Dwight Discussion: Dwightmare on Figueroa St. Part Boo

therealdeal · by **therealdeal** on Fri Feb 22, 2013 10:04 am

To be fair to myself, I'm neither sold on him or sold out on him. :man10:

I was just trying to stay neutral in the first place... Although I do think that if he's ever turned a corner mentally, it's now. There's literally no more chances left for him to have a cathartic moment, so hopefully he's done it by now.

I was watching some older Shaq games and the difference I'm seeing is the intensity in Shaq's eyes. He still had fun, he still goofed off, but the most important thing was winning. Winning was fun. As long as that's happening, goof off all you want, I couldn't care less. It's just important to remember that Shaq was drafted in '92. He became a Laker in '96. And he didn't win a Championship until 2000. It's frustrating watching Dwight not develop into a Champion over night, but all things relative we're asking a lot to have someone make that jump in literally less than a season. It took LeBron a year in Miami. It took Shaq 4 years of being a Laker.

Sometimes it's good to take a step back and realize we asked Dwight to turn into a champion in one summer.

last stand · by **last stand** on Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:11 pm

tradezzz himmzzz for anyonezzz!!!!!1!11!!!11!!1!

karacha · by **karacha** on Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:14 pm

19/16 with 2 blocks. Played good D. Played with passion once again. His FT shooting still sucks. Oh well.

escobar8 · by **escobar8** on Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:16 pm

improving from game to game...looking forward resigning him and him dominanting when he becomes fully healthy...

therealdeal · by **therealdeal** on Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:23 pm

karacha wrote:19/16 with 2 blocks. Played good D. Played with passion once again. His FT shooting still sucks. Oh well.

He had two HUGE blocks in that 4th quarter. He was active and working hard all game long. It's fun to see him so focused.

I hope his shoulder is feeling alright tonight.

Jellincon · by **Jellincon** on Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:23 pm

Brought a shovel and pail into the paint tonight.

lakersyunowin · by **lakersyunowin** on Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:48 pm

i was very happy to see him play through the pain and still play effectively. gary vitti do your magic

KareemTheGreat33 · by **KareemTheGreat33** on Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:59 pm

Chillbongo · by **Chillbongo** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:01 am

I'm proud of him for playing through the pain in the 2nd half.

He was still effective. That's mental & physical tenacity. That shows he's a guy we can count on. :jam2:

LTLakerFan · by **LTLakerFan** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:11 am

I think I've even spotted hints of a post game. Uhh.....limited post game. :man12:

Maybe this guy can be something when he gets his big shoulders back. :man1:

scheven · by **scheven** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:29 am

Kevin Ding:

Asked by @janiscarr for his thoughts about Jerry Buss memorial, Dwight stated just how affected he was: "I want ...
to be how Jerry Buss was. Everybody had something great to say."

It had Dwight introspective after the game regarding his legacy: "Make people have a more positive outlook on life. ... I hate negativity. I hate being around it."

Dwight brought up how his mother had seven miscarriages and he was supposed to be No. 8: "We're blessed to be living. ... I could've been one of those kids who didn't make it."

venky · by **venky** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 1:01 am

Two games in a row where he has brought something fierce. Keep it up.

BDG · by **BDG** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 2:24 am

Dwight brought up how his mother had seven miscarriages and he was supposed to be No. 8: "We're blessed to be living. ... I could've been one of those kids who didn't make it."

Wowww...

Never knew this. That's crazy.

therealdeal · by **therealdeal** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 2:35 am

BDG wrote:
Dwight brought up how his mother had seven miscarriages and he was supposed to be No. 8: "We're blessed to be living. ... I could've been one of those kids who didn't make it."
Wowww...

Never knew this. That's crazy.

wow...

Magic Skywalker · by **Magic Skywalker** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 7:39 am

I've been really critic of Dwight throughout the season, but I've really loved the efford he's been putting in these two game after the All-Star Break.

Not really 100%, but a lot more engaged. And finally I'm starting to lose a little bit that fear of him getting stripped everytime he gets the ball in the post.

He can really be a game changer on defense when he wants to. His help defense was key... LaMarcus would've torched us without him.

Doc Brown · by **Doc Brown** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 8:00 am

Dwight had a Bynum/Sasha moment last night with MWP. If he would have screamed, "Give me the effing ball" instead of clapping his hands, it would have been all the better.

