- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: The Decision 2013: Where Will Dwight Howard End Up?(Officially a Rocket!!!)
Posted on 7/1/13 at 12:04 pm to dawgfan24348
Posted on 7/1/13 at 12:04 pm to dawgfan24348
Smith plays the SF in that lineup? 
0
Posted on 7/1/13 at 12:32 pm to PurpleDrank18
quote:
Atlantas third wouldn't be as good as Harden. Nor would the role players. IMO
Lets be clear; no matter who signs with the Rockets or Hawks, James Harden is the best player on either squad.
Posted on 7/1/13 at 12:41 pm to RonBurgundy
Up for debate between him and Howard
Posted on 7/1/13 at 12:43 pm to RonBurgundy
Harden better than Howard?
Posted on 7/1/13 at 12:45 pm to Dr. Shultz
quote:
I would bet almost every team in the league would rather have a healthy Dwight over a healthy Melo.
Melo is a great scorer and that's it. He doesn't defend well. He isn't a good team player. He is very inefficient with his scoring.
Dwight took a team worse than the knicks to the finals a few years ago.
Melo shits the bed every year in the playoffs.
I agree. I just hate Dwight more than any athlete.
I like Aaron Hernandez and Laurence Taylor more than him
Posted on 7/1/13 at 12:50 pm to WITNESS23
What
Posted on 7/1/13 at 12:55 pm to dawgfan24348
WITNESS Wants Dwight in Miami and Bosh out...Am Right?
Posted on 7/1/13 at 1:14 pm to RonBurgundy
quote:
Lets be clear; no matter who signs with the Rockets or Hawks, James Harden is the best player on either squad.
yes, and your point? I never said he wasn't
Posted on 7/1/13 at 1:59 pm to PurpleDrank18
Jack Nicholson is trying to convince Dwight to stay in LA? The billboards? Time Warner Sports offering him a tv show if he stays in LA?
I'd be ashamed to be a Lakers fan. A proud franchise stooping to the level of a small market team with no rings to keep an overrated player (and undeserving person) is beyond me. He quit on them last year. Tiago Splitter and Aaron Baynes were getting under his skin.
Aside from Wade, Dwight Howard is the only guy I've ever wished failure upon. What an attention whore.
I'd be ashamed to be a Lakers fan. A proud franchise stooping to the level of a small market team with no rings to keep an overrated player (and undeserving person) is beyond me. He quit on them last year. Tiago Splitter and Aaron Baynes were getting under his skin.
Aside from Wade, Dwight Howard is the only guy I've ever wished failure upon. What an attention whore.
Posted on 7/1/13 at 3:00 pm to PurpleDrank18
quote:
Atlantas third wouldn't be as good as Harden. Nor would the role players. IMO
quote:
yes, and your point? I never said he wasn't
well, the way you structured the sentence implied Harden would be the third best player.
i.e. "Atlanta's third wouldn't be as good as Durant"
vs.
"Atlanta's third wouldn't be as good as Bosh"
but, no matter man, I am glad you clarified.
This post was edited on 7/1/13 at 3:01 pm
Posted on 7/1/13 at 3:04 pm to RonBurgundy
I meant it as since both teams would have Howard and Smith the 3rd player is the variable, which would be Harden vs X player
This post was edited on 7/1/13 at 3:08 pm
Posted on 7/1/13 at 3:18 pm to PurpleDrank18
Harden vs Horford
Dallas and Golden State don't have a viable option
Atlanta has to pitch the idea to him that he would fit better in Atlanta's system and that they already have Smith. They can also give both max deals
Dallas and Golden State don't have a viable option
Atlanta has to pitch the idea to him that he would fit better in Atlanta's system and that they already have Smith. They can also give both max deals
Posted on 7/1/13 at 3:35 pm to longhorn22
Rapper Slim Thug has now joined the recruitment of Dwight Howard to Houston apparently 
quote:
slim thug ?@slimthugga 24m Have u ever been to @dreamshouston or V-Live @DwightHoward ??? LA ain't got strippers like we do
quote:
slim thug ?@slimthugga 23m We both got babymamas @DwightHoward do u know that they only get 20% in Houston it's wayyyy worst in LA
quote:
slim thug ?@slimthugga 20m A bottle of rosé in a Houston club is $250 max in LA $1000 befo taxes and gratuity @DwightHoward
quote:
slim thug ?@slimthugga 19m The galleria mall is a fool kid every store in one spot stay crawling with Bad bitches @DwightHoward
quote:
slim thug ?@slimthugga 10m And @DwightHoward we got the Texans so not too much pressure on winning a ring this year we got time to grow u kno LA gone hate tho
This post was edited on 7/1/13 at 3:38 pm
Posted on 7/1/13 at 4:05 pm to MillerMan
So Dwight met with 5 teams today, per ESPN
Posted on 7/1/13 at 4:07 pm to longhorn22
I say DH re-signs with LA. HOU wouldn't surprise me though.
