It's no secret that Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard had a rocky relationship during their time together with the Orlando Magic. The two reached the NBA Finals together, but there was a lot of friction between the two. Regardless, Van Gundy is still sad to see thew new Washington Wizards center become an afterthought and a guy who constantly changes teams.
Van Gundy spoke with Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinal about the big man:
“… And it’s not been a lot of fun to watch because this is a guy who was the best center in the game for a long time. He’s still very good, but it doesn’t seem that he’s been highly appreciated.”
Van Gundy is certainly right about Howard being underappreciated. Of course, he isn't the same player he once was, but he's a sure-fire Hall of Famer. Van Gundy went on to discuss the changing perception and roles of NBA big men.
“The problem is — and not just for Dwight — it’s been a tough adjustment for them [big men.] What everybody wants right now in a center is a guy who runs, defends, defends pick-and-rolls, protects the rim, rebounds and, on offense, is a pick-and-roll guy and a lob threat. Well, that’s Dwight Howard. There’s probably nobody who’s ever been better than him [at those skills.]
“The problem is these guys all want more. They want it go back to the days where you would throw them the ball in the low post and then they get to play their game. I understand that. You’re a great player and you want to be able to show what you can do, but the game has changed. It’s been a tough adjustment for centers. I don’t think the game has passed them by because those guys are still really effective. They just have had trouble adjusting to and enjoying the role people want them to play.”
The adjustment has been tough on Howard, as the game is much different for big men now than it was a few years ago. The days of teams playing inside-out are long gone, making it an adjustment all big men are forced to adhere to.
Unfortunately for Howard, his career landed smack dab in the middle of the evolution of the big man. Because of this and some self-inflicted wounds, he may never get the respect he deserves.
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