Top 50: Dwight Howard, no. 5

@Jukai – You’d take Howard over Olajuwon? Man, you obviously didn’t watch the man play or you don’t understand the game! If I was creating an all-time starting 5 I would actually take Olajuwon over Russell. Even if we’re only talking about defense, forget the offensive numbers which dwarf Howards, but on defence Olajuwon was a maestro. Great footwork and positioning, perfect timing, quick leaping ability, strong in the post and always fighting for position, great awareness and was constantly talking to teammates. Dwight is athletic and plays great D, but not on the same level as The Dream. It is still early days for Dwight and in 10 years I could change my mind, but for now, not even close.

Much love to The Fresh Prince, my other main man. I see ya, keep doing your thang. You just made my point for me because I’m NOT saying that DHow is a bum, he’s obviously the best defensive center today but to say that he’s in Hakeem, Deke, DRob’s and Eaton’s league is downright LUDACRIS.

@JTaylor21: Did you ever think… just stop and think for ONE SECOND… that Howard doesn’t have more fouls because he purposefully AVOIDS fouls by not trying to block as much in the restricted area, as well as being pulled out of the paint by centers who spread the floor with outside shooting?!?!
It’s not that it’s easier to foul so Howard gets more fouls. It’s that it’s easier to foul so the centers of today have adjusted for that to foul less. It’s the way of things bro. Accept it.
@Nicolas Fleming: All I’m saying is that Howard is on the same defensive level as the rest of those HOF centers. The only centers I’d take defensively over Howard are Russell, Robinson, Mutombo, Chamberlain… Gosh, maybe Mourning, but that’s it. I’d even take Howard over other defensive STUDS like Eaton and Wallace.
Howard is a top-ALL TIME defender.
He just sucks offensively.
In the 90s, Howard would be an athletic but shorter Mutombo. A super fantastic defensive threat with no offensive skills to go to.
But yeah, Olajuwon would still beast him.
@God in Basketball Shoes: Agree to disagree. Maybe it’s cause Olajuwon’s masterful offense blinded me from his defense, but I have memories of him straying too far on switches and biting on a lot of fakes. You could be right, Olajuwon was a champ, a LUDICROUS ball thief for a center and he holds so many defensive records it’s mind boogling. But going from what I’ve seen, I don’t think he’d make it in my top-5 all-time defensive centers.
Sorry.

@Jukai: I was just making sure and for the most part agree with everything you have said. And had Howard played in the 90′s, he probably would have focused even less on the offensive end and may even better defensively than he is now…is that possible?

comparing dwight to hakeem is an insult to one of the best centers of all time!

@Jukai, I used Eaton as an example based on blocks and the way he used to shut-down the paint. Also that he averaged more fouls per game than DHow but still put up way better defensive numbers. For you to say that you would take DHow over a 7footer that’s in the Top-10 all-time in steals while being 1st in blocks is mind-boggling. What is your excuse for why shorter guys like Josh Smith and Larry Nance avg. more blocks per game over their careers than DHow? Take your time, I’ll wait…………

They come in more from the weak side.
I had to.

BBaller: It was just to speed up the game.
JTaylor: Josh Smith started out as a better shot blocker than Dwight Howard. It simply has to do with developing defensive skills faster. That wont last. It could very well be next season that they switch places. Plus, Josh Smith is one of the best shot blockers in the GAME right now, but Dwight’s killed him the last two years. Killed.
Nance came into the league three and a half years older than Dwight and didn’t take as long to start averaging two blocks a game. Start counting Dwight at 22 till 24, and Dwight averages WAY more blocks than Nance does. Plus Nance played in the same error where getting blocks were easier. The Larry Nance comparison was a very bad example. Josh Smith was better, but that’s just because Josh Smith came into the L blocking better at a young age than Dwight did. Right now, it’s not even comparable.

JTaylor: Also, I wish you’d stop comparing average numbers for Dwight, considering he came into the L three years younger than Hakeem and four years younger than DRob. Let’s compare their careers:
Howard: 13.2 rebounds, 1 steal, 2.8 blocks
Hakeem: 11.4 rebounds, 2 steals, 3.4 blocks
DavidR: 12.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 3.9 blocks
So Howard, at the same age as Hakeem and DavidR, is getting about a block less in an age which is VERY HARD TO GET BLOCK SHOTS… but still out rebounding them.
Hmmmmm.
Waiting on you buddy.

i bet you blokes cant wait to start watching some BALL all this back and forth debate is doing my head in.

@Jukai, I know that you’re going to bring up the “there’s more fouls called today than in the past” argument to counter mines. So I’ll reply before you even get that chance, go back and read my 7:21 post and you’ll see that I stated that great shot-blockers like Eaton and Hakeem were whistled for MORE fouls per game than DHow has ever come close to in a season. Contrary to popular believe shot-blockers had it tougher on them in terms of officials being harder on them when it came to calling fouls than players today. I love the 80s/90s just as much as anyone else but this is just another LIE about less fouls being called fabricated by people when claiming to just how tough and better those eras were compared to toady. There’s a reason why 80s/90s greats MJ/Malone are #1 and #9 in all-time FT attempts.

