Dwight in Orlando

[TripleA]

This guy was force of nature. I think he gets a lot of hate for his game and his attitude. But he was amazing player in Orlando. He made the finals when the East was not total garbage. One best defensive players of this era. What did you think of him back then?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKmzDi40LfY
Great mix

[fiddy]

Coward is a clown that wasted his prime in the shithole called Orlando

[Bankaii]

Easily the best center in the game. He should be the number 1 option in Houston and get more touches in the first 3/4 of the game and let Harden close.
His biggest problem was going to the shitty Lakers.

[Kobe_6/8]

http://media.thehoopdoctors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dwightjoakim_04.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uQ0RytQ8wQ8/TgJq7bsEVKI/AAAAAAAAyE0/1rcjcdznu3k/s1600/dwight_howard_steroids.bmp

[TripleA]

Easily the best center in the game. He should be the number 1 option in Houston and get more touches in the first 3/4 of the game and let Harden close.
His biggest problem was going to the shitty Lakers.

His two main choices for the trade were Brooklyn or Lakers. In retrospect both were not great situations.

[CarlosBoozer]

People usually clown his postup game but dude was so fast and strong, he would do that bump n spin and it was game over (foul or you'll get dunked on).

[fiddy]

Easily the best center in the game. He should be the number 1 option in Houston and get more touches in the first 3/4 of the game and let Harden close.
His biggest problem was going to the shitty Lakers.
More touches? :roll: Coward aint got no post moves. Give the ball to the taliban at least he can make his FTs

[Kvnzhangyay]

More touches? :roll: Coward aint got no post moves. Give the ball to the taliban at least he can make his FTs

:coleman:

[To4]

Dwight is still Great... The only issue I have with him is when he takes to many dribbles and doesn't put the ball high up.

He just needs like 1 -3 dribble power moves and quick spins like that.

[RidonKs]

this shaq pivot> anything dwights ever done (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6PaQc6MvRE&t=1m0s)

[ClipperRevival]

Dwight gets underrated because of his personality but on the court, the guy was and is an absolute beast. Probably the most explosive big ever. Look at the dunks this guy made at the Slam Dunk contest and it's just eye popping. He's under 6'11" with shoes but he was blessed with a huge wingspan of 7'5". One of the better rim protectors ever. It's not the amount of blocks that made him great at defending but just his presence alone because teams knew how quickly he could get off the ground.

It would've been nice to see him REALLY work on his post game but as it stands, he was one of the best rim protectors and rebounders ever. And one thing that gets seriously overlooked is just how strong this guy is. I saw him move Blake Griffin like a rag doll many times in the Houston series. It was almost like a boy playing against a man.

[Bankaii]

More touches? :roll: Coward aint got no post moves. Give the ball to the taliban at least he can make his FTs
You're such a moron. In the 2011 playoffs Dwight averaged 27/16 on 63% and 13.5 FGA.
For reference, in 2003 Shaq averaged 27/15 on 59% with 14.0 FGA
Dwight put up slightly better numbers than the MDE in his prime.
The day I find an educated Lakers fan will be a beautiful day. Enjoy the lotto again.

[Bankaii]

His two main choices for the trade were Brooklyn or Lakers. In retrospect both were not great situations.
Sucks, he could've been utilized so much better on quite a few different teams.
I would've liked to see a Dwight/Lebron duo.

[ClipperRevival]

For guys 6'11" and up, I can't think of a more explosive player than Dwight in terms of just pure ability to explode off the floor in an instant and get height. DJ is there also but I think prime Dwight has him by a hair.

Olajuwon was the most fluid, coordinated and agile big I have ever seen but didn't have Dwight's explosiveness off the floor. I know Wilt was pretty darn special athletically too, probably combining some of Hakeem's and Dwight's attributes.

[Clifton]

What did you think of him back then?
Great defense and rebounding. Top 3-5 player.

Unfortunate offensive game. If he were just a little bit better at passing out of the post, had a little better touch on his paint shots, he'd be an all-time 2-way great.