I think those are the only two teams really in play here.
I think those are the only two teams really in play here.
Posted on 7/1/13 at 4:09 pm to DesignatedT
quote:
The Warriors, eager to acquire Dwight Howard via sign-and-trade, are reportedly willing to offer the Lakers a package of Andrew Bogut with either Klay Thompson or Harrison Barnes.
Golden State would prefer to ship out Bogut and the expiring deals of Richard Jefferson or Andris Biedrins, but this sounds like a completely one-sided discussion and L.A. has shown no inclination toward a sign-and-trade. With teams like the Rockets and Mavericks in hot pursuit of D-12, we're not giving this too much thought.
Posted on 7/1/13 at 4:09 pm to DesignatedT
Doubt it he hates the Lakers system and coach. Plus he's not to happy with Kobe
Posted on 7/1/13 at 4:11 pm to dawgfan24348
I'd take that deal if I was the Lake Show....I'd take Barnes over Thompson.
Posted on 7/1/13 at 4:36 pm to longhorn22
1. Houston
If we look solely at basketball fit, Houston is the definitive option for Howard by way of an amenable offensive system. The key to that system (and the Rockets’ appeal by extension) is James Harden, a high-usage ball handler whose game would mesh seamlessly with Howard’s. That starts in the two-man game, where Harden would easily rank as the best pick-and-roll partner of Howard’s career.
Harden’s slippery drives have become such a potent threat that opponents attempt to thwart him at first step, compromising their defense by either drifting away from open shooters or allowing the screener an undeterred roll to the rim. Given the range and accuracy of Houston’s perimeter players (every wing or guard in the rotation last season was above average from three-point range, save Jeremy Lin), the latter was often the case last season, to the point that even the limited Omer Asik wound up as one of the more efficient pick-and-roll finishers in the league. Playing off Harden simply makes things that easy, and Howard should earn a steady dose of open dunks and free throws if he’d be willing to sign with the Rockets.
It should be noted that Howard isn’t very enthusiastic about playing a pick-and-roll-heavy style, but that doesn’t change the fact that he and Harden would destroy opponents in that dimension of the game. There’s still ample room in Houston’s nascent offense to accommodate Howard’s desire to post up while still getting him on the move, a combination that could provide the crux of a wonderfully balanced attack.
The Rockets need Howard quite a bit more than Howard needs the Rockets. Asik did a nice job last season of covering up for his teammates’ mistakes on the perimeter, but Howard would cover even more ground, alter even more shots and provide a first-rate foundation from which Houston could shape a playoff-worthy defense.
2. Atlanta
The Hawks are mostly a blank slate at the moment because they entered the offseason with only three players under contract for next season, but the few assets Atlanta does have would work rather well alongside Howard. Forward-center Al Horford, 27, would be a stellar frontcourt complement, largely by sharing the defensive burden (Horford is flexible and effective in coverage) and balancing Howard’s post work by operating from the elbow. Point guard Jeff Teague, 25, may not yet be under contract (he’s a restricted free agent), but the Hawks have the right to match any offer for the speedy, ever-improving ball handler. Sixth man Lou Williams represents a nice complementary scorer upon his return from knee surgery, and rising sophomore John Jenkins is already an effective spot-up threat who can play off Howard’s post game. Signing Howard to a max contract and re-signing Teague would eat up much of Atlanta’s cap space, but those moves would also cement a strong three-man core without any immediate risk of age-related decline.
3. Los Angeles
L.A. has more pieces in place than any other realistic Howard suitor and yet may well be the most difficult to project. Howard should be healthier than he was a season ago and in better position to exert influence on both ends of the floor, though to what degree he can lift up this weird, underachieving team remains to be seen. Kobe Bryant will grapple with rehabilitation and recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, rendering him an unknown in terms of both his availability and on-court effectiveness at least early next season. Steve Nash will likely be in better health but, at 39, he is drifting further and further from his basketball prime. Pau Gasol seemed to develop some nice chemistry with Howard at the end of last season, but his place on this team is precarious, especially considering the luxury-tax implications of a Howard deal.
