Everyone has been talking about the Dwight Howard sweepstakes for quite some time. While the most commonly mentioned destinations are the Lakers, Knicks, Nets, and Mavericks, most people don’t consider the Celtics as a possible destination for Howard. Probably because they are aging fast, and don’t look as lethal as they once were. But Howard may not consider the Celtics as far fetched an option as the rest of the analysts following the Howard situation:
And if Howard is still available — if the Magic don’t blink and move him before the March deadline — C’s president Danny Ainge will undoubtedly put in a call to Team Dwight.
The question is whether he’ll answer.
“Always. Always,” Howard told the Herald. “I’d always listen to a team like that.
“My thing is I want to win. It’s not something like I’m doing this for money. I win. I want to do it my way.”
If Howard were to go to the Celtics, he would have to believe that a young top tier point guard in Rajon Rondo, with an aging sharp shooter in Ray Allen, and a veteran leader in Paul Pierce is enough to complement his game and lead to a chance to win it all. Because Howard has made it clear whatever decision he makes about his future will only be about winning. Money is not the issue at this point in his career, he wants to win. Sound familiar C’s fans? I think we’ve heard that before in the recent past…
“The first thing is basketball,” he said. “I want to win a championship, and it takes a certain type of team to win a championship. You know, there’s a lot of teams who are great during the regular season. They play well, but it’s different once you play in those playoffs, you know? It’s gut-check time….
You know,” said Howard, “you look at a team like Boston and look at a team like LA who’s won .?.?. especially Boston. Man, those guys came together and they didn’t care who scored all the points. They had done all the individual stuff.”
Howard has certainly done a lot of the ‘individual stuff’ at this point in his career. He’s put his stamp on the game as one of the most dominant big men. Now it’s time for winning. Can he do it in Boston?
[Quotes via Boston Herald]
