ESPN: Portland among "favorites" for Dwight Howard in Free Agency

Article about Houston's dysfunction.

McHale's comments about Dwight's health are concerning, but he'd have NONE of the drama in POR that comes with Harden.

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/201...houston-rockets-face-dysfunctional-end-season

 

No. Whiteside a million times over Dwight.

 

So the guy who has coached him and has more inside information then even our scouts thinks he isn't the same player he was (and likely won't be ever again) but some team should throw max at him? No thanks. That team better not be us.

 

I'm just not sold on him. He hasn't been a winner even though he has been on some of the most talented teams in those respective years.

Can we get a psyche eval. on him first?

 

I'd take Dwight for a 15-20 mil contract. As long as its filled with team options and no longer than 3 yrs.

Rim protection is our biggest need. Obviously, Whiteside and a few others take precedence, but if we strike out with them, Dwight (if he came for cheap) is not a bad consolation prize.

 

As long as we don't target him from the outset, but if he is still around IF we strike out, then i'm more open. I just don't want us to make him our main/first target.

 

That isn't going to get it done though and you know it. And there is no way I pay the dude 20 mil per unless it was for 1 single year. Which once again ain't happening. He will have someone else back up the truck (although they shouldn't).

 

Id take dwight. We need a rim protector. But it still wouldnt fix our issue of needing a pf. Howard and leonard would make a great center combo.

Buttttt, where would that leave plumlee and davis?

Guess we could put a package together with some of the bigs

 

I'd totally take him if the team sat him down and explained to him that he isn't the same player he was in Orlando and he'd be the third option. If he's okay with that I'd totally bring him in. Surprisingly enough, all of the teams mentioned are small market teams, that benefits us.

 

There's 96 mins of PT at PF/C. Splitting that between Dwight/Plums/Davis/Aminu should not be that hard.

I'd explore S&T options for Meyers for a wing shooter/defender.

 

How would Paul Milsapp fit with him? Gasol? Ryan Anderson?

 

Not so much a psych eval as an IQ test.

As he has gotten older and less athletic, he has done very little to alter his game to compensate.

 

Lot of red flags with Howard...I'd guess Stotts would balk at bringing in the coach killer. If he bought into the team concept there's no doubt he'd make us better on the court when facing teams with allstar rim protectors in the paint. Wouldn't help our free throw percentage much though.

 

if people here are seriously talking about being ok with him coming to this team are the same people saying NO WAY to Boggie, you have problems even doctors cant solve.

but I would take him so I could trade him to sactown for boogie. something like that is the only reason I would be ok with that move, don't even let him dawn the scarlet and black.

 

Pairing him with any of our bigs would be a monsterous front court. Leonard and Howard, Plumlee and Howard, Davis and Howard, Aminu and Howard...that's a lot of matchup nightmares for the opposition. I do believe we've gotten the attention of marquis players this season in Portland contrary to the old saying that no big names will sign here.

 

Wording in the article confuses me now that I think about it.

Does it mean that POR (along with the other teams) are favorites to chase him? Or does it mean that we are favorite teams that Howard would be interested in?

 

What Howard has craved all his career the most is to be liked...we have a team full of guys folks like..that's the draw. Even our coach is likeable.

 

That article makes Harden seem like a total douche, an aloof prima donna and a horrible teammate. It makes Howard seem like an overly sensitive has-been. Yep, pretty much spot on and exactly what we saw play out in HOU this year.

And, yet another article in need of a good editor:

"Harden, who has the ear of Rockets owner Leslie Alexander and general manager Daryl Morey, is a mixture of many things. He's aloof, has a dry sense of humor and a passion for winning."

Obvious typo - should have been "a passion for whining".

"His frustration over losing bothers him greatly."

Yes, it bothers him so much he spends all his off court time drowning his sorrows at strip clubs.

BNM