Howard signs a 2 year deal for the tax MLE with a player option per Woj

[payitforward]

moved to new Austin Rivers thread....

[payitforward]

moved to Austin Rivers thread....

[DCZards]

A lot of chatter here, both by Dwight and those who want to belittle and over analyze everything he says. Must be the dog days of summer.

I'm just looking forward to Howard giving the Zards the kind of oncourt performance he gave the Hornets. That would be a significant upgrade in last season's center play.

[I_Like_Dirt]

All that said, I suppose I'd rather read this than read Gortat's "I refuse to learn to stretch my range" takes from past offseasons.

At least Gortat set realistic goals. Though to be fair, Dwight certainly seems to have taken this comic strip/superman thing so far that he's setting up cartoon-y type goals. His own version of Kevin Durant? What does that even mean?

To be honest, I think we've stumbled upon some great promotional ideas for the Wizards. Guess what on earth Dwight is talking about - the one who's answer comes closest wins 25% off 10th row seats. Or "Watch at home with Ian" where basically Mahinmi brings over some beer and chips to the home of a lucky fan and watches the game on their TV with them.

Read on Twitter

Oh come on. Can't we at least have a little fun? This stuff is all meaningless anyway. Realistically, Dwight is who he is now and anyone expecting otherwise is kidding themselves. Dwight is going to joke around a bit and be a generally happy guy overall, and on the floor he's going to do the same things he's done for several years now on several different teams, both the good and the bad.

As for the context, Dwight wanting to take from other players, sure, great. To be honest, pretty much all the quotes you quoted there weren't actually out of line. This gets to the point of Dwight being who he is. It isn't wrong for him to continue working on his game - he absolutely should. If he's focusing on taking from guys like Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant, though? Well, let's just say that's sort of been the trend with Dwight: he always tends to focus more on playing the star scorer role and not dominating and doing the more physical stuff, and frustrates his teammates in the process. I'm expecting something similar to happen this season for the Wizards, because it happened with the Hawks, it happened with the Rockets, it happened with the Lakers, and it was even happening with the Magic.

I'd much rather see Dwight try to pull from players like Marc Gasol, the Cleveland Kevin Love, or the Miami Chris Bosh. I want to see him focus on defensive rotations, boxing out and those other little things while taking a step back on offense. I'm not holding my breath, though. This is much ado about nothing. Dwight is Dwight and that isn't going to change.

[Illmatic12]

At least Gortat set realistic goals. Though to be fair, Dwight certainly seems to have taken this comic strip/superman thing so far that he's setting up cartoon-y type goals. His own version of Kevin Durant? What does that even mean?

To be honest, I think we've stumbled upon some great promotional ideas for the Wizards. Guess what on earth Dwight is talking about - the one who's answer comes closest wins 25% off 10th row seats. Or "Watch at home with Ian" where basically Mahinmi brings over some beer and chips to the home of a lucky fan and watches the game on their TV with them.

Read on Twitter

Oh come on. Can't we at least have a little fun? This stuff is all meaningless anyway. Realistically, Dwight is who he is now and anyone expecting otherwise is kidding themselves. Dwight is going to joke around a bit and be a generally happy guy overall, and on the floor he's going to do the same things he's done for several years now on several different teams, both the good and the bad.

As for the context, Dwight wanting to take from other players, sure, great. To be honest, pretty much all the quotes you quoted there weren't actually out of line. This gets to the point of Dwight being who he is. It isn't wrong for him to continue working on his game - he absolutely should. If he's focusing on taking from guys like Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant, though? Well, let's just say that's sort of been the trend with Dwight: he always tends to focus more on playing the star scorer role and not dominating and doing the more physical stuff, and frustrates his teammates in the process. I'm expecting something similar to happen this season for the Wizards, because it happened with the Hawks, it happened with the Rockets, it happened with the Lakers, and it was even happening with the Magic.

I'd much rather see Dwight try to pull from players like Marc Gasol, the Cleveland Kevin Love, or the Miami Chris Bosh. I want to see him focus on defensive rotations, boxing out and those other little things while taking a step back on offense. I'm not holding my breath, though. This is much ado about nothing. Dwight is Dwight and that isn't going to change.

But if you actually read the article , the idea of taking from Davis and Durant is about wanting to slim down and become more mobile . Howard wants to move away from demanding touches in the low post and do more in transition and playing in space. His trainer even mentions how he's lost over 20 lbs so he's not just talking about it, he's actually putting in the work to transform himself for the new NBA.

Other than Lebron, how many players in their 15th season are still training as hard as this man is to stay in peak condition?

