Im Still Ballin
04-14-2023, 07:22 PM
I've had to look on RealGM because all of ISH's old posts have been largely deleted.
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=1097543&p=27095766&hilit=dwight+howard#p27095766
Dwight Howard
29 votes
91%
Kevin Durant
3 votes
9%
Total votes: 32
It's interesting to see how a player was valued back then. With hindsight, we can see that Durant was the obvious choice. Most of the people in that thread wanted Dwight instead. He really was rated highly.
Here are some comments from the thread:
Dwight.
He single handily makes any defense elite and is really the only player like himself in the league.
Durant isn't the only guy who can score in the league. Although his ability to score 30 a game without dominating the ball isn't appreciated enough.
Had to double check that D-Rating... was fairly shocked myself we're somehow 3rd, with everyone outside of Dwight sucking on D.
Anyway, this is Dwight... LeBron's the only I might pick over Dwight.
dwight..i'd pick him over lebron
Durant has an age advantage here, but Dwight is the better player.
I take Dwight, saying this as a Thunder fan.
Last year i maybe would have said Durant. because Dwight had a dissappointing season from a scoring standpoint... But this year? He proved that he can be a 25/14/3 monster in his prime, with dominating, all-time great defense, and very good offense. Today, i would choose him over any player for the next 5 years. so yeah, it's Dwight, fairly easily.
For the next 7 years? Dwight.
If you were to say the next 12 years or something like that it would be durant though. Once dwight gets older he's going to fall off quickly because literally all his game is is athleticism. In ten years durant will be what Dirk is right now
I'd take Howard over anybody in the league to star a team now including LeBron, Durant, Griffin, or whoever. He's an efficient offensive force, who can anchor a top-rated defense, and is an elite rebounder. He just lacks intangibles.
I wouldn't take anybody over Dwight...
Howard is a clear second to LeBron, but ahead of Durant.
Howard's superiority on defense is absolutely enormous. The Magic have a bunch of guys who are viewed as defensive liabilities, yet they're third in the league in points allowed per possession. While he's not Durant on the offensive end, the gap there is a lot smaller.
Howard.
He may be the only player I take ahead of LeBron. Followed by Durant.
If starting a franchise, I take Dwight Howard over any player in the league.
I think in terms of building a franchise it's like this
1. Dwight
2. Lebron
3. Durant
Everyone else is just not on their level. If you have any of those 3 you are off to a good start.
jaypo wrote:I don't think he is the offensive force that Durant is or many other centers have been, and for that reason, I'd choose Durant. I think Howard is head and shoulders above any other center defensively. But just because Howard shoots 60% doesn't mean that he's an offensive force. He is not a player that you could count on to run the offense thru. And if you would designate him as that player, his defense would certainly suffer. That's my reasoning. I'm sure some would disagree, and that's cool. I happen to like Howard.
I don't think you're watching the games then. The entire offense the Magic run is predicated on Dwight's post play. The entire defense the Magic run is predicated on Dwight and the only reason his numbers are down is because, without Gortat, he can't afford to get in foul trouble anymore. He's scoring at a career high and has more points per game than Hakeem or Ewing did at his age. Plus he's getting better every year, hell he's getting better every month.
Saying that you don't see how you can run the offense through Dwight is like watching a football game and arguing that teams shouldn't draft defensive tackles because it's the defensive ends and linebackers that get all the tackles and sacks.
I'm not saying that there isn't an argument for Durant, just that your specific argument doesn't hold water the way you're phrasing it. It's just fiction to say that a good/great team can't run an offense through Dwight when the Magic have been doing it for quite a few years and the results, although they haven't resulted in a ring, have been pretty damn good.
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=1097543&p=27095766&hilit=dwight+howard#p27095766
Dwight Howard
29 votes
91%
Kevin Durant
3 votes
9%
Total votes: 32
It's interesting to see how a player was valued back then. With hindsight, we can see that Durant was the obvious choice. Most of the people in that thread wanted Dwight instead. He really was rated highly.
Here are some comments from the thread:
Dwight.
He single handily makes any defense elite and is really the only player like himself in the league.
Durant isn't the only guy who can score in the league. Although his ability to score 30 a game without dominating the ball isn't appreciated enough.
Had to double check that D-Rating... was fairly shocked myself we're somehow 3rd, with everyone outside of Dwight sucking on D.
Anyway, this is Dwight... LeBron's the only I might pick over Dwight.
dwight..i'd pick him over lebron
Durant has an age advantage here, but Dwight is the better player.
I take Dwight, saying this as a Thunder fan.
Last year i maybe would have said Durant. because Dwight had a dissappointing season from a scoring standpoint... But this year? He proved that he can be a 25/14/3 monster in his prime, with dominating, all-time great defense, and very good offense. Today, i would choose him over any player for the next 5 years. so yeah, it's Dwight, fairly easily.
For the next 7 years? Dwight.
If you were to say the next 12 years or something like that it would be durant though. Once dwight gets older he's going to fall off quickly because literally all his game is is athleticism. In ten years durant will be what Dirk is right now
I'd take Howard over anybody in the league to star a team now including LeBron, Durant, Griffin, or whoever. He's an efficient offensive force, who can anchor a top-rated defense, and is an elite rebounder. He just lacks intangibles.
I wouldn't take anybody over Dwight...
Howard is a clear second to LeBron, but ahead of Durant.
Howard's superiority on defense is absolutely enormous. The Magic have a bunch of guys who are viewed as defensive liabilities, yet they're third in the league in points allowed per possession. While he's not Durant on the offensive end, the gap there is a lot smaller.
Howard.
He may be the only player I take ahead of LeBron. Followed by Durant.
If starting a franchise, I take Dwight Howard over any player in the league.
I think in terms of building a franchise it's like this
1. Dwight
2. Lebron
3. Durant
Everyone else is just not on their level. If you have any of those 3 you are off to a good start.
jaypo wrote:I don't think he is the offensive force that Durant is or many other centers have been, and for that reason, I'd choose Durant. I think Howard is head and shoulders above any other center defensively. But just because Howard shoots 60% doesn't mean that he's an offensive force. He is not a player that you could count on to run the offense thru. And if you would designate him as that player, his defense would certainly suffer. That's my reasoning. I'm sure some would disagree, and that's cool. I happen to like Howard.
I don't think you're watching the games then. The entire offense the Magic run is predicated on Dwight's post play. The entire defense the Magic run is predicated on Dwight and the only reason his numbers are down is because, without Gortat, he can't afford to get in foul trouble anymore. He's scoring at a career high and has more points per game than Hakeem or Ewing did at his age. Plus he's getting better every year, hell he's getting better every month.
Saying that you don't see how you can run the offense through Dwight is like watching a football game and arguing that teams shouldn't draft defensive tackles because it's the defensive ends and linebackers that get all the tackles and sacks.
I'm not saying that there isn't an argument for Durant, just that your specific argument doesn't hold water the way you're phrasing it. It's just fiction to say that a good/great team can't run an offense through Dwight when the Magic have been doing it for quite a few years and the results, although they haven't resulted in a ring, have been pretty damn good.