ORLANDO -- There is a good reason that Boston and Cleveland -- two of the three serious contenders in the Eastern Conference -- added proven big men to their roster this summer. They already know what's coming.Magic center Dwight Howard, already the best big man in basketball, is going to be even better this season.
Howard has come to training camp with another 10 pounds of muscle on his well-muscled frame, up to 275 pounds. He also believes his 59 percent free throw percentage -- his only serious flaw -- will rise to 70 percent after a summer of sharpening his shot.
He expects to be both more powerful -- and more accurate.
The Magic beat both Boston and Cleveland on their way to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Lakers."[If] he makes free throws, you just can't hammer him anymore. When he's hitting 70 percent, he'll be very difficult to guard. He's pretty difficult to guard now.''
-- Stan Van Gundy
"I'm going to be better this season,'' he said. "We're going to be better. We fell short last season. We just want to win a championship now.''
Howard, already the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, expects to show considerable improvement on the offensive end, where he averaged 20.6 points last season. Although Howard hasn't shot over 60 percent from the line since his rookie season, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy saw enough this summer to think there will be major improvement in his game.
Howard shot 849 free throws, more than anyone in the league last season, because teams knew that fouling him was the best way to slow him around the basket.
"From the free throw line this year, I think 75 percent is realistic for him,'' Van Gundy said. "He can shoot free throws. I'd be really disappointed with anything below 70 percent. He's capable of doing that. And if he makes free throws, you just can't hammer him anymore. When he's hitting 70 percent, he'll be very difficult to guard. He's pretty difficult to guard now.''
Howard became just the fifth player in league history to lead the league in both rebounding (13.8 rpg) and blocked shots (2.9 bpg) the same season. With a team around him that now includes Vince Carter, along with Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson, Howard knows that dominating around the basket may lead directly to that title he is seeking."My problem is not post moves because you can have a million of them, and if you get double- and triple-teamed, you can't get them off,'' he said. "It's about being smarter and knowing when to pass out of them. It's about putting the ball in the basket, however it gets there.''
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Some poor free throw shooters in the nba defy the norm, like Karl Malone, but most get worse, not better. Hoping Dwight becomes another Karl, but that starts with stretching his interior defense, so he can go back to playing forward again, in the unlikely event the Magic add quality enough centers to help him inside. With his lack of offensive skills, he is more suited to weak side power forward offensively. Would certainly be nice if he`d keep moving his feet, not disolve into whining he wants to be spoon fed the ball, like he and Bynum of the Lakers both did a couple times last year. And if he moves his feet better than he`s been doing on offense, he`ll get more touches on offense. Then it`ll matter more whether he is able to improve his shooting.
Dont matter he's not going to make it past the first round i'm from cleveland, ohio you know what it is
tbone! tbonejtg! Revelation from WNW forums. where you been at man?
They should of took advantage of when they the made it to the finals they will not get there no more for awhile
As for Super-Man I vs. Super-Man II, as a rook, Shaq was about 305, 8% body fat. Second season he came to camp 330, and the media was in awe. Such wonderful weight gain on an already huge body! But they also mentioned, he was 12% body fat. Do the math. All the weight gain was fat, none of it muscle. Chances are, if Howard isn`t down 15 or 20 pounds from the 10 he gained before the regular season starts, he`ll hurt his team. Bloat is not muscle. It slows an anthlete down. And while I favor size more than the next person, basketball needs size with speed, not blubber. In the unlikely event the 10 pound gain is muscle, maybe even despite lowering body fat, fine. But the Magic don`t need him rooted to the ground, crying the mean wittle kids won`t give him the ball and he`ll tell his mommie on them. They need him moving his feet on both ends of the court. The need his speed, not his haste, his hustle, not his bustle. Shaq stopped moving his feet his last two years in Miami. He became a self admitted has been. Then Cartwright coached him in Phoenix. Cartwright always had plenty of muscle to spare. He reminded Shaq of the fundamentals of the game. Shaq came into the nba a lousy free throw shooter, but got worse, not better, every year, until he was coached by Cartwright. Then he shot his career best. He moved his feet. He was, deservingly, an all star again. If he is healthy this season, he will, probably/hopefully, be an all star again. Howard is younger/better now, but Orlando is a smaller market even than Cleveland, so Shaq may win the fan vote and start for the east. I hope he does. But I`d like Howard to start with James and O`Neal. He can`t do that at his best defensive position, center, the one he`ll probably be listed at, and probably actually play. If they compete for the center spot, I hope they`ll be one/two, and both make the team. But they`ll both have to earn it, even though Shaq and the injured Ming are the only high quality pure centers in the nba, the rest of the quality are all part power forward (unless Bynum improves so much, primarily defensively, he regains his starting job from LaMar Kardashian, err, Odom, in LA, and maybe becomes a legit all star candidate. He`s not part power forward either). But please, anyone can SAY they`ll up this or that, free throw percentage or whatever. Talk especially prior to the regular season is cheap. Prove it on the court. Then talk about it.
Are you retarded? Dwight doesn't have blubber. Have you ever even looked at that man?