Watch on YouTube

A lighter and more mobile Dwight Howard is a very good thing for the Wizards. I don't care about the offensive side, his main value will be on defense and if he comes into the season more agile & lighter on his feet it's going to be huge for us. It will allow him to stay on the floor in certain matchups where previously the game would have been too fast for him.

[nate33]

That Dwight Howard video is giving me a strange feeling... hope.

Watch on YouTube

[I_Like_Dirt]

But if you actually read the article , the idea of taking from Davis and Durant is about wanting to slim down and become more mobile . Howard wants to move away from demanding touches in the low post and do more in transition and playing in space. His trainer even mentions how he's lost over 20 lbs so he's not just talking about it, he's actually putting in the work to transform himself for the new NBA.

Other than Lebron, how many players in their 15th season are still training as hard as this man is to stay in peak condition?

Watch on YouTube

A lighter and more mobile Dwight Howard is a very good thing for the Wizards. I don't care about the offensive side, his main value will be on defense and if he comes into the season more agile & lighter on his feet it's going to be huge for us. It will allow him to stay on the floor in certain matchups where previously the game would have been too fast for him.

I did read the article, though skimmed it sort of, but your summation here isn't wrong. As for slimming down, though, you can say that without bringing up Davis or Durant. Those guys are slim in ways Dwight is simply never going to be and they've never had to slim down whatsoever. Transition and playing in space? Maybe, even there though, that's still focusing on the offensive end. Offense isn't his issue in the sense of needing to do more - defense is. To be honest, if you want to go out of position, I feel that by far the best example of a guy who slimmed down and evolved his game over time to play less offense and do more off the ball is Kyle Lowry. Dwight isn't doing anything any other number of players in the NBA weren't already doing and even if he suddenly decides to get on board in ways that offseason articles and one-off videos can't show doesn't actually mean he's going to be good at it.

And with Dwight, I don't actually feel work ethic was ever his issue. Dwight has been in the league for some time. He's busted his ass to stay in shape and it's been clearly evident. He came into the league as a kid that would eat 24 candy bars a day or whatever and dramatically changed his diet repeatedly. He's been pretty resistant to changing his game and he's had issues with his teammates feeling he's soft and more interested in stardom stats than making things easier for the team. Now the names of Durant and Davis are thrown out of all people? Why are we supposed to accept that as meaning anything whatsoever.

I don't actually see this as being dirty or anything, like Hibbert suggested. The reality is that the article is entirely meaningless. Howard has been talking about his diet and cardio and slimming down last season with the Hornets. He's used all sorts of words out there. I get where Candace is coming from. It's her article and she doesn't want it disparaged like that, and that's a fair point. But the reality is, with Dwight, he's done so many different songs and dances that offseason words are nothing more than platitudes. He's basically cried wolf everywhere he's gone, explained why things weren't just right and what he was going to do to change things. And the results were remarkably similar every time. I hope this is the time Dwight actually does change for the better. I'm just not convinced. If I had to guess, he's going to wind up like Vince Carter, where he's still good enough to warrant being in the league and play a role for any number of teams for some time, but floating around from team to team, never actually making such an impact that teams are scrambling for his services. The career arcs are obviously very different, but I feel there are quite a few parallels between Dwight and Vince. Now that I think about it, the only reason Vince Carter wouldn't be the best name to throw out there is because he's no longer a star anymore.

[gtn130]

If Dwight can put forth consistent effort, not take any shots that aren't dunks, and minimize his cancerous personality then he's an absurdly great value. Those things all happening is pretty unlikely.

[payitforward]

A lot of chatter here, both by Dwight and those who want to belittle and over analyze everything he says. Must be the dog days of summer.

I'm just looking forward to Howard giving the Zards the kind of oncourt performance he gave the Hornets. That would be a significant upgrade in last season's center play.

Dog days of Summer for sure....!

Not only did Howard play better than Gortat last year, he also played 400 more minutes. If we'd had him instead of Marcin last year (keeping Mahinmi on the bench for 400 of his minutes), seems likely we'd have been 3 wins better.

