Washington Wizards: Dwight Howard Will Be Gone By Trade Deadline
The Washington Wizards are taking a huge gamble with the signing of Dwight Howard this offseason. While Howard still has the talent to be mentioned as one of the top centers in the NBA, his other intangibles will drive the team and it’s fans bat crazy.
Last season for the Charlotte Hornets, Howard averaged 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds while shooting 55.5 percent from the floor. Good numbers, but someone with Howard’s skills and resume should be dominating more. So what has been the issue?
[MarkAds]Dwight Howard wants the ball.
To be fair, he has a point. There is no way a player with his size and touch around the basket should only be attempting 11.2 shots per game. Look at the numbers for Anthony Davis (19.5), DeMarcus Cousins (18.0), or Joel Embiid (16.8).
Howard is a locker room cancer. He did manage to lead the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals in 2008 but after that, the walls came crumbling down. He forced his way out of Orlando and landed in Los Angeles to pair with Kobe Bryant. That project failed miserably. He would then go on to Houston to anchor a defense with James Harden. Didn’t go so well there either. His time spent in Charlotte was quiet compared to his other stops but the lack of winning may have forced Michael Jordan to make this bold trade. Now he’s in Washington and it will be bad.
Yes, the Washington Wizards will boast a lineup that features John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter Jr, Markieff Morris, and Howard. Just the mention of that firepower in that lineup should bring fear to any Eastern Conference team. However, with Howard on board, teams will do more laughing than anything.
The Washington Wizards should be the top team in the East. That’s was even with LeBron still with the Cavs. But for some reason, they just couldn’t seem to get on the same page with their talent. How can a team that has one of the top three backcourts in the NBA continue to underachieve?
Will Dwight Howard Hurt Or Help The Wahington Wizards?
Rumors swirled that chemistry was an issue as Wall and Beal may have had a problem. The same goes for Wall and Marcin Gortat. What it boils down to is something is missing on the court and in their locker room. So, instead of figuring out what the root of the problem is, the Washington Wizards decided to add a crybaby to their team who will want the ball in the post more than 11 times. There is no way that will happen. If Howard had a rough time getting shots up with Harden and Kemba Walker, what does he expect to happen with Wall, Beal, and Porter?
Dwight Howard has to tell himself that he’s there just for defense and second-chance points. He’s no longer the focal point of any offense. What the team must be mindful of is when they hit that “bad stretch”. This is that moment when everything goes wrong. It could be two games in a row or 10 games but when it happens, the real Dwight Howard will show himself.
Right now everything is smooth. The romance is new, players are saying all the right things but we’ve been down this road before with Howard. All it takes is one bad outburst and just as quick as he came in, the Washington Wizards will send him packing. This team is too fragile to let a newbie come in and disrupt anything. But if he does, then look for the Wizards to have Dwight Howard on the trade block by the NBA Trade Deadline.
[BXReporter]
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
