Is Dwight Howard washed up from his bad back, or will he get better?

[TAZORAC]

Dwight Howard is CLEARLY not the same player he has been in previous seasons. If he was older many would call him washed up. Of all the active players, he seems to have dropped off more then anybody. Howard pre-bad back could lead the Lakers to the playoffs without Kobe and Nash, they'd lose the 1st round but would make the playoffs.

Do you think Howard will ever be the same player?

[upside24]

It was serious surgery. I'm going to give him some time.

I would like him to be 100.

[Pinkhearts]

Isn't he averaging 18/12? His dropoff is clearly overstated by many.

The guy has been out for a year and needs time to get back to form. And he's still settling into a new city, given new teammates and 2 new coaches and systems. Give him some time, and he can get back to his best. Not that he is very far off from it statistically anyway

[spiegel]

Back injuries dont get better.Tracy McGrady.Having said that, Dwight is just not a good fit in La with what there running.

[NA2126]

You're never the same after back problems. Surgery or not, good luck getting back to 100%. Don't hold your breath.

[KobesFinger]

Back injuries dont get better.Tracy McGrady.Having said that, Dwight is just not a good fit in La with what there running.

What are you talking about, his main strength is the pick and roll. They have one of the best pick and roll guards of all time in Steve Nash. He also doesn't need to be the primary focus of the offense anymore with Kobe and Pau. Orlando was a good fit because the built around him, but he fits well with LA

[Dragonyeuw]

Isn't he averaging 18/12? His dropoff is clearly overstated by many.



Stats don't always tell the story. Yes 18/12 isn't far off from his Orlando prime but the impact clearly isn't the same watching the games. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt that his injuries are still impacting him( physically and mentally). He's also no longer the focal point, Kobe at 34 still is so not only is he not the same player, but his situation isn't the same.

[STATUTORY]

athletes rarely get back 100% from a back injury

case in point Tmac

[Vienceslav]

Nobody knows , only time will tell.
The advances in medicine encourage me to be optimistic , case in point AP coming back from ACL and MCL and doing what he is doing on the field, but as i said above pure speculation.

[Teanett]

i think he washes his back.

[pantslessyoda1]

He'll get better, but I doubt he's ever quite as mobile again. Realistically, he'd want to cut some weight, even if it means losing some muscle and strength, in order to compensate for his decreased mobility. I think that, at worse, he'll always be able to get you 10 or 12 rebounds and at least 15 or 16 points on a nightly basis, even if he loses his hops.

[miggyme1]

Mane dwight will be fine...... He just needs another baby momma

[La Frescobaldi]

Dwight Howard is CLEARLY not the same player he has been in previous seasons. If he was older many would call him washed up. Of all the active players, he seems to have dropped off more then anybody. Howard pre-bad back could leave the Lakers to the playoffs without Kobe and Nash, they'd lose the 1st round but would make the playoffs.

Do you think Howard will ever be the same player?

1. David Lee, GS
2. Dwight Howard, LAL <----
3. Anderson Varejao, CLE
4. Joakim Noah, CHI
5. Al Jefferson, UTA

who is "many"?

[Darius]

Wonder if the Lakers will pay him that 2nd max contract (20m+ per year) at the end of the year...?

[tomtucker]

i think he washes his back.

hope he remember to wipe front to back

[Sharmer]

Anyway who thinks he is washed up, knows little about comebacks.

[TAZORAC]

Isn't he averaging 18/12? His dropoff is clearly overstated by many.

The guy has been out for a year and needs time to get back to form. And he's still settling into a new city, given new teammates and 2 new coaches and systems. Give him some time, and he can get back to his best. Not that he is very far off from it statistically anyway

His stats are irrelevant, watch the game. He can't even bend over to pick up the ball. Howard use to influence games. He can't jump or run that well anymore. Could be something to do with the weight gain as well.

[STATUTORY]

dwight's completely shot as a player. he's still getting by on reputation and the refs gifting him blocks for goaltends but he has no impact on game these days

[stevieming]

Larry Johnson who was an explosive dunker after back surgery could barely dunk!