[DCZards]

The reality is that the article is entirely meaningless. Howard has been talking about his diet and cardio and slimming down last season with the Hornets. He's used all sorts of words out there. I get where Candace is coming from. It's her article and she doesn't want it disparaged like that, and that's a fair point. But the reality is, with Dwight, he's done so many different songs and dances that offseason words are nothing more than platitudes. He's basically cried wolf everywhere he's gone, explained why things weren't just right and what he was going to do to change things. And the results were remarkably similar every time. I hope this is the time Dwight actually does change for the better. I'm just not convinced. If I had to guess, he's going to wind up like Vince Carter, where he's still good enough to warrant being in the league and play a role for any number of teams for some time, but floating around from team to team, never actually making such an impact that teams are scrambling for his services. The career arcs are obviously very different, but I feel there are quite a few parallels between Dwight and Vince. Now that I think about it, the only reason Vince Carter wouldn't be the best name to throw out there is because he's no longer a star anymore.

Last season, Howard averaged 16.6 pts., 12.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. I'd be happy with a similar result next season.

[Illmatic12]

I did read the article, though skimmed it sort of, but your summation here isn't wrong. As for slimming down, though, you can say that without bringing up Davis or Durant. Those guys are slim in ways Dwight is simply never going to be and they've never had to slim down whatsoever. Transition and playing in space? Maybe, even there though, that's still focusing on the offensive end. Offense isn't his issue in the sense of needing to do more - defense is. To be honest, if you want to go out of position, I feel that by far the best example of a guy who slimmed down and evolved his game over time to play less offense and do more off the ball is Kyle Lowry. Dwight isn't doing anything any other number of players in the NBA weren't already doing and even if he suddenly decides to get on board in ways that offseason articles and one-off videos can't show doesn't actually mean he's going to be good at it.

And with Dwight, I don't actually feel work ethic was ever his issue. Dwight has been in the league for some time. He's busted his ass to stay in shape and it's been clearly evident. He came into the league as a kid that would eat 24 candy bars a day or whatever and dramatically changed his diet repeatedly. He's been pretty resistant to changing his game and he's had issues with his teammates feeling he's soft and more interested in stardom stats than making things easier for the team. Now the names of Durant and Davis are thrown out of all people? Why are we supposed to accept that as meaning anything whatsoever.

I don't actually see this as being dirty or anything, like Hibbert suggested. The reality is that the article is entirely meaningless. Howard has been talking about his diet and cardio and slimming down last season with the Hornets. He's used all sorts of words out there. I get where Candace is coming from. It's her article and she doesn't want it disparaged like that, and that's a fair point. But the reality is, with Dwight, he's done so many different songs and dances that offseason words are nothing more than platitudes. He's basically cried wolf everywhere he's gone, explained why things weren't just right and what he was going to do to change things. And the results were remarkably similar every time. I hope this is the time Dwight actually does change for the better. I'm just not convinced. If I had to guess, he's going to wind up like Vince Carter, where he's still good enough to warrant being in the league and play a role for any number of teams for some time, but floating around from team to team, never actually making such an impact that teams are scrambling for his services. The career arcs are obviously very different, but I feel there are quite a few parallels between Dwight and Vince. Now that I think about it, the only reason Vince Carter wouldn't be the best name to throw out there is because he's no longer a star anymore.

I mean there's clearly a difference between Dwight Howard and other players. Howard is one of the greatest athletic specimens we've ever seen to this point in human history. And I don't think that's an exaggeration. You typed a whole lot of negative things regarding Howard, but you forgot to mention that he's been averaging a double double for his entire career, and is top 10 all-time in winshares among centers. If he thinks slimming down and becoming more mobile will help him remain impactful in the league, I think he's earned the benefit of the doubt.


You're right that the article is meaningless - which is why it's completely silly for people to jump out the window and act like he's running around saying he's going to be Kevin Durant, or that he's expecting to average 30ppg like Anthony Davis. He never said that! lol.

What we do know is that Dwight works extremely hard on his physique and functional athleticism - and he doesn't have to say it, we can clearly see it. If Dwight is able to replicate his production of the last few years, but with even more mobility on the defensive end and in transition he'll be very, VERY effective in Washington. And for an MLE salary that kind of production could be a complete steal.

[Ruzious]

Jeebus, even at 32, he's probably the best physical specimen in the NBA - including Anthony Davis and Lebron. His shoulders are absurd. If he stays motivated, he really could play till he's 40.

[keynote]

The article is hilarious, and no one can convince me otherwise. It's the stuff of silly summer offseason legend.

Folks throwing on their capes to defend Dwight from the mild fallout from this article (and by "fallout," I mean "jokes") is also hilarious. Relax. We all want the Dwight signing to be successful. I dunno if any of us were expecting to sign a Mr. Olympia competitor with the game of an Antonio Davis/Kevin Durant hybrid at 263 lbs for the MLE. But none of us would turn that down, either.

[Illmatic12]

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."

