Trapped in the Phone Booth
Dwight Howard (photo. Mannion)
Perhaps you’ve noticed a trend with the Orlando Magic: While Dwight Howard‘s shot attempts have noticeably decreased — 9.0 FGA per game this season versus 12.4 FGA last season — it only pops up as a serious issue when they lose a game. And seeing as Orlando is 24-9, third-place in the East, that hasn’t been often … It’s not like Stan Van Gundy has changed the offense, so some will look at the summer roster turnover and figure the difference is that Hedo Turkoglu was a playmaker who would look for Dwight, while Vince Carter just looks for Vince Carter. It’s not that simple. There have been nights where Dwight and Vince are quiet offensively and the team still wins. Here’s what most likely happened: Orlando made the Finals, people realized Dwight was becoming Young Shaq-ish, and while he was supposed to be adding layers to his game in the offseason, coaches studied and came up with better game plans. It’s not like the Magic are actively ignoring him … Last night was a typical example. Dwight got off just seven FG attempts (9 pts, 3-7 FG, 3-8 FT) in a loss to Chicago while his squad launched 37 threes, but you have to give credit to the defense of Joakim Noah and Brad Miller for making to difficult for Dwight to get those easy looks he needs … One guy who hasn’t had a problem getting buckets is Derrick Rose, who dropped 30 points Saturday and is averaging 23 per game during Chicago’s four-game win streak … First quarter of Cavs/Nets, LeBron came charging down the lane and Anderson Varejao hit him with a Rainier Beach No-Look, leading to ‘Bron crushing a dunk on Brook Lopez, slapping the ground upon landing, and whipping his arm backwards like he was Jackie Chan. (Note from Dime’s Austin Burton: “The Rainier Beach No-Look is when you’re looking at the guy the entire time, then you look away just as you’re in the middle of delivering the pass, but the announcers still call it a ‘no-look.’ Or you can look at the guy while you make the pass, but spin away quickly right after, either way. I made it up after seeing dudes at Rainier Beach H.S. in Seattle — Nate Robinson, Rodrick Stewart [Kansas], Lodrick Stewart [USC] and Terrence Williams — doing it all the time in high school.”) … That play set the tone for the rest of the game, as it seemed LeBron (28 pts, 9 rebs, 7 asts) was always on the run and scoring at the rim, whether he was driving or cutting or dunking on the break. Hard to imagine how the Nets could keep losing track of a 6-8, 260 cat who just happens to be the one you (presumably) geared your whole defensive strategy around … Jersey actually kept it respectable, but LBJ set up the dagger when he split a double-team and hit Varejao for a prettier Rainier Beach No-Look that put the Cavs up 12 late in the fourth … Michael Redd had a throwback game, dropping 27 points on the Thunder in Milwaukee’s overtime win. Watching Redd this year has been painful at times — he has stretches where it’s like he’s trying to convince himself the Bucks are still his team when it’s clearly the Brandon Jennings/Andrew Bogut show, but Redd’s teammates go along with it because he’s the elder statesman and still has their respect. Yesterday he had it going, though: Redd scored the first six points of OT, including a step-back from about 20 feet over Jeff Green, and another step-back from the same spot over Thabo Sefolosha that he set up with some old-man mixtape moves … The last time Monta Ellis and Brandon Roy went head-to-head, Monta showed his underrated/under-utilized defensive skills by keeping B-Roy in check while getting buckets on the other end to almost single-handedly beat Portland. This time Monta couldn’t stop B-Roy, who put up 37 points while leading the short-handed Blazers to a win. LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle) and Steve Blake (illness) were among those sitting out. “I can’t win a game by myself,” Monta told reporters afterward. “It just wasn’t there tonight. Nobody played up to their ability.” … You thought all Anthony Morrow could do was shoot? One time he up-faked Roy, drove baseline and hammered on three guys, or basically half of Portland’s healthy roster … Other stat lines from Saturday: O.J. Mayo scored 25 to lead the Grizzlies past the Suns; Stephen Jackson dropped 35 on the Heat in a Bobcats win (Michael Beasley‘s blowout Afro is a thing of beauty); Dirk Nowitzki put up 25 points to beat the Kings; Tim Duncan scored 23 as the Spurs beat the Wizards and nobody got shot or pistol-whipped; Ray Allen had 23 points as Boston beat Toronto despite missing KG, Pierce and Rondo; Ty Lawson had 23, nine dimes and three steals as Denver beat Utah without Chauncey or ‘Melo; Roy Hibbert posted 21 points and three blocks to lead Indy past Minnesota; and Chris Paul put up 28 and nine assists to help the Hornets edge the Rockets … During the highlight clip of that N.O. game, NBA TV’s Kyle Montgomery called David West “The 17-Foot Assassin.” Nice try, but it sounds more like a porn title typo than a nickname … We’re out like cornrows …
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January 3rd, 2010 at 7:43 am
Josh Tha roc says:
Damn my thunder needed that win.
