Dwight Howard | Larry Brown Sports

Houston Rockets did a Mortal Kombat skit pregame (Video)

November 30, 2013 By Larry Brown 1 Comment

Think Dwight Howard isn’t enjoying his new team in Houston? The Rockets center did a “Mortal Kombat” skit during introductions prior to the Rockets’ game against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. Howard mimicked the moves of “Scorpion” from the video game, throwing his rope at Aaron Brooks and reeling in the guard. Howard then delivered the “finish him” uppercut to perfection.

The skit was funny, but I’m not going to say it’s an excuse to fall in love with Howard again. However, it is a great sign that Howard really went to an environment where he could be a leader, be himself, and really have fun. Could you see him doing anything like that when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers? No way.

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets

Dwight Howard really is money from the free throw line in warmups (Video)

November 22, 2013 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard is shooting just 54% from the free throw line this year, which is lower than his career mark of 58%. When discussing his free throw woes, Howard has always insisted that the problems are strictly between his ears. In fact, various reports have indicated that Howard will hit as many as 90% of his free throws during a typical practice day.

Now, we have proof that he’s not lying. For those of you who are counting at home, the video above that The Starters passed along shows Howard draining 18 of 20 free throw attempts in warmups before a recent home game. He even hit 10-straight at one point.

With Shaquille O’Neal, it was obvious his problems at the charity stripe were a mechanical issue. The way Shaq leaned over the free throw line and snapped the ball at the rim was always uncomfortable to watch. With Howard, it’s all mental. If he could simply stop worrying so much, it would make him that much more dangerous.

H/T Deadspin

Filed Under: Basketball, Headlines Tagged With: Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard throws ball at heckling fan; Vince Carter calls him a ‘crybaby’ (Video)

November 21, 2013 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

Dwight Howard allowed an opposing fan to get under his skin on Wednesday night, and it may have contributed to the Houston Rockets’ loss against the Dallas Mavericks. Howard was fouled by Jose Calderon with just under three minutes remaining in the game. The ball wound up back in Dwight’s hands, and a Mavericks fan who was sitting courtside appeared to yell something at him. Howard then turned around and tossed the ball in the fan’s direction.

It was a gentle toss, but throwing the ball into the stands is an automatic technical foul. The stunt accomplished nothing aside from Howard having the ball swatted back at him by the fan, who didn’t seem sorry. The Rockets were leading 116-111 at the time of the technical. They went on to lose 123-120.

After the game, Dallas swingman Vince Carter revealed that he called Howard a “crybaby” in the second quarter when Howard was complaining to an official.

“(He complains to officials) all the time,” Carter said, via ESPNDallas.com. “He always talks about how I’m a crybaby. I was like, ‘Yo, you’re the biggest crybaby I know.’ And then later, he’s like, ‘Yo, why’d you say that to me?’ But I know Dwight. It’s all good, but he is [a crybaby].

“I mean, he takes a lot of punishment, but I’m like, ‘Yo, c’mon Dwight, c’mon. You elbowed, you’re sitting in the paint the entire time. What are you whining about?’ He told me to stop crying. I was like, ‘What? Are you serious?’”

Howard finished the game with a season-high 33 points, but Houston failed to pick up its fourth-straight win. Considering the Mavericks were one of the teams Howard flirted with during free agency (remember Mark Cuban’s take on the subject?), he should expect to hear it from the fans in Dallas. He has to learn to tune that stuff out completely.

Video via SLAM Online

Filed Under: Basketball, Viral Greatness Tagged With: Dwight Howard, Vince Carter

Dwight Howard admits free throw struggles are a mental problem

November 15, 2013 By Steve DelVecchio 1 Comment

Through 10 games, Dwight Howard appears to be a nice fit with the 6-4 Houston Rockets. However, he is still the same old Dwight when it comes to shooting free throws.

Howard, a career 58% free throw shooter, has hit just 49% of his free throws this season. For years we have heard about how Howard can be seen draining free throw after free throw on any given day during practice. He supposedly makes nearly 90% when it doesn’t count, so the problem is clearly between Howard’s ears.

“In practice, I don’t think about what I do when I’m at the free-throw line and I make them,” he said recently, via CBSSports.com’s Ken Berger. “In the game, I’m thinking so much that when I start missing, I start thinking about missing again — or if I miss, what people are going to say.”

Last year, Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni criticized the Orlando Magic for using the hack-a-Dwight strategy toward the end of a game. Howard ended up hitting 16-of-20 free throws in that game, so the plan backfired. Earlier this season, D’Antoni decided to give hack-a-Dwight a try for himself. Only this time it worked, with Howard making going just 5-for-16 from the charity stripe and the Lakers winning 99-98.

