L.A.'s Little Big Man - Chris 'Preach" Smith

Dwight Howard is finding that the bright lights of L.A. are attached to an
oncoming train more and more these days.

Here we are, a couple of days away from the All-Star Break in Houston, Texas
and the Los Angeles Lakers are floundering. This was a team built not only to
destroy the Miami Heat and get Kobe Bryant his sixth NBA title so he can match
Michael Jordan, but possibly more rings. But we’ve seen injuries and infighting hurt
the team, with D-12 at the epicenter of it all. And the sports world is waiting for
that final blow, much like Angelenos keep talking about ‘The Big One’, the violent
earthquake that would tear the city apart one day. The Lakers are mathmatically
alive to make the playoffs, but it seems unlikely what with D-12 battling a torn
labrum and now recurring issues from the same back injury he had surgery for in
the offseason AND Pau Gasol out up to six more weeks with a torn plantar faschitis
muscle. And all eyes now are on Dwight, who has come up short so often that we
may have to start calling him ‘Little Big Man’.

It seems like light-years away from when D-12 was considered the best center in
an era where there aren’t really many legit centers left. Dwight has now become
one of the most disliked people in the NBA. A far cry from the happy, go-lucky cat
who entered the NBA out of high school with braces, and a Christian zeal so potent
he got into hot water for saying he wanted to change the Jerry West logo to a man
with a cross. Orlando embraced him as their hero for seven years. Howard became
larger than life, and even became Superman, with a climax in the 2008 Slam Dunk
Contest in Las Vegas. Of course, such skill and athleticism led to comparisons with
Shaquille O’Neal. And Shaq hasn’t let him forget it, even outright inferring that D-12
is a shark biter. He may have a point. Dwight has played well enough to be one of
the stars of the NBA, even getting a gold medal for the USA in the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games. But his Orlando teams have come up short, getting to the Finals
once where they almost got swept by Kobe & the Lakers. Then he got antsy and
wanted that trade to the Nets to link up with Deron Williams, but didn’t want to be
the bad guy. Which blew up in his face with Stan Van Gundy, who told the world
how Dwight wanted him fired and made for some awkward television. The whole
drama made him look so bad some folks can forgive Lebron James’ joining the Heat.
Outside of Ohio that is. Then Dwight, who could’ve gone anywhere else, goes to the
Lakers on a one-year extension deal in a trade. So Shaq will snap on this dude until
he wins a chip.

 
Now Dwight is on a team that is struggling. It’s 2004 all over again in L.A., the last
time the franchise tried to superteam their way to a title with Gary Payton and Karl
Malone, only to fall to the Detroit Pistons. Howard’s play and even his heart is now 
in question. Steve Nash publicly ripped into D-12 during their last game against the
Heat, the second time he’s done so. Which NEVER happens with Nash. Kobe has even
called Howard out in a way that would earn him a busted eyesocket with others. 
Dwight has gotten tired of it all, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he bolted after this 
year. But it would show yet again that he may not be the big man every one wants.
He is fighting injury. But his decision making, his growing reluctance to get involved
in the offense and wayward comments to the press has eroded his appeal. Take his 
wanting to play in the All-Star Game. It’s a nice gesture, but one you can’t make 
after you were reluctant to play through the torn labrum to help your team out up
to the break. The Lakers’ struggles aren’t all on Dwight; firing Mike Brown 10 games
in and hiring Mike D’Antoni over Phil Jackson is a huge thing. But having a big man 
at a crossroads will hurt any team. And if the Lakers don’t make the playoffs, watch
the drama intensify. Howard is being regarded with disgust by Lakers fans, and word
is he’s hurting his own endorsement potential. But it’s his own decision-making that
makes his big man status so small at this point. The question is, can he rise above it?
Will he get healthy and get his game clicking to a point where Kobe doesn’t need to 
go assist crazy just to get his team a W like he’s done a couple of times already this 
season? D-12 needs to get back to letting his game speak for him instead of his fame.
Being the best big man doesn’t guarantee you anything. Ask the great Wilt Chamberlain,
who with all of his awesome ability, won two titles over his long career marked by the
battles against the great Bill Russell and one painful loss to the 1969-1970 New York
Knicks. It’s time for Dwight to get his game bigger than his fame once again. Because
being the best team on NBA 2K13 doesn’t win you the Larry O’Brien trophy in real life.