All in all, they make for a strange bunch. But at worst, the Lakers are looking at one more haphazard season followed by a virtually spotless cap sheet. Nash is the only Laker under contract for 2014-15, the contracts of Bryant, Gasol and all of the team’s role players coming off the books. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak would have his work cut out for him in potentially re-signing Bryant while adding sufficient complementary pieces to contend, but that financial freedom gives the Lakers an opportunity to build squarely around Howard and what he does best as Kobe and Nash near the end of their careers.
4. Dallas
From a basketball standpoint, Dallas’ pitch won’t be all that different from what Los Angeles can offer. If anything, the immediate ceiling is a bit lower; the Mavs will make their case to Howard as a next-year proposition, more or less conceding the fact that they won’t be able to make other significant additions this summer. Dirk Nowitzki is owed $22.7 million in 2013-14, and when his salary is combined with a potential max deal for Howard and the Mavs’ remaining guaranteed contracts for next season (Vince Carter, Jae Crowder, Shane Larkin* and Gal Mekel, assuming that Shawn Marion is eventually traded), Dallas would likely have precious little space to make any more notable free-agent plays this offseason. That would change in a year’s time when Nowitzki could be re-signed at a discount, potentially leaving enough cap room to sign a second-tier free agent in July 2014.
In the meantime, a team with Howard and Nowitzki would be practically guaranteed a postseason spot. The two stars would play off one another beautifully, as both big men occupy different spaces on the floor and thus stretch defenses in opposite directions. When Nowitzki has the ball or participates in pick-and-rolls, Howard would act as a first-rate clean-up rebounder and a brutal dive-cut option for defenses that tilt in fear of Nowitzki’s shooting. When Howard looks to post up or streak toward the rim, Nowitzki would make for one of the league’s most potent stretch bigs, spotting up either beyond the arc or just inside it.
Howard would be the defender and rebounder Nowitzki needs in a frontcourt partner, and Nowitzki would be the floor-stretching threat who could free up room for Howard to work inside. That the Mavs are so far down on this list shouldn’t be seen as an indictment. Nowitzki’s age, the team’s iffy immediate prospects and the handful of further moves to come in 2014 make Dallas a slightly more questionable spot than others in basketball terms, but the Mavs are still a solid destination.
5. Golden State
We can’t know yet how well Howard would fit with the Warriors because we don’t have an idea of what Golden State would have to give up to obtain him. Unlike the other teams on this list, the Warriors don’t have the cap room (or even the potential cap room) necessary to sign Howard outright, leaving them to make their case as a sign-and-trade possibility that would require the Lakers’ agreement. In such an exchange, one would only assume that Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes would draw L.A.’s interest, with Stephen Curry set aside as an untouchable commodity.
But that’s as far as the reporting and conjecture go. We don’t know if the Lakers would be amenable to acquiring the lavishly paid David Lee in a potential swap, if they would demand both Thompson and Barnes as payment for their compliance, or if any of Golden State’s other assets could help move the needle. There’s still too much in flux regarding a potential trade package to assume what the Warriors might look like with Howard in uniform, though a pairing with Curry alone would make this a great — if highly improbable — match.
If we look solely at basketball fit, Houston is the definitive option for Howard by way of an amenable offensive system. The key to that system (and the Rockets’ appeal by extension) is James Harden, a high-usage ball handler whose game would mesh seamlessly with Howard’s. That starts in the two-man game, where Harden would easily rank as the best pick-and-roll partner of Howard’s career.
Harden’s slippery drives have become such a potent threat that opponents attempt to thwart him at first step, compromising their defense by either drifting away from open shooters or allowing the screener an undeterred roll to the rim. Given the range and accuracy of Houston’s perimeter players (every wing or guard in the rotation last season was above average from three-point range, save Jeremy Lin), the latter was often the case last season, to the point that even the limited Omer Asik wound up as one of the more efficient pick-and-roll finishers in the league. Playing off Harden simply makes things that easy, and Howard should earn a steady dose of open dunks and free throws if he’d be willing to sign with the Rockets.
It should be noted that Howard isn’t very enthusiastic about playing a pick-and-roll-heavy style, but that doesn’t change the fact that he and Harden would destroy opponents in that dimension of the game. There’s still ample room in Houston’s nascent offense to accommodate Howard’s desire to post up while still getting him on the move, a combination that could provide the crux of a wonderfully balanced attack.
The Rockets need Howard quite a bit more than Howard needs the Rockets. Asik did a nice job last season of covering up for his teammates’ mistakes on the perimeter, but Howard would cover even more ground, alter even more shots and provide a first-rate foundation from which Houston could shape a playoff-worthy defense.
