The world needs to know how good this kid is. His statline for tonight? 21 points, 22 rebounds, 1 block, 0 TO's, 10-16 from the field. Looks great huh? Let's not forget who he was matched up against tonight, Kevin Garnett, who is arguably one of the best interior defenders in the league. Dwight has gotten off to a slower start this season but hopefully this huge game ends his slump. One thing is for sure though, Dwight comes to play against the league's elite big men. Last night he scored 17 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and had 3 blocks against Jermaine O'Neal and the Pacers. Also, in the first game of the season, Dwight had 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks while shooting 75% from the field against Ben Wallace. I guess my point is Dwight Howard is the truth and is going to be a great player for the next decade. Orlando fans realize this and it's just a matter of time until he is mentioned along with LeBron and Wade as the best players in the league.
I wouldn't go so far as to calling him the best player in the league, cause he's still not the best big in the league. Yao is still ahead of him (note Yao's 37/17/7blk game the other night) and a healthy Shaq is still one of the biggest game changers in the NBA, regardless of how well he plays. Beyond that, Timmy Duncan is still one of the top PF/C in the league as well, and Dwight is still a ways away from him. And as for best player in the league, he's still behind LeBron, Wade, Kobe, KG, Duncan, etc. He's a great young player, but he's still not in the class of those mentioned in my book.
Yeah, I agree. I said it was a matter of time until he is one of the best players in the league. His game is still very raw but once he reaches his prime, there aren't going to be many people who can stop him night in and night out.
I don't get a chance to watch him play much...... but when I watch highlights on NBA.com..... his dunks make me cringe they are so powerful. He's got hops too. He can dunk on anyone, that's for sure. Dunno how his shot is though.
No offense but 21 and 22 isn't all that great compared to what some other guys have put up in the league so far this season. This is what these guys are AVERAGING. Zach Randolph: 28.5 PPG 10.5 RPG Chris Bosh: 21.4 PPG 13.6 RPG Carlos Boozer: 20.2 PPG 12.7 RPG Yao Ming: 26.2 PPG 9.3 RPG Bosh's stats for last 4 games: 26 PTS 15 REBS 19 PTS 17 REBS 29 PTS 14 REBS 19 PTS 17 REBS So I fail to see how Howard's one game stats are so special It's still going to take another one or two seasons for Howard to develop a decent offensive game (if he can). Many people compare him to Shaq but he'll never have the offensive skills as Shaq. Don't get me wrong, he's a hell of a rebounder and defensive player but people seem to always predict that he will really "break out" at the beginning of every season and it hasn't happened yet.
I wouldn't use just one game to determine how amazing he is since he'll be getting those nights plenty of times in the near future, but I do see that he's shrugged off those few games from before where he played decently.
It's not just the one game that determines how good he is. It's just that after watching him dominate (against Garnett), it inspired me to make this thread.
Bosh is just as beastly if not more beastly than Dwight! LOL I'll admit that Dwight put up crazy numbers that one game, but Bosh has been consistently getting boards in the teens the past few games. Not to mention Bosh has a better offensive game, and he hit a clutch shot against the Sixers! But just to make you happy Swish, Dwight will be dominant this year and for years to come.
^ Only because Bosh has surpassed most Raptors fans expectations this season. He's made the comparison more interesting. But yea, the best part of that statline isn't the rebounding or blocks. We all know he can do dominate that part of the game. It's the fact that he scored 21 points without committing a single turnover.
<div class="quote_poster">Eclipse Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">No offense but 21 and 22 isn't all that great compared to what some other guys have put up in the league so far this season. This is what these guys are AVERAGING. Zach Randolph: 28.5 PPG 10.5 RPG Chris Bosh: 21.4 PPG 13.6 RPG Carlos Boozer: 20.2 PPG 12.7 RPG Yao Ming: 26.2 PPG 9.3 RPG Bosh's stats for last 4 games: 26 PTS 15 REBS 19 PTS 17 REBS 29 PTS 14 REBS 19 PTS 17 REBS So I fail to see how Howard's one game stats are so special It's still going to take another one or two seasons for Howard to develop a decent offensive game (if he can). Many people compare him to Shaq but he'll never have the offensive skills as Shaq. Don't get me wrong, he's a hell of a rebounder and defensive player but people seem to always predict that he will really "break out" at the beginning of every season and it hasn't happened yet.</div>All those peopel have been the top option on their respective team this year, and for that matter, those teams also don't have Jameer Nelson and Grant Hill filling their respective statlines either. Anyways, I'd still take Dwight over ANY of them. He defends the post better than them and he will be better than all of them. And to say he has no offensive game is completely wrong. His offensive game is really coming along quite nicely. He's got some good post moves now and can step out and hit the 10'-12' jumper occasionally. He may not have the diversity on offense as Yao or Randolph, but he's no slouch.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">those teams also don't have Jameer Nelson and Grant Hill filling their respective statlines either.</div> I don't understand what you mean by this. Are you saying that Dwight has more options, so doesn't get as many touches? If that's what you're saying, that argument only works for Randolph. Bosh has a good amount of decent scorers around him, Yao has Tmac and some others, and Boozer has Deron, Okur, and though he hasn't been doing that great offensively, Kirilenko. Also part of why Howard's touches were down was because of the insane amount of turnovers he was committing early on, so he should go up as long as he keeps those down. I love Dwight's spin, and if he get's you he's dunking, but it's almost as predictable as Lamar Odom's left handed drive. But hey, if they can't stop it, keep doing it. Also Dwight's man defense is not as good as people make it out to be just because he has a big body. So far he's improved as a shot blocker, but he's still only an average-above average overall defender right now. He doesn't have the defensive impact you'd want yet. This is not saying I personally wouldn't take him over many of them. I'd take him over Boozer and Randolph, but with how Bosh is playing, that's debatable, and Yao is a mean C, so not taking age into account I'd take Yao, but he's nice.