JTaylor: It’s not about Dwight trying to block shots, it’s about body position. Maybe I misspoke in my last post.
Notice how a lot more block shots today either come from behind or come from weakside help. Very few block shots are blocked straight on. Gone are the days of Eaton blocking Jordan straight up, or Chamberlain jumping straight up in the air and stopping Gus Johnson’s dunk with such force that it throws out a disk in Gus’ back.
You would argue that it is because centers are worse shot blocks. I get that.
I am saying that centers no longer do that because that’s a foul. If a center goes straight up and blocks a shot straight on, but causes some body contact, a ref sees the contact and sees the restricted area and calls a foul. You just can’t clank bodies to get blocks anymore.
You never see Howard try to block shots like that. I bet if Howard played in the 90s, he’d CONSTANTLY try to block shots like that. In this day and age, you can’t. You gotta gather distance and jump at the ball, away from the person.
I get that there’s a legit argument saying that floaters are more common and athletes jump higher and faster so there is more contact… but I really feel that it’s a lot about the rules.
Also, if David Robinson improved his rebounding the next season at 25, why can’t Dwight improve his shot blocking at 25 and be closer to David Robinson?
My point was, Dwight was outrebounding Hakeem and DRob at the same age. Rebounding is a defensive stat, see: Rodman.
HELL let’s look at Dwight Howard and Hakeem Olajuwon at 23:
Howard: 13.8 rebounds, 1 steal, 2.9 blocks
Hakeem: 11.5 rebounds, 2 steal, 3.4 blocks
I really don’t see much of a difference. Half a block more, a steal more, more than two rebounds less. Both provided the same man-to-man defense. But Howard was in an age where it was harder to get rebounds and blocks.
That’s all I’m saying.

DAMN, Jukai that was probably one of the BEST counter-arguments ever presented in Slam history, one round of applause for that one. I agree with you on all-points but disagree with Howard is on par with Hakeem defensively. I know that DHow is the only reason why the magic are a top-5 defensive team but remember that the Rockets weren’t too great defensively on the perimeter also and Hakeem’s defense was the BIGGEST reason why they beat teams (NY/Orl) that had better all-around talent. There’s a big difference between being a great team defender and a great all-around/iso defender, DHow’s a great team defender but Hakeem was an equally great team defender as he was one-on-one. There are only a handful of guys in history that you could say were both; Hakeem, Pip, mid20s MJ even Russel was a good not great iso defender (Wilt always did him dirty when they played). Anyways I understand your point on DHow but him and Hakeem on par defensively NAH!

Hakeem > Dwight.

Someone is using JTaylor’s name to post for him. Obviously.

*classic post players, not classic post defenders.
Gotta proof read.

Jtaylor, for your 9:51 comment, I would like to apologize for some comments I have made. That was a good concession. I would like to see more commenting like that.

hey! all you haters that think that superman is overrated….THIS LIST TOP 50 HAS BEEN SOLID SO FAR!

4.wade
3. LeBron
2. Durant
1. Kobe

Anyone that says Lebron is any lower than 2 is delusional. Even putting Kobe above him is ridiculous at this point since Lebron has been the much better performer the last two years, but it’s also understandable since Kobe has won the last 2 championships. But otherwise you have no point of reference on how either of the other two could be higher. Yea Wade won the title but regardless if he was the reason they won it or not, they wouldn’t have even been there if it were not for Shaq. As for Durant being #2, yeah maybe, if Lebron is at 1. At this point is a more talented player than Kobe, but hasn’t really proven he deserves that spot. Rankings are based on now and not the future. So for now it still falls between Kobe and Lebron.

if you had to make a combo of 2 players on the top ten it would be dwight and some perimiter player. dwight is the most valuble big man in th L and he is gonna show off his post game like he has in preseason so get ready ppl

@Jukais post @9:27 When we look at their production at the age of 23 we have to take into consideration that Hakeem played with a healthy Ralph Sampson,so he couldn’t accomplish that many Rebs and Blocks.Howard instead is the lone ”true” big in the Magics 4-out/1-in offense.

Really have to throw in my 2 cents. It’s really unfair to compare Howard and Hakeem due to such difference in eras. Hakeem’s era was a flat out big man wonderland. We’re facing a bigman wasteland at the moment, with most of the best players at the SF and PG positions. Different rules and different circumstances make it impossible to judge.

I’ll throw this out there just cause I can:
Dwight will NEVER develop post moves or a serviceable jumper. Never.

@KB8toSG8… A serious dropstep, or even a proper jump hook, not that running one footed monstrosity he chucks at the backboard, and he’ll be alright. Not saying I don’t enjoy watching him play!

Thanks Matt. Finally an article in this list that really looks at the players skills & also his position within the list.