they said in one of the recent games that the after foul concern is how he sheds flagrants, seems to work pretty well (though he still does get his share). or maybe that was camby... well, same thing.
I was a little indifferent to the Howard signing initially. I didn't expect much from a guy that played in the jurassic era. Lo and behold, the gut has been great, not only producing on the court, but being invaluable to the young guys off it as well. Not sure whether it has anything to do with the specialist he saw last offseason (Grover) enabling his play this year or not, either way, Juwan deserves Kudos for leaving it all out on the court during his swan song.
I have been very pleased with Howard this season and would be very open to him coaching in the future. But, I hope we don't need to re-sign him. If Oden is back and healthy, Camby is re-signed, and Joel is on the mend, then I don't think Howard will be needed, especially with Pendergraph and perhaps Freeland.
The more I read about Howard the more i'm struck by how he is such a class act. When we signed him I was a little apprehensive. Figured he would be a locker room only guy. Glad I was wrong, him and all the other grandpa's we got this season (camby/miiller) have changed the dynamic of this team for the better.
Juwan is 20 times the player that Pendergraph is and 100 times Freeland. We need experience, not know-nothings.
With Greg back, and Camby re-signed (this is the sticking point) I don't think that Howard would be needed. At that point, I would rather get some other pieces.
It's true that there would be few minutes for Howard, until Oden or Joel fall again. But Juwan is so much better than whoever else would sit on the bench in his place--and is cheaper than anyone except a rookie. What are your reasons to replace Juwan with some Pendergraph-like rookie? And what do you do when Greg or Joel go down? You search and wind up with a Tolliver or if you're lucky, you find a Juwan to pick up.
I agree. What was Howard's role supposed to be when we signed him? Insurance, practice body and mentor I believe. If Joel isn't ready to play when next season starts, and let's face it he may never be the same, Howard may again be the right choice.