Read on Twitter

[Ruzious]

The article is hilarious, and no one can convince me otherwise. It's the stuff of silly summer offseason legend.

Folks throwing on their capes to defend Dwight from the mild fallout from this article (and by "fallout," I mean "jokes") is also hilarious. Relax. We all want the Dwight signing to be successful. I dunno if any of us were expecting to sign a Mr. Olympia competitor with the game of an Antonio Davis/Kevin Durant hybrid at 263 lbs for the MLE. But none of us would turn that down, either.

Wait till ya see him at 280 lbs and a 20 inch waste! When we get Zion Williamson to team with him, they'll take turns bench pressing each other.

[cdouglas]

Yes, I'll defend Dwight Howard as long as he's playing in DC against all the haters all because he WANTS TO BE HERE IN DC!! Unlike KD and Carmello.

[cdouglas]

Must Read

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?s=19

I'm been wanting Howard in DC for a looonnng time! I'm going to make a bold statement and say that DC will surprise the league and replace Cleveland as the team to beat in the East. YEAH, I said it and I won't take it back!!

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I did read the article, though skimmed it sort of, but your summation here isn't wrong. As for slimming down, though, you can say that without bringing up Davis or Durant. Those guys are slim in ways Dwight is simply never going to be and they've never had to slim down whatsoever. Transition and playing in space? Maybe, even there though, that's still focusing on the offensive end. Offense isn't his issue in the sense of needing to do more - defense is. To be honest, if you want to go out of position, I feel that by far the best example of a guy who slimmed down and evolved his game over time to play less offense and do more off the ball is Kyle Lowry. Dwight isn't doing anything any other number of players in the NBA weren't already doing and even if he suddenly decides to get on board in ways that offseason articles and one-off videos can't show doesn't actually mean he's going to be good at it.

And with Dwight, I don't actually feel work ethic was ever his issue. Dwight has been in the league for some time. He's busted his ass to stay in shape and it's been clearly evident. He came into the league as a kid that would eat 24 candy bars a day or whatever and dramatically changed his diet repeatedly. He's been pretty resistant to changing his game and he's had issues with his teammates feeling he's soft and more interested in stardom stats than making things easier for the team. Now the names of Durant and Davis are thrown out of all people? Why are we supposed to accept that as meaning anything whatsoever.

I don't actually see this as being dirty or anything, like Hibbert suggested. The reality is that the article is entirely meaningless. Howard has been talking about his diet and cardio and slimming down last season with the Hornets. He's used all sorts of words out there. I get where Candace is coming from. It's her article and she doesn't want it disparaged like that, and that's a fair point. But the reality is, with Dwight, he's done so many different songs and dances that offseason words are nothing more than platitudes. He's basically cried wolf everywhere he's gone, explained why things weren't just right and what he was going to do to change things. And the results were remarkably similar every time. I hope this is the time Dwight actually does change for the better. I'm just not convinced. If I had to guess, he's going to wind up like Vince Carter, where he's still good enough to warrant being in the league and play a role for any number of teams for some time, but floating around from team to team, never actually making such an impact that teams are scrambling for his services. The career arcs are obviously very different, but I feel there are quite a few parallels between Dwight and Vince. Now that I think about it, the only reason Vince Carter wouldn't be the best name to throw out there is because he's no longer a star anymore.

I mean there's clearly a difference between Dwight Howard and other players. Howard is one of the greatest athletic specimens we've ever seen to this point in human history. And I don't think that's an exaggeration. You typed a whole lot of negative things regarding Howard, but you forgot to mention that he's been averaging a double double for his entire career, and is top 10 all-time in winshares among centers. If he thinks slimming down and becoming more mobile will help him remain impactful in the league, I think he's earned the benefit of the doubt.


You're right that the article is meaningless - which is why it's completely silly for people to jump out the window and act like he's running around saying he's going to be Kevin Durant, or that he's expecting to average 30ppg like Anthony Davis. He never said that! lol.

What we do know is that Dwight works extremely hard on his physique and functional athleticism - and he doesn't have to say it, we can clearly see it. If Dwight is able to replicate his production of the last few years, but with even more mobility on the defensive end and in transition he'll be very, VERY effective in Washington. And for an MLE salary that kind of production could be a complete steal.

I kind of disagree with you.

His physique could be mostly the result of genetics and we just love his broad shoulders. When I say we I mean the general public that thinks he's this athletic specimen. Just because he's ripped and got body fat is very low doesn't mean he's working any harder than the fattest guy on the team...