2. Atlanta
The Hawks are mostly a blank slate at the moment because they entered the offseason with only three players under contract for next season, but the few assets Atlanta does have would work rather well alongside Howard. Forward-center Al Horford, 27, would be a stellar frontcourt complement, largely by sharing the defensive burden (Horford is flexible and effective in coverage) and balancing Howard’s post work by operating from the elbow. Point guard Jeff Teague, 25, may not yet be under contract (he’s a restricted free agent), but the Hawks have the right to match any offer for the speedy, ever-improving ball handler. Sixth man Lou Williams represents a nice complementary scorer upon his return from knee surgery, and rising sophomore John Jenkins is already an effective spot-up threat who can play off Howard’s post game. Signing Howard to a max contract and re-signing Teague would eat up much of Atlanta’s cap space, but those moves would also cement a strong three-man core without any immediate risk of age-related decline.
3. Los Angeles
L.A. has more pieces in place than any other realistic Howard suitor and yet may well be the most difficult to project. Howard should be healthier than he was a season ago and in better position to exert influence on both ends of the floor, though to what degree he can lift up this weird, underachieving team remains to be seen. Kobe Bryant will grapple with rehabilitation and recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, rendering him an unknown in terms of both his availability and on-court effectiveness at least early next season. Steve Nash will likely be in better health but, at 39, he is drifting further and further from his basketball prime. Pau Gasol seemed to develop some nice chemistry with Howard at the end of last season, but his place on this team is precarious, especially considering the luxury-tax implications of a Howard deal.
All in all, they make for a strange bunch. But at worst, the Lakers are looking at one more haphazard season followed by a virtually spotless cap sheet. Nash is the only Laker under contract for 2014-15, the contracts of Bryant, Gasol and all of the team’s role players coming off the books. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak would have his work cut out for him in potentially re-signing Bryant while adding sufficient complementary pieces to contend, but that financial freedom gives the Lakers an opportunity to build squarely around Howard and what he does best as Kobe and Nash near the end of their careers.
4. Dallas
From a basketball standpoint, Dallas’ pitch won’t be all that different from what Los Angeles can offer. If anything, the immediate ceiling is a bit lower; the Mavs will make their case to Howard as a next-year proposition, more or less conceding the fact that they won’t be able to make other significant additions this summer. Dirk Nowitzki is owed $22.7 million in 2013-14, and when his salary is combined with a potential max deal for Howard and the Mavs’ remaining guaranteed contracts for next season (Vince Carter, Jae Crowder, Shane Larkin* and Gal Mekel, assuming that Shawn Marion is eventually traded), Dallas would likely have precious little space to make any more notable free-agent plays this offseason. That would change in a year’s time when Nowitzki could be re-signed at a discount, potentially leaving enough cap room to sign a second-tier free agent in July 2014.
In the meantime, a team with Howard and Nowitzki would be practically guaranteed a postseason spot. The two stars would play off one another beautifully, as both big men occupy different spaces on the floor and thus stretch defenses in opposite directions. When Nowitzki has the ball or participates in pick-and-rolls, Howard would act as a first-rate clean-up rebounder and a brutal dive-cut option for defenses that tilt in fear of Nowitzki’s shooting. When Howard looks to post up or streak toward the rim, Nowitzki would make for one of the league’s most potent stretch bigs, spotting up either beyond the arc or just inside it.
Howard would be the defender and rebounder Nowitzki needs in a frontcourt partner, and Nowitzki would be the floor-stretching threat who could free up room for Howard to work inside. That the Mavs are so far down on this list shouldn’t be seen as an indictment. Nowitzki’s age, the team’s iffy immediate prospects and the handful of further moves to come in 2014 make Dallas a slightly more questionable spot than others in basketball terms, but the Mavs are still a solid destination.
5. Golden State
We can’t know yet how well Howard would fit with the Warriors because we don’t have an idea of what Golden State would have to give up to obtain him. Unlike the other teams on this list, the Warriors don’t have the cap room (or even the potential cap room) necessary to sign Howard outright, leaving them to make their case as a sign-and-trade possibility that would require the Lakers’ agreement. In such an exchange, one would only assume that Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes would draw L.A.’s interest, with Stephen Curry set aside as an untouchable commodity.
But that’s as far as the reporting and conjecture go. We don’t know if the Lakers would be amenable to acquiring the lavishly paid David Lee in a potential swap, if they would demand both Thompson and Barnes as payment for their compliance, or if any of Golden State’s other assets could help move the needle. There’s still too much in flux regarding a potential trade package to assume what the Warriors might look like with Howard in uniform, though a pairing with Curry alone would make this a great — if highly improbable — match.
Posted on 7/1/13 at 4:41 pm to longhorn22
But, but, but Atlanta has no shot
Page 6 of 18
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News