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"After the disaster that this season developed into
for Dwight Howard in Los Angeles, many are questioning if we have seen Dwight’s
last days as a Laker.
Howard is a free agent this summer, and despite a
subpar season plagued by injury issues and questions about his mental makeup,
he will have several suitors.
Dwight’s dominance during his days in Orlando,
although largely based on his sheer size and ability to out-muscle the majority,
has elevated him to most sought-after center in the league status.
That he has done little to improve or expand his
game in his nine NBA seasons gets swept under the rug, as does the fact that he
continues to behave like a troubled teen off of the court, in favor of his
prowess in the paint. There is a lack of premier post players in the league, so
Dwight’s antics are accepted and ignored, muted by post production.
The timing is interesting however, with Howard
hitting the market this summer, just as the 76ers will be in the midst of a
center search. The franchise thought they landed the foundation of the future
when they signed the league’s consensus second-best center, Andrew Bynum last
summer.
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| Photo from: nba.si.com |
Injury issues and maybe a slight dearth of
dedication prevented Andrew from seeing a single second of action this season, and
his abhorrent attitude throughout the process has Philly faithful praying he is
shipped out of town as soon as possible.
Although the Bynum move was a bust, the logic behind
it; building an athletic, versatile team around a dominant post player, was
sound, and could be repeated successfully; that is, if the team is willing to
put up with another self-centered center.
Despite the distraction he has developed into,
technically Dwight as a Sixer would make sense.
Pairing Howard with an athletic, all-star point
guard like Jrue Holiday could work to bring out the best in both of them. It
would provide Holiday with a legitimate low-post option and open up the rest of
the court for him to operate. Jrue was able to noticeably improve his assist
numbers this past season while serving as the team’s central scoring option.
Imagine what kind of damage he could do with a prominent post player sharing
the scoring load.
Dwight often demands a double team, which would
allow athletic wing players like Evan Turner and Thad Young to play off of him,
consistently finding less-contested shots. Ideally, Dwight’s dominant presence
in the post would open things up for everyone else on the court and allow the
offense to flow more fluently; an enormous issue for the team this season. This
is the type of formula that was followed by Orlando during their 2009 Finals
run.
Howard would solidify the Sixers on the other end of
the court also. Dwight’s defense, which has earned him three NBA Defensive
Player of the Year awards, speaks for itself.
From an on-court perspective, trying to sign Howard
seems to make sense for the Sixers. If the Sixers had Howard in hand, it would
immediately give them an advantage over many of the teams in the East without
an adequate answer for his post presence, and would almost certainly put them
back in the playoff picture.
Such a signing seems sensible from Dwight’s side as
well. Howard thrived while being the main option in Orlando, but struggled this
season embracing a role as a secondary scorer. In Philadelphia, Dwight would
serve as an anchor to the offense with a plethora of plays running directly
through him.
Also, Dwight didn’t seem to appreciate the pressure
that came with playing for the purple and gold, as the championship
expectations weighed heavy on his already aching back. It is safe to assume
that the Sixers organization has a slightly different aim for the immediate
future than the Finals-frequenting Lakers, and pulling Philly back into the
playoff picture may not seem as daunting to Dwight as spearheading another
Laker dynasty.
Signing with a franchise such as the Sixers, where
he would become the focal point but not be immediately expected to take the
team to a title, seems to be an ideal situation for Dwight.
If interested however, the 76ers need to approach
Howard with caution. He is known for keeping teams hostage while waffling about
where and how his services should be best spent, and he does not necessarily
seem to ingratiate himself with his coaches or teammates.
However, at least he plays, and usually produces, which is more than the Sixers could
say about last summer’s center signing."
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