Superman A Fit In Big D?

 

Would Dwight Howard be a fit in Dallas

By Bryan Castillo

The Dallas Mavericks offseason is only about 3 weeks old but already there has been 1 name brought up time and time again, and that is Dwight Howard. Yes, the same Dwight Howard who forced his way out of Orlando, was 1 and done in Lakerland and is now seemingly jumping ship from the Rockets titanic. Now the question is how likely is it that Howard comes to the Mavs and just how good of a fit would he be in Carlisle’s system.

 

When engaged and healthy Dwight Howard is still capable of being a dominant center in this league, especially on the defensive end. Howard can average double digit rebounds in his sleep and would be a great compliment playing alongside Dirk Nowitzki, much like Tyson Chandler was in 2010-2011 & 2014-2015. Howard can still dominate the paint defensively and be a force in blocking and altering anyone’s shot around the rim which is key as that is a must need for the Mavs. Offensively Howard is great off the pick and roll and can be used just like Tyson was used here and Howard does have the occasional post up move that he can use from time to time.

 

Basketball wise Dwight Howard would be a good fit but health wise and more importantly locker room wise how good of a fit would he really be. For me personally my bigger concern is health wise, Howard missed half of the 2014-2015 season and 11 more games last season. It’s hard for a big man, especially one as athletic as Dwight, to stay healthy over the course of a season much less one who has had back issues over recent years. It’s true the Mavs training staff is one of the best in the NBA but any time you have a player that relies on athleticism with back issues it’s always a cause for concern.

 

Locker room wise it sounds like he’s had issues with egocentric 2 guards in James Harden and Kobe Bryant but could fit in well with Dirk Nowitzki who has no problem sharing the spotlight and has been known to be a prankster among his teammates. The Mavericks locker room is one of the brightest spots within the organization and could be a great fit with Dwight Howard if he’s serious about winning games more than just collecting a paycheck.

 

Rick Carlisle is one of the best coaches in the league and will most certainly get the most out of Howard if he’s willing to put in the work.

 

Howard’s minutes and points per game has diminished over the last 6 seasons from 37.6 & 22.9 to 32.1 & 13.7. The same could be said about his rebounding and blocks per game but he’s still averaging 11+ boards a game and 1.6 blocks which are the most important aspects of his game if he were to decide to come to Dallas.

 

 

We already know his former running mate Chandler Parsons would like to have him come to Dallas for a mini-reunion but essentially this’ll come down to money and if he’s willing to sacrifice some dollars to make it happen. The Mavericks could offer Howard a max contract deal but not if they want to max out Chandler Parsons as well.

 

Basketball wise Dwight Howard in a Mavs uniform would be a good fit for both parties, now it ultimately it comes to dollar signs. Could we possibly see a situation where Dwight Howard signs with Dallas 3 years after the Mavs initial pursuit of his services, much like Deron Williams this past season? We’ll have to wait and see but once again it’ll be an interesting offseason for all MFFLs.