NBA Rumors: Dwight Howard and 6 Others Who Need a Fresh Start

The NBA is full of players that don't quite fit on their current rosters.

Whether it's because the way they play the game doesn't with their current team's game-plan, or that their attitude doesn't gel with the coaching staff or front office, there are players that just don't fit with their current teams that would benefit from a new start somewhere else.

With the Feb. 24th trade deadline fast approaching and the 2012 summer free agency always on the minds of fans and NBA front offices alike, let's take a look at those players who need a fresh start.

Whether it's for their own benefit, the benefit of their current franchise as a whole, or both, the players on this list undoubtedly need a fresh start with a new NBA franchise.

Here is a list of seven players in the NBA who would benefit from getting a fresh start at some point in  2012.

Washington Wizards PG John Wall

Here's a debatable pick, and in all honesty John Wall most likely won' get a fresh start.  Well, at least he probably won't for two or three more years.

The 2011 All-Rookie First Team selection is having a very solid career thus far, for a pretty bad team.  Wall is averaging 16.4 ppg, 8.1 apg, and 4.8 rpg, which are impressive averages considering the talent that is around him on the Wizards roster.  Aside from Wall, the next best players are Nick Young, who's an inconsistent shooting guard, and JaVale McGee, who's an athletic but unpolished 7-footer.

While the Wizards have a lot of potential, they don't have any veteran leadership, which shows every night when they step on the court.  There's no doubt that John Wall is the best player on the Wizards roster, and while that's impressive for him personally, it has to get frustrating not being able to win games, which is ultimately the reason why he needs a new start.

In the next year or two I expect John Wall to be the major focus of some serious trade rumors, including speculated trades to playoff contending teams, because many will see Wall as the kind of player who can take their team over the top.

John Wall won't ever be a true leader on the court and in the locker room.  He's the kind of player who is better suited to be a star point guard on a team that has veteran leadership that is able to lead, and just lets him play the game.  John Wall's game won't reach that "next" level until he gets a fresh start, and hopefully for him that happens within the next year or two.

New Jersey Nets PG Deron Williams

Deron Williams is having an above average year, averaging 18.2 ppg and 8.3 rebounds per game.  There are only two problems.  One, he's averaging a 37.5% field goal percentage per game, and two, the New Jersey Nets just can't seem to win games, sitting at 5-12.

The problem with Deron Williams this year isn't Deron Williams though.  The problem is all the talent around him that can't seem to compliment the way he plays the game and help the Nets win games.

Rumor has it that Deron Williams would be willing to stay in New jersey if the Nets could land Dwight Howard before the trade deadline or during free agency.  If not, however, Williams has made a "wish-list" of the teams he'd like to go to for the 2012-13 season, the Mavericks, the Knicks or the Lakers.

There's no doubt that Williams needs a fresh start to revitalize his career and bring him closer to winning an NBA championship.  Luckily for him, there's a high likelihood that he will actually get that fresh start at the beginning of next season. 

Golden State Warriors SG Monta Ellis

Monta Ellis is having yet another impressive year in Golden State, averaging 23.3 ppg and 7.0 apg, with a 41.6% shooting percentage.  The only problem is that the Warriors still can't manage to win more games than they lose, currently sitting at 5-10 overall.  While a majority of those losses have come without fellow guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors still aren't all that good.

This past summer, there were rumors circulating about a potential trade involving Monta Ellis and 76ers small forward Andre Iguodala.  While I'm sure the 76ers are happy they didn't pull the trigger, I'm pretty sure Ellis wishes that they had.

Monta Ellis has only played in a playoff series twice in his seven prior NBA seasons, and they both were in the 2006-07 season when the Warriors made it to the 2nd round of the Western Conference playoffs.  Ellis needs a new start because the Warriors aren't built to succeed in the near future.  The Warriors need a stronger front-court to contend in the west, and the best way for them to do that is to trade Ellis and build around Stephen Curry.

The Warriors trading Monta Ellis would be good news for both Ellis and for the Warriors.  It would give both parties involved the fresh starts that they desperately need.  Ellis would be able to take his talents elsewhere onto a team that needs an explosive offensive scorer, and the Warriors could reel in the depth in the backcourt that they undoubtedly need.  

Orlando Magic C Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard is absolutely ridiculous.  He's currently averaging 20.2 ppg, 16.1 rpg and 2.3 bpg on the year, and that's the main reason why the Orlando Magic are so hesitant to trade him.  Losing that kind of production will take your team from being a legitimate playoff contender to being a struggling team in the blink of an eye.

For some reason though, in light of his impressive performance and the Magic's success, who are currently sitting at an 11-5 record, Howard is still unsatisfied in Orland and continues to ask for a trade.  It's clear that Howard wants a fresh start in a new city, and that will most likely happen. It's more so just a question of when it will happen.

