It’s about time for Dwight Howard to reassess his market value. Actually, he needs to lower his standards. Not in women, cars or clothes, but in the superstar respect he thinks he deserves from the NBA community.
Dwight Howard is supposed to be the last great center, and in a fair world, he’d have played himself out of a max-deal in this series against the Spurs. Of course, he’s going to get his bread, but it should come with a serious caution tag.
Since leaving Orlando in ruins, Howard’s heir of invincibility has steadily dwindled. No one blamed him for bolting Disney for greener pastures, even if he did turn the city into an NBA soap opera, which included trying to get his coach iced.
Howard wants to play God, but he’s not even King. His supporters felt that Kobe going down would give him a chance to be the No. 1 option and establish his destiny as the future face of the Lakers. With the exception of a statistically-solid Game 1, Howard’s presence on the court throughout this series lacked the impact of a bonafide NBA killer. It’s safe to officially say, Howard is a sick piece to add to a championship mix, but he can’t carry a team on that bad back anymore.
That’s pretty sad for a 27-year old who is supposed to be entering his prime. He had a shot to offer hope for a post-Mamba Lakers Nation, or at the very least, save LA from the humiliation of a sweep.
Instead, Howard came with that same constipated, bewildered look throughout the game. The Lakers were run off the court by halftime.
After a convincing broom-banging by the Spurs, Howard has an off season to decide if he will re-up with LA, or go out and try to find an even better situation for himself.
The Lakers are publicly still trying to convince the world that Howard is that dude.
"Dwight is our future," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told espn.com back in February. "He belongs to have his name on the wall [as a retired uniform] and a statue in front of Staples [Center] at some point in time."
Only wins will get Howard such an improbable honor. He’s proved he can’t do that for dolo.
