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So...Hawks lose Game 2 of their playoff series to WAS. Dwight sits out the entire fourth quarter.

Then provides some pretty amusing/infuriating responses when asked about his limited PT in the game:




Now comes the inevitable blowback and criticism of Dwight's game:

...a week ago I was under the assumption that Howard was one of the best players in the NBA. But then Game 1 between the Wizards and Hawks unfolded and I was left questioning everything I thought I knew about Howard.

[In Game 2][H]e never even feigned an attempt to hedge ball screens; he rarely blocked anyone out; he never bent his knees or brought his hands above his waist on defense; and he showed no desire to post up or stand in the paint on offense. It was jarring to see a 31-year-old, eight-time NBA All-Star who once averaged 20.6 points and 13.8 rebounds for a Finals team so blatantly not give a single **** in a pivotal playoff game.

He finished with six points, seven rebounds, four fouls, and three turnovers. He was such a liability for the Hawks that he didn’t even get on the floor in the fourth quarter.

-The Ringer


Thoughts?

Predictions?

Concerns?

Is the criticism warranted? Overblown?

Was Dwight right to be frustrated? Was Bud justified in benching one of our most prominent players down the stretch in a key playoff game?

Any chance we can trade Dwight for Horford straight up before Saturday's Game Three?

I always thought the criticism of D12 was overblown. He messed up in his departure from ORL, but he just seemed like a lightning rod for controversy and people went out of their way to hate on him. (Kinda like Anne Hathaway).

And even now, we get visitors to our board to take shots at Dwight, ignoring the myriad other problems and flaws on or team.

But, I do get it now. He's just not much of a leader. He makes odd comments when adversity hits and his effort level wanes greatly when he isn't involved.

I won't say he's a cancer, but he clearly isn't a leader and no longer consistently dominates on the court.

The amount of scrutiny he draws every time this team struggles is mind blowing. Fans and media really hate this guy. Dennis doesn't seem that fond of him, either. And I don't know that Paul and Dwight ever developed much of a rapport.

That is the problem.

The Hawks are a worse team when Dwight Howard is on the court. This is true for at least the following two reasons:

#1) On defense, Howard cannot — or simply refuses to — step up and contest perimeter shots in the pick-and-roll. Instead, he sits in the middle of the paint, allowing uncontested 15-footer after uncontested 15-footer. That is a recipe for disaster against Bradley Beal.

#2) On offense, Dwight is a shell of himself. Actually, that’s not true. Howard has somehow managed to play 13 seasons in the NBA on four different teams under countless coaches without ever having learned one post move. It’s quite remarkable.

The revelation that Dwight is not great anymore does not qualify as breaking news. Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer surely knows this. In Game 2, he limited Howard to 20 minutes (all other Hawks starters played 30-plus minutes).

It remains to be seen whether Budenholzer has the willingness — and authority — to bench the Hawks’ $70 million man. Howard is under contract for two more years, so any decision to bench him could have long-term implications beyond this first round series. Dwight already wore out his welcome in his last two NBA stops, and if Budenholzer removes him from the starting lineup, it could be the start of a very rocky two-year relationship.

HERE

Jamaaliver wrote:I always thought the criticism of D12 was overblown. He messed up in his departure from ORL, but he just seemed like a lightning rod for controversy and people went out of their way to hate on him. (Kinda like Anne Hathaway).

And even now, we get visitors to our board to take shots at Dwight, ignoring the myriad other problems and flaws on or team.

But, I do get it now. He's just not much of a leader. He makes odd comments when adversity hits and his effort level wanes greatly when he isn't involved.

I won't say he's a cancer, but he clearly isn't a leader and no longer consistently dominates on the court.

The amount of scrutiny he draws every time this team struggles is mind blowing. Fans and media really hate this guy. Dennis doesn't seem that fond of him, either. And I don't know that Paul and Dwight ever developed much of a rapport.

That is the problem.

Jamal I wholeheartedly agree and I have always had this criticism of Dwight even when he puts up better numbers. It's astounding to me how he hardly ever gets contested, hard fought rebounds. It has seemed to me all year that his effort is just plain sorry unless he is getting the ball a lot in the post where quite frankly he just has never been that good. He was always best suited to be a rebounder, shot blocker that gets his points from putbacks and rolls to the basket. I read the second article you referenced along with the videos attached and indeed the level of effort is awful from someone getting paid 20 million. Gortat is making him look like a journeyman simply because of sheer will and effort and flat out wanting it more. No he clearly isn't a leader and never has been. With that being said, Dennis also needs to be called out on his lack of urgency and effort on the defensive end. Someone with his athletic ability and speed shouldn't be such a liability on defense.

