Dwight Discussion: Dwightmare on Figueroa St. Part Boo

JSM wrote:

Kristine Leahy ‏@KristineLeahy
Comment by Dwight about playing w/ guys no one wanted is being taken a bit out of context. He was speaking about pulling the team together.

Kristine Leahy ‏@KristineLeahy
And in a part we didn't air, said Orlando will always be special to him, and thanked Magic fans for their support.

JoelMyersScrotalSack wrote:Hornets scored only 35 points in the 2nd half after dropping 67 in the 1st. Our D anchored by Howard was nothing short of amazing

frankrj wrote:I still prefer a 2011 Bynum vs. Dwight 2014 or 2014.

karacha wrote:

frankrj wrote:I still prefer a 2011 Bynum vs. Dwight 2014 or 2014.

I prefer a 2000 Shaq. Regular Season: 30ppg 14rpg 4apg 3bpg 57% shooting.

But that doesn't mean anything because who knows if Bynum will be able to play any time soon. And Shaq retired.

frankrj wrote:Well he did play well tonight (against the Hornets) . Do it against a top team and I am sold on him being great again.I still prefer a 2011 Bynum vs. Dwight 2014 or 2014.

karacha wrote:Yeah man, I love him, he is a great locker room and cheerleader guy, but... yeah. I'll settle for Dwight. I think he's a pretty decent center in this league.

Juronimo wrote:Excellent defense by Dwight in the second half. Holding NO scoreless for the last 6 minutes? Dwight really set the tone there. That was DPOY level defense there.

therealdeal wrote:

karacha wrote:

frankrj wrote:I still prefer a 2011 Bynum vs. Dwight 2014 or 2014.

I prefer a 2000 Shaq. Regular Season: 30ppg 14rpg 4apg 3bpg 57% shooting.

But that doesn't mean anything because who knows if Bynum will be able to play any time soon. And Shaq retired.

I prefer a prime Kareem/Shaq combo, but we've got Dwight so I guess I'll have to settle.

therealdeal wrote:

Juronimo wrote:Excellent defense by Dwight in the second half. Holding NO scoreless for the last 6 minutes? Dwight really set the tone there. That was DPOY level defense there.

It really was. It wasn't even that he was covering the rim so well, it was also that he covered the roller too! There were multiple times when he'd swat away the PASS, not just the shot attempt. The guy was seriously unstoppable on that end of the floor.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN wrote:If you thought that the compression shirt Dwight Howard has been wearing under his Lakers uniform these days was just another accessory like the arm sleeves and headband he wore earlier in the season or a way to accentuate his shoulder muscles for the cameras, think again.

Howard has been wearing a Posture Shirt for the last 11 games and hasn't missed any playing time because of the torn labrum in his right shoulder since putting it on.

"It’s been doing a pretty good job of keeping everything straight as far as my back and my shoulder, making sure that everything is inline," Howard said recently. "A lot of people think that it’s just a regular Polo T, but it’s not. It’s a shirt that was made strictly for posture and making sure the scapula and everything stay straight."

Howard aggravated his shoulder in the first quarter of the Lakers' 122-105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday but was able to play the rest of the game as well as the next day against New Orleans in part because of the garment.

"Anybody who has had a torn labrum knows that it’s not something that you feel all the time," Howard said last week. "It’s not something that just bothers you while you’re walking or you’re working out. There’s moments where it feels really good and then once someone pulls you or hits you in the wrong position, that’s when sometimes everything in your arm goes numb. It just depends."

The Lakers had to receive permission from the league for Howard to wear the shirt as part of his uniform and it was approved because it is considered a medical device.

"We’ve had them in the locker room all year, but nobody is using them and I just started to wear it and actually felt a lot better," Howard said after shootaround Friday.

ESPN wrote:- In the war of words between Dwight Howard and his former Orlando Magic teammates, one significant voice weighed in on the side of the Los Angeles Lakers center.

Howard said that his former Magic coach, Stan Van Gundy, reached out to him Thursday to offer support.

