Is Dwight The Next Great Rocket Big Man?

[3bie]

With Jeremy Lin, James Harden, and the rest of the Houston role players surrounding him, can Dwight Howard realize his full potential to become the next great Rockets big man? There was Hakeem the Dream who managed to be one even without the other tower Ralph Sampson, but can Dwight deliver the ring by his shaded area lonesome? Do you think having a big man coach helps his cause or will it put undue pressure to perform?

 

[thedragon]

Dwight Howard is not made of steel, nor iron not even brass. I don't have the quote but he said something along the lines of I won't let rings define my career, I'm successful to have played for 10 seasons. He doesn't have the killer will to be "The guy". "The guy" eouldn't have been uncomfortable in LA. "The guy" would make cold blooded free throws. And I still think Harden is a choke artist.

 

[BadgerSquadron3]

Eh, I don't know if he has what it takes. Thus far he only seems to be good at breaking up a teams chemistry. The Rockets have a history of having great big men, and if Dwight will take some constructive criticism from them, he may be able to overcome his persona as a free-throw bricking diva and make a real impact.

 

[Kingmaker]

Dwight Howard is not made of steel, nor iron not even brass. I don't have the quote but he said something along the lines of I won't let rings define my career, I'm successful to have played for 10 seasons. He doesn't have the killer will to be "The guy". "The guy" eouldn't have been uncomfortable in LA. "The guy" would make cold blooded free throws. And I still think Harden is a choke artist.

I tend to agree with that sentiment, but I have seen Howard take over in playoff series and for stretches of a season when he was with Orlando that were truly dominating. Being injury prone has been his biggest problem the last few years with playing at the high level that he is capable of. I think that Dwight Howard could be the next great big man in Houston and with a good supporting cast get the Rockets to the WC Finals. I do not however feel that he will be legendary like Hakeem The DREAM was for Houston and its fans, Dwight could never shoot that good ever.

 

[Maikflow]

Short answer: Yes!
Detailed answer: Dwight can be the best bigman of the league but for that to happen, the team has to be built around him and let him play as himself. I think his shortcomings have been because the people around him wanted him to play a certain style or a certain way that it just is not him. The whole reason he decided to go to Houston is because the team said they would not force any style on him and show him that he has a talented young supporting cast (Harden, Parsons, hopefully Asik).
Ever since he came into the league people have likened him to Shaq, but the league has changed, rules have changed, being that dominant is harder now than it was then. People need to understand that Dwight is Dwight and Shaq was Shaq.

 

[3bie]

On the assumption that Dwight has enough talent, it seems his heart is what may be holding him back. It seems there are far too many other things in the way. Like fun. How important is it that he has fun? How does that weigh in on the road to a ring? Kobe hardly smiles, even while he was winning. What would bring out the beast in Dwight? The kind of beast that would make him choose to practice free throws and real post moves.

 

[thedragon]

Dwight doesn't have the killer willpower or passion to be an NBA finals MVP if on the miracle this Rockets team without a third all-star reaches the NBA Finals the Heat would use a hack a Shaq to slow down the Rockets offense. Harden is predictable so i'm sure the heat would close him down just like Rose in '11.

 

[lindbergh]

No doubt that Dwight is the next Rocket big man. He was great in Orlando, he did good in L.A. (but did not quite live up to the hype) and I know he would be superb in Houston. What he has to do is be more dedicated in his team. He also needs to take care of himself a little bit more and try to stay out of injuries. And yes, if he improves his free throw shooting, he would be very scary indeed.