Dwight Howard Doesn’t Like His MVP Chances

There’s been a surge in pro-Howard MVP chatter online of late, but Dwight doesn’t sound like he’s very confident in his chances at winning the award. The Orlando Sentinel reports: “Wednesday, Howard was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference player of the month for February. He averaged 26.6 points and 14.8 rebounds per game while posting a league-leading field goal percentage of .667. Overall, he ranks ninth in scoring, second in rebounding, third in blocked shots. He’s never been better. ‘He belongs in the very, very serious discussions for the MVP,’ Stan Van Gundy said. So why hasn’t he been? Well, the MVP is about scoring and being the best player on the best team. The knock on Dwight was his offense was way behind his defense, but that has changed. He averaged 18.3 points per game last season — 17.5 for his career — and is currently at 23.3. Just imagine if he could make free throws. And centers depend on somebody getting the ball to them; LeBron and Rose always have it in their hands. ‘Most of the MVPs are picked before the season starts. That’s how it’s always been,’ Howard said. ‘Everybody knows that to be considered the MVP you have to be the guy who scores a lot of points. So nobody pays attention to rebounds or blocked shots or defense. It’s all about points.'”