Dwight Discussion: Griffin for Dwight?... Naaaa (1011)

KareemTheGreat33 wrote:Philly got screwed big time...Lakers and Orlando got good deals so far but Denver was the runaway winner of that blockbuster

Weezy wrote:

Rooscooter wrote:I liked the game he played today. I'm still from Missouri with him however. He's had stretches like this followed with complete ambivalence.

I'm right there with you. I need to see at least some of this in the playoffs if we make it in. He's at least showing a lot more flashes of being a potential max player though, and since we seem intent on giving that to him no matter what, it's good to see. He still has a limited offensive game, and can't shoot free throws, but I can live with the free throws if his athleticism comes back to the point where he can just dunk most everything. I still need to see this continue until we make the playoffs and see some fire from him in the playoffs as well.

KareemTheGreat33 wrote:Philly got screwed big time...Lakers and Orlando got good deals so far but Denver was the runaway winner of that blockbuster

TheOp wrote:

KareemTheGreat33 wrote:Philly got screwed big time...Lakers and Orlando got good deals so far but Denver was the runaway winner of that blockbuster

We traded a guy who may never play again for an all star starter and best big man in the NBA.

Enforcer wrote:I'm pretty concerned about this coming offseason since Dwight is so unpredictable. So scared he'll walk and leave us high and dry.

GoldHammish wrote:

Enforcer wrote:I'm pretty concerned about this coming offseason since Dwight is so unpredictable. So scared he'll walk and leave us high and dry.

So what, would you rather have Drew? For all intents and purposes, we'd be left high and dry with him too. Might as well have the best center in the game for a season as opposed to having a guy rot on the bench in street clothes.

Center Court wrote:

KareemTheGreat33 wrote:Philly got screwed big time...Lakers and Orlando got good deals so far but Denver was the runaway winner of that blockbuster

so wrong.

Lakers were runaway winners...

Denver did well for themselves, but if they replaced Iggy with Aflalo, nothing would really change. You lose some talent, but Iggy and Afflo have the same level of defense. Iggy is better playmaking and attacker but AA is the better shooter. Not sure they improved drastically.

We traded a player who has yet to play a game this year, has a retarded new haircut every week (shows his immaturity), shows no true passion to an all time great let alone get back out an play, and who was set to be an unrestricted free agent. We weren't going to give him a max and thus probably see him walk elsewhere. If he did stay, we have an injury prone player on our hands.

We traded that for the best Center in the NBA, a true superstar/franchise cornerstone and a guy who can be the face of the franchise.

I'm so sick and tired of people hating on Dwight but to say we only got a good deal is absurd talk.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dwight Howard said he plans to approach his first game back in Orlando as business as usual, but Steve Nash begged to differ.

"This is the longest Dwight has ever worked on his game after practice," Nash jokingly yelled out to the throng of approximately 75 media members assembled at shootaround Tuesday in advance of the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Magic.

Howard worked on midrange jumpers and extended his range all the way out to the 3-point line, mercifully stopping after a couple of long-range misses to talk to those waiting to hear him discuss his return to the city that was home for his first eight NBA seasons.

"All that stuff is over with now," Howard said. "Today is a new day. Whatever happened in the past, I"m going to leave it behind me. Like I said, I have nothing but love for the fans here. They treated me well. It didn't end right. It didn't end the way we all wanted it to end, but I'm in a better place and everybody has to move on."

Howard told reporters Sunday that his return was going to be "very emotional for me," which prompted Kobe Bryant to blurt, "Emotional? Man, I'll talk to him. Just go out there and bust your [behind] man. Show them what they missed in him. Save the emotional [stuff] for when you retire. Please."

Not only is Howard about to play his first game in Orlando since being traded to the Lakers in August, he's also making his first trip back to the city since undergoing back surgery last April. What was it like for him to visit his old stomping grounds?

"It felt normal," Howard said. "I was happy to come back, see my house, go to Waffle House, get a good meal. That was fun. So, I was happy about that."

What will really make Howard happy is a win against his former team. The Lakers lost to the Magic 113-103 on Dec. 2 at Staples Center. Howard had 21 points and 15 rebounds, but shot just 9 of 21 from the foul line as Orlando employed a "Hack-a-Howard" strategy to take control of the game.

The loss knocked L.A. to just 8-9 at the time, but Howard and his team are much improved since. The Lakers are 33-31 after going 8-2 since the All-Star break, with Howard averaging 15.5 points, 14.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in those 10 games.

"I'm in a lot better shape, which is great," said Howard, described by Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni as "100 percent better" on Tuesday. "The first time we played them I wasn't in good shape, so I was looking forward to coming back here and playing in better shape."

Howard's conditioning has helped the Lakers move to within a half-game of the Utah Jazz for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

"Just go out there and play," Howard said. "That's the biggest thing. We're playing great basketball. I just want to continue to do that. We don"t have to do anything extra, just play the way we've been playing the last couple games and come out here with a win."

The Magic's win in L.A. was a high point for a team that's gone just 12-36 since. Coming into Tuesday, Orlando has the second-worst record in the league at 18-46.

"I really haven't paid attention too much about any other team but ours," Howard said, "but Jameer [Nelson] is the last one here and the other guys are hurt, but I'm happy to see Jameer is still playing."

Nelson took exception to Howard telling an L.A. television station that the Magic was "a team full of people who nobody wanted" when he played for them. Howard said he hasn't spoken to Nelson, but has tried to reach out to the point guard he came into the league with as rookies in 2004-05. Nelson will be the only one of Howard's former teammates in uniform Tuesday -- Hedo Turkoglu is suspended and Glen Davis is out recovering from foot surgery.

Howard focused on the positive while acknowledging that there still are some hurt feelings.

"We had a lot of great memories here," Howard said. "They'll never be taken away from me or from the people who supported us. So, I think I had eight great years here. We did a lot of great things. I saw a city go from a team where it was just like nobody in the stands to we got a new arena and we're a packed house every night to see our team play. It was great to see that. Me and Jameer accomplished a lot here and our goal was to get people to come and support us. We did that."

Howard said he had not run into any Magic fans yet, save for a few at Waffle House, but was grateful to them. Yet he also acknowledged last week that he might wear earplugs for the booing he expects to hear.

"I have nothing but love for the fans here," Howard said Tuesday. "They made me into the player I am today. I'll always be thankful for that. I came here a boy and left a man and it's made me a better person being here. So, thank you to all the fans who supported me even through all the bad times."

Metta World Peace stepped in to support Howard on Tuesday, trying to diffuse the media attention by cutting through the throng to put his arm around the All-Star center.

"I got to get some of this TV time," World Peace said. "All these cameras ... keep talking to Dwight, y"all."