Dwight just looks like he's all that

Sent from my LG-TP260 using RealGM mobile app

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I did read the article, though skimmed it sort of, but your summation here isn't wrong. As for slimming down, though, you can say that without bringing up Davis or Durant. Those guys are slim in ways Dwight is simply never going to be and they've never had to slim down whatsoever. Transition and playing in space? Maybe, even there though, that's still focusing on the offensive end. Offense isn't his issue in the sense of needing to do more - defense is. To be honest, if you want to go out of position, I feel that by far the best example of a guy who slimmed down and evolved his game over time to play less offense and do more off the ball is Kyle Lowry. Dwight isn't doing anything any other number of players in the NBA weren't already doing and even if he suddenly decides to get on board in ways that offseason articles and one-off videos can't show doesn't actually mean he's going to be good at it.

And with Dwight, I don't actually feel work ethic was ever his issue. Dwight has been in the league for some time. He's busted his ass to stay in shape and it's been clearly evident. He came into the league as a kid that would eat 24 candy bars a day or whatever and dramatically changed his diet repeatedly. He's been pretty resistant to changing his game and he's had issues with his teammates feeling he's soft and more interested in stardom stats than making things easier for the team. Now the names of Durant and Davis are thrown out of all people? Why are we supposed to accept that as meaning anything whatsoever.

I don't actually see this as being dirty or anything, like Hibbert suggested. The reality is that the article is entirely meaningless. Howard has been talking about his diet and cardio and slimming down last season with the Hornets. He's used all sorts of words out there. I get where Candace is coming from. It's her article and she doesn't want it disparaged like that, and that's a fair point. But the reality is, with Dwight, he's done so many different songs and dances that offseason words are nothing more than platitudes. He's basically cried wolf everywhere he's gone, explained why things weren't just right and what he was going to do to change things. And the results were remarkably similar every time. I hope this is the time Dwight actually does change for the better. I'm just not convinced. If I had to guess, he's going to wind up like Vince Carter, where he's still good enough to warrant being in the league and play a role for any number of teams for some time, but floating around from team to team, never actually making such an impact that teams are scrambling for his services. The career arcs are obviously very different, but I feel there are quite a few parallels between Dwight and Vince. Now that I think about it, the only reason Vince Carter wouldn't be the best name to throw out there is because he's no longer a star anymore.

I mean there's clearly a difference between Dwight Howard and other players. Howard is one of the greatest athletic specimens we've ever seen to this point in human history. And I don't think that's an exaggeration. You typed a whole lot of negative things regarding Howard, but you forgot to mention that he's been averaging a double double for his entire career, and is top 10 all-time in winshares among centers. If he thinks slimming down and becoming more mobile will help him remain impactful in the league, I think he's earned the benefit of the doubt.


You're right that the article is meaningless - which is why it's completely silly for people to jump out the window and act like he's running around saying he's going to be Kevin Durant, or that he's expecting to average 30ppg like Anthony Davis. He never said that! lol.

What we do know is that Dwight works extremely hard on his physique and functional athleticism - and he doesn't have to say it, we can clearly see it. If Dwight is able to replicate his production of the last few years, but with even more mobility on the defensive end and in transition he'll be very, VERY effective in Washington. And for an MLE salary that kind of production could be a complete steal.

I am 5 foot 8 and right now I weigh around 280 lb. I look like a black Uncle Fester if I've got dark Rings under my eyes.

About a month ago at 24 Hour Fitness a young fellow approached me after he saw me doing some of my workout routine...

You got great functional athleticism and strength sir was basically what he said

In my opinion I'm a GD freak of nature. I am the closest thing to a Silverback and a human being that you will ever see. I am big I am strong I am fast I am flexible and I'm a great dancer

But to the less I don't know intelligent I want to say to the stupid people but that's not fair to the people who go by BMI I am morbidly obese

Sent from my LG-TP260 using RealGM mobile app

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

What does this have to do with Dwight Howard?

Now that MMA is mainstream I can share a story that you can relate to. 20 years ago at least 18 years ago I saw a mixed martial arts elimination tournament

It was some sort of round-robin where there were either 16 Fighters or eight fighters to begin with and only one guy emerged as a winner that night

The overall winner was this fat sloppy looking bastard

I call him that because I was in the front row and I can see his fat jiggling when he was beating guys and choking them out

What I remember the most is the throat slit gesture the Josh Barnett does when he wins.

I would rather have West unsell with fat jiggling as he throws Outlet passes and yes I've seen that too


Then the fittest Josh Howard I'm sorry I'm so old Dwight Howard

Millennials get hung up in the tape measure

Stat Geeks no vorp and they know BMI and all kind of stuff

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