Dwight Howard: A Very Lonely Superstar Stuck in Orlando
Remember the old days, when LeBron James had championship aspirations with the Cleveland Cavaliers? Before The Decision and before Dan Gilbert's angry letter written in Comic Sans?
LeBron's dominance was at a level where he actually had people
believing that Antawn Jamison could be the missing piece to a
championship team. The Akron Hammer got Mo Williams into an All-Star
Game. Oh yeah, and by playing with James, Anderson Varejao is now
considered "untouchable." No wonder LeBron took his talents to South
Beach.
Anyone who watches the NBA, or even listens to what some of the
announcers have to say, can tell you the impact that an elite player can
have on his team.
Prime example—LeBron turned a team full of average role players into a
No. 1 seed and title contenders. As soon as he leaves town, they're a
team struggling to even compete on a nightly basis, landing the top pick
in the NBA draft. And as soon as people saw this, we all understood why
LeBron left.
These special players are at a premium, even in today's superstar
league. And with the recent alignment of star players, very few are left
on their own the way LeBron was in Cleveland. One of these players is
due for free agency in one year. You may have heard of him: Dwight
Howard.
Howard is an absolute monster on both ends of the floor who is as
capable of taking over a game as anyone in the league. Opposing teams
guard him with at least two players at all times, usually with very
little success. Teams have resorted to recycling defenders who simply
foul D12 in hopes that he won't make his free throws. Given the shortage
of quality big men in the league, Howard's ability is even more
valuable considering he gets to exhibit it against many low-quality big
men.