Admittedly medical skill has probably improved and Dwight is taller with longer arms, so he should be able to still dunk, but he ain't never going to get back that freaky athleticism.

[tomtucker]

had he not lifted all those weights......(just to make his muscles huge for no reason)..........then his back would not be injured, right ?

[Rubio2Gasol]

Having surgery doesn't make you lose your defensive intelligence. And I do think he was an intelligent defender at one point in time.

The fact that D'Antoni holds no one accountable makes it difficult for him but to me a great defensive leader should be able to do that and direct and orgainize defenses himself.

[TheBigVeto]

As soon as Kobe is traded, he'll play better.

[RoseCity07]

How come when they win it's Kobe leading them down the road to another title? When they lose it's Dwight's fault. Which is it? Is Kobe the man or not?

He gets credit as being the man whenever the win the championship. Yet doesn't anyone notice that they don't win when Gasol sucks? They didn't win when Shaq declined. Now that Dwight is hurting they look even worse.

[Nick Young]

He is done.

He doesnt have the mentality to get through this and come out a better player.

He is mentally weak and probably accepts his fate.

Mitch better not offer this scrub a max contract.

[TonyD]

Conspiracy theory:

Last season Dwight had been having back problems, but nothing so significant that surgery was completely necessary. Despite this, in order to distance himself from team drama and media pressure, Dwight opted to have the surgery as he had been assured that he would have a full recovery.

At first his plan seemed to have worked brilliantly, he was able to take time away from the team and was eventually traded to a contender in a big market and with plentiful opportunities off the court. Dwight was quite pleased with himself. However, one aspect of his master plan is not panning out. Dwight has found that recovery is not going as well as he had hoped and his physical abilities are not what they once were pre-surgery. He ponders if he has made an irreversible, life-altering mistake...

[Nick Young]

How come when they win it's Kobe leading them down the road to another title? When they lose it's Dwight's fault. Which is it? Is Kobe the man or not?

He gets credit as being the man whenever the win the championship. Yet doesn't anyone notice that they don't win when Gasol sucks? They didn't win when Shaq declined. Now that Dwight is hurting they look even worse.
Dont you read ISH? There are always tons of threads blaming Kobe for the Lakers record and losses. There was one thread blaming Kobe for scoring 30 ppg on 50% scoring saying it was bad for the team.

[francesco totti]

him and phil jackson, next year in brooklyn

[Nick Young]

even this midget Faried made Dwight Howard his bitch, he just isn't that good

[9erempiree]

Conspiracy theory:

Last season Dwight had been having back problems, but nothing so significant that surgery was completely necessary. Despite this, in order to distance himself from team drama and media pressure, Dwight opted to have the surgery as he had been assured that he would have a full recovery.

At first his plan seemed to have worked brilliantly, he was able to take time away from the team and was eventually traded to a contender in a big market and with plentiful opportunities off the court. Dwight was quite pleased with himself. However, one aspect of his master plan is not panning out. Dwight has found that recovery is not going as well as he had hoped and his physical abilities are not what they once were pre-surgery. He ponders if he has made an irreversible, life-altering mistake...

interesting but I highly doubt that.

[ShaqAttack3234]

It is becoming increasingly likely that he'll never be the same player he was, but not washed up. I am disappointed because Dwight was showing so much potential, the Dwight Howard of 2011 truly looked to be the dominant big man of this younger generation at just 25 years old. I will give him until the all-star break to show some improvement since he wasn't expected back before January.

[STATUTORY]

It is becoming increasingly likely that he'll never be the same player he was, but not washed up. I am disappointed because Dwight was showing so much potential, the Dwight Howard of 2011 truly looked to be the dominant big man of this younger generation at just 25 years old. I will give him until the all-star break to show some improvement since he wasn't expected back before January.

u got to stop drinking the koolaid bro, i seen u prop up this guy for the last 5 years.

He was the product of a VERY weak injury depleted era for centers. Oden and Bynum were both destroyed by injuries or else Dwight would have been the 3rd best center and the alonzo mourning to their hakeem and shaq.

[red1]

u got to stop drinking the koolaid bro, i seen u prop up this guy for the last 5 years.