Those Magic teams were awesome. You couldn't ask for a more perfectly constructed roster (you could ask for more talent, of course; he did all that with 0 other all-stars).

[I<3NBA]

I think SVG utilized him to his max potential.

Dwight's weaknesses were exposed when it became evident he couldn't pass out of the post, and he couldn't punish teams who keep fouling him when his team did feed him in the post.

[Dbrog]

Dwight gets underrated because of his personality but on the court, the guy was and is an absolute beast. Probably the most explosive big ever. Look at the dunks this guy made at the Slam Dunk contest and it's just eye popping. He's under 6'11" with shoes but he was blessed with a huge wingspan of 7'5". One of the better rim protectors ever. It's not the amount of blocks that made him great at defending but just his presence alone because teams knew how quickly he could get off the ground.

It would've been nice to see him REALLY work on his post game but as it stands, he was one of the best rim protectors and rebounders ever. And one thing that gets seriously overlooked is just how strong this guy is. I saw him move Blake Griffin like a rag doll many times in the Houston series. It was almost like a boy playing against a man.

Bolded is because Griff is quite soft. Dwight is INSANELY weak for his deceptive body type. I attribute this to him not knowing how to distribute it. Why was EVERYONE able to back dwight into the post? Hell, Diaw was backing down Dwight. It's shameful really.

That said, people forget he was posting prime Hakeem numbers in some of those Orlando seasons. Certainly was one of the best rebounders I've ever seen. I always thought if he had a nice passing PG (Andre Miller or something) he would have just taken off. Then of course I was sorely mistaken after seeing him with Nash. I know this was post-injury but still. He couldn't catch basic passes. Looked like Kwame ****ing Brown out there at times. I think he gets rated low because of things like this and also the fact that once Yao went down (who always raped him btw), he really had no competition at the position.

[ClipperRevival]

Bolded is because Griff is quite soft. Dwight is INSANELY weak for his deceptive body type. I attribute this to him not knowing how to distribute it. Why was EVERYONE able to back dwight into the post? Hell, Diaw was backing down Dwight. It's shameful really.

That said, people forget he was posting prime Hakeem numbers in some of those Orlando seasons. Certainly was one of the best rebounders I've ever seen. I always thought if he had a nice passing PG (Andre Miller or something) he would have just taken off. Then of course I was sorely mistaken after seeing him with Nash. I know this was post-injury but still. He couldn't catch basic passes. Looked like Kwame ****ing Brown out there at times. I think he gets rated low because of things like this and also the fact that once Yao went down (who always raped him btw), he really had no competition at the position.

Completely disagree about Dwight's strength. Dude is incredibly strong when he decides to push guys around. I do agree that he does sometimes not know how to maximize his strength at times.

[HylianNightmare]

He gets underrated, he was a top 3 nba player in orlt

[fiddy]

You're such a moron. In the 2011 playoffs Dwight averaged 27/16 on 63% and 13.5 FGA.
For reference, in 2003 Shaq averaged 27/15 on 59% with 14.0 FGA
Dwight put up slightly better numbers than the MDE in his prime.
The day I find an educated Lakers fan will be a beautiful day. Enjoy the lotto again.
Oh wow 4 years ago, so impressed :facepalm Coward is going to be 30 in his next post season appearance and just went through some injuries. Did you actually compare 03 Shaq to Coward in the Least? :roll: #1 center? educated? :roll:

[brooklynsfinest]

Orlando sucks, went back on their promise to the Nets to trade him there and it ruined his career, stuck with that loser Hardy.

[inclinerator]

he was every bit as good of a player as prime shaq in his orlando days

[Lebron23]

People are saying that he was the same level as Prime Mourning, but Dwight was the superior player, and better playoffs performer.

[Lebronxrings]

One of the greatest centers ever. Not surprised to see laker fans bashing and hating him.

[HoopologyPhD]

he was every bit as good of a player as prime shaq in his orlando days

:biggums:

[Dbrog]

he was every bit as good of a player as prime shaq in his orlando days

:biggums: :eek: :biggums:

[SCdac]

You're such a moron. In the 2011 playoffs Dwight averaged 27/16 on 63% and 13.5 FGA.
For reference, in 2003 Shaq averaged 27/15 on 59% with 14.0 FGA
Dwight put up slightly better numbers than the MDE in his prime.
The day I find an educated Lakers fan will be a beautiful day. Enjoy the lotto again.

