****Dwight Howard Discussion Thread****

[falcsforlife]

When did Ibaka become a star? He is a very good complimentary peice on a great team. He is a great shot blocker but he has a limited post game and isn't a great rebounder.Surely you don't need anyone to tell you why Dwight is better than Ibaka.

[Plainview1981]

Dwight carried a team to the Finals with Rashard Lewis as his second best player. Jameer Nelson didn't even play in the playoffs and he was their 3rd best player. The same could be said about Shaquille O'neal. The fact is that Dwight constantly draws doubles, gets opposing bigs in foul trouble, and puts up 20+ and 14+ on 60% shooting. He's the best defender and rebounder in the NBA. If you get a chance to get the best big in the league, you take it, period.

The biggest difference between Shaq and Dwight is that Shaq could pass out of double teams well. Dwight isn't quite as good at that. I don't think he will learn it either. I could be wrong though.

[JTB]

wow you guys are really over looking Turk and Lewis when they went to the finals! are you serious Turk was playing at a all time high in his career! and Lewis was Ray Allen on the 3's. That was a BIG 3 for the magic without the superstar status of 2 players! FACT is D12 had help from a 6"10 point Forward who could pass and shoot the 3, another 6"10 wing man in Rashard Lewis who was playing PF but dragging them out to the 3 point line and he was knocking shots down left and right! NOT TO MENTION Jameer Nelson who was a all star that year and he was knocking down 3's like crazy!

Are you serious! Howard may have freed them up but you think this Hawks team of Current players are going to hit 3's like that! LOL get real. The magic not only had many 3 point shooters when they went to the finals BUT 2 of them were 6 freaking 10! thats 2 KD's hitting 3's

And you guys think D12 led them to the Finals!!!!!!!!

[JTB]

Dwight carried a team to the Finals with Rashard Lewis as his second best player. Jameer Nelson didn't even play in the playoffs and he was their 3rd best player. The same could be said about Shaquille O'neal. The fact is that Dwight constantly draws doubles, gets opposing bigs in foul trouble, and puts up 20+ and 14+ on 60% shooting. He's the best defender and rebounder in the NBA. If you get a chance to get the best big in the league, you take it, period.

ok have you watched shaq in LA? he was unstoppable on offense...you can stop howard on offense if you are a quality center like bynum. other than that i agree howard is the best big defender...i wont take that from him but his offense isnt good, thats a fact!

[JTB]

Uh... Dwight has already been to the NBA finals... And you mean great players need other good players? Who would have thunk it! This is people deciding we probably will not land Howard and so we make up reasons why it might be a good thing.

ok so howard comes....what if we dont get CP3 and smith is his best player for years to come. you think they are going to bring a championship to atlanta! LOL awwwww ok i get your type, you think if we land one "great" player others "good" players will automatically come....i cant say it hasnt been done but i can say that regardless how you put it its a risky move! and it could set us back if they dont come.

[JTB]

Once we sign the equivalent of Lebron & Wade or Westbrook/Durant/Harden then I am all on board for passing up Dwight for Brendan Haywood. Until that day, I want Dwight and will work to draft or add the next Harden, Paul Pierce, Ginobili, Parker, Paul, etc. type that we can draft or that become available in FA.

i can understand this....but again Dwight is risky to get especially without commitment. no need to throw the franchise away. just keep horford and move on i say. unless ferry is so sure we get CP3 and im in. LOL i know if you look at older post a day ago I was all for giving up Horford but I think its too big a risk now

[EazyRoc]

My god 95% of the sports writers for the AJC are terrible. Whether Dwight comes here or not, he's one of the few players I've seen literally carry a team to the finals. Mark Bradley is retarded.

[AHF]

wow you guys are really over looking Turk and Lewis when they went to the finals! are you serious Turk was playing at a all time high in his career! and Lewis was Ray Allen on the 3's. That was a BIG 3 for the magic without the superstar status of 2 players! FACT is D12 had help from a 6"10 point Forward who could pass and shoot the 3, another 6"10 wing man in Rashard Lewis who was playing PF but dragging them out to the 3 point line and he was knocking shots down left and right! NOT TO MENTION Jameer Nelson who was a all star that year and he was knocking down 3's like crazy!

Are you serious! Howard may have freed them up but you think this Hawks team of Current players are going to hit 3's like that! LOL get real. The magic not only had many 3 point shooters when they went to the finals BUT 2 of them were 6 freaking 10! thats 2 KD's hitting 3's

And you guys think D12 led them to the Finals!!!!!!!!

You are way overrating Lewis and Turk. Lewis put up a 16.8 PER and Turk had a 14.6 PER that season. They were useful but comparing them to Ray Allen and Kevin Durant is beyond ridiculous. Dwight was the engine for that team. This is like saying Hakeem didn't lead Houston to the finals because he had some good 3pt shooters on his first Houston championship squad.

[AHF]

i can understand this....but again Dwight is risky to get especially without commitment. no need to throw the franchise away. just keep horford and move on i say. unless ferry is so sure we get CP3 and im in. LOL i know if you look at older post a day ago I was all for giving up Horford but I think its too big a risk now

How are you throwing the franchise away? What is a team based around Josh and Al going to win? If the status quo's ceiling is a first round playoff exit, then you might be doing a good thing going back to the lottery well and trying to emerge like OKC, Cleveland, etc. I can't remember many NBA champions that didn't have one of their two best players taken in the draft: Miami - Wade Dallas - Dirk LA - Kobe Boston - PP SA - Duncan Detroit - ONE SEASON EXCEPTION Chicago - MJ Houston - Hakeem Detroit - Isiah LA - Magic Boston - Bird Phi - Dr. J That takes us back to the 1970's and only one of those teams had either a player on Al/Josh's level as their second best player and only one of those teams didn't draft one of their two best players (both of those were the one year champion Pistons with Billups and Wallace as their best two).