Dwight Howard doesn't need a fresh start to jump-start his career, as his play on the court has already done that.  He needs one simply because he wants one, and he's made that more than clear to the Magic's front office.  If the Magic don't trade Howard, they will undoubtedly lose him at the end of the year to free agency, which would be a win for Howard but a major loss for the Magic.

A fresh start to Howard means joining up with another NBA star player, like Deron Williams or even Kobe Bryant, and hopefully becoming a major building block for another franchise that can turn into a legitimate NBA title contender year in and year out.  If Dwight Howard doesn't get a fresh start via trade, he will get one via free agency, and if the Orlando Magic are smart, they'll make sure his fresh start happens before the Feb. 24th trade deadline, so that they at least get something for him in return.

This is a fresh start that will undoubtedly happen. It's just a matter of time before it does.

Toronto Raptors SG DeMar Derozan

DeMar DeRozan's career hasn't really taken off the way that many in the Raptors organization had hoped.  He's only averaging 14.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 1.3 apg on 38.0% shooting this year, and that's not the kind of production that you can necessarily build an NBA franchise around.

DeRozan is a pure shooting guard with impressive size, at 6'7'' and 216 pounds.  The problem is, Derozan doesn't seem to know how to use that size to his advantage, which is the product of a lack of personal discipline and the lack of coaching focused on developing raw talent.

Throughout his career, Derozan has showed glimpses of greatness, with several 20+ point games and impressive highlight reel dunks, but until Derozan finds a team where he doesn't have to be a focal point of the offense, he will continue to struggle.

DeRozan needs a fresh start so that he can personally improve his game and take his career to the next level.  He would benefit from being put on a team that has a veteran shooting guard who could mentor DeRozan and teach him to be a more complete and efficient player.

DeRozan has another year left on his contract until the qualifying offer year of his contract comes up, and when that time comes, I expect DeRozan to be a high profile target.  Not based on his annual production, but more so based on his youth and the potential that teams see in him.

A fresh start for DeRozan means a learning experience for him and the opportunity to finally realize his potential, which won't happen while he's on the Toronto Raptors roster.     

Minnesota Timberwolves C Kevin Love

Kevin Love has been one of the most consistently productive players over the last two years of his career, averaging a double-double on the year in each of his last two seasons with the Timberwolves.  All Love has done this year is earn another double-double average, with 24.1 ppg and 14.1 rpg, ultimately helping the T'Wolves stay somewhat relevant in the Western Conference with a 7-10 overall record.

The main reason why Kevin Love needs a fresh start is because the Timberwolves have proven that they can't figure out how to build a team around him.  Sure, they have the early rookie of the year candidate in Ricky Rubio, and fellow rookie Derrick Williams is looking nice coming off the bench, but the Timberwolves still can't manage to find a way to be more than a below .500 team.

Kevin Love will be in the "qualifying offer" year of his contract at the end of this season, and I expect the Timberwolves to make a max-contract kind of offer to keep Love on the roster.  Love, however, would be foolish to not test the waters of free agency though when the time comes, to see what kind of interest more established franchises have in him.

Love could turn out to be the franchise player the Timberwolves have been looking for since losing Kevin Garnett a few years back, but much like Kevin Garnett, Love alone won't be able to take the T'Wolves to the next level without more talent on the roster.

Kevin Love needs a fresh start because he's definitely earned one with his consistently dominant production.  Love doesn't necessarily need a fresh start, but Love's career and subsequent legacy would definitely benefit from one. 

Sacramento Kings PF DeMarcus Cousnins

DeMarcus Cousins needs a fresh start more than any other player on this list, after his trade demand and subsequent benching at the beginning of the 2011-12 season.  In early January, Cousins reportedly demanded a trade because he wasn't jiving with the direction the Kings were moving in, and the Kings' head coach responded by benching him for the next few games.

Cousins production didn't really decline after that whole experience, continuing to average a double-double on the year, with averages of 14.4 ppg and 10.1 rpg.  The only problem with Cousins' production is that it really doesn't help his team win games.  Cousins produces double-doubles most nights of the week, but the Kings continue to lose, and that's the main reason why he and the Kings need to part ways so that Cousins can get the fresh start he needs.

Cousins needs to find his way onto a team that has a veteran power forward that he can learn from and established veteran leadership that can teach him how to mature into a more complete player.  As long as Cousins is in a Sacramento Kings jersey, he will continue to be a cancer both on and off the court.

DeMarcus Cousins needs to mature, and that won't happen in his current role on the young and inexperienced Kings roster.  If Cousins doesn't get traded before the Feb. 24th trade deadline, I expect his name to come up in serious trade talks in the summer free agency of 2012.  The Kings would also benefit from moving Cousins, as they would be able to get a fresh start away from his egocentric personality.

Cousins needs a fresh start before the start of the next season because if he doesn't get one, he could potentially become the next potentially great player whose career is held back by a selfish attitude.