Dwight Howard and Chris Paul to NY Knicks: Will Crowds Hate Them Too?

It is almost over. Miami Heat’s first season nightmares are almost thrown out the window as they have an opportunity to capture a ring for the first time since 2006.

In the case of Chris Bosh, LeBron James and the rest of the Miami Heat, excluding Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem, this would be the first NBA championship. The dawn of a new era is what a lot of people were calling, but I just referred to it as doing what needed to be done to orchestrate a brilliant ending. Now, there is another possible star constellation in the works.

Rumors have been swirling about Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and the New York Knicks for a while, even before Orlando Magic lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Atlanta Hawks.  When Carmelo Anthony joined Amar'e Stoudemire in the Big City, many fans, NY City affiliated as well, felt as it still was not enough.

Low and behold, the Knicks were swept by an aging Boston Celtics team, regardless of how many points Anthony scored per game. It probably did not help that Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups were out for valuable moments in the series. Even if both had been in the game, neither gave off that defensive edge the Knicks have been missing the entire season.

Now, they have the opportunity to bring in two more big name players like Dwight Howard and Chris Paul that will give them one up on the new reigning Eastern Conference Champions, Miami. Will they be looked at like Miami was as well? How many people will challenge Stoudemire, Anthony, Howard or Paul’s talents if they link up in NY together?

It will be a little hard at first to compare the two instances. First you have a player in Dwight Howard who is by far the most likeable man in the NBA. His profiles on and off the court allow him to be smiled upon by all walks of life. His personality makes him 100 percent approachable and relatable as well.

LeBron James, on the other hand, comes off as a bit of an overly confident persona. As much of it is speculation, James’ reactions to his own great plays or those of his teammates make people refer to him as classless and overzealous in some aspects. Most of these comments are completely over thought, however.

I can name at least twenty players in this year’s postseason that have celebrated and went on to lose the game or the series even. No one wants to look at Howard in the light that critics have placed LeBron James, but it is only fair. His supporting cast has an eerie resemblance to that of the Cleveland Cavaliers, pre-South Beach Big Three era.

He has a decent talent at the point guard position in Jameer Nelson, just as LeBron had in Mo Williams. Both have the capability to make those huge plays every blue moon, but neither is too athletically inclined or a make or break for their team’s offense.

The pieces that lie outside of those players are unpredictable at best. So, the fact that fans are so understanding towards Dwight’s departure and so critical of LeBron’s is a clear showing of the bias that lies in the league today amongst those who watch and participate.

Chris Paul is in the same situation as Howard as far as crowd likability. No one wants to shadow over a legacy with a lot of potential left in the tank like Paul’s. After averaging 19.8 points and 11 assists in another playoff defeat, people are waiting for Paul to become an NBA champion.

If that means that he has to team up with other players of his caliber in NY, crowds are willing to pardon it. For how long is the true question.