"He knows I would never disrespect my teammates," said Howard after Lakers' shootaround Friday in advance of their game against the Toronto Raptors. "He understood exactly what I was saying and that's what he expressed."

Van Gundy believes Howard wasn't trying to bad-mouth any of his former teammates.

"He did not, in my opinion, mean to say 'I didn't play with good players in Orlando,' " Van Gundy, currently an analyst for NBC Sports, told the L.A. Daily News. "The question was about his demeanor. He's been criticized for his demeanor on the court. He was basically trying to defend himself in his demeanor saying he can be smiling and still be serious about winning. What he meant to say is, 'We had an underrated or under the radar team in Orlando and we won a lot of games and I was the best player on that team and this was my demeanor. So what's the problem now?' "

Howard and Van Gundy have been texting on and off all season, and Howard said his relationship with the man who coached him for five seasons in Orlando has not been affected by the fact Van Gundy was fired by the Magic last season in what many viewed as an attempt to appease Howard.

"Me and Stan have a pretty good relationship," Howard said. "We respect each other and we continue to talk to this day. We've kept the business side out of everything that we discuss and he understands how I feel."

Howard first revealed his continued dialogue last month before the Lakers played the Miami Heat.

"We've talked a lot this season," Howard said. "He's been one of my biggest supporters, always telling me to keep playing. He knows that I'm not 100 percent, but just keep working. He knows how hard I work. He's been upset with a lot of stuff that's been said, but he just tells me to stay strong and stay with it.

"Everything that was out was rumors and stuff being said by other people but both of us understand that's the business side of things. People are always going to twist it and turn it when they look at TV and unfortunately me and Stan can't come out and defend ourselves every two minutes. But we have a great relationship. What a lot of people need to understand is that everything that you see on TV or read is not always true. Me and him have a good relationship. Me and Stan are cool."

The Lakers travel to Orlando to play the Magic on Tuesday, marking Howard's first trip to Amway Center since being traded to Los Angeles in August.

"I understand that we're about to play Orlando," Howard said. "They're just trying to get everybody riled up for the game and it's understandable, but I love that city. I had eight great years there. We accomplished a lot, but that's over with. It's in the past. We all have to move forward. I know people are getting upset, but we all have to move forward."

Howard does not anticipate a warm welcome.

"I know things are going to happen," Howard said. "I know a lot of people are upset that I left and the way I left but I always think about, I spent eight great years in Orlando and it was an unbelievable time and it ended on a bad note, but that should never erase the years that we had of happiness. It's over with now."

Is Howard ready to face the music?

"I have no choice but to be ready," Howard said.

JSM wrote:

Dave McMenamin of ESPN wrote:If you thought that the compression shirt Dwight Howard has been wearing under his Lakers uniform these days was just another accessory like the arm sleeves and headband he wore earlier in the season or a way to accentuate his shoulder muscles for the cameras, think again.

Howard has been wearing a Posture Shirt for the last 11 games and hasn't missed any playing time because of the torn labrum in his right shoulder since putting it on.

"It’s been doing a pretty good job of keeping everything straight as far as my back and my shoulder, making sure that everything is inline," Howard said recently. "A lot of people think that it’s just a regular Polo T, but it’s not. It’s a shirt that was made strictly for posture and making sure the scapula and everything stay straight."

Howard aggravated his shoulder in the first quarter of the Lakers' 122-105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday but was able to play the rest of the game as well as the next day against New Orleans in part because of the garment.

"Anybody who has had a torn labrum knows that it’s not something that you feel all the time," Howard said last week. "It’s not something that just bothers you while you’re walking or you’re working out. There’s moments where it feels really good and then once someone pulls you or hits you in the wrong position, that’s when sometimes everything in your arm goes numb. It just depends."

The Lakers had to receive permission from the league for Howard to wear the shirt as part of his uniform and it was approved because it is considered a medical device.

"We’ve had them in the locker room all year, but nobody is using them and I just started to wear it and actually felt a lot better," Howard said after shootaround Friday.

Mark Medina ‏@MarkG_Medina
Dwight Howard said what he missed most about Orlando was Marsha, a server from Wafflehouse