The Time for Dwight Howard to Win an NBA Title Is Now
Dwight Howard's NBA title window is not forever.
Dating back to the early stages of the 2014 offseason, there existed serious doubt as to whether he was operating with an open window at all. The Houston Rockets bade farewell to two of their top-four scorers in Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Lin and completely whiffed on their pursuits of Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh.
Matching last season's win total (54) in a bestial Western Conference, after withstanding those perceived blows, instantly became unlikely. Impossible. The thought of the Rockets as legitimate championship contenders, even with James Harden and Howard, developed into an equally far-fetched concept.
Not even a full year later, though, here Howard is, playing for a Rockets squad that has navigated mazes of injuries and personnel changes to the tune of 56 regular-season victories and the second-round playoff berth it couldn't secure last time around.
In the aftermath of a 103-94 series-clinching victory over the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday, the Rockets await the winner of a ridiculously tight Los Angeles Clippers-San Antonio Spurs matchup. And though their postseason push is still in its infancy, reaching the second round merits a sense of accomplishment by itself.
This marks the first time since 2009 that the Rockets are advancing past the first round. It's just the second time they've done so since 1998, a surprising rut given that they own the NBA's seventh-best regular-season winning percentage during that time.
For Howard, this franchise milestone is only mildly satisfying.
“It’s a blessing for our team," he said, per Bleacher Report's Jonathan Feigen. "It feels good to move on out of the first round. But we’re not finished.”
At no point over the last decade-plus has his career mortality been more apparent. He missed more games this past regular season (41) than his previous 10 combined (36). He has seen James Harden surpass him not only in locker room status but in the pantheon of NBA superstars in general.
He is a little more than a half-year away from another individual marker, one that is generally associated with decline: his 30th birthday.
It's easy to sugarcoat or entirely disregard Howard's situation. Some players remain in the thick of things long after turning 30, so it's no longer the dreaded death sentence from generations past.
A 39-year-old Tim Duncan is at the forefront of a surviving dynasty. Dirk Nowitzki finished the first round averaging 21.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game weeks before his 37th birthday. Pau Gasol just tied the fourth-highest player efficiency rating (22.7) of his career at the age of 34.
Yet for every Duncan, there is a Ben Wallace and Amar'e Stoudemire—someone who doesn't age spectacularly or even gracefully.
Even though Howard is still worlds away from his mid- and late 30s, and even though exceptions to the laws of age are becoming the new standard, the big man understands the importance of now.
As he told SI.com's Ben Golliver while preparing to return from a right knee injury:
"To be honest, it has been a little tough. I sat back and analyzed everything, and [Hall of Fame Rockets center] Elvin Hayes called me one day. He said, ‘For this team to win, you really have to make that ultimate sacrifice.’ I didn’t quite get it at first, but I think I really understand it now better than before. ...
I told James that the MVP is his for the taking. I want him to go out there and dominate and play hard every night, lead this team. I told him to destroy every opponent that’s in front of him. I will do whatever I have to do to: score, rebound, whatever. I don’t want him to change up anything. That was my message to him.
"
Part of this transition to high-profile sidekick is organic.
Harden is younger and representative of nearly everything the NBA values in modern-day building blocks. He is able to shimmy between scoring and playmaking duties, and his shot selection is deliberately designed to exclude volume mid-range attempts. It's only natural he take control of the alpha-dog reins.
More than anything else, though, this is about Howard trying to capitalize on a legitimate opportunity.
The Rockets played their way into championship territory without him, posting a 27-14 record in his absence, never once compromising the integrity of defense that ended up ranking sixth in efficiency.
Never mind that Howard is 11 years deep into his career, or that he has more than 31,000 playoff and regular-season minutes on his treads, or that the days of him appearing in every game are over.
When will he play for a team like this again, one that doesn't need him to remain relevant?
It's reasonable to assume Harden will remain an MVP staple for seasons to come. Nothing is guaranteed beyond him—not the savvy and seamless additions (Trevor Ariza, Josh Smith, Corey Brewer, Pablo Prigioni), not the quickly evolving game of Terrence Jones, not Patrick Beverley's and Smith's returns, not the Rockets' ability to transcend the absences of Beverley, Jones and Howard himself.
That doesn't mean Howard is or has been an ancillary device. Houston's defense was better than that of the league-lording Golden State Warriors with him on the floor during the regular season. He also held Dallas to 39.6 percent shooting at the rim through the first round.
This Rockets outfit, for all the offseason flack it encountered, is just special. And after all this time, Howard is finally part of something bigger than his name and reputation.
Michael Pina expanded on this for Sports On Earth:
"The per game numbers aren't what they once were, but that's perfectly fine. Houston does not need a consistent 22 and 12 from Howard to win a championship. They need him to embrace a different role as the secondary offensive option who deters and blocks shots, cleans the glass, sets screens, makes hard cuts through the paint, rolls through the lane and does all the dirty things required of the modern big man.
"
Indeed, Howard has held more prominent roles on better teams.
Two of his Orlando Magic squads rattled off 59 victories (2008-09, 2009-10), both of which clinched conference finals appearances, one of which played its way into the NBA Finals (2008-2009). Yet this is where Houston's and Howard's shelf lives come into play.
Chances to win a title won't increase as Howard gets older and other contenders emerge.The Rockets are special now, and the Western Conference won't be getting any easier later.
Not with the Warriors only beginning their run of dominance, not with the New Orleans Pelicans inevitably playing host to a peak Anthony Davis and most certainly not with the Oklahoma City Thunder out for blood after a 2014-15 campaign run aground by injuries.
"It’s about us, what we can do together," Howard told Golliver of himself, Harden and the Rockets. "I’ve won all the individual awards, besides the MVP, and at this point all that stuff is irrelevant. What’s more important is us coming together to win a championship."
Yes, the Rockets' coming opponents pose serious threats. They played .500 basketball against the Clippers and Spurs this season, and in the event they reach the Western Conference Finals, they'll likely face a Warriors unit they've yet to beat.
But the Rockets pose threats, even against those teams, now. Howard is still playing at a high level now. His running mates are allowing him to assume a role that's equal parts pivotal and untaxing now.
So here Howard is, healthy again, still in his prime, competing for a title at the most opportune time, if only because the time for him to win is now.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless otherwise cited.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @danfavale.
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