[Watchman]

I'm OK if he goes elsewhere, but if we could keep Horford, Smith and sign Howard, I'd be good with it.

[NekiEcko]

Grey Mule, I have to agreed/dIsagreed with that, I tell you why.First of all, everybody has a colorful side to their lives (mutli children with different women (heck I might have some kids I dont even know about, I was military), different crazy stuff, etc, etc) but I dont think we need to judge him on that. Beside we all make mistakes and with man of statue like him, trouble will always be around him, if he want to or not.That back injury is the first major injury that Dwight have in his career, did we freak out when Al got injury, nope we didnt. Dwight will get better like Al did.But here is thing, I dont really see any superstar players would walk though that door to be with this team and with this city. I was reading the Seattle TImes Today about how Seattle doesnt have a superstar either and its hard for them and its very much harder because they one (two) for Soncis but it was moved because of their stupid mayor. I dont want Altanta go thought the same thing as Seattle is. Hawks need to risk this. If they get him good, if not, move on.

[Seano]

Sure, I'm probably the only Hawk fan in the world that don't want Howard here. There are more than one reason.

Nope GM, you are not the only Hawks fan that doesn't want him here. Personally, I think the guy's a creep, and there's no guarantee that if he did come here he wouldn't start pulling the same divisive crap he's been pulling in Orlando for the last several years.

[macdaddy]

I agree with some of what Bradley says but the biggest reason to get Dwight is he would put fans in the seats. I do think he's overrated as a basketball player but that doesn't mean he isn't really good, and really big. Dwight is the new Shaq because they are the only guys who've built their whole game and career on just pushing people all the way to the basket and scoring. There are other guys as big and strong who aren't allowed to do that. But it is what it is.

[JTB]

You are way overrating Lewis and Turk. Lewis put up a 16.8 PER and Turk had a 14.6 PER that season. They were useful but comparing them to Ray Allen and Kevin Durant is beyond ridiculous. Dwight was the engine for that team. This is like saying Hakeem didn't lead Houston to the finals because he had some good 3pt shooters on his first Houston championship squad.

doesnt matter no 3's no advancement in the playoffs....D12 didnt make the shots or tell them to get in position to make the shots. An Im not overrating Turk and lewis around that time. like it or not they were playing like All stars and their opponents respected that. If D12 didnt have those 2 you are crazy to think he would have made the finals that year.

[JTB]

How are you throwing the franchise away? What is a team based around Josh and Al going to win? If the status quo's ceiling is a first round playoff exit, then you might be doing a good thing going back to the lottery well and trying to emerge like OKC, Cleveland, etc. I can't remember many NBA champions that didn't have one of their two best players taken in the draft: Miami - Wade Dallas - Dirk LA - Kobe Boston - PP SA - Duncan Detroit - ONE SEASON EXCEPTION Chicago - MJ Houston - Hakeem Detroit - Isiah LA - Magic Boston - Bird Phi - Dr. J That takes us back to the 1970's and only one of those teams had either a player on Al/Josh's level as their second best player and only one of those teams didn't draft one of their two best players (both of those were the one year champion Pistons with Billups and Wallace as their best two).

ok i agree but im really speaking i terms of how long till dwight start treating us like orlando if he were to extend with us and we didnt have a championship team built around him ready to compete ASAP

[AHF]

doesnt matter no 3's no advancement in the playoffs....D12 didnt make the shots or tell them to get in position to make the shots. An Im not overrating Turk and lewis around that time. like it or not they were playing like All stars and their opponents respected that. If D12 didnt have those 2 you are crazy to think he would have made the finals that year.

Of course he can't do it alone. No one would say that a bunch of scrubs + [any player] = NBA finals. The point is that you could substitute a lot of players in for Lewis and Turk and be as good or better. For example, this year's PF Ryan Anderson would arguably be an upgrade over either of them. What the current team lacks is the depth the Finals team had; Dwight's health last season; and the biggest factor (IMO) is the play at the PG position. Jameer Nelson was very good that year (better than either Lewis or Turk).

[AHF]

ok i agree but im really speaking i terms of how long till dwight start treating us like orlando if he were to extend with us and we didnt have a championship team built around him ready to compete ASAP

I'm willing to take that risk. We can sign another max FA next season with a little bit of shuffling and a deal structured like Teague/Horford/Houston 1st/Atlanta 2013 1st. I'd take a chance at recruiting Paul or Harden, etc. along with Josh and Dwight.

[NekiEcko]

Here is my train of thoughtD12 has alot of flaws on both sides of the court, and he is making himself a worst villian then those three in Miami but he is still one of the best center in the NBA and he can be the star in Atlanta and heck maybe we can get to ECF for the first time ever.

[Peoriabird]

I would prefer to add him to our talent meaning sign him as a free agent rather than give up Horford, Teague and Zaza. for him.

[DrReality]

I'd be for if it was under ideal circumstance which means no risk. And that might be an oxymoron