Why Is Dwight Howard So Hell Bent On Brooklyn

Something about the Dwight Howard to Brooklyn or bust just doesn’t seem right or smell right. Yes he would be a welcomed addition to the Nets and yes he would make them a contender right away, but he was screaming this when they didn’t have those pieces in place.

Maybe it’s the lure of playing in New York. Maybe it’s the concept of playing in a market that has lots of money. I’m not sure it’s either of those but something about it just isn’t right.

If he wanted to play in New York, you would think it would be for the Knicks and not the Nets. If he wanted to play for a market that had lots of money, you would think that he would be looking to play for the Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant. At least in that market he could shine in the Hollywood spotlight.

I know Deron Williams is in Brooklyn and they have become pretty good friends as they played together on the Olympic team but really how close could they have become. Howard didn’t play college ball, high school ball, or even AAU basketball with Williams. Could they really have become that close over a couple of summers?

When Carmelo Anthony was making his demands to play for New York, we all knew why. He wanted to come home and his wife needed a market to promote her acting career so it made sense. Even though Melo went about it the wrong way we knew his intentions. Howard on the other hand has no real reason for wanting to come to Brooklyn except for the fact that he wants to come to Brooklyn.

Having burned a lot of folks along the way, Howard is now the number one villain in the NBA. He is hypothetically responsible for the firing of Stan Van Gundy (although some would say that should have happened a few years ago). He also got his general manager fired in an effort to keep him happy and in Orlando.

Brooklyn can’t really afford for Howard to not be traded to them this year because if the deal doesn’t get done this year, it will be mathematically impossible for them to sign him without breaking up what they have already put together. They have done a good job getting a scorer to compliment Williams in Joe Johnson. They also locked up Gerald Wallace, who is one of the best open court power forwards to play the game since James Worthy.

With or without Howard the Nets will make some noise in the East. It’s not like Brook Lopez is garbage, but he does stay hurt and doesn’t rebound like Howard can. However Howard can be a game changer for the Nets if they were to get him. That roster would be as good as any and if they were to acquire him and everyone stays healthy they would be amongst the favorites to win a title next season. 

Comments

[JT]

Dwight I think wants to play with Deron and in the big lights of NY...He's went about it the wrong way for sure. I think the lure of the new owner, arena and city has him seeing $$$ far as endorsements that orlando can't provide. The Nets with the Joe Johnson trade actually don't need the trade if Lopez can stay healthy .. This saga won't end for a while.