Andre Miller: The Magic Are Better Without Dwight
After really outplaying the Magic at some points during this series, how does Philly explain getting cracked by 25 when they didn’t have two key players (Dwight, Courtney Lee) in Game 6? Andre Miller has a thought: The Magic are actually better when Dwight Howard isn’t on the floor. And Miller said that he even heard that same sentiment from one of Orlando’s guys.
“They’re actually better without Dwight Howard,” Miller said. “One of their players told me that they were better without Dwight Howard. They said the ball moves quicker. They’re not standing around a lot.”
I like getting on Dwight for not being as dominant as he could be, but this just seems silly. Maybe the Magic move the ball better when Dwight isn’t there, but they’re not a better team without him. He gives them so much on the other side of the floor, it’s not really a question.
This debate has been going on all morning with Tracy McGrady as the centerpiece instead of Dwight. But let’s be clear: Howard’s value to the Magic is clearly much different from T-Mac’s. Dwight really exacts his will on the defensive end, while Mac is all about his offensive output.
That being said, it could also be that the team clicks for a period of time without that star player. But in the long-term, they wouldn’t be as good a team if that one player wasn’t around. Take the ‘98-99 Knicks for example. To borrow Austin’s phrasing, they played really well despite Patrick Ewing’s absence. They weren’t inspired to win in spite of Pat. They were motivated by everyone saying they couldn’t do it without their star. That brought out the best in everyone else. Ultimately, it just goes to show that basketball is a team game. Oftentimes, bringing out the best in four or five guys is worth more than having one outstanding individual while everyone else muddles through.
Put Marcin Gortat in Dwight’s place for 82 games. There’s no way the Magic finish 3rd in the East.
Source: Orlando Sentinel
May 1st, 2009 at 1:44 pm
srb says:
miller is just trying to justify getting beat by a team missing their best player
May 1st, 2009 at 2:01 pm
nerditry says:
Yeah, that team could be better when their backs are against the wall in a series, but over 82 games? I’d rather have Dwight because that’s not Rashard every night and Gortat doesn’t play 40 minutes on the regular (though his by minute numbers are really good).
May 1st, 2009 at 2:01 pm
@ says:
Looks like Austin’s gonna have to edit his article.
“To look at it another way, is anyone saying Orlando won last night because Dwight Howard didn’t play?”
Yes, Andre Miller is.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:03 pm
craig990 says:
Same stuff with T-MAc
Just because a team can win without their Star for stretches.. doesn’t meant that they are better!
Celtics are still wining.. without KG… but in the long run.. you see how KG really helps the team.
Now way the series would be this close with Chicago if KG was in the line-up!
May 1st, 2009 at 2:11 pm
POPPI GEE says:
^^Amen Amen Common sense.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Scott says:
It bears some truth, but only for Rashard Lewis. I bet he was the one who said something to Dre.
I say this because just looking at the numbers, you have to believe Lewis steps his game up when Dwight is no where to be seen, then takes the back seat when Dwight is around. He needs to be their 2nd option if not 1st option every game. He has the skill, they just need to exploit it for their own gain.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Matt says:
Seriously they are talking about one game where the players were just inspired to be playing. Why actually give this and print about it or respond to it, IMO. He probably did say because they got waxed without Dwight on their home floor.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Yeah and the Chicago Bulls were better without MJ, bacon is better without pork, and the Catholic Church is better without Jesus.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:23 pm
the cynic says:
The Magic can play with the same ball movement with Dwight, they did it all season; but for whatever reason they became stagnant once the playoffs started
May 1st, 2009 at 2:24 pm
@lakersnation says:
Trade Dwight now! . . . . hahahah . . . Trade the next coming of Shaquille NOW!
