Dwight Howard was caught using Stickum spray on his hands before he checked into a game against the Atlanta Hawks over the weekend, and he has since downplayed the incident. However, some NBA executives want the league to take the violation seriously.
Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports spoke with several league executives who want the Rockets to be fined for trying to cover up Howard’s usage of the sticky substance. While the rule about using Stickum is very vague, the can Howard used was covered in white tape. Rockets coach J.B. Bickerstaff also tried to hide it from referee Monty McCutchen’s view, proving that the team knew Howard was doing something wrong.
As Mannix noted, the rule that would pertain to Stickum simply reads as follows: “All equipment used must be appropriate for basketball. Equipment that is unnatural and designed to increase a player’s height or reach, or to gain an advantage, shall not be used.” Since that is fairly vague, it is unlikely that Howard or the Rockets will be punished.
One NBA coach joked to Mannix that Stickum clearly hasn’t helped Howard hit free throws. Other players and coaches said they have no issue with Howard using the substance as long as it doesn’t affect the game ball, which it did in Atlanta.
We know one NFL Hall of Famer who might be able to give Howard some advice about how to handle the backlash. In all likelihood, this will blow over fairly quickly.