right I'd take Yao, Bosh, Howard, Duncan, Garnett, Brand, Dirk, Randolph,Boozer > Shaq without thinking....Shaq is nothing more than an above average threat (on both ends of the floor) that can't shoot FTs
When motivated, Shaq is a beast and when motivated, he is still better than the other bigs mentioned. However, it will take alot to motivate Shaq so obviously the other players are better to have on your team if you are looking for consistancy. It really is hard to play against someone that weighs 300lbs and as aggressive as Shaq is.
<div class="quote_poster">Laker_fan Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">When motivated, Shaq is a beast and when motivated, he is still better than the other bigs mentioned. However, it will take alot to motivate Shaq so obviously the other players are better to have on your team if you are looking for consistancy. It really is hard to play against someone that weighs 300lbs and as aggressive as Shaq is.</div>Motivated or not, Shaq is not the Shaq of old. He's not as effective as he once was as a scorer and his defense isn't what it was either. The way the game is played now, with all the rules in place, really play against the way he grew used to playing. He doens't get away with a lot of the calls he used to and still doesn't make FTs. Shaq is not nearly the player he once was.
Nobody said he was the same player as before, but I still believe he could be effective now if he tried 100%. By that, I mean if he constantly tried to keep fit and kept on working at his game. There is a reason Kareem still put up decent numbers in the latter years of his career, it's because he conditioned himself and trained hard.
well for one Kareems game was more finesse, while Shaq's is more power....Shaq has lost a step or two (the quickness that he had) and now depends just on power and power alone.
<div class="quote_poster">Moo2K4 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">All those peopel have been the top option on their respective team this year, and for that matter, those teams also don't have Jameer Nelson and Grant Hill filling their respective statlines either.</div> Perhaps the reason is Howard doesn't have a reliable offensive game right now? Do you think it would be a good idea for the Magic to make Howard the focus of their offense? <div class="quote_poster">Moo2K4 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Anyways, I'd still take Dwight over ANY of them. He defends the post better than them and he will be better than all of them.</div> Better than Yao? Possible, but I doubt it. It's funny how people keep saying that Howard will be better than all these players. They've said that this season, and last season. I haven't seen him improve much over his first 3 seasons. His numbers are getting better but not by much. <div class="quote_poster">Moo2K4 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post"> And to say he has no offensive game is completely wrong. His offensive game is really coming along quite nicely. He's got some good post moves now and can step out and hit the 10'-12' jumper occasionally. He may not have the diversity on offense as Yao or Randolph, but he's no slouch.</div> Who said that he has no offensive game? Certainly, I didn't write anything like that. I also would not even compare him to Yao's offensive capabilities right now. It's not even CLOSE.
<div class="quote_poster">Moo2K4 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">All those peopel have been the top option on their respective team this year, and for that matter, those teams also don't have Jameer Nelson and Grant Hill filling their respective statlines either. Anyways, I'd still take Dwight over ANY of them. He defends the post better than them and he will be better than all of them. And to say he has no offensive game is completely wrong. His offensive game is really coming along quite nicely. He's got some good post moves now and can step out and hit the 10'-12' jumper occasionally. He may not have the diversity on offense as Yao or Randolph, but he's no slouch.</div> Not sure what you mean by this? Are you trying to say that the other players mentioned don't have supporting casts, so they get all the touches? Bosh has Ford and Mopete which is just as good as Grant and Jameer. Boozer had Okur and Kirilenko, Yao has Tmac. Also, no one is saying Dwight has no offensive game, its just he doesn't have an offensive game as good as players like Bosh or Yao. If Dwight can develop his offensive game and use his strength to his advantage, THEN and only then would I take him ahead of guys like Bosh or Yao. Bosh was almost the opposite of Dwight's situation; Bosh had a crazy offensive game but wasn't as talented on the boards, but this year Bosh has shown that he can consistently be a monster on the boards, and so far Dwight hasnt shown much of an offensive game. I'll admit Dwight is improving but, Bosh has improved much more than Dwight IMO.
