Mavericks Free Agency: Hated Turned Hero?
You knew it was coming. Dallas and Dwight Howard have been linked together since both the Rockets and Mavericks' seasons ended after the first round of the playoffs. Yesterday, Dwight Howard officially opted out of his contract with the Houston Rockets, making him an unrestricted free agent come 11:00 PM on June 30th. The Mavs are in desperate need of a center, specifically a rim protector. When Howard was a free agent just a few summers back in the prime of his career, Dallas was thought to be his top choice for a long time. Well, the Mavs ended up being the first team out of a group consisting of Atlanta, the Lakers, Golden State, and Houston to be told that they were no longer in consideration. We all know how that "Dwightmare" ended. Well, his time to choose a new team has come once again, and Dallas is on that list of potential teams once again. Some want him to stay far away from Dallas, others would welcome him with open arms. Let's take a look at the case for both sides of the situation.
Pros
2015-16 Statistics: 13.7 PPG, 11.8 REB, 1.4 AST, 1.6 BLK, 1.0 STL
Rim Protection: Dallas was dead last in blocks last season. 30th out of 30. Look at this: Salah Mejri, the surprisingly talented, undrafted rookie, led the team in blocks per game at 1.06 and averaged a grand total of 11.7 minutes per game. Next was JaVale McGee and third, you won't believe me unless you check ESPN, was Dirk who averaged .69. Dwight Howard was 15th in the league last season in blocks per game at 1.59 and 2.38 per 48 minutes. Zaza Pachulia was very solid for Dallas, especially in the first half of the season, but he couldn't block a shot to save his life, and he'll be an unrestricted free agent that Dallas won't prioritize. Salah Mejri will continue to be an excellent rotation player and can block shots, but he's no Dwight Howard when it comes to manning the middle. And, well, the JaVale McGee experiment didn't really pan out, despite what Rick Carlisle said in the exit interviews, so I really don't expect Dallas to pick up his team option. Dwight's defense next to Dirk Nowitzki would be like Tyson Chandler two seasons ago in 2011, but even better. Not to mention, he was once a defensive player of the year.
Finishing: In the paint, Dwight Howard finishes his shots 63% of the time. Whether that's just his point guard dumping it down low and letting him face up and finish strong over defenders, or it's him catching lobs, Howard knows how to finish at the rim. Last season, Howard finished second in the league behind DeAndre Jordan *rolls eyes* in field goal percentage at 62%. This of course relates to the fact that almost all of his shot attempts are in the paint, but it isn't easy to finish over big men the way Howard does. Zaza's field goal percentage? 46%.
Athleticism: Dwight might be the most athletic center to come through the NBA besides DeAndre Jordan *rolls eyes until they roll out of sockets*. His athleticism helps him in both his defensive presence in the paint and his finishing around the rim. The main thing that it brings to Dallas is that alley-oop threat that was so prevalent with Tyson Chandler, Brandan Wright, and now sorta kinda Salah Mejri. If Carlisle could get Dwight to pick & roll, Dallas' offense will be scary with either Chandler Parsons or the next point guard throwing the lobs. However, Dwight was very stubborn when it came to participating in the pick & roll in both his days as a Laker and Rocket, which takes us into the cons section of this post.
Cons
Maturity Level: We've known this one since he decided to leave Orlando. There was a back and forth debate going on between his camp and Orlando's front office for a long time before Howard finally forced a trade to the Lakers, where things got even worse. Steve Nash got annoyed with Howard for not rolling in the pick & roll offense and then Kobe didn't get along with him because, as Kobe describes it, when he tried to show Dwight how to win a championship, Dwight just wanted to make friends in the locker room instead of facing a challenge. Then Dwight left LA for Houston. The first year was paradise for Harden, Howard, and the rest of the Rockets. The second year was paradise for Harden and Howard, but they isolated the rest of the Rockets. Then the third year was just hell for all of the Rockets. Dwight didn't get the ball as much as he would've liked and made it known to Harden and the coaching staff, hence the Kevin McHale firing. Dallas always turns out to be a tight knit group, so bringing in a poor locker room presence could be scary.
Injuries: Two season ago Dwight Howard played a career low 41 games due to a multitude of injuries. The two most notable, however, came in the western conference finals in the 2014-15 season. Howard played through them, but admitted after the series was over that he was playing on a torn MCL and meniscus. Howard and the team decided that the injuries were not severe enough to require offseason surgery. Dallas' training staff, as mentioned in the Mike Conley post, is A1. So if Dwight does choose Dallas as his team, he should have better luck in staying healthy than he has in the past.
Free Throws: Why? I just do not understand why big men can't make free throws. Just practice. Please. Howard shot an abysmal, career low 48%. That's exactly why Hack-a-Howard is a thing. As a fan it's annoying to watch. As a team it's frustrating, takes them out of a rhythm, and forces them to substitute a guy of lower skill in for their desired player when a team begins to hack. Dallas has an excellent free throw coach in Gary Boren that has led the Mavs to being in the top 10 in free throw percentage in 6 of the last 7 seasons. Boren can help, but Howard has to accept it and practice it. This was a selling point for DeAndre Jordan *tries to roll eyes but can't because they fell out* last season, could it be for Dwight?
Post Game: Rick has never really incorporated a back to the basket type center into his offense since he's been in Dallas, but having some sort of post game as a big man never hurts. Dwight Howard's has gotten really weak. Where he used to just bully his opponents in the paint, it isn't quite like that anymore. Howard has been working with Hakeem The Dream Olajuwon in Houston since he's been there, but nothing has really produced. He lowers his left shoulder, drives across the middle of the paint, then tries to go up and over his opponents. His injuries don't allow him to dominate with this move quite as much, but with his size, there's still a chance for Dwight's post game to develop. Hopefully.
What it Would Take to Get Him to Dallas
Number one thing that will help get Dwight Howard in a Dallas jersey will be by resigning his best friend, Chandler Parsons, who just opted out of his contract with Dallas yesterday. Once CP left, Dwight's days in Houston took a downward turn. They literally have a bromance, just look at the pictures below.
Dwight and CP have apparently been in contact for a long time, according to Parsons himself. He's an excellent recruiter, as he got Howard to sign with Houston in the first place. The second thing that Dallas is going to have to do is pony up the dough. The 30-year-old's max contract would start at about $31 million per year. According to Mike Fisher, Cuban doesn't want to offer Dwight the max, but if they really want him, I believe they're going to have to in order to fight off other suitors, and I am honestly okay with that. His other suitors you ask? Milwaukee, Charlotte, Portland, and Orlando (doubt this happens). I also believe Boston will make a strong push for the big man if they can't swing a trade for someone else using their third overall draft pick in Thursday's NBA draft. Third thing the Mavericks have to promise Howard is more touches than he got in LA and Houston. Carlisle can incorporate Howard into the offense better than any coach he's really played for, so hopefully he can keep Dwight happy and interested. It's not clear who Dallas' first target will be this summer, but there are a lot of options that I will continue to write about. Dwight may not be plan A, but he might be the easiest center to convince to put on that Mavericks jersey. If #DwightToDallas finally happens, I will have a lot of cautious optimism. Oh and if you're one of the ones that hates the idea of bringing Howard to Dallas, Jason Terry, ex Maverick and ex Dwight Howard teammate, was quoted in saying this: "If [Dwight Howard] comes to Dallas, they'll be talking about Dallas in the likes of winning a championship."
