ago.
No the DeVos family and Otis Smith have not acquired a second star caliber player and of course most NBA fans are going to say Rashard Lewis, Jason Richardson, Vince Carter, and Gilbert Arenas are past their prime and not top options anymore. Howard plays well with Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu but they are not the second and third options teams like Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Boston have. Still, Derrick Rose carried his Chicago Bulls team last season to the brink of a Finals appearance, if not for the athleticism and star power of the Miami Heat.
People say big men are the key to starting a franchise, but someone needs to get them the ball. The NBA is no longer a league dependent on supremely talented centers because the game is so much more perimeter and guard oriented. Not to say a guy like Howard isn't coveted by every team in the league. He has been paid well (over $16 million from his contract last season) and will most certainly get more whatever team signs him to another long term contract.
Watching the highlights of him basically mope up an down the court against the Miami Heat in an exhibition game the other night pretty much illustrates where this guy's mind is at. For a dude who prides himself in his Southern roots and Christian faith, he certainly is acting like just another pampered, frustrated star that wants it his way instead of just going out , collecting his check, and trying to win games for the franchise that pays him.
Dwight Howard is 26 years old and has been playing for seven years with an organization that has paid him handsomely and "failed" to get him help. But really is that what this is about? Look the NBA is a star driven league but there are only so many impact stars to go around and try to lure them to your particular franchise.
I mean Dwight Howard could be in a much worse situation and he has been to the NBA Finals once three seasons ago and got swept. Still, he's been an All Star since 2007 and won three Defensive Player of the Year awards already. His career high in scoring was last season at just over 22 points per game, so yes the guy is the best big man in the game right now. 22 points in a Stan Van Gundy offense that values three pointers so that is impressive, but his situation could be like that of Kevin Garnett's in Minnesota not too many seasons ago.
No the DeVos family and Otis Smith have not acquired a second star caliber player and of course most NBA fans are going to say Rashard Lewis, Jason Richardson, Vince Carter, and Gilbert Arenas are past their prime and not top options anymore. Howard plays well with Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu but they are not the second and third options teams like Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Boston have. Still, Derrick Rose carried his Chicago Bulls team last season to the brink of a Finals appearance, if not for the athleticism and star power of the Miami Heat.
People say big men are the key to starting a franchise, but someone needs to get them the ball. The NBA is no longer a league dependent on supremely talented centers because the game is so much more perimeter and guard oriented. Not to say a guy like Howard isn't coveted by every team in the league. He has been paid well (over $16 million from his contract last season) and will most certainly get more whatever team signs him to another long term contract.
Watching the highlights of him basically mope up an down the court against the Miami Heat in an exhibition game the other night pretty much illustrates where this guy's mind is at. For a dude who prides himself in his Southern roots and Christian faith, he certainly is acting like just another pampered, frustrated star that wants it his way instead of just going out , collecting his check, and trying to win games for the franchise that pays him.
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