Is bogut an all star?
The Aussie in me says yes.
January 3rd, 2010 at 7:43 am
Gaben says:
Yeah Carter is on my fantasy team. luckly ive been playing him in games when i know hell get a chance to score 25/5/5 and thats bout 1 out of 6 games
January 3rd, 2010 at 7:45 am
Josh Tha roc says:
Wow set myself up with that comment oh well. Haha
January 3rd, 2010 at 7:47 am
QQ says:
This is my take:
I agree with your statement. As what happens to players who suddenly blow up, coaches will try to figure how to stop those said players. I really hope Dwight would realize this now to improve his game. Kid has been leading his team as always, but I won’t lie, I sometimes get frustrated when he seems to force his shots up or can’t get a good look, because defensed are really now focusing on him.
And about Vince: Even though I hated that bitch (and his cousin) since I’ve realized their soft ass players, I can really tell that by joining a contender, his mindset is the same. He now seems to work hard, to think about his team, and to just play with fire. But damn, sometimes there’s still the itch for him to jack like a retard. And yeah, he’ll never be the playmaker Turk was, and we expected that the moment we got him. That’s not his job. His job is to just fine tune his gunning just a little, and we’ll be fine.
Best team in the East? Still.
January 3rd, 2010 at 7:53 am
QQ says:
OOPS. Big oops.
‘I can really tell that by joining a contender, his mindset is NOT the same.’
Now it makes sense. LOL.
Sorry.
January 3rd, 2010 at 8:16 am
freddie's roach says:
QQ, i’m all for Dwight having a better post game. Dude ain’t get to beast that much especially against teams with physical bigs like Boston. When his arunning hook ain’t working, things get ugly fast.
Pat Ewing needs to teach him an elbow jumper or that baseline turnaround. Anything else would help. Objectively though, his release point in his shot’s kinda low judging from his FT form. So I still don’t know how Dwight can get a jumper in the post. But once he gets something going, he’s owning the L for sure.
January 3rd, 2010 at 8:28 am
M says:
Also another update is Patty Mills in his D league debut off the bench drops 38 points and 12 assists!
January 3rd, 2010 at 9:16 am
Posterboy15 says:
Just want to put it to rest, Vince Carter is a far superior player than Turkoglu, Vince will be fine even though he has had his bad days..but for the most part of the season in games that matter he has come through and delivered and the ball is in his hands at crunchtime(I mean your on a playground and your selecting teammates and u see VC and Turk standin side by side, if u pick turk, teammates would smack u in the back of da head where I grew up from lol) Anyway I understand turkoglu’s ability and all with his 6’10 frame, but he wasnt able to give u explosive 25-30 points consistently and control an offense far a stretch of 48 minutes(Vince has done this for years its nuthin to him, he can wake up with 20 pts.Its just his assertiveness or lack there of over the years that concerns me sometimes)…My main concern is the point gaurd play, to me jason williams is the best back up point guard in the league with his shootinq and passing ability, heads n shoulders above jameer IMO, but..I like Jameer but he is unsure on how to run this team when he is out there, as a pg u should naturally know when to score or pass, since your playing with all those scorers there is no reason why he shouldnt be averaging the most assists in this league…Jason Kidd now, will average 15ast a night with this team. Team chemistry comes with assurance of everbody knowing what there role is on the team, the spearhead of that is your pg..Jameer just needs to get it together, but he just came off an injury, so we’ll see..One last thing VC’s attempts are higher because of Dwight’s inconsistency to create offense for himself and hitting free throws, which he leads the league in attempts btw, so thats where his shot attempts are coming from until he figures out how to get buckets without trying out muscle people…Athleticsm cant be taught, but fundamentals are oh so neccessary…..Im Out Like Mid-Range Jumpers…..Peace
January 3rd, 2010 at 10:17 am
That's what's up says:
nice title DIME
Scarily close to TRAPPED IN THE CLOSET
if only R. Kelly could ball……. on the court and with others his own age
January 3rd, 2010 at 10:33 am
bigcov says:
no that’s actually what people have been calling david west for a couple years now. maybe you didn’t watch the playoffs a couple years ago when cp3 and the hornets gave the spurs all they could handle when people thought they were on the verge of becoming an elite western conference team.
