NBA Rumors: Dwight Howard Wants to Play for the Knicks
A respected media member is reporting that Dwight Howard is interested in joining the New York Knicks. He’ll be a free agent during the summer of 2016.
When it comes to NBA free agency, no team is more commonly included in rumors than the New York Knicks. Few come to fruition, but most reports make enough sense that they’re discussed on an almost bi-weekly basis.
With the postseason drifting further and further away from attainability, expect New York to be referenced more often than ever before on the rumor mill.
The Knicks are expected to have roughly $18 million in cap space, and that creates a great deal of possibilities. With franchise player Carmelo Anthony pledging to lead the recruiting efforts, expectations are high for what Phil Jackson will bring to New York.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, one of the pending free agents expressing interest in playing for the Knicks is Dwight Howard.
"Along those lines, one name to keep in mind this summer is Dwight Howard.Some of Howard’s friends have let it be known recently that the center would be interested in coming to New York as a free agent if he opts out of his current contract, league sources say."
Say what you will about the polarizing center, but Howard is an undeniably gifted player.
Howard’s resume puts him in the Hall of Fame discussion. He’s an eight-time All-Star with five All-NBA First Team nods and three Defensive Player of the Year awards, and has led teams to three Conference Finals appearances and an NBA Finals berth.
Howard understandably has his critics, but his resume is as impressive as any center’s in the NBA.
The criticism exists due to his combination of his elite athleticism and an underdeveloped post game. What’s absolutely undeniable, however, is that Howard has a penchant for playing at his best when the pressure mounts.
With eight appearances in the playoffs, and an impressive 84 games played, Howard has career postseason averages of 19.5 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks on 59.1 percent shooting.
In Howard averaging 26.0 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks during the 2014 NBA Playoffs, and overcame injuries to accumulate averages of 16.4 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals during the Houston Rockets’ run to the 2015 Western Conference Finals.
Say what you will about his underwhelming fundamentals, but when the lights are shining bright, Howard rises to the occasion.
That’s promising news for a team that’s desperate for a player who can help stabilize the offense when Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis go cold.
There are concerns about whether or not the 30-year-old has the motivation to win a championship, but if anyone can help Howard get back to being the perennial All-Star that he was with the Orlando Magic, it’s Phil Jackson.
Jackson is known for coaching Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, but he’s brought the best out of many a big man. Pau Gasol and Shaquille O’Neal are the two most commonly heralded players, but Andrew Bynum is a perfect example of how influential The Zen Master can be.
Bynum, who abruptly fell out of the NBA entirely after being traded by the Lakers, was an All-NBA player and a two-time NBA champion under Jackson’s watch.
Clearly, Jackson isn’t the head coach of the Knicks. Whoever is hired to fill that role will be chosen by Jackson, however, and it’s been established that the 13-time NBA champion likes to step in and visit team practices.
If Jackson can get Anthony to play borderline elite defense—seriously, he is—then who’s to say he can’t help Howard develop a post game?