Physically, there are few athletes who can match Dwight Howard. What the guy has been able to accomplish thus far in his young career is incredible. However, this point is where the rubber finally meets the road. It's probably hard for Dwight to hear people questioning his game, because it may be the first time it's ever happened. Sure, people have questioned his mean streak and his killer instinct, but this has to be the first time people are actually criticizing his game. Kendrick Perkins has shut him down this series. Once he gets about a foot outside the charge circle, he cannot score. He has no post game whatsoever. He's airballing baby hooks!
I'm sure it's frustrating for him to hear people say that he doesn't deserve more touches. I predict Dwight will take a huge leap next season as a player, because this is the kind of thing that will force him to develop his game more this summer. It really seems like he hasn't developed at all. While LBJ comes back every season with a new facet of his game tightened up, Dwight is still having the same issues (swatting the ball out of bounds on every block, unable to score on any player that keeps him more than an arms length away from the rim, incompetent at the free throw line) that he has always had. I'm not bashing him. It seems like life on planet Dwight has been pretty sweet thus far. But, he SHOULD be a better player than Kendrick Perkins, and he has not been in this series. He needs these types of failures if he is ever going to become one of the all-time great big men that this league has ever seen.
So yes, please, give Dwight the ball tonight. As long as Rashard Lewis doesn't have it, I won't be worried.
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