EDIT: There was a good article that showed the Hawks defensive rating when Dennis and Dwight were playing at the same time vs when Timmy and Muscala were in and it was shocking how much better the defense was when Muscala was in at center and Timmy was at point.

chrismikayla wrote:Gortat is making [Howard] look like a journeyman simply because of sheer will and effort and flat out wanting it more.

...Dennis also needs to be called out on his lack of urgency and effort on the defensive end. Someone with his athletic ability and speed shouldn't be such a liability on defense.

Yeah, there were questions before the season regarding how these two would pair up. Those concerns were definitely warranted. Not only by skillset, but also in their mindsets & approach to the game.


It is clear, they currently don't pair well.

Dwight would likely have benefitted more from a vet PG like Teague, Devin Harris or Jameer Nelson.

Dennis clearly needs a Point Forward like Horford, Diaw or Gasol. A passing big man who can spread the floor for Dennis to drive.

NOTE: Their defense has been dreadful this year. Dwight might be dealing with lingering back injuries. Dennis just isn't even trying.



SB Nation's analysis last Fall:

Atlanta needs to keep Howard happy, which is not easy.

The best way to do that is to have a low-usage lead ballhandler who can spot up around him when he posts up and is willing to feed him. The paint will be cluttered, but the point guard has to be willing to drive anyway and explore his options instead of settling for mid-range looks. With Howard likely using more possessions than Horford, the rest of the team will need to be fed by a place-setting, mistake-averse lead ball handler.

HERE

^Sounds like Teague or perhaps even George Hill. Certainly not Dennis Horatio Schroder.

DH was signed to play with Horf and Sap was likely going to be moved. When that plan fell to hell, they should have blown it up at the deadline.

Noone with any realism could think this team was going anywhere.

Now we have to pick up the pieces: Sap is severely over-matched as a #1 option, Schro doesn't like DH and it's affecting his development, DH is being phased out, THJr is way over-rated by a bunch of desparate Hawks fans and then there's Baze....

What's the FO going to do this offseason as an encore? Re-sign Sap and run a very similar, older team out next season with a terrible cap situation?

Howard upset at benching, and this homecoming seemed doomed from start

Howard is not happy. The day after the Hawks were drop-kicked into the offseason by Washington, he used the word “pissed” three times to describe his feelings about the way both his and the team’s the season ended.

“It was very difficult,” Howard said Saturday. “I want to play. I want to be out on the floor. I want to make a difference. I want to make an impact, and I can’t do that on the bench.”

Budenholzer said putting [Howard] on the bench was “difficult,” but reiterated there were times the team needed to play “a little faster” and “more spread. … There’s still a feeling out as to how you play and how you function with him.”

Dwight denied suggestions that matchups should have anything to do with his reduced time. He denied season-long suspicions that he struggles in the Hawks’ ball-movement, pick-and-roll offense.

What happened this season is not on Howard — it’s on Budenholzer and general manager Wes Wilcox. They misfired with their expectation level of Howard’s impact...the center should not be blamed for this disappointing season. Howard performed exactly how anybody should have expected he would.

When Budenholzer said the timing was right, he could not have been more wrong.

myAJC


Is Dwight Howard a positive or a negative for the Hawks?

...while Howard remains an excellent rebounder, it's pretty clear he isn't a great fit in Mike Budenholzer's system.

The Hawks will need to make it work, however, since they owe Howard $47.3 million over the next two seasons—a contract that wouldn't be easy to trade even if Atlanta wanted to move on from the veteran center. That means the Hawks will need to tweak their system to better fit Howard's abilities, Howard will have to accept a more limited role than he's accustomed to or the two sides will be at odds come the 2017-18 season.

Bleacher Report

Boom, you swung and missed Bud, and Wes.

I along with others have stated on the GB that Dwight would have been so much valuable had he accepted a Tyson Chandler/Ben Wallace role. Focus on defense, shot blocking, and rebounding and stop trying to be a focal point of the offense. Get most of his points on lobs and putbacks.

chrismikayla wrote:I along with others have stated on the GB that Dwight would have been so much valuable had he accepted a Tyson Chandler/Ben Wallace role. Focus on defense, shot blocking, and rebounding and stop trying to be a focal point of the offense. Get most of his points on lobs and putbacks.

Agreed. And this is what I was expecting. Howard as the Ben Wallace-max, punishing opposing bigs down low.

That, next to Al Horford doing his best Rasheed Wallace impression and Taurean Prince doing the dirty work like a young Tayshaun Prince seemed like an appealing (if outdated) setup.

Word is there aren't many trade options available to dump Howard's contract, either:

Hawks have limited options when it comes to Dwight Howard

Atlanta’s probably stuck with him.

Peachtree Hoops

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/245821/Dwight-Howard-Likely-To-Only-Fetch-Cap-Relief-2nd-Rounder-On-Trade-Market

What are some of your guys' thoughts on this?