That's really, really misleading though. It's not like that was Shaq's best or MVP season or anything...

Shaq in his prime was a much, much better offensive player than Dwight has ever been, and rightly took more shots on average for his respective teams.

Shaq's first 10 seasons in the league (basically his entire 20's)... 19 FGA per game and 28 ppg.

Dwight's career average (going on 11 seasons)... 11 FGA per game and 18 ppg.

Think about that disparity for a minute, if we're going to be ruminating over stats.

And while we're talking about 2011 Dwight, keep in mind his team lost to the 44-win Atlanta Hawks... in the 1st round... while they deliberately single covered Dwight through out the series, forcing Dwight to be a scorer, which got him points, sure, but he's sort of a black hole and not an elite playmaker in the post.. Dwight ended the series with 3 assists and 33 turnovers in 6 games.

Personally I think Dwight is an exceptional, HOF shot blocker, defender, and rebounder with an above-average, but not elite, offense. When he regresses to the mean, his offense can actually look pretty ugly and one-dimensional at times, yet he's had great moments on offense. But keep in mind, he doesn't have the size and footwork Shaq had, nor did Dwight's prime coincide with Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson, Duncan, etc... not at all

[RidonKs]

Dwight ended the series with 3 assists and 33 turnovers in 6 games.
:roll: :bowdown:

[Jameerthefear]

Orlando sucks, went back on their promise to the Nets to trade him there and it ruined his career, stuck with that loser Hardy.
orlando owned ur shitty team. no future having ass f*cks

[Jameerthefear]

That's really, really misleading though. It's not like that was Shaq's best or MVP season or anything...

Shaq in his prime was a much, much better offensive player than Dwight has ever been, and rightly took more shots on average for his respective teams.

Shaq's first 10 seasons in the league (basically his entire 20's)... 19 FGA per game and 28 ppg.

Dwight's career average (going on 11 seasons)... 11 FGA per game and 18 ppg.

Think about that disparity for a minute, if we're going to be ruminating over stats.

And while we're talking about 2011 Dwight, keep in mind his team lost to the 44-win Atlanta Hawks... in the 1st round... while they deliberately single covered Dwight through out the series, forcing Dwight to be a scorer, which got him points, sure, but he's sort of a black hole and not an elite playmaker in the post.. Dwight ended the series with 3 assists and 33 turnovers in 6 games.

Personally I think Dwight is an exceptional, HOF shot blocker, defender, and rebounder with an above-average, but not elite, offense. When he regresses to the mean, his offense can actually look pretty ugly and one-dimensional at times, yet he's had great moments on offense. But keep in mind, he doesn't have the size and footwork Shaq had, nor did Dwight's prime coincide with Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson, Duncan, etc... not at all
dwight is easily one of the best defenders of alltime. KG gets a lot of love for defense but dwight was just as good as him maybe better. there's not many bigs in nba history that could defend like dwight could in this era.

[Dbrog]

dwight is easily one of the best defenders of alltime. KG gets a lot of love for defense but dwight was just as good as him maybe better. there's not many bigs in nba history that could defend like dwight could in this era.

Jameer come on man. I know you love the Magic but come on. Dwight was a beast down low but he wasn't guarding PGs and shit like KG had to sometimes.

[sundizz]

The truth:

1. Orlando Dwight was far and away the best center in the league and easily a top 3 player.

2. Just like most players, his game was tied a lot this athleticism. All his spin moves, hook shots, etc were pretty good in Orlando.

3. Once he got hurt, he lost that quickness in his moves and coordination. He has never regained it, except for flashes.

4. He was awful on the Lakers. He was clearly not physically back, and isn't by any means a great offensive passing player (nor was ever). He turned the ball over a ridiculous amount. He shouldn't of even been playing.

