Now in his 13th NBA season and playing for his fourth team, Dwight Howard has nowhere to go but up. The once-dominant center saw his reputation fall apart because of the way he left Orlando, and his legacy as an all-time great defender flickered in one forgettable season with the Lakers, before fading with a drama-filled tenure as a Houston Rocket. To say he’s at basketball’s rock bottom might be a little extreme, but if his career ended today, the 30-year-old would be best remembered for the way Stan Van Gundy walked him into an excruciatingly awkward media trap, his thirstiness for a former porn star, his much-talked-about virility, or simply for his love of farting.
Fortunately for Howard and the Atlanta Hawks, his career is far from over and, in fact, he is showing glimpses of a Superman we haven’t seen since his days in blue pinstripes. At 4-2, the Hawks certainly appear to be getting the best from their deal with Howard, who gets to play the role of hometown hero. Of course, they’ve also benefited from playing a pretty easy schedule through six games, with victories over the winless 76ers, 1-4 Wizards (whose one win was against Atlanta), and the 3-5 Kings. Their latest win, however, came against Howard’s previous team, the Rockets, and the aftermath may be proving that Howard has done the unthinkable and actually grown up.
Just as he did last week prior to playing the Lakers, when he was asked about Kobe Bryant’s retirement (“Let Kobe retire in peace”), Howard refused to give the media and/or his old team bulletin board material. Asked about his relationship with James Harden in the wake of their seemingly tumultuous breakup, Howard took the high road and simply praised the guy who reportedly tried to force the Rockets to trade him.
“Everybody is always looking for a beef between a player when they leave a team,” Howard said. “There’s no beef. Both of us came from nothing and we made it. I’ll never be mad or hate on another player because he made it. His dream came true. I’m happy for him, and hopefully he’ll continue to play great.” (Via ESPN)
Harden played great against his former teammate on Saturday, scoring 30 points and racking up 12 assists. However, Howard’s new teammates stepped up and got some revenge for him, even if he wasn’t openly asking for it, by spanking the Rockets 112-97. Howard scored 20 and added 14 rebounds and 2 blocks, but he should have had 3 blocks. Instead, he was called for a foul on K.J. McDaniels, and the result was perhaps the greatest sign that Howard has actually, finally, unbelievably grown up.
Before the start of the second half, Howard hugged referee Bill Spooner. Howard said after the game that the official admitted his missed the call and apologized.
“I just wanted to give him a hug, let him know that everybody makes mistakes and let him know that I love him,” Howard said. “… He just said it wasn’t the right call. Everybody makes mistakes. We miss shots. People miss plays. Y’all misspell words sometimes. It’s a part of life. You have to keep moving.” (Via the AJC)
That’s a far cry from the way he used to react to foul calls. Even more impressive is the fact that while people still love to talk about the way Howard’s relationship with Harden fell apart, his other former Houston teammates can’t stop praising his work ethic.
“Dwight was a great guy; nobody gets to really see the type of person he is off the court,” said Harrell, 22, a power forward in his second season with the Rockets. “Everybody sees him on the court and thinks he’s childish or he’s a big kid. He’s a great guy with the time I spent with Dwight. He cares about everybody on and off the court. He has a heart that’s so big. Whenever I came out of a game, we were always communicating.” (Via ESPN)
Is it possible? Has Dwight “Silent Butt Deadly” Howard grown up and realized that the best way to help himself and his team is to stop blaming everyone else for his own shortcomings? Has he learned that the only way he will win a title in his career is to cut the childish nonsense and become a positive influence to his teammates instead of relying on them to do the heavy lifting? Has he finally learned how to shoot free throws? (Okay, let’s not go overboard.)
