Denton: Howard Works with Olajuwon as Part of Busy Offseason
by Evan Dunlap on Jun 15, 2010 8:00 AM EDT
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PrintI briefly touched on Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard's plan to work with Hakeem Olajuwon last weekend. John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com went more in-depth on the subject in this post, which is good news for all Magic fans:
Howard left Houston not only impressed with the 47-year-old center’s breadth of knowledge, but also his stamina and willingness to work.
``Hakeem did not care at all that I had just finished a long season. He was ready to work and it was really good for me,’’ Howard said. ``I’m just trying to stay fit and getting in that time with Hakeem was great. I’m looking forward to spending more time with him. We had a lot of time working out. (Magic GM) Otis (Smith) might need to go see Hakeem because I really think he could still give us 10 to 15 minutes a night.’’
Denton has more on the rest of Howard's itinerary:
Plans are that he’ll shoot a movie and do several promotional stops in China, visit the disadvantaged in Senegal and also sing kid’s songs, appear in a Disney TV show, make nice with one-time rival Shaquille O’Neal and shoot a commercial for Adidas while in Los Angeles.
I imagine we'll hear plenty of complaints about Howard's forays into the entertainment world, of the "get off the movie set and onto the practice court, you clown!" variety, but this season, Howard can dismiss them by simply mentioning he took the time to work with Olajuwon. I've never been one to criticize a player for having fun in the offseason, which appears to put me in the extreme minority among sports fans.
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it's a start
but at the end of the day, it’s still Dwight who has to improve himself. Hakeem is just a mentor/coach – it’s not as if by just hanging around Olajuwon he’ll slowly absorb the Dream Shake.
{rolls eyes} at baseless, unnecessary accusations about Howard’s work ethic.
"I've had people say, 'I don't need to check the [player statistics]. I've seen it with my eyes.' Well, I would also say your eyes lie to you sometimes, and some of the guys you may really like and think are really doing things, when you get deeper into it, aren't or vice versa." ~Stan Van Gundy
by magicfaninTN on Jun 15, 2010 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Five days is plenty of time
Hakeem can only provide Dwight with the tools and guidance. It is up to Dwight to practice using them.
Even though the Hippopotamus lacks a stinger for a tail, a truly wise man would rather be sat on by a bee. ~ Banacek
by funny80sguy on Jun 15, 2010 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
I think it is awesome....
He immediately went to go see “The Dream” after the season to hone his skills…then there is the possibility to go back and see him 2 more times…I believe it is over for the league now….Go ahead and let these punks get their rings now…because DH12 is about to start racking up!!!!
"He is fast, but what I like about him is he looks like one of those track guys that actually knows how to run the ball and has good vision and patience. He is not just running at top speed. He knows when to use his speed, and he has some power and toughness, too.'' Barry Sanders about CJ2K
Dwight Howard >The Justice League of America
by Bonafidebrother on Jun 15, 2010 8:27 AM EDT reply actions
Howard needs to rent a room and stay in Houston for at least a month straight!
A week is not gonna do it. Howard gotta pt in that practice time!
Even at this pay scale, they are still human beings.
I’ve never been one to criticize a player for having fun in the offseason, which appears to put me in the extreme minority among sports fans.
People often discount the mental/psychological toll that a full season of travel & play + a life in the full-time spotlight can take on a player. Some change-of-pace rejuvenation & rest can actually be a good thing….lowering fatigue and change of injury (cf. summer 2009, M. Gortat). And, of course, I’m not suggesting taking the whole summer off….give me some credit.
If any of us put in the same 24/7/365 level of focus and training to our own careers that we often demand of these entertainers/athletes, we’d have no time to watch the games, let alone check the boxscores or post on blog comment sections.
"I've had people say, 'I don't need to check the [player statistics]. I've seen it with my eyes.' Well, I would also say your eyes lie to you sometimes, and some of the guys you may really like and think are really doing things, when you get deeper into it, aren't or vice versa." ~Stan Van Gundy
agreed, but
do you truly believe dwight is putting in the same amount of work as someone like kobe every offseason? because that’s what separates champions from the rest.
www.last.fm/user/mhetrick04
Nobody puts in as much work as Kobe, so I'm not sure that's a fair argument.
by Evan Dunlap on Jun 15, 2010 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I believe Howard has a championship-level work ethic.