“Against the Lakers, I was just over-thinking and anxious,” Howard admitted. “I always thought of it as like being in love. If you grasp at sand and you hold it too tight, you tend to lose a lot of the sand. But if you hold it just right, then you never lose it. It’s just like a free throw. If you’re too uptight, you’re gonna miss. If you’re too loose, you’re still gonna miss. You’ve got to be just right.”

What a romantic metaphor. If only Howard could employ that strategy on a nightly basis. If mechanics were the issue, there would be an easier fix. The fact that Howard’s free throw struggles are a mental issue that has been ongoing for nearly 10 years should give Rockets fans zero confidence.

H/T Black Sports Online

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard rejected by Quincy Acy at rim (Video)

November 11, 2013 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Dwight Howard had another one of those moments that his haters will love.

Late in the third quarter of the Houston Rockets-Toronto Raptors game on Monday, Howard took an entry pass from James Harden and spun around Tyler Hansbrough in the low post. Dwight then went up for a reverse dunk, but Quincy Acy met him at the rim and rejected him.

Houston still beat Toronto 108-104 in double-overtime, and Dwight finished with 18 points, 24 rebounds and five blocks, so he gets the last laugh. But you know folks are going to love that block by Acy.

Via Matt Moore

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Dwight Howard, Quincy Acy

Dwight Howard booed by Clippers fans (Video)

November 5, 2013 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Dwight Howard didn’t exactly receive the friendliest welcome back to Staples Center when his Houston Rockets visited LA to face the Clippers on Monday night. The Houston center was booed during team introductions before the game, and then he was booed on his offensive touches.

What would Clippers fans have against him? It’s probably a combination of things.

One, maybe there are some Clippers fans who are also Lakers fans and don’t like that the center left the purple and gold. Two, Howard frustrated a lot of fans over the past few seasons with his indecisiveness regarding his future. Maybe the fans don’t like him because of that. Or, more simply, the fans may have been booing because Howard is a top player on a top team that is expected to contend with the Clippers for the Western Conference title.

Asked after the game about being booed, Howard said “I don’t care,” even though he probably does.

The big man ended up with just 13 points and 9 rebounds in 25 minutes in the 137-118 loss. The margin of defeat left Rockets GM Daryl Morey impressed:

We aren't playing well but the Clippers are very good. Will be very tough to beat by anyone.

— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) November 5, 2013

Congratulations to CP3 and Doc Rivers, that was impressive

— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) November 5, 2013

It’s early November. I fully expect the Rockets to be one of the best in the West this season and even better than the Clippers when the playoffs come.

Filed Under: Basketball, Viral Greatness Tagged With: Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Clippers fans

Mark Cuban: Dwight Howard made wrong decision going to Houston

October 31, 2013 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Mark Cuban still believes that Dwight Howard made the wrong decision by choosing the Houston Rockets in free agency instead of the Dallas Mavericks. What else is new?

The Mavericks are one of the handful of teams Howard considered in free agency. He also looked at the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers in addition to Houston and Dallas.

Mavs owner Mark Cuban and superstar Dirk Nowitzki were among the team reps who were part of the team’s presentation to Howard in free agency. In August, Cuban shared the video the team created and played for Howard. Even though Cuban says the Mavericks are better off without Howard, he still believes the center made the wrong choice.

“Obviously, he made a mistake in judgment,” Cuban said Thursday via ESPN Dallas. “Do I blame him? No, that’s what young kids do. They make mistakes in judgment.”

Cuban continued to explain where Howard went wrong.

“You choose teams. You don’t choose players,” Cuban said. “If he made a choice off of an individual player, yeah, he made a mistake. You choose teams. You choose organizations. You choose coaches. And it’s just not relative to Houston.”

Cuban was obviously talking about Howard going to Houston to pair with James Harden, whom many consider to be one of the top young players in the game.

“That’s just the way I look at it, because if he’s that good, then the right organization … Put aside Dwight. Any young superstar looking to make a move, if you’re that good, then the right organization gets all the right pieces around you. So it’s not about, you’d rather play with this guy. If you’re that good and you have [salary cap] flexibility, the right organization will put the right pieces around you and get you there.”

This just sounds to me like more bitterness from Cuban, and it makes me believe that Cuban still wishes Dwight chose Dallas instead of Houston, despite what he says. Dwight absolutely think he made the right decision, and I think it was a smart move to team up with Harden. Pairing with other players is the most important factor when you’re a superstar like him. Putting in the right coaches and supporting cast is easier to do once you have the right talent in place the way Houston does.

Filed Under: Basketball, Featured Stories Tagged With: Dwight Howard, Mark Cuban