He was the product of a VERY weak injury depleted era for centers. Oden and Bynum were both destroyed by injuries or else Dwight would have been the 3rd best center and the alonzo mourning to their hakeem and shaq.
no

[ShaqAttack3234]

u got to stop drinking the koolaid bro, i seen u prop up this guy for the last 5 years.

He was the product of a VERY weak injury depleted era for centers. Oden and Bynum were both destroyed by injuries or else Dwight would have been the 3rd best center and the alonzo mourning to their hakeem and shaq.

You have to use logic. I was propping up a guy who made an undersized team the best defensive team in the league, led them to 59 wins and dropped 40/14/4 on the 66 win Cavs in a closeout game to lead his team to the finals as a 23 year old. I was propping up a guy who played much better than that two years later finally starting to show a better offensive skill set in addition to getting smarter with fewer fouls while still having every bit the defensive impact(Orlando was top 3 defensively), the same guy who put up 26/15 on 63% over 2 months that year(1/3 of the season) as a 25 year old. The few games he faced Bynum and Oden wouldn't have changed his overall play or value for a season, and that's assuming either ended up close to Dwight's caliber. They may have, I really loved Oden's potential in particular, but even so, I don't see how that discredits Dwight. Just means those guys were very talented. But the fact is, they never approached the level Dwight has already played at in the past, so that's all speculation.

[STATUTORY]

You have to use logic. I was propping up a guy who made an undersized team the best defensive team in the league, led them to 59 wins and dropped 40/14/4 on the 66 win Cavs in a closeout game to lead his team to the finals as a 23 year old. I was propping up a guy who played much better than that two years later finally starting to show a better offensive skill set in addition to getting smarter with fewer fouls while still having every bit the defensive impact(Orlando was top 3 defensively), the same guy who put up 26/15 on 63% over 2 months that year(1/3 of the season) as a 25 year old. The few games he faced Bynum and Oden wouldn't have changed his overall play or value for a season, and that's assuming either ended up close to Dwight's caliber. They may have, I really loved Oden's potential in particular, but even so, I don't see how that discredits Dwight. Just means those guys were very talented. But the fact is, they never approached the level Dwight has already played at in the past, so that's all speculation.

stats have to be put into context. he was in a system where he was featured and the offense ran through him. his stats were inflated by him grabbing all the team boards cause he was the only big man. his scoring was set up by jameer and because he had plenty of room to operate cause of shooters. Even then his offense was still completely predicated on his athleticism. once that faded he is done.

that's why no one respected him even when he was putting up the stats, because in some sense those numbers weren't genuine.

[ShaqAttack3234]

stats have to be put into context. he was in a system where he was featured and the offense ran through him. his stats were inflated by him grabbing all the team boards cause he was the only big man. his scoring was set up by jameer and because he had plenty of room to operate cause of shooters. Even then his offense was still completely predicated on his athleticism. once that faded he is done.

that's why no one respected him even when he was putting up the stats, because in some sense those numbers weren't genuine.

Sorry, but this is ridiculous. He was featured in the offense, and delivering. You could take any star and say the same thing, that they'd be less productive when they weren't featured. Oh, and if you deny Dwight was showing some nice skills in 2011 then it's clear that you didn't watch him. Btw, nobody could be as good as Dwight was in Orlando purely on athleticism. It's clear that his athleticism was a great advantage for him, but if you think a guy is going to average 23/14, be the game's best defensive player and shoot 59% on athleticism, then you haven't watched much basketball. I've been watching 2 decades now and it simply doesn't happen.

Ok, if his rebounds were inflated because his teammates were such poor rebounders then explain why Orlando was +3.2 on the boards in 2010 and +3.5 on the boards in 2011. Say what you want, but you can't have it both ways. If they're this bad, yet Dwight made them a very good rebounding team than that says a lot about the impact his rebounding can have. Besides, very few players are going to average 14 boards regardless.