Of course Ron trolls him and nails a 3. :man10:

Still though it's nice to see Dwight actually demanding for the ball, instead of standing on the weak side the whole game only to complain about not getting the ball.

D.B. Cooper · by **D.B. Cooper** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:04 am

therealdeal wrote:
BDG wrote:
Dwight brought up how his mother had seven miscarriages and he was supposed to be No. 8: "We're blessed to be living. ... I could've been one of those kids who didn't make it."
Wowww...

Never knew this. That's crazy.

wow...

I remember they mentioned this on one of the national games a couple of years ago. They said when his mom was expecting Dwight, she remained in bed the whole time because she didn't want to lose another.

revgen · by **revgen** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:49 am

Doc Brown wrote:Dwight had a Bynum/Sasha moment last night with MWP. If he would have screamed, "Give me the effing ball" instead of clapping his hands, it would have been all the better.

Of course Ron trolls him and nails a 3.

Still though it's nice to see Dwight actually demanding for the ball, instead of standing on the weak side the whole game only to complain about not getting the ball.

I was pissed off when that happened. Sure, Ron made the shot, but you have to reward the big man for running the floor and sealing his man.

dwighthowardsdad · by **dwighthowardsdad** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 10:20 am

LOS ANGELES -- He met him once and tried to glean what he could. But former Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss was already very sick when Dwight Howard went to visit him this fall in the hospital where Buss would ultimately die.

And so Howard had a singular focus Thursday afternoon when he attended Buss' memorial service.

"It might sound like I didn't care, but I really wasn't paying attention to who was in the room," Howard said after the Lakers' 111-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night at Staples Center. "I was really just listening to everything that was said about Dr. Buss and what kind of person he was.

"He left a legacy. I was thinking the whole service -- I want to be how Jerry Buss was. He changed this city. Those are things I want people to say about me when I leave this earth."

Not a lot of kind things have been said about Howard these past two seasons. He has been called immature and selfish. He has alienated fans in Orlando and Los Angeles with his words and his actions.

But as he sat in a star-studded audience Thursday afternoon listening to the impact one man can have on the world, something seemed to crystallize in Howard's mind. A vision for himself. An affirmation of his values. Perhaps even reason for all that he has been through these past two years.

"There's a lot of negative things that take place in the world," Howard said. "I would like to see positive things happen as well. There's a lot of negativity always going around. I don't think it's good. I think as role models we have the opportunities to change the perception, make people have a more positive outlook on life. I just hate negativity. I hate being around it. I hate anybody that's not positive."

So what does he hope his legacy will be?

"My legacy? Well ... Great man. Changed the world," Howard said. "Somebody that never let things that people attacked him with change who he was as a person and a player. I believe I can do that. Motivate a city and a team to win. That's what he did. I'm going to continue look at [Dr. Buss] and guys who did something special like that. Phil Jackson, all the guys who won. It's all about winning."

It was moment of genuine introspection. A moment when you thought that maybe something had changed in Howard as he sat in that audience Thursday afternoon, listening to legends tell stories of a great man.

It might be a coincidence. But the fact that this moment has come after Howard's best two games as a Laker -- he had 19 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks in the Lakers' win over the Blazers on Friday -- feels as if it means something.

Did Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak's show of unconditional support for him Wednesday morning touch him?

Did Buss' legacy?

It's hard to say what combination of emotions and self-reflection brought Howard to this place. But listening to him talk Friday, it felt as if the place he was in was a good one.

He took ownership of his failures. He acknowledged his responsibilities to this team and the Lakers franchise.

"I think it starts with me," Howard said with surprising candor. "I have to really come out every night with the same intensity and the same effort. When I get tired, I can ask coach to take me out. I think it starts with me. I have to do a better job of playing hard. I'm going to try."

He sounded different. Genuine. Connected. Changed.

"All I could think about [Thursday at Buss' memorial] was his legacy, what he stood for, how he changed the whole culture of the NBA, sports, L.A.," Howard said. "It meant a lot to me to hear what people were saying about him and thinking about everything I've seen since I've been here, since I've been a Laker."

It was one nice moment at the end of an emotional week. One night. One game.