"I've had people say, 'I don't need to check the [player statistics]. I've seen it with my eyes.' Well, I would also say your eyes lie to you sometimes, and some of the guys you may really like and think are really doing things, when you get deeper into it, aren't or vice versa." ~Stan Van Gundy
by magicfaninTN on Jun 15, 2010 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions
that was in reply to ben.
i don’t understand why you can’t compare the work ethic of our franchise cornerstone to the most driven basketball player on the planet.
www.last.fm/user/mhetrick04
that picture with his left hand covering the front of the ball makes me cringe
Never trust a fart
by AB's triple double on Jun 15, 2010 9:52 AM EDT reply actions
Where do you want him to hold it? The dude has a MONSTER hand. I shook it and it swallowed mine up, and I can palm a ball easy.
He has to hold it like that, unless you want him holding it with his finger tips like Shaq, cuz that looks amazing and conducive to good shooting form….(sarcastic roll of eyes)
Make nice with Shaq? This is the second bigggest news to me.
Shaq is an UFA, by “making nice”, could that mean, try to convince Shaq to play one last season in Orlando? Could this be Otis’ Gortat replacement? Hmmmmm…
Orlando, our time will come.
by magic12ball on Jun 15, 2010 11:00 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Most of that paragrah on his off-season plans read like sarcasm to me lol
"To my Hustlers, heres some motivation: He who has begun is half done, why you waiting?"-NaS
Certified Kristin Kreuk obsessive.
by Wasabi Steak on Jun 16, 2010 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
i'll be the complainer
get off the damn set and be a gym rat.
this guy could absolutely destroy the league if he had the desire to, and i think it’s the most disappointing thing about his career. he has nights where it doesn’t matter what post moves he has- he just will not be stopped, and i wish we’d see it more often.
www.last.fm/user/mhetrick04
Seriosly?
You’re questioning his desire?
When was the last time you admitted your faults and sought expertise on how to improve and correct them? If he had poor desire he wouldn’t go to Olajuwon, he’d wait till Olajuwon came to him.
Dwight is only 24 turning 25, did you have your life figured out by then? Most of us are stuck in jobs we hate at that age because we still trying to figure out what to do with our lives and how to go about getting there.
Dwight may have a ton of people telling him what to do and what he needs to work on, but he’s got the same amount of people telling him he’s fine or he needs to improve something else.
For all that Dwight has gone through, the fame, the pressure, the critique, and the success and failures, his desire in basketball is not a question, neither is his desire to be a good person.
You may question his results/production, but desire? Dwight’s proven he has the desire.
Boom-shocka-locka!!!
"Desire"
Are you seious? if Dwight had the desire…wtf is that about? you can probably get away with questioning his offensive game(you might) but his DESIRE can NEVER be questioned! he pretty much brings it every night,(all of us have bad days at work, despite has salary, he’s HUMAN just like the rest of us)…are you even an ORLANDO MAGIC fan? you sound like a friggin, unathletic,goofball, who has probably never played any sport, and you think that because of his salary, he should have a GREAT game every night, which is totally kudicrous. D12 ALWAYS practices hard, Plays hard… does his Charity work, in an effort to make his community / this world a better place for all of us. STOP HATING!!!!!GO MAGIC…..MB
Hey Dwight! Get off the movie set and onto the practice court, you clown!
And you should be working with Kareem and Wilt while you’re at it! Stop smiling so much too! You need to be mean or you’ll never win a championship! Ugh!
:P
FEAR THE MEER!
Even better, he wants to work out with Olajuwon again
while in Senegal and possibly before the preseason. Hopefully he will come back this next year with a vengeance (a nice smiling vengeance since we all know that a smiling dwight is a good dwight)
by Shocked into Silence on Jun 17, 2010 2:55 AM EDT reply actions
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