240 replies to this topic

[Japago]

Apart from other reasons mentioned in this topic, this is also Dwight's first year with LA, while it was Bynum's 7th year with the team last year. That makes a huge difference. For example, Lebron is a lot better with the Heat now than he was in his first year there.

[L.A.K.E.R]

Dwight is averaging 16/12 this year, Bynum averaged 19/12 last year...

 

16/12 coming off back surgery and not as the featured player in our offense. Last season we ran a horrid system centered around Andrew Bynum. Our offense was either Kobe isolation or Bynum post-ups. That was it. Bynum's numbers looked great due to that, nothing more. We saw how effective he was once teams began to push him off his sweet spots and crowd him with the ball as the season wore on. It led to the complete collapse of that "system" in the 2nd round because Bynum is incapable of having an offense run through him. Don't just throw out numbers without putting context behind them.

[fozi]

Apart from other reasons mentioned in this topic, this is also Dwight's first year with LA, while it was Bynum's 7th year with the team last year. That makes a huge difference. For example, Lebron is a lot better with the Heat now than he was in his first year there.

Mm, logical post from you, surprisingly.

[West Coast]

Bynum's offensive game is much more polished than Dwight's, there's no question about that. But Dwight effects the game at the defensive end on a far more consistent basis than Bynum because Dwight actually gives effort and prides himself on that.

 

Bynum lacked that attitude and really wanted to be elite when he felt like it. 

 

You can have the best offensive game in the world but if the effort isn't there, I'll take the guy that is a game changer on the defensive end on the floor.  And to be real about this, we don't need Dwight to be dominant on the offensive end, Kobe is still here for another season and he'll be that #1 option till he retires.  Once Dwight is the man, we'll worry about his offensive game, until then, he has time to develop it which he'll need to do. 

[Majesty]

And honestly, offensively Bynums numbers weren't bad at all. But one thing that Bynum didnt have was reaction on defense on a consistent enough basis as Dwight doesK. Dwight can shut down pick and roll offense once he adjusts, and blocks e to 3 shots a game that means he effects the game on both ends.

Bynum did that some of the time and put up good efforts when he did, but he didn't do it 82 games, Dwight does and that's a major difference,

[Dwight N' Kobe]

LOL wut? Hes a PF and hes 6'6 250lbs and averages 4 rebounds and 0.2 blks a game. Hes garbage. Dwight is 6 inches taller and outweighs him by close to 20 pounds. Should have been dunking over the top of him. 

 

Height isn't everything he makes up for it with strength and his footwork

[ツ]

 

Height isn't everything he makes up for it with strength and his footwork

[LakeShow805]

LOL wut? Hes a PF and hes 6'6 250lbs and averages 4 rebounds and 0.2 blks a game. Hes garbage. Dwight is 6 inches taller and outweighs him by close to 20 pounds. Should have been dunking over the top of him. 

 Rodman says Hi

[CueTheRain]

The thread starter doesn't seem to care much about the impact on the game that Dwight has, only his numbers. It's very easy to see the difference in points allowed when Dwight sits. Sounds like a guy that never played anything more than pick up basketball. Even if you haven't, you should at least understand that stats aren't everything. I'll take 12 and 17 with defensive dominance in the paint over Isiah Thomas' 26 points that came from his over-dribbling shot chucking tendencies. 

Edited by CueTheRain, March 17, 2013 - 09:46 PM.

[lakerfan0307]

To say that Dwight isn't one of the biggest reasons for our success since the all star break would be ridiculous. Dwight has been absolutely dominant on the glass and on the defensive end, especially since the all star break. There is no telling what Bynum would be up to this season if he were still in LA (who knows, maybe he wouldn't have been injured), but I would guarantee that this team's defense would be much worse than it is currently.

[last stand 2.0]

Dwight is averaging 16/12 this year, Bynum averaged 19/12 last year...

The posts some people make on this forum never cease to amaze me

[reryo]

OP gone silent, and thats game.

[Alpha Four]

Dwight can be dominant just from getting a double/double a night and getting LOADS of rebounds.

[bfc1125roy]

Centers like Dwight are so much better than their opponents that teams usually foul quickly or send multiple defenders and force kickouts. Even though Dwight never averaged a lot of points (relative to other superstars) in Orlando he was still the focal point of their 4 out 1 in offense because the amount of defensive attention he attracted always set up his teammates for open shots. 

 

That goes back to the whole Shaq point someone else made. Shaq never even averaged 30 ppg and was still a dominant force offensively. Obviously Dwight is no Shaq, so I wouldn't expect him to even hit the upper 20's in ppg anyways. But he makes up for a good chunk of that on defense.

 

Tonight wasn't his best game offensively no doubt, but he still has a large impact on that end of the floor even though he doesn't score. 

[lakerfan0307]

OP gone silent, and thats game.

[Majesty]

Howard has matched the longest stretch of his career with at least 12 rebounds in every game, equaling a 14-game stretch with Orlando in 2011.

[GenkiSushi]

amare and kg should've dunked that [expletive]. Hayes is only 6'6....

[L.A.K.E.R]

Chuck Hayes is an excellent defender on the low block. It's not as simple as just dunking right over him. You can't just back down a guy with that strong a base (have you seen his calves?) with such a low center of gravity. He's almost immovable on the low block and great at playing angles.

 

There's a huge difference between posting on a 6'6 guard versus a 6'6 low post defensive specialist.

[djcovi]

Dwights' numbers pale in comparison to the great centers throughout NBA history. Shaq was an absolute MONSTER. Hakeem, Kareem, Wilt, Ewing, David Robinson, etc. Those guys were putting up 25+ points per game for multiple seasons. Dwight has never even hit 23 per game in his career, and he has only been over 20 four times. He is an outstanding defender though, and a great rebounder.

 

So I would say he's dominant compared to the centers in the game today, but he has some work to do offensively to get on the same level as the guys I mentioned. 

 

There's no center in the league I would rather have on my team than Dwight Howard though. He's unquestionably the best in the game.

[Real Deal]

People will debate you about Howard, so I'm going to pick at this...

 

LOL wut? Hes a PF and hes 6'6 250lbs and averages 4 rebounds and 0.2 blks a game. Hes garbage. Dwight is 6 inches taller and outweighs him by close to 20 pounds. Should have been dunking over the top of him. 

This tells me you have no idea what you are talking about.

 

Yao Ming was, at one point, the best offensive center in the NBA.  He was 7-6 and weighed more than Dwight ever has.  In practices, Chuck Hayes made him work his ass off...and had Yao claiming that nobody defended him better on the block.

 

We can also talk about Ben Wallace, a 6-9 center who was 4-5 inches shorter than Shaq, and also nearly 100 pounds lighter.  No center in the history of the game defended Shaq better...not even Hakeem Olajuwon.

 

Let's not stop there, though.  Let's talk about the best defense played on one of the greatest offensive players of all time, Wilt Chamberlain.  It was Bill Russell, someone you would probably classify as a PF.  Same with Kareem.

 

This isn't NBA Jam.  LeBron should have been "dunking all over" Jason Kidd in the 2011 NBA Finals, also, but he didn't, because Jason Kidd is an elite defender who can defend up to three positions on the floor.  

 

Why not post this topic about Howard when the Orlando Magic had no idea how to stop him the other night, knowing he would destroy Vucevic down low, and had to foul him for an entire game?  Did you think about this when he also shot 39 free throws against a Golden State team that didn't have anyone to stop him?  Why didn't Golden State just put any "6-6 power forward" on him?

 

Funny.