Dwight Howard's Technical Fouls Have Him on Brink of Suspension
by Evan Dunlap on Feb 28, 2011 8:00 PM EST
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PrintDwight Howard earned his 15th technical foul of the season in the Orlando Magic's rousing 111-88 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder last Friday night, drawing him ever closer to a one-game suspension, per league rules. Further, after reaching 16 technicals, he'll receive a one-game suspension for every two technicals he receives thereafter. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, via Twitter, says the league reviewed the 15th tech and determined it'll stand. After a hard foul from the Thunder's Nick Collison, Howard reached out and swatted Collison in the face; based on the replay, it'd be hard to argue the swipe was unintentional on Howard's part.
The Magic, as covered on this site ad infinitum, are short on centers. Should Howard earn a suspension, one presumes Brandon Bass would get the start at center, with Ryan Anderson lining up at power forward, and the deep-bench combination of Earl Clark and Malik Allen getting mop-up minutes behind those two. That'd make the Magic's lives hard for one game, but it's important to remember the technical count resets in the playoffs--players can pick up 5 technicals before the suspension kicks in--so there's little chance Howard would endanger the team by missing a postseason contest.
At his current rate of one technical every 143 minutes, and his post-trades average of 38 minutes per game, Howard is on pace to pick up his 16th technical in the next three to four games. Were that projection to prove accurate, he would miss either Monday's visit to the Portland Trail Blazers or Wednesday's contest against the Sacramento Kings. At the conclusion of the 2010 calendar year, Howard averaged a technical every 91.3 minutes, so he's improved dramatically here.
Notably, Howard ended the last regular season with 14 straight games without officials whistling him for a technical foul, and thus avoided a suspension.
Brian Serra of Magic Basketball Online has compiled a list of all Howard's technicals this season, including those the league rescinded. It's a handy resource, and also--to a degree--illustrates the capriciousness of the technical foul. After all, were it called fairly and correctly, the league would not have seen it fit to rescind four already.
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I'm fine with it.
Given the way the league allows other players to pound Howard all night long in every game, I’d like to see him just punch someone in the mouth. I’m not saying I want to see the repercussions, or the legal ramifications. I’m just saying I want to see Dwight punch someone in the mouth. The league plays its game, and the game is that all comers get to slap, jab, elbow or whatever against Dwight. Howard gets called for a foul when they flop as he back them down. So just once, a nice sock in the kisser would be nice. A big round-house would be extra cool. If we can’t get that, then maybe in the xbox NBA2K11, we could have a cheat code that would make it happen.
It looks like he's praying in that picture.............for Gilbert to hit his jumpshots
"Evan!
Unban me from the OPP!"...........David Polega
by AB's triple double on Feb 28, 2011 10:16 PM EST reply actions
i don't like it
i know it’s not me. but the refs clearly have been too hard on howard with the T’s. kobe, lebron, KG , paul the flop pierce, and others have done much more then Dwight has done and never seem to get a Tech at all. with that said there are moments where howard won’t fully play D because the refs would call a foul on him for breathing.
It can only help the MVP cause.
because the Magic are going to be horrible when he gets suspended
Not if voters are smart.
Such a line of thinking is unfair because it penalizes candidates who manage to stay on the floor and contribute, which is what MVPs do. The fact that Dallas stunk with Dirk out, for example, should have no bearing on his MVP candidacy.
Well I'm dumb then b/c I didn't really consider Dirk a candidate anymore until I saw what happened when he was out, then returned.
I have no doubt voters take Dwight for granted in part because he’s automatic and has been for awhile. Fair or unfair, a great player’s absence forces voters to pay attention to what a difference he makes.
No I agree staying on the court is a skill that should count.
Usually it’s a question of being non-injury prone, which is obviously a skill of Dwight’s.
Nice statistics...
… but it seems to me that, if anything, someone else might have been penalized here, which would be even more unfair than what you suggested earlier, because I’m sure that you’re aware that sometimes it is not player fault that he is out of the game for extended period of time. Not that I’m implying that someone was ever robbed over that in his MVP run, but if legit MVP candidate is out of the game, and his previously considered to be title contending team suddenly starts to slump in his absence, I think that man should get his credit. And I don’t think that there is anything unfair about that, even less so that someone is stupid for looking at things from that perspective.
I must agree with CaliFlorida on this.
And I don’t think that anyone is getting penalized for that in MVP run. Not if voters are smart.
The Portland game is a home game on the 7th, not a road game.
I have tickets to the game, so if he picks one up against Chicago I’m not going to be happy haha.