January 3rd, 2010 at 11:05 am
K Dizzle says:
I’d take Turk’s 19-5-5 over Vince’s 25-5-5, mostly because the last hilights i saw of Vince had him tearin up his ankles and not returning….
January 3rd, 2010 at 11:44 am
Gabriel Brogden says:
I think Dwight’s post game will come. He definitely is developing it but he’s not developing it a fast enough. Being so big and strong, he still routinely affects the game in a major way with put backs and clean up points.
HOWEVER,it’s obvious Dwight needs to improve his handle in the paint.
Needs to learn how to be efficient with his dribble because teams are keying in on him, so he either has to make the pass quickly or be patient enough to get a good shot off. And you can’t be patient if your dribble is suspect.
When he’s one on one with a defender not named Perk or Shaq, this is quite easily done.
Noah’s energy is really setting him apart from other bigs. His tenacity is unparalled.
I’d take Vinces 25-5-5 over whatever Hedo brings to the table. Hedo was the de facto point, like some weird lesser version of Lebron is/was for the Cavs. His game is naturally creating for himself and for other bigs, pure fundamental bball. And Dwight was the main beneficiary.
Like someone said already, Orlando needs improved pg play. Their frontline and wings are gettin’ it done. And when teams take away Dwight’s offense, the pgs gotta know when to deliver daggers or set up another man.
By the way, Rose was killin’ em.
SHOUT OUTS to Rose for gettin’ it poppin.
Is Orlando the best in the East? Highly doubt it.
January 3rd, 2010 at 12:31 pm
Rick Nelson says:
Beas fro was wicked no doubt.
January 3rd, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Should’ve mentioned how Ty Lawson supremely outplayed Deron Williams. It’s almost like Utah is the Wizards of the West. Yeah they have a way better record than Washington but with the talent they have they should be one of the top teams in the conference.
January 3rd, 2010 at 2:25 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Yeah Vince is lookin mighty shaky.. HURT AGAIN?? Come on man.. maybe he WASNT faking all those injuries lol
And Durant starting to learn how to put it all together consistently.. ANOTHER 30 pt game.. WATCH OUT..
January 3rd, 2010 at 3:38 pm
MBE18 says:
Caron Butler to Miami or Chicago?
January 3rd, 2010 at 4:33 pm
sh!tfaced says:
Totally agree with Orlando’s need for better PG play. Jameer, as good as he’s become, just doesn’t cut it for the Magic. Nelson only plays well when he shoots well. If his shot isn’t going, his whole game becomes shit as well. He may get his assists, but his overall play, efficiency and defense stinks when his FG percentage is way down.
January 3rd, 2010 at 5:43 pm
athome says:
Trade Dwight to Chicago. ORL can have Tyrus or Joakim or both! It’s clear they have no idea what to do with him. He’s be 25-15 on any team with a real system/coach/PG.
Send is ass to PHX and watch him avg damn near 30ppg while sill shootig only 50% from the FT line. Steve Nash would love to trade him for Amare.
D12 got more shot attempts and was more of a beast on team USA than he is in ORL. Stan Van is a fucking idiot. So is anyone who supports his coaching tactics. Throw in Jameer Nelson too as another idiot. 30+ 3pters while you have the best center in the L getting 7 shots against one of the worst offensive lines i the L.
And stop trying to say Howard doens’t have a post game. Greg Oden has the same exact post game and he MURDERED our front line. Noah and Miller had no chance against Howard!! Just the night before ROY fuking Hibbert was killing us til Tyrus came in.
Bottom line: Howard will leave as soon as he gets a chance. I expect a trade demand sometime this off-season unless stan van idiot is gone and Pat Ewing takes over.
January 3rd, 2010 at 7:21 pm
Mo says:
However you think it sounds, Montgomery got that name from CP3. CP3 calls West his ’17-foot assassin’.
January 3rd, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Alpha Goat says:
Whenever I’m watching the Magic and they throw the ball in to Dwight, unless he has his defender underneath the basket or beat off a spin move he is consistently stripped of the ball, turning it over.He’s gotta keep the ball up higher and go into his post move faster.His focus should be less on the weight room, more on getting better offensively overall, especially in the post. And he need to step it up defensively
January 3rd, 2010 at 8:44 pm
King says:
The Rainier beach no look = every lebron “no look” ive ever seen
January 4th, 2010 at 4:00 am
QQ says:
@ 18:
Trade Dwight to Chicago?
It’s either you’re Vinny del Negro or some crazy Bulls fan. Damn.