But if he really means it, there could be many more.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/stor ... good-place. Written by Ramona Shelburne.

therealdeal · by **therealdeal** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 10:45 am

"I think it starts with me," Howard said with surprising candor. "I have to really come out every night with the same intensity and the same effort. When I get tired, I can ask coach to take me out. I think it starts with me. I have to do a better job of playing hard. I'm going to try."

He sounded different. Genuine. Connected. Changed.

"All I could think about [Thursday at Buss' memorial] was his legacy, what he stood for, how he changed the whole culture of the NBA, sports, L.A.," Howard said. "It meant a lot to me to hear what people were saying about him and thinking about everything I've seen since I've been here, since I've been a Laker."

I heard him say this last night. The part about being responsible and I thought wow that's the first time he's said something like that since he got here. It's the first time he didn't say "we as a team have to do this or that". He said "I". He took responsibility and he said that he knows the game starts and stops with him and Kobe. As the two best players it's on them to bring it every single night and to give the team the energy they need to be successful.

But I think most of all he might be learning that winning is the most fun. Winning is the thing that separates you from everything else. Dr. Buss's funeral would still have remained touching. He still would have had a lot of great speakers say a lot of great things. But the one thread that connects Jerry West to Magic Johnson to Shaquille O'Neal to Kobe Bryant is the fact that Dr. Buss wanted to win every bit as much as they did. That's why legends in the industry stood up for him, teared up for him, and came to work for the Lakers even after they retired.

If Dwight can understand that, then we just might make this team work. It's about 50 games too late, but if Dwight can understand what it means to be a Laker, then maybe the future isn't as rocky as everybody thought. Because the Dwight of the last two games looks unstoppable again and he's FAR from healthy.

dwighthowardsdad · by **dwighthowardsdad** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 11:03 am

Dwight will be fine. I have even overreacted at times and wanted to trade him. However, taking the emotional element out of it & seeing things rationally, he can be a great piece on a championship team. He's still learning and growing as an individual & as a player playing for an organizations & fans that all want to win. It's a learning process. We have to be patient. It will come together...

Weezy · by **Weezy** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 11:14 am

These are the things I've wanted to hear from Dwight all along, give full effort, appreciate what it means to be a Laker. I'm done being negative about him this season, he's here to stay and there's no point in that, I only want him to do well, it's all I have ever wanted, that's why I've been so angry at his lack of effort and attitude. Seeing his recent play, his effort, playing through pain, the things he's said, gives me some hope going forward that was completely gone a week ago.

7cody · by **7cody** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 11:19 am

If Dwight is serious about keeping up this level of effort, then good things will happen. We'll be a great team if he does his job well.

GoldenKnight · by **GoldenKnight** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 11:23 am

Like day & night this guy has become an amazing presence on both ends of the court. He is playing MUCH harder & it is showing. You can see the passion, the energy & the focus he is bringing to the team. Slowed down a bit after the shoulder hit but still had 2 major blocks in the 4th. Been a Howard supporter all along & I knew he would come around sooner or later, even his interviews are much more positive! Keep it up big fella! :jam2:

last stand · by **last stand** on Sat Feb 23, 2013 11:37 am

revgen wrote:
Doc Brown wrote:Dwight had a Bynum/Sasha moment last night with MWP. If he would have screamed, "Give me the effing ball" instead of clapping his hands, it would have been all the better.

Of course Ron trolls him and nails a 3.

Still though it's nice to see Dwight actually demanding for the ball, instead of standing on the weak side the whole game only to complain about not getting the ball.

I was pissed off when that happened. Sure, Ron made the shot, but you have to reward the big man for running the floor and sealing his man.

It's why I said in another thread Ron artest is the biggest issue on the team

Dwight and pau complain about shots? Well Kobe is going to and deserves to get his, Nash doesn't shoot a ridiculous amount, Clark takes what's given too him.

So where is the issue, artest. Artest is 2nd on the team in FG attempts when he's arguably the 5th best player at best 6th or 7th at worst. He's also disrupting fastbreaka thinking he's Lebron James dribbling up the court trying to go coast to coast.

And don't forget his black hole moments where he holds the ball for 15 seconds trying to penetrates when he never will.

Artest hasn't sacrificed this season he's taken more. Rick fox would be feeding Dwight while Kobe could just play his game

Dwight Discussion: Dwightmare on Figueroa St. Part Boo

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