Im down with OPP, yeah you know me!
http://www.twitter.com/JShannonhouse3
http://www.twitter.com/Amway_Get_Loud
I will be really surprised if he doesn't pick up one in the next four.
On the other hand it would be interesting to see how the team will react to not having him on the flour.
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
Did someone say Dwight on the flour?
by Evan Dunlap on Mar 1, 2011 2:28 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
LOL ! Tyrone Howard: "Ain't my fault coach, I was just hangin' out with Towelie !"
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
I hate to crash this but Tyrone Biggums smoked Crack Cocaine; Towelie smoked Marijuana
Slight difference
I don't understand why such a funny guy gets so many technicals.
Oh, I get it—they don’t get his humor.
No one has mentioned this, but...
It’s not the ONE game suspension after the 16th; it’s the one game suspension after EACH additional TWO! THOSE are the ones I’m worried about!
This could turn into an ADDITIONAL two to three games suspension over the remainder of the Season, just when the Magic are making a great drive for 2nd place and Home Court Advantage…
The Magic aren't making a drive for 2nd
They’re too many losses behind.
by eltharion_doa on Mar 1, 2011 4:51 AM EST up reply actions
Remind me again.....
If Dwight ends the season with 15 techs, and then the playoffs start does it reset? How do post-season techs work?
Fan of Magic (99-00), Gators (06-07), & Rays (08-09)
Troy Hudson & Keith Bogans' Biggest Fan
yes it resets
7th tech in the playoffs is a suspension
Then every second tech is a suspension
So 9, 11, 13 etc.
by eltharion_doa on Mar 1, 2011 11:56 AM EST up reply actions
It bothers me that so many people defend Howard's techs.
He pick em’ up because he deserves them. When people name other SuperStars who act out and yet don’t pick up as many T’s they’re being a lil blind. None of them are doing the retaliation face swats and arm bars that Howard does. Frustrated or not, when Dwight does that it’s a deserved tech. When Dwight was picking them up early for whining, it because the whining was constant! Sometime it’s the cumulative effect of an entire quarters worth of whining that gets the tech rather then the content of one particular whine. And yes, I’m aware that other players whine too but nobody does it with the chronic diligence that Dwight does.
And here’s the simple solution that seemed impossible for him to grasp until recently. Just shut up! As a known cry baby, the slim chance of him getting a positive effect from bitching is completely voided. He’s the leader of the team and a possible MVP. Control your tongue, fight through your frustration and lead by example by shutting your pie hole. It only requires a bit of maturity and mental power. Unfortunately for us, those are two things that our Superman lacks. But I guess you can’t have it all.
As far as him getting suspended as a result of these T’s. It may only happen once. I see him getting one, serving a suspension, then getting one more and that’s it. Anything more would be disgraceful. It’s all up to him. There is NO league or ref conspiracy against Howard. That’s crazy talk. It’s all on his massive shoulders and his tiny head. I hope he steps up and controls himself the rest of the way like an MVP should.
Crushing weaker minds since 1978
Over 1 million served.
by Matty B on Mar 1, 2011 8:00 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Forgive me for missing several S's at the end of words at the beginning of that rant. Makes me sound forgein. Accident happen sometime
Crushing weaker minds since 1978
Over 1 million served.
by Matty B on Mar 1, 2011 8:05 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
I agree
Some (a lot perhaps) of Dwight’s techs, if you go back and watch them over, show a brief moment of great immaturity for Dwight. He looks, for those 5 seconds or so of earning a T, like a 12 year old swinging back at his younger siblings on the play ground. Maybe its the dark side of his fun loving youthful demeanor showing through or something, but his techs to me at least, are always eye rolling-ly lame.
Last season, there were about 0.55 technicals handed out per game.
This season (as of around January), there were about 0.7 technicals per game.
If Dwight has played 60 games, and he’s got 15 technicals, then that’s about 0.25 per game.
Technically, that’s probably not statistically significant compared to last year or this year.
But, for the Magic, it’s really freaking significant!
I guess that's the way the whole durned human comedy keeps perpetuatin' itself.
"*Technically* speaking" . . . Lol . . . cue rim-shot sound effect!
I guess that's the way the whole durned human comedy keeps perpetuatin' itself.
Looking at the ones that stand...
210 players have been called for a total of 599 technicals so far this season.
Dwight Howard has been called for 15 of the 599 technicals handed out so far this year – or 2.5%.
Only 6 players have received double-digit technicals and 3 of them now play on the Knicks. Amare Stoudemire, Chauncy Billups, and Carmello Anthony have combined for 35 technicals fouls – or just under 6% of all handed out.
The plural of "anecdote" isn't "data."
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