Ur a KNOB JOCKEY MATE! Look at his shoulders from year to year. He stores fat mostly in his shoulders. Now they are smaller - but harder. Meaning he is shedding his 'baby fat' and is getting leaner every season. It was obvious ShaQ put on fat, not muscle. If you've ever played basketball, and in the C/PF positions, u'd know that being stronger is important. Yes, keep Power to Weight Ratio in good order is a must - but u can tell from his workouts, he already knows this.
All these retarded knob jockeys desperately seeking a mate can`t even hold a rationale discourse. If Howard`s weight gain is all fat, which is probable, he probably ran it off the first day of two a days in training camp. The bigger issue for Lewis and Howard is for them to realize they already grew up, when they were about 16. They are not going to be Shaq and Karl Malone. They have to live with that, and be the best men THEY can be, not the super men they grew up fantasizing about. They need to hustle, move their feet, not bustle, not pout about not being spoon fed shots. If they get themselves open, they will get touches. And yes, big daddy, Hakim may have been the best defensive center since they started keeping shot block and steals stats, so maybe the best since Chamberlain and Russell, whose careers ended before those stats started. Not the best overall center, though he was a good scorer, too. Wilt, Russ, Kareem, and others were, for example, better passers. But a very good center, and a very good role model for Howard. As for Shaq being washed up, nobody outside his own team likes him: Nobody outside his own team likes him because he is no longer washed up, he`s an all star again. That won`t last much longer, but it will hopefully last at least one or two more seasons, preferably three or four. We`ll see. And the blubber I refered to was Shaq`s 25 lbs of fat after his rookie year, which I don`t want Lewis or Howard to repeat, I haven`t seen these 10 lbs. by Howard, and don`t expect to, they may have already been gone before the article was posted.
d howard is cotton candy...soft,sweet and filled with artificial shyt...
ACCEPT IT!!! Howard is the "best" Center in the NBA and he's "only" 23 and GETTING BETTER!!! No OLD MEN taken in by acts of desperation by both the Cavs and Celtics will stop that!!!
That remains to be seen...
bahahahaha @ cleveland fan. still a bit bitter huh? you do realize you were one incredible shot from lebron away from a sweep right? and...cough...SHAQ is your answer? gonna suck when the magic beat you again and bron bron leaves. man im glad i don't live in cleveland!
I will give it to Howard that he is now officially the best center in the NBA, but he is no SHAQ! Look at how Shaq did when he came in the NBA. He was bigger, maybe quicker, and steam-rolled the hell out of a lot of teams. He dominated in every aspect, offensively and defensively. Howard is just mainly a great defender which is a good thing, but just an okay scorer. I'm anxious to see if his offense starts improving because if it does, then you can start comparing him to Shaq when Shaq was his age. He is freakishly athletic and I will say that he may be a top 5 center of all-time in the NBA when his career is over!
Think about this, Shaq was Dwight's current age when he came into the league. So if you wanna compare these two, then Dwight actually took the Magic to the Finals in his "rookie" year. Shaq has accomplished a lot in his career, no doubt, but in the long run, Dwight should have better numbers, more rings and less controversy. 1.Dwight is a better athlete, better defender, better rebounder, better shot-blocker and better foul-shooter than Shaq ever was. 2. When Shaq came into the league, he had to contend with much better true centers such as Olajuwon, Ewing, Robinson and much better power forwards Malone, Barkley, Kemp, Garnett and not to mention Jordan and his Bulls. For the foreseeable future Dwight does not have to contend with as many players this great. Lebron and Kobe, that's it. Duncan is over the hill and Yao Ming is injury prone. Dwight is only 23, his prime is still 5-6 years away, scary. Magic=champs in 2010.
giles u need to shut up ur dumb.... have u seen howards work ethic i can believe that he put on 10 pounds of muscle with how hard he works.... and anyone who thinks that cleveland is gna win is mad crazy
will be interesting to see if he follows the path of the big guy
I refered to the possibility the extra weight could be muscle, as advertised. Haven`t seen him yet. He was cut last season, but getting out of condition summer is the norm. Also said he was by default the best center, despite his lack of skills. But I don`t want him and Lewis mistaking press clippings for wins, I want them moving well and winning well. And at this stage, Shaq is a bonus to what Cleveland needed. The more important moves were adding Parker and Moon. And we`ll see what they do about Wild West. Anyway who prefers puff to basketball, they can have it, I don`t want it.
Is basketball still considered a sport?
Yall are funny. did u not read 10 pounds of muscle??????? they added barnes,bass,jay williams they still have pietrus they still have gortat jj anthony johnson they added carter ryan anderson.The whole bench besides gortat can hit 3s and defend.Dwight howard is superman now shaq needs to give it up and he will see when dwight gets the allstar center vote and shaq is sitting hahahahaha.NOBODY OUTSIDE OF SHAQS CURRENT TEAM LIKES HIM>HES WASHED UP
as for saying howard is the best center in the game. I would agree but that doesn't say much. who else is there? its not like there are any other dominating big men in the game currently.