January 4th, 2010 at 8:52 am
Chicagorilla says:
@QQ,
Well that was me “at home” so yes I’m a chicago fan. But you’re excuses for Stan Van idiot will not fly this time. I’ve watched enough Orl games now to know that this $h!t is getting outta hand. Dwight may not be as good as Shaq when he was in Orl, but he is in the same class. Shaq went to college and was better prepared when he step foot in the NBa. But Shaq didn’t have great post moves or a great understanding of the NBA game when he got to the L. I think he was only 20-21yrs old at the time. Shaq had jump hooks, quick spins, but mostly brut force. Dwight has all those qualities. what Dwight doesn’t have is a good coach and a PG that wants to get him involved. Jameer Nelson is a shoot first pass 3rd PG more concerned with making the all-star team and getting a big contract instead of feeding the pig. Orl has a terrible mindset from the opening tip of the game. Maybe Dwight only gets 7-10 FG attempts against LA, Hou(with Yao), Detroit, Spurs, Phx, or any other team with a really good big man. But against Chicago, who has been tortured by the likes of Chris Bosh, Andrew Bogut, Lamarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Tim Duncan, KG, Sheed, Perkins, Jermaine Oneal, Nene, Brook Lopez, David Lee, Al Horford, Roy Hibbert, and Emeka Okafor, you mean to tell me the one big who can’t handle Joakim Noahs so called “intensity” is Dwight f^kin Howard? GTFOH.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:23 am
QQ says:
Damn.. Am i reading this right? A fan whose team is fucking 3 games below 500 is lecturing me that my fucking 24-9 squad should get rid of the coach? DAAAMN. Is that trying to be funny or what?
January 4th, 2010 at 10:25 am
QQ says:
And why the fuck are you trying to hide under a different name? Damn, who fucking does that shit?
January 4th, 2010 at 10:54 am
AdvancedMind says:
Dwight has no place in this new area of basketball, why give the ball to a athletic 7 foot center, when you can shoot 28 high percentage three’s every game.
I actually didnt really think i was going to read anything that makes any sense, all i really see is a bunch of people who shit out the same reycled shit that they here from the terrible NBA tv cast of retards on a daily bassis. Right Dwight cant score in the post like The Dream and he doesnt have the Ewing fade away, or the face up game like David Robinson, but he is “BY FAR” the best scoring option on Orlando.
@QQ
Your team is 24-9 despite your coach, realistically besides “MAYBE” the Lakers, Orlando has the most talented and dangerous team in the L from top to bottum.
LOL @ bringing up the Bulls record, hows that an insault? When did the Fans become accountable for the teams record?
Speaking about fans, id almost bet your not even from Orlando yet your a Magic fan.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:58 am
AdvancedMind says:
@ 20
“And he need to step it up defensively”
This comment alone should get you banned from DIME..
DPOY needs to step up his Defense huh? lol
January 4th, 2010 at 11:01 am
Chicagorilla says:
@QQ,
How the hell am i hiding under a different name when it says “AT HOME” meaning I’m at home. You f%kin Tard.
As for my coach, well my team having Vinny Del as the coach only allows me to see bad coaching on a regular basis and makes it easier for me to identify bad coaching when i see it. Well, I see bad coaching in Orlando. The fact that you can’t see it, and can only bring up your record as proof shows that you’re an idiot. How many coach of the years have been fired in the last 5 years??? Yes, that’s right, and those guys won tons of games. How many coaches who have won a Championship have been fired??? exactly.
January 4th, 2010 at 7:05 pm
Alpha Goat says:
@AdvancedMind
Your mind must be regressin if you think Howard is playin D like he did last season & he most def aint playin like the reigning defensive player of the year
January 5th, 2010 at 4:43 am
QQ says:
@ advancedmind
I’m bringing up the team’s record because I wouldn’t allow someone supporting a weaker team lecture me about coaching, when my team’s atop its division. That’s like me lecturing Boston fans how to win championships.
And you saying if im not from orlando yet I’m a magic fan? When did my location become accountable to what team I should support?
@ ‘athome’ or Chicagorilla or whatever the fuck your name is.
You know why i keep supporting SVG? I’m not blind. I know that there are times that he looks like a bonehead that doesnt know what to do. That happened A LOT of times. Especially the playoffs last year. There are many moments where my only thought is ‘OH FUCK YOU SVG!!! WE’RE GONNA LOSE THE GAME BECAUSE OF YOU!’. MAny many moments. But you know what, he might do things differently, but as a coach, look where he got us? The fucking NBA finals.
That’s when I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Cause it’s not everyday that a team reaches the Finals. Our coach might be a boneheaded fuck, but how many ‘brilliant’ coaches lately had reached the finals? Exactly.