Hypothetical: if another team offered to take most or all of Dwight's cap hit off our hands, but didn't offer us anything stronger than a 2nd rounder would you do the trade?

On one hand Dwight Howard just doesn't fit our offense at all, he can't move the ball, can't stretch the floor, and demands to be given post-ups despite the fact that he can't post-up effectively. On the other hand he's single handedly fixed our rebounding struggles and has proven to be an effective rim protector, but his inability to effectively leave the paint on defense has proven to be detrimental at times this season. Let's also not overlook the fact that it would be a PR hit if we traded him after talking up the homecoming aspect all of last summer.

I'm sure we could fetch a late first for Dwight from a desperate team that'll inevitably strike out in FA, but if we wait that long then we won't have a chance at those FAs either. Also, would we be an attractive destination to a big time FA this summer anyway? Who would we bring in to replace Dwight at C? Do we ignore FA (as it pertains to the center position), and focus on finding a C who can fit the scheme in the draft? So much goes into this scenario.

ATL Boy wrote:http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/245821/Dwight-Howard-Likely-To-Only-Fetch-Cap-Relief-2nd-Rounder-On-Trade-Market

What are some of your guys' thoughts on this?

Hypothetical: if another team offered to take most or all of Dwight's cap hit off our hands, but didn't offer us anything stronger than a 2nd rounder would you do the trade?

Yes. Especially if Millsap walks away this summer.

I was a strong advocate for bringing in D12. I was wrong. He doesn't fit here on the floor or in the locker room.

Throw Bazemore in their while you're at it.




Update: I love this headline below:

Jamaaliver wrote:

ATL Boy wrote:http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/245821/Dwight-Howard-Likely-To-Only-Fetch-Cap-Relief-2nd-Rounder-On-Trade-Market

What are some of your guys' thoughts on this?

Hypothetical: if another team offered to take most or all of Dwight's cap hit off our hands, but didn't offer us anything stronger than a 2nd rounder would you do the trade?

Yes. Especially if Millsap walks away this summer.

I was a strong advocate for bringing in D12. I was wrong. He doesn't fit here on the floor or in the locker room.

Throw Bazemore in their while you're at it.




Update: I love this headline below:

Read on Twitter

It's a no-brainer if Millsap leaves. In fact, if he leaves then I'd be down to trade any and everyone on the roster not named Dennis Schroder, Taurean Prince, or Deandre Bembry, because none of these three players are in their prime yet. We'd have difficulties finding a trading partner for Bazemore though.

Biggest problem I saw all year is that Dwight seals people in the post perfectly, but other players cannot ever make the pass to him for a easy dunk/foul. Hawks also lost what game 2 or 5 when Dwight went to the bench. IMO bad coaching by Bud. As soon as Dwight sat they got like 4-6 offense rebounds on us and won. We are currently a team without any true shooting. I rather give Dwight the ball and draw a foul then have someone take a stupid pull-up midrange which we missed so often.

ATL Boy wrote:We'd have difficulties finding a trading partner for Bazemore though.

Would we, though?


He looked bad this season. But year ago teams were crawling over themselves to offer him $17+ million per.

Has one subpar season tanked his value that much?

He was never that good to start with...

Jamaaliver wrote:

ATL Boy wrote:We'd have difficulties finding a trading partner for Bazemore though.

Would we, though?


He looked bad this season. But year ago teams were crawling over themselves to offer him $17+ million per.

Has one subpar season tanked his value that much?

He was never that good to start with...

He wasn't just bad this season though, he was abysmal, IMO single handedly cost us that playoff series with his turnovers and poor play in games 2, 5 and 6.

If we can just dump Bazemore for nothing, we need to just do it, for anything. The salary cap has gone down, so $17 mil per year could get us a player so much better.


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I so wanted Dwight to step up offensively in the playoffs. Not blaming him, but I think we played better when we had better outside shooters like Korver. THJ and DS didn't do much for Dwight, and I think he can still help this team. Our rebounding improved greatly over the last couple of years, and that's due to Dwight replacing Al. He is more than an adequate replacement, but IMO he does not touch the ball enough. I'd like for him to watch DeAndre Jordan and how he gets free around the rim, because their games are very similar.
I want Dwight here next year, but we have to shake up our starting lineup, but it also takes Dwight to want to post up and 'Shaq-demand' the ball. Looks like Bud and I don't agree on how much time Dwight should be playing and when, but I've seen enough of Muscala. I'd rather see Humphries be Dwight's backup, bring back Sap & Prince and move anyone else you want.

I was for Rondo coming here last year when we had that chance, and not many will agree. But Rondo knows how to step up in the clutch. We need vets to help our young guys in the backcourt, and we need to be able to match up with Wall & Beal. They got way too many open looks.