5. He has become a mediocre version of his old self. People forget how good he was defensively back then.

6. He's one of the best defensive centers of all time.

7. Shaq, young or old could very easily abuse him. Dwight doesn't have the lower body strength to hold off Shaq at all. It was a nightmare matchup for Dwight because nothing he could do would really work against Shaq. Even old Shaq is more powerful than young Dwight.

[Jameerthefear]

Jameer come on man. I know you love the Magic but come on. Dwight was a beast down low but he wasn't guarding PGs and shit like KG had to sometimes.
that's overstated for KG. it's arguable that KG never had the defensive impact that dwight did. like people forget easily... dwight literally won DPOY 3 times in a row. he was THAT dominant. the combination of his skill and athleticism defensively would be scary in this current league

[Dbrog]

that's overstated for KG. it's arguable that KG never had the defensive impact that dwight did. like people forget easily... dwight literally won DPOY 3 times in a row. he was THAT dominant. the combination of his skill and athleticism defensively would be scary in this current league

Actually Dwight just didn't have competition. Not like he was winning those DPOYs vs Mutombo or Big Ben. KG was unquestionably a more versatile defender than Dwight. As for straight rim protection though, ya probably Dwight was slightly better. Especially his help defense was elite. I take KG everyday for man to man defense though.

[Smoke117]

Jameer come on man. I know you love the Magic but come on. Dwight was a beast down low but he wasn't guarding PGs and shit like KG had to sometimes.

Dwight at his peak has more of an impact defensively than Garnett. I wouldn't put him over KG all time because KG was elite longer (Dwight really hasn't been able to get back to what he was defensively after the back surgery), but he's more dominant than KG ever was in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. He really should have been DPOY in 2012 for the 4th straight season even if he only played 54 games. Chandler only played 62 and his impact wasn't even close to Dwights. As far as Mutombo who I saw you mention...he was always overrated. He's not even close to as dominant as Ben Wallace or Howard at his peak. That he has four DPOY and guys like Hakeem and Robinson only have 1 or 2 is a joke. He was always slow footed and has no business being mentioned with guys like Dream, Robinson, Ben Wallace, and Dwight 9-12.

[TheMarkMadsen]

that's overstated for KG. it's arguable that KG never had the defensive impact that dwight did. like people forget easily... dwight literally won DPOY 3 times in a row. he was THAT dominant. the combination of his skill and athleticism defensively would be scary in this current league

yeah like how people forget that you were 2 years old when KG won MVP, i'm sure you know a lot about his career and have watched peak KG much more than any of us have..

[Dro]

All I remember about Howard in Orlando is..........

http://33.media.tumblr.com/8558c15aa903c391d37385c88552f681/tumblr_mrwwoz7eRF1qcmnsoo1_400.gif

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view3/4627874/kobe-bryant-dunk-on-dwight-howard-o.gif


http://i32.tinypic.com/wcckyc.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o219/arkanthill/nba/kobe_dunks_over_dwight_howard.jpg

[Smoke117]

Kope Top 50 Plays...Locks up Wade and Lebron back to back at the 3:07 mark...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ambRVz1rqiE

That's really cute...since Dwade lit Kobe up regularly.

[Dro]

are you retarded?
Yeah, I posted that second link in the wrong thread. That was meant to go in the Kobe appreciation thread...You know, cause I'm a fan of the NBA and great players in general, thus I like nice plays. If it was nasty it was nasty and that dunk was nasty. Don't be mad, Howard became a much better player after that.

He just a needed a real man like Kobe to put his nuts on his forehead for a second.

