Vince Carter is on to something here.
Dwight Howard has been called a lot of things during his time in the NBA. With the Orlando Magic, he was a savior, superstar, cornerstone and, by the end, quintessential jackass. With the Los Angeles Lakers he was God, Satan and a coward. With the Houston Rockets he’s been Mr. Explosive, Mrs. I Can’t Hit My Free Throws and apparently, the “biggest crybaby” Carter knows. True story.
According to ESPN Dallas’ Tim MacMahon, the Dallas Mavericks’ veteran got all over the big man while he was complaining to a referee:
That’s what happened during a timