Howard needs more than intangibles for serious MVP shot
Howard needs more than intangibles for serious MVP shot
Chasing down another NBA rebounding title, while hardly simple at this stage of the season, is straight-forward stuff for Orlando center Dwight Howard: If Minnesota's Kevin Love maintains his current pace of 15.532 rpg, Howard will need to grab 407 boards in the Magic's final 20 games to finish at 15.537. where to buy cheap NBA Jerseys?ujersy is a good choice.
So no, it wouldn't be easy -- it would be quite daunting unless Love suddenly decides to pattern his game after Amar'e Stoudemire. But at least Howard's target, updated daily, would be clear to all in black and white.
The Race to the MVP isn't like that.
Howard could become just the ninth player in NBA history to rank among the Top 10 in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and field-goal percentage. He could notch his sixth consecutive season with at least 1,000 rebounds and 100 blocks (Moses Malone is tops with seven, at least since they started counting blocks in 1973).
Wrapping up 2010-11, Howard could finish as the only player in the league averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. He probably already is a favorite to be named Defensive Player of the Year for a record third consecutive time.
All of which guarantees the Orlando strongman nothing when the MVP votes are tallied.
It is a plight, albeit a somewhat happy one considering Howard's production and soaring excellence, for the folks in central Florida because so many darn intangibles get factored into voters' MVP determinations. Howard, by the way, is dripping with intangibles, from the improvements he has made individually as an offensive option to the leadership on full display through this season. But that doesn't mean they'll mesh with the intangibles that matter (maybe more) for other MVP candidates. recommend directory: Amar e Stoudemire Eastern #1 All-Star 2011 NBA Jersey.
A year ago, Howard received just three first-place votes on the 123 ballots cast. And that was with a Magic team that won the Southeast, finished 59-23 and was considered a postseason heavyweight. This season, Orlando is 3.5 games behind Miami in the division, would need to go 19-1 to match last season's record and seems to have dropped to the second tier of aspiring Finals clubs.
So while the debate rages on with Derrick Rose and LeBron James as the consensus Nos. 1-2 picks for MVP (in that order here, flipped elsewhere), Howard plugs along.
"They're talking basically that it's LeBron James or Derrick Rose," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters last weekend. "So I don't understand why his name is not in the discussion."
Well actually, Stan, it is. The trick is getting Howard's name high enough in the discussion.
Chimed in Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing: "If we were to lose Dwight, we'd be at the bottom of the barrel. ... He's the most important player on this team, and he's proven it night in and night out, especially by the way he's been playing lately."
Howard did pick up February's Player of the Month award for the Eastern Conference, a nice bookend to the one he won for October/November. His team has revived a Web site touting his accomplishments (Dwight4MVP.com), which also might help.
Those who favor both MVP history -- big men historically dominated this award -- and defense as half of every game can make compelling arguments in support of the big smiler. Even the slide-rule set that dissects stats and attends conferences in Boston can understand why Howard's team might be a tad better defensively when he sits down than when he plays (like, duh, he sits when the other guys' backups are on the floor).
But the best thing Howard can do, same as with those Magic teammates and coaches who support him so loyally, is to keep on winning. Like it did four times last week. Like it did in beating the teams boasting other top MVP candidates, the way it pummeled Oklahoma City a week ago and stunned Miami Thursday with that comeback from 24 points down in the second half. The Magic face Rose's Bulls tonight and Kobe Bryant's Lakers in 10 days. recommend directory: Amar e Stoudemire #1 New York Knicks Blue NBA Jersey.
It won't be easy, leapfrogging a couple of spots in The Race. But it might be less challenging than outrebounding Kevin Love with only five weeks to go.
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