[The Boston Globe] Rockets’ Dwight Howard returns to All-Star form

jsmee2000 · Jan 19, 2014

Rockets’ Dwight Howard returns to All-Star form
By Gary Washburn | Globe Staff | January 19, 2014

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David J. Phillip/Associated Press - Dwight Howard is with a more talented team and his back and shoulder are completely healthy

If there was concern that Dwight Howard was too lighthearted during his one year playing in Los Angeles, just imagine his glee after signing a maximum contract with the Houston Rockets during the offseason.

He is with a more talented team and his back and shoulder are completely healthy.

Howard was at his dominant best last Monday against the Celtics, scoring 32 points to go with 11 rebounds and withstanding the Hack-a-Dwight strategy employed by Celtics coach Brad Stevens, canning 10 of 18 free throws. Howard looks as if his decision to leave the drama-filled Lakers for Houston was for peace of mind.

It was a difficult season in Los Angeles for Howard, who was expected to team with Kobe Bryant and SteveNash for a title run. Instead, it was a tumultuous campaign in which each of the three dealt with injuries and Bryant accused Howard of being too playful and lacking toughness.

Howard’s escape from Los Angeles was the right move because the Rockets are younger, more talented, and less offensive production is expected from him because Houston possesses so many scorers.

Howard is averaging 17.9 points this season, 5 points fewer than his career best with Orlando four years ago, but his defensive presence, dominance around the basket, and ability to run the floor have made Houston a potential title contender.

That’s if the Rockets can stay healthy and play with cohesion defensively. James Harden isn’t exactly a shutdown defender and neither is Jeremy Lin, and the Western Conference features plenty of scoring tandems.

So, how Houston fares in the postseason will depend on how quickly it meshes during the second half of the season.

“The defense, most of that stuff will come with time,” said Howard. “Learning the rotations, cracking back for the bigs, the bigs being up on the pick-and-rolls, and calling screens out [which would make it] better for the guards. All of that stuff takes time because we might see something develop behind the guards that the guards don’t pay attention to.

“Also with the guards, hearing our voice, understanding where we’re going to be on the floor. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish right now, mainly on the defensive end. The offense? We’ll get there.”

Howard has never been overly concerned with his numbers but his agility and enthusiasm this season don’t compare to his stint with the Lakers. He is smiling more. He is a force in the paint. Howard’s passion and prowess is reminiscent of his Orlando days, which is encouraging in a league devoid of dominant centers.

“I’m just trying to help this team win in any way possible,” said Howard, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 draft. “I’ve been in the league for a while. So I’m trying to preach to these guys what it’s going to take for us to be a great team and how it takes steps to get there. It just doesn’t happen because you put guys together, but I think we’re taking the right steps to be a great team.”

Howard turned 28 in December and is a seasoned veteran on a team of upstarts. He is Houston’s second-oldest player behind 33-year-old Francisco Garcia, meaning he has to serve as a guide and voice of reason, unlike his previous stops, where leadership was an issue.

“I’ve learned a lot in the 10 years I’ve been in the NBA,” Howard said. “Especially how to help teams win and lead teams. It’s not about how many points you score, the thing that I try to tell these guys the most is it’s going to take all of us to win. It doesn’t matter who gets the glory at the end of the day, you have to learn how to fight through adversity.

“We’ve been hit some with guys being injured and you have to learn how to play through all that and understand that it takes all the guys in the locker room and the coaching staff to get the championship.

“We can’t worry about anybody on the outside. We can’t allow outside things to affect us. We have to take care of business on the floor and believe and trust in each other.”

The Rockets are still maddeningly inconsistent, as evidenced by their record-setting 19-point performance in the second half after scoring 73 in the first half of their 104-92 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. Howard acknowledges the Rockets are going to have to win with defense and grind out games when Harden’s floater isn’t floating or Chandler Parsons isn’t draining 3-pointers.

“We have a fairly young team — even though I’m not old per se — but we’ve got a lot of guys who it’s their second or third year in the league,” Howard said. “When that happens, everybody’s always in your ear, telling you how good you are, what this guy’s not doing, that guy. I just try to tell the guys, we have to stay together, we’ve got to stay humble, and any situation that we have on the floor, we’ve got to be able to handle it ourselves.

“We can’t look for nobody else. For the most part, the guys have been receptive. They’ve seen a lot of the things that I’ve been through as a player on and off the court and they know I’m not going to tell them anything bad. I’m going to do whatever I can to help this team and that’s why I’m here.”
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meadowlark · Jan 19, 2014

“We have a fairly young team — even though I’m not old per se — but we’ve got a lot of guys who it’s their second or third year in the league,” Howard said. “When that happens, everybody’s always in your ear, telling you how good you are, what this guy’s not doing, that guy. I just try to tell the guys, we have to stay together, we’ve got to stay humble, and any situation that we have on the floor, we’ve got to be able to handle it ourselves.

Words of wisdom

HangTime · Jan 19, 2014

What's not to like about Dwight, he's refreshing n fun.
He is playing well and we have to overlook the FT% but he brings so much else to the table. He's not the Dream but he's nice to have on the team.

SF3isBack!! · Jan 19, 2014

"the bigs being up on the pick-and-rolls, and calling screens out [which would make it] better for the guards."

I'm glad they are finally starting to do this, It kinda drives you crazy not seeing them do this because it's so simple but effective. It's something the coaching staff should have had them programmed to do. Communication is key in basketball everyone needs to be on the same page. I'm glad he acknowledged it, it's a step in the right direction.

Dave_78 · Jan 19, 2014

His numbers are about what I expected. His leadership and maturity have been a pleasant surprise. He is a consummate professional.

vator · Jan 19, 2014

We need some shooters around him though. The guys we hired to do that job have failed miserably.

NotChandlerParsons · Jan 19, 2014

SF3isBack!! said: ↑

"the bigs being up on the pick-and-rolls, and calling screens out [which would make it] better for the guards."

I'm glad they are finally starting to do this, It kinda drives you crazy not seeing them do this because it's so simple but effective. It's something the coaching staff should have had them programmed to do. Communication is key in basketball everyone needs to be on the same page. I'm glad he acknowledged it, it's a step in the right direction.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing. Asik was a great individual defender last season but is totally silent.

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[The Boston Globe] Rockets’ Dwight Howard returns to All-Star form

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