Dwight Howard will suit up for his fifth team in seven seasons as he prepares for a new start with the Hornets. The 31-year-old has been an effective player, when healthy, but has regressed from the player that was an MVP candidate in Orlando.
Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes Howard views his opportunity with the Hornets as a chance to reestablish himself. Under the guidance of his former and current coach Steve Clifford, Howard feels he can prove doubters wrong and prove to himself he can still be a productive player.
“This opportunity for myself to really get back everything that I would say has been taken away. I’m not too much worried about the naysayers, the rankings and stuff, but just the hearts of the people,” Howard said. “I’m in a much better place mentally, physically and spiritually than I have been in a couple of years.”
Despite the downward trend in recent years, Howard posted 13.5 PPG and 12.7 RPG while scoring from the floor at a 63% clip last season in Atlanta. Charlotte has a need for defense and that is one part of Howard’s game that remains a threat.
- In a separate column, Bonnell writes that the Hornets did not have much financial flexibility to acquire a premier backup point guard after acquiring Howard. That led to the signings of Michael Carter-Williams and Julyan Stone; one player who has not done much since winning Rookie of the Year and the other hasn’t played in the NBA since 2014.
- In his latest Ask Ira column, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes that Josh Richardson‘s four-year, $42MM contract extension is a worthwhile investment for the Heat. While he may not consistently crack the starting lineup, Richardson will be a key part of the team’s core going forward, Winderman adds.
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni shared the honors of the new Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award, NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner writes.
- Chase Hughes of CSN Mid Atlantic writes that Kelly Oubre, after a productive sophomore season in Washington, will be one of the team’s most vital players. Hughes notes that Oubre is the “most athletic player and best wing defender” on the Wizards‘ bench and will need to be consistent in that role to help the team.
Dwight Howard said this exact same type of stuff when he was getting a “new start” with the Hawks. At some point, he should accept where he is in his career, admit that he peaked many years ago, and embrace the reality that he’s an aging player who can still contribute on a slightly better than average level. A change of scenery does not equal a resurrection of abilities.
Game has changed. When he gets fed, he can still score. He’s showed it in the playoffs, which is more of a half court game. I could see Charlotte playing a little bit more through him, inside-out at times, which could mean better offensive numbers…he isn’t nearly the defender he was at one time, but he is still more than capable on that end, and he showed last year that he can still rebound at a high rate
I was watching a 2007 Suns Magic game and the commentators were going wild about his potential, saying he’d be incredible once he’d developed his post game and free throw shooting. Never did. I can totally understand complacency setting in once you’ve been made a millionaire several times over for putting a ball in the hoop, but he rested on his laurels and incredible physical skill and is now seeing the return on his lack of initiative; being passed from team to team, and possibly being remembered as an also-ran, what-could-have-been type player. A Derrick Rose type legacy.