The Problem (or lack thereof) With Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard has caught mixed reactions from Hawks fans. Is he really the problem that many are making him out to be?

The Atlanta Hawks signed one of the most polarizing players in NBA history to a three-year, $70 million dollar deal on July 2. Dwight Howard’s return home to Atlanta is one that fans of basketball across the country have been chattering about since some high-caliber NBA insider announced it on their Twitter late Saturday afternoon.

Hawks fans instantly panicked, taking to social media to show their disappointment regarding the signing of a 8-time All-Star. Talks of Howard being a “cancer”- which is an extremely disturbing term to describe a person that you have never met- spewed across computer screens.

Hawk fans turned Internet General Managers professed their disdain of the Howard signing, using all of the information they gained from hearing media members throw Howard under the bus since his departure from Orlando. Atlanta’s Golden Boy being tarnished by “fans” sitting behind computer screens, portraying him to be a sub-par, washed up, locker room-ruining basketball has-been.

This is the problem with Dwight Howard.

Very rarely have I seen a fan of the Hawks defend Howard over the past days. They hardly asked what ,in fact, makes Howard a “cancer” or a “team-wrecker”. Far more frequently a misinformed user would go out of way to criticize Howard for the smallest thing they could deem to be a problem.

Dwight Howard’s problem isn’t himself.

You could criticize Howard for his free throw shooting, his lack of developing a collection of post moves throughout his now 12-year career, or his absence of range on his jump shot. But what does this prove? That he has still been one of the most dominant players of the 21st century, even with these supposedly “huge” holes in his game? Yet, he gets criticized for “declining” on the offensive end of the ball.

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Last season, Dwight Howard shot the same amount of shots per game (8.5) as Gerald Green, who played 10 less minutes per game, and was paid about 21 million dollars less, according to basketball-reference.com. In contrast, James Harden shot 19.7 shots per game. To criticize him for not scoring, while given insufficient opportunities, is illogical. Yet, the men and women that are payed six figures to talk about the game seemingly go out of their way to disregarding his success.

Dwight Howard’s problem is the constant belittlement of his game and persona by the most notable sportswriters in America.

I challenge you to go search for a positive quote about Dwight Howard by an accomplished sports journalist. Since his departure from Orlando, Howard has been a popular scapegoat for the media. The people who’s opinions on sports are taken with the utmost respect, who boast millions of faithful Twitter followers, who will debate for hours against anyone who opposes their favorite reporter. The writer’s influence on how an uneducated fan perceives a player is surely… unique. A casual fan looking to gain information is met with links to other work. At this point, the writer has overtaken the fan, and 9 times out of ten the reader will absorb any “hot take” that the writer spews like a sponge. Then, this fan goes and tells his peers of his new findings; like a caveman finding fire. This is especially common in a place like Atlanta, a melting pot, in which the Atlanta sports fandom is loyal, but sparse.

"“Last season, Dwight Howard shot the same amount of shots per game (8.5) as Gerald Green, who played 10 less minutes per game, and was paid about 21 million dollars less.”"

This all leads to me asking you, the reader, this simple question: What makes Dwight Howard a “cancer”? Is it because you, a person who I highly doubt has interacted with Howard for an extended period of time, believes what your favorite media figure, who has likley never even met Howard, has to say about him? Or is it because Kobe, obviously the greatest teammate in NBA history, called him “soft”? Or maybe even because he didn’t get along with James Harden, who shot 12 more shots that him last season, after being promised a 1B role when he signed with the team? I would love to hear every reader’s answer through Twitter (@ATLPistolPete), and truly understand what could make a person develop such a disdain for a man that they have only heard of.