Set up by Jameer? You're kidding, right? You act is if Jameer is some luxury. He's never been a great point guard and more of a score-first point guard anyway. Orlando got to the finals WITHOUT Jameer with Rafer Alston in his place, the same Rafer Alston who was out of the league a year later. Besides, Dwight wasn't spoon-fed an unusual amount at all. If this was the problem then we'd see him playing great with Nash right now, who is still much better than Jameer ever was, particularly as a playmaker.

[Legends66NBA7]

Dwight Howard's rebounding is certainly not inflated. He's not the just one of the best rebounders in the game but of all-time.

[red1]

this is starting to get ridiculous

[red1]

u got to stop drinking the koolaid bro, i seen u prop up this guy for the last 5 years.

He was the product of a VERY weak injury depleted era for centers. Oden and Bynum were both destroyed by injuries or else Dwight would have been the 3rd best center and the alonzo mourning to their hakeem and shaq.
First of all you need to realize two facts. It is clear as day that dwight is not at 100% or even 95%. Fact #1. Dwight of yesteryear would have destroyed the scrubs he went up against last night, and he would feast on every single big in the league right now. Dwight is no shaq but he is more than good enough to be on a completely different tier from the tyson chandlers and marc gasols of the league who are good players, allstar or borderline allstar but they are not dwight.

Secondly, you also need to realize that the entire team as a whole is not doing dwight any favours right now. Everyone is saying that dwight is a scrub based on the fact that he has been poor at creating his offense. It is true that he has been turning it over but that is not the reason why the lakers are losing games. All of your defenders are making his job hard as f*ck when you always let point guards and wings get into the paint whenever they want. He can't guard the paint and at the same time keep the other bigs off the board and keep them from getting lobs. Your entire TEAM needs to step up, literally everyone except dwight when it comes to that.

[midatlantic09]

Wonder if the Lakers will pay him that 2nd max contract (20m+ per year) at the end of the year...?

Why pay someone you don't even want to touch the ball at the end of close games $20+ million a year?

[STATUTORY]

First of all you need to realize two facts. It is clear as day that dwight is not at 100% or even 95%. Fact #1. Dwight of yesteryear would have destroyed the scrubs he went up against last night, and he would feast on every single big in the league right now. Dwight is no shaq but he is more than good enough to be on a completely different tier from the tyson chandlers and marc gasols of the league who are good players, allstar or borderline allstar but they are not dwight.

Secondly, you also need to realize that the entire team as a whole is not doing dwight any favours right now. Everyone is saying that dwight is a scrub based on the fact that he has been poor at creating his offense. It is true that he has been turning it over but that is not the reason why the lakers are losing games. All of your defenders are making his job hard as f*ck when you always let point guards and wings get into the paint whenever they want. He can't guard the paint and at the same time keep the other bigs off the board and keep them from getting lobs. Your entire TEAM needs to step up, literally everyone except dwight when it comes to that.

the strategy of a team is not to maximize Dwight's performance but to win. what's the point of making the game easier for Dwight if it means limiting everyone else's game? it's dwight's fault that his game is so niche it only works in contrived environments

Dwight of yesteryears had a game that would not lead to prolonged or sustained success. That's what all the non jockers were saying even in his orlando years but they were drawn out by his sycophants, hyptonized by his physique.

[Bandito]

How come when they win it's Kobe leading them down the road to another title? When they lose it's Dwight's fault. Which is it? Is Kobe the man or not?

He gets credit as being the man whenever the win the championship. Yet doesn't anyone notice that they don't win when Gasol sucks? They didn't win when Shaq declined. Now that Dwight is hurting they look even worse.
Nikka please in this board if the Lakers win is gasol's the culprit or the team play well except for Kobe because everything his fault.

[red1]

the strategy of a team is not to maximize Dwight's performance but to win. what's the point of making the game easier for Dwight if it means limiting everyone else's game? it's dwight's fault that his game is so niche it only works in contrived environments

Dwight of yesteryears had a game that would not lead to prolonged or sustained success. That's what all the non jockers were saying even in his orlando years but they were drawn out by his sycophants, hyptonized by his physique.
N*gga the strategy of a team is to play defense if they dont want to be lottery bound. No one is playing defense but dwight. End of story. You are talking about offense when your team can't guard for shit