May 1st, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Student Of The Game says:
That quote is nonsense. Andre Miller is just frustrated from takin the L at home.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:32 pm
QQ says:
This is just laughable. LOL at Andre Miller trying to spew ‘insight’ after getting trashed by my Magic.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Michorizo says:
Maybe SVG is just a good coach who knows how to adjust when his star player is out for a game or two, if Dwight were out for another game against the Sixers… the Sixers would review the tape and I’m sure adjust to the Howardless Magic’s game plan.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Michorizo says:
and remember this is the NBA…shit happens…earlier in the season the Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Lakers…this didn’t mean the Kings were better than the Lakers.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:53 pm
isotope says:
lol @ Spiff
May 1st, 2009 at 3:08 pm
doc says:
I bet he would say that after that ass whipping he got handed.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:08 pm
G says:
I think it came from Alston. He took on a much bigger role in the offense last night.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:09 pm
G says:
OR Andre Miller is lying. Bitches be liars.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:10 pm
LLJ says:
I agree with the sentiment in here that Dwight’s value to the Magic shouldn’t be questioned.
But McGrady is a different story. Would the Rockets be better without the 2002-2005 edition of McGrady. Obviously not. But the McGrady of this season, or even last season, had been increasingly a defensive weak link on the team, while not being a potent (or efficient) enough scorer anymore to compensate for it. So yes, I do think the Rockets might well be better without the beaten down, washed up T-Mac of the past two seasons.
May 1st, 2009 at 4:42 pm
J.Tobias says:
Same thing with the Wizards last year, everyone screamed there better without Gilbert. This season really told the true story because regardless of injuries the Wiz brought out two all-stars for almost the complete season and still didn’t get it done.
May 1st, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Ian says:
craig
its not the same
howard missed just one game vs a bad philly team , tmac has missed alot of games and the records say they play better without him. sample size is way to big on the tmac case. another thing is that defensive player usually dont harm your team like offensive players like tmac.
someone said commonsense to your post but we have to see the magic go half a season without howard to see how they do we have already seen that with tmac.
boston did keep winning without garnett but not as comfortably and they werent losing with him in the first round like tmac.
so again this isnt anywhere near the same as tmac. opps almost forgot that howard isnt half the player he used to be like tmac.
May 1st, 2009 at 5:02 pm
ScottNAtl says:
Well to say they’re better is a little misguided. To say they play a different style and each player enjoys the opportunity to show their game, which adds extra energy to the entire team, I will agree. Who is keeping Lewis from driving the lane and then dunking or passing the ball to Howard when the D collapses on either one? I would say Lewis is. As long as he scores I don’t think SVG cares how. Oh wait, Andre did show up for the final team meeting. Now that’s a team player even if he is an unrestricted free agent!
May 1st, 2009 at 10:32 pm
solomon (el latino machismo) says:
naaahhh.. they heard that from gortat… he’d be starting if he ain’t got d-ho in front of him… L…O…L…!
in fairness, the polish phenom ate dalembert alive, made him look like cheik samb, and disrespected his D big time..
still, no way o-town would be better w/o the man-beast…
May 2nd, 2009 at 11:11 am
Kudabeen says:
They are better against the Sixers who historically struggle against fast pace teams with more than one shooter on the floor…I’ve never seen a team have such trouble year after year to guard the three point line and figure out defensive rotations. Even when Larry Brown was in Philly we would have those games against teams that shoot the three well that you knew sixers wouldn’t win without Iverson dropping 40 or someone else hitting shots…
Dwight doesn’t get many shots, but he also doesn’t move the ball as well either. You don’t see many people cutting when he has the ball in the post, because he doesn’t hit people on the move cleanly if ever. He goes into his predictable offensive routine that his athleticism turns into scores or Freethrow attempts.
Rashard Lewis had the kind of game against the Sixers that he can have regularly, but he is allowed to coast. Hedo is not a winning piece with Orlando. He doesn’t add as much to the team as people think, especially in Playoffs. I still feel they should have traded him to Pacers and figured out a way to get Troy Murphy and some young pieces…or something.
Cavs will beat Orlando with or without Dwight…
May 2nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Kudabeen says:
Katz:
Good look with selecting that Dwight cover wearing the Sixers jersey…
May 2nd, 2009 at 12:52 pm
ab_40 says:
y’all should’ve givein him the no 2 jersey moses malone not no 6 dr J cmon he can’t move play or dunk like the doctor but he can rebound like malone