Laker Dwight Needs to Be More Celtic

This post just seemed fitting seeing as the Lakers are playing the Celtics tonight.

Also, now that Mitch Kupchak has come out and made statements regarding “not trading” Dwight Howard that are so definitive that he would never get anyone to believe him again if he went back on them, it is time (for those outside of Orlando who didn’t already know) to accept these facts.

Howard, in my opinion, is not a franchise player. He is not a leader. He doesn’t just shy away from conflict and scrutiny, he passive aggressively avoids them. He is not serious—ever. He still remains noncommittal on his future with the Lakers. He is a one-dimensional player who believes himself to be three-dimensional. He refuses to consistently do the two things that he is better at then everyone else in the league—pick and roll to the hoop, and defend. He has not improved any of his weaknesses since entering the league. He has built an impressive career off his unmatched athleticism, but has come nowhere close to returning to that athletic level following offseason back surgery. He’s talked a lot about his injuries and how they have aversely affected him this year, but was still able, and willing to do this. Despite getting everything he said he didn’t get in Orlando (big market, championship caliber roster, first class front office), he has pouted and somehow managed to rub all of his teammates the wrong way—even Steve Nash, the world’s preeminent teammate.