Dwight Howard Will Set Tone for Monster Year in Season Opener vs. Bobcats
Dwight Howard has been one of the most talked about players in the NBA over the past couple of years, but much of that has been due to his waffling with regard to where he wanted to play.
After signing a long-term deal with the Houston Rockets during the offseason, though, "Superman" is finally ready to take flight.
Saying that Howard's time with the Los Angeles Lakers last season was a disappointment would be a major understatement. Not only did L.A. barely slip into the playoffs despite being hailed as championship contenders entering the year, they were also bounced quickly by the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs.
Howard never seemed comfortable in Los Angeles, as he didn't fit head coach Mike D'Antoni's system, he didn't mesh well with Kobe Bryant and he shouldered much of the blame for the Lakers' shortcomings even though that wasn't always fair.
His numbers were solid last season as he put up 17 points, 12 rebounds and more than two blocks per game, but he battled injuries and wasn't his dominant self. All of that is behind him, though, and he is now in a position to reestablish himself as the NBA's premier center.
The Rockets will open the season on Wednesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats in what is expected to be a big win for Houston. With Howard now in the fold, Houston promises to be a dominant offensive team, especially with James Harden developing into one of the league's best pure scorers.
For all the criticism Howard has faced in recent years, he is part of an elite club in terms of his all-around production on the court, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Howard quietly reached those benchmarks last season, and he shouldn't have any problem shattering them this year. Howard established himself as a 20-points-per-game scorer with the Orlando Magic before being shipped to Los Angeles, and all signs point to him regaining that form.
Getting off to a fast start is paramount, and Howard figures to do that on Wednesday. The Bobcats should be improved from last season as they signed big man Al Jefferson and guard Kemba Walker continues to develop, but they don't have anyone who can defend Howard.
Jefferson is great offensively, but Howard is going to manhandle him at the other end of the court. Charlotte figures to place defensive specialist Bismack Biyombo on Howard as often as possible, however, Howard's size and strength advantages will render Biyombo moot.
While he obviously wants to have a better statistical season this year, winning is ultimately the most important thing. The Rockets are considered to be among the top contenders in the Western Conference along with the Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and a couple of others, and Howard can be the player who puts Houston over the top.
On the NBA on ESPN preview show, former Dallas Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson rightly pointed out that winning will take care of any bad feelings that are still surrounding Howard.
Howard has finally put himself in a position to succeed, and that should be apparent on Wednesday night. Howard suffered from D'Antoni's inability or unwillingness to tailor the offense to his skill set last season, but it's hard to imagine the Rockets letting D12's talent go to waste.
Head coach Kevin McHale knows a thing or two about building around strong post players, and he is the ideal coach to handle Howard. McHale will almost certainly establish Howard's dominance against Charlotte, at which point the league will be put on notice.
Nobody is going to be doing cartwheels if Howard demolishes a low-level team like the Bobcats since that is what he's supposed to do, but it will set him up for success moving forward at the very least.
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