As many of you know, I took some flack for my opinions on Tim Tebow on Monday. If you hadn’t heard, click that link and read all about it, or click this link to hear me and Josh Flagner talk all about it.
Today, however, I am going to write about a figure who, in some ways, is just as polarizing as Tim Tebow. His name is Dwight Howard.
There have been some rumblings from the Cavs camp that Dan Gilbert is looking to go after Dwight Howard to solidify this team as defensive-minded contender. While talks are nascent at this point, and we have no idea just what Dwight and the Lakers will do, if Dwight becomes a free agent, I could honestly see the Cavs making a run at him.
Dwight Howard in a Cavaliers uniform would be disastrous.
First of all, we’ve all seen Kyrie Irving develop, and while he has the talent to be an NBA All Pro player, he needs to mature. Be it throwing his coach under the bus, or darting for the locker room on Fan Appreciation Night, Kyrie needs to grow and mature if he wants to be at all special for this franchise. If you bring in Dwight Howard, he would be the model of inconsistency and immaturity for Kyrie Irving.
Dwight whined constantly during his time in Orlando, got his coach fired, and made a mockery of the city of Orlando, the Magic organization, and the fans. While LeBron was certainly the most hated player in the NBA for quite a while, Dwight Howard took over that role thanks to his childish and incredibly immature departure with the Magic. Dwight made LeBron seem like the most selfless person in the NBA.
I certainly would not want to see the influence Dwight would have on Kyrie. Kyrie needs a strong mentor, someone with great character and a great work ethic, someone who is focused on the team. Dwight Howard would be exactly the opposite of that persona.
Dwight’s post presence would also hurt a guy like Tristan Thompson, who is just starting to come into his own. Thompson began to flourish on the offensive end and banged the boards with incredible athleticism when Andy Varejao went down with injury. Although Tristan may be a bit undersized, he’s much more comfortable playing with a guy like Tyler Zeller who is more effective shooting the mid-range jumper rather than posting up. Howard would more than make up for Thompson’s numbers, but why slow down Tristan’s development if this Cavaliers team is really building for the future?
Then comes the LeBron James issue.
I want LeBron back. You want LeBron back. The Cavs want LeBron back. While LeBron tore our collective heart out a couple of years ago, Cleveland fans are already clamoring for his return, and with good reason. LeBron is the greatest player of our generation and may contend with Michael Jordan to be the greatest player of all time. If you’re a Cavs fan and you wouldn’t like to see LeBron James back in a Cavaliers uniform, you clearly value pride over wins, and as I’ve said before, I am ok with that. However, the Cavs have seemingly been working towards this goal of a major push for LeBron in 2014, whether he wants to come back or not. Dwight Howard would certainly ruin any chance the Cavs would have of bringing LeBron back to Cleveland.
Dwight certainly wants to be one of the higher paid players in the NBA and would not be willing to take a paycut to come to Cleveland. If the Cavs signed Dwight, they would have little to no money to sign other players and definitely would have insufficient funds in terms of LeBron. I would be willing to bet that almost any NBA fan would rather have a chance at LeBron than a chance at Dwight Howard, and I would definitely be included in that group.
Finally, if you thought Tim Tebow would be a distraction, wait until the Dwight Howard show comes around. While Tebow is often talked about on ESPN and in different sports media outlets, he rarely ever offers opinions himself. Dwight, on the other hand, is pretty vocal and voices his opinions pretty openly. If ever Dwight has a problem with Mike Brown, we’ll know about it and the team will have all kinds of distractions on their hands. Tebow’s a distraction because his presence draws in the media like hound dogs. Dwight Howard is a distraction because he brings the media in thanks to the words that come out of his mouth.
Dwight Howard is a dominant NBA player. There’s not a doubt that he is the best and most athletic center in the NBA. He brings a defensive tenacity that is often unparalled and would certainly make this Cavaliers basketball team better immediately. However, Dwight’s dominance on the court isn’t worth the attitude and harm that he will bring to the franchise.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, for the next three to four years, if you want to win an NBA Championship, you’re going to have to beat LeBron to do it. No matter what team he plays for, LeBron will either play in or win the next three or four NBA Finals. He’s that dominant and that good. Dwight Howard and the Cavaliers still can’t compete with LeBron, Dwyane, Bosh, and the amazing role players that the Heat have assembled. For Cleveland to win a championship, it’s going to take a trip back to Cleveland from LeBron James.
I love what Dan Gilbert did in bringing back Mike Brown. He admitted his mistake, was more than a man in doing so, and moved this organization forward by taking a step back in time. Bringing in Dwight would hinder this organization and it’s chances at a title run. Keep Dwight and all of his garbage away from Cleveland. Continue to build through the draft, help Kyrie to mature, add a couple of role players, and make that push towards LeBron. Those are the steps the Cavs need to take to compete for a championship.
Dwight Howard should not be included in the Cavalier’s plans.
The post Why I Don’t Want Dwight Howard to be a Cleveland Cavalier appeared first on More Than A Fan.