[tpols]

Dwight at his peak has more of an impact defensively than Garnett. I wouldn't put him over KG all time because KG was elite longer (Dwight really hasn't been able to get back to what he was defensively after the back surgery), but he's more dominant than KG ever was in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.

kg had the highest defensive rapm out of anyone 00-14.. even Duncan. Youre out your mind smoke saying howard was better, much less better in all those years.. especially with the bold, I hope you're not meaning overall game-wise because that would be a huge LOL

[Smoke117]

kg had the highest defensive rapm out of anyone 00-14.. even Duncan. Youre out your mind smoke saying howard was better, much less better in all those years.. especially with the bold, I hope you're not meaning overall game-wise because that would be a huge LOL

You mean 9-12? Dwight is better than KG those years over all and quite easily...you Laker fans never seize to amaze how much you underrate Dwight because he couldn't dominant for you coming off back surgery and playing with a tear in his shoulder. Garnett's last great year was 2008...he was never the same after the knee injury in 09 and the fact that he was just becoming old and tired. (he played a shit load of minutes on the Twolves) Dwight was clearly better 09-12, so if that's huge...okay.

[Jameerthefear]

the best KG wolves team defensively was ranked #7 in DRTG. During Dwight's 3 DPOYs he led a #1, #3, and another #3 ranked team in DRTG

[tpols]

You mean 9-12? Dwight is better than KG those years over all and quite easily...you Laker fans never seize to amaze how much you underrate Dwight because he couldn't dominant for you coming off back surgery and playing with a tear in his shoulder. Garnett's last great year was 2008...he was never the same after the knee injury in 09 and the fact that he was just becoming old and tired. (he played a shit load of minutes on the Twolves) Dwight was clearly better 09-12, so if that's huge...okay.

ah misunderstanding then.. you're saying 09-12 Dwight > 09-12 KG not 09-12 Dwight > 04, 08, etc KG.. ok

[Smoke117]

ah misunderstanding then.. you're saying 09-12 Dwight > 09-12 KG not 09-12 Dwight > 04, 08, etc KG.. ok

Why would I possibly ever say that? I'm not a retard...

[Young X]

You mean 9-12? Dwight is better than KG those years over all and quite easily...you Laker fans never seize to amaze how much you underrate Dwight because he couldn't dominant for you coming off back surgery and playing with a tear in his shoulder. Garnett's last great year was 2008...he was never the same after the knee injury in 09 and the fact that he was just becoming old and tired. (he played a shit load of minutes on the Twolves) Dwight was clearly better 09-12, so if that's huge...okay.KG had the #1 on-court DRtg from '09-'12 among players who played at least 2000 minutes. The Celtics' defense fell off dramatically whenever he wasn't on the court. His defensive impact was just as good as anybody's in that span.

His teams in Minnesota didn't have great defensive results because he was literally playing with trash. Once he finally got to play with good defenders, he anchored one of the most dominant defenses in recent history.

[Smoke117]

KG had the #1 on-court DRtg from '09-'12 among players who played at least 2000 minutes. The Celtics' defense fell off dramatically whenever he wasn't on the court. His defensive impact was just as good as anybody's in that span.

His teams in Minnesota didn't have great defensive results because he was literally playing with trash. Once he finally got to play with good defenders, he anchored one of the most dominant defenses in recent history.

Or the team and players he was on weren't that good defensively...that doesn't mean he was better Dwight...just that he played with worst defensive players. Am I saying that's true? NO...but that's what's wrong with that silly stat...you just can't take a player away and say oh because he's gone and they were the worst team he's the best defensive player...real life doesn't work that way.

You can be the best defensive player in the league, but if you are playing with other able or stellar defensive players you are obviously not going to have the best RAPM. That's why that stat is so silly and for morons.

[chips93]

2011 Mvp

[Young X]

Or the team and players he was on weren't that good defensively...that doesn't mean he was better Dwight...just that he played with worst defensive players. Am I saying that's true? NO...but that's what's wrong with that silly stat...you just can't take a player away and say oh because he's gone and they were the worst team he's the best defensive player...real life doesn't work that way.

You can be the best defensive player in the league, but if you are playing with other able or stellar defensive players you are obviously not going to have the best RAPM. That's why that stat is so silly and for morons.I didn't use RAPM. And I brought that stat up to show the effect KG had on his team, I wasn't necessarily saying he's better than Dwight. Fact is, no player had their team playing at a higher level defensively than KG from '09-'12.

[Lebron23]

When did Dro turned into a B1tch?? This is a Dwight Howard Appreciation thread. Howard was a beast during his prime. I wish he was never traded to the Lakers.