<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">When Dwight Howard declared during preseason that the Magic could "go all the way" and win a championship this season, the good people of Orlando accepted the devout man's word as gospel. They didn't bother to consider that Howard, despite his 6-11, 265-pound bigness and natural baritone, was all of 20 at the time. Or that he couldn't possibly know what it takes to "go all the way," having never been to the playoffs. Or that he is just as likely to be walking around the locker room imitating Mufasa from "The Lion King." You can't expect rational thought from a one-team town that has been waiting for a taste of glory as long as Orlando has -- not to mention one that was once teased by another rising young big man. This is, after all, home to Fantasyland. "People see me in the street and tell me, 'Thank you for saying you're going to bring us a championship!'" says Howard, eyes widening. "I'm like, 'Oh, wow. I have to be careful what I say.'" It's not as if he has shrunk from the expectations. Howard has followed his over-the-top pronouncement with an equally incredible early-season performance: double-doubles in 12 of the first 17 games, including three 20-point/20-rebound games in 10 nights. Not coincidentally, the Magic are perched atop the Southeast Division. "That boy," says Wizards forward Antawn Jamison, "has become a man." If only it were true. This is a guy who, if he isn't taking on the persona of a Disney character, might mime the facial expressions of his coach in the huddle. Heed the words of Dwight Sr., who talks with the no-nonsense edge you'd expect from a Georgia state trooper: "His game is coming, but I don't think he has a great understanding of what it takes to lead a group of men." MAGIC MANAGEMENT, for its part, has been cautious about making too much of Howard too soon. They've been burned before, by other disastrous rushes to prove there is life after Shaq, who skipped to Hollywood in 1996 after two deep playoff runs that included the '95 NBA Finals. But given Howard's 7-6 wingspan and vertical leap of 39 inches, keeping their big man under wraps has become increasingly difficult. And Howard's new Eastern Conference Player of the Month award and cartoonish muscles lead inevitably to comparisons to the Big You Know Who. In fact, the similarities only begin there. Both of the No. 1 picks are prone to outrageous off-the-cuff declarations. Shaq has an army sergeant for a stepfather; Howard's dad patrols highways. Shaq adopted a comic-book hero, Superman, as an alter ego; Howard has thrown in with that wise, if animated, lion. Shaq's free throw woes are legendary; Howard's career mark is a wobbly 63.1 percent. And during home-game introductions on the JumboTron, every Magic player is stern-faced -- except Howard. His big grin is vintage Shaq Daddy. "You can easily make the parallel," concedes Magic GM Otis Smith. "What Dwight is going to do for the team and the city hasn't been done since Shaq left." Coach Brian Hill, who also had the young Shaq, isn't quite ready to buy in. He'll admit Howard is a more complete player than O'Neal but says O'Neal, unlike Howard, was ready to carry the team when he arrived. "Shaq was a big kid," Hill says, "but when he walked onto the court, he was mature." </div> Read The Rest
It is amazing that Dwight is only 4 years older than me and he is such an X-Factor in the NBA. I would expect someone with maturity and age to be doing what Howard is doing. Dwight has come into the league at a considerable younger age than Shaq and he still isn't even to his age when he came into the league. Yet Dwight is drawing numerous comparisons to Shaq, and some would even say he is doing just as good and might even surpass him. I think everyone agrees with me when I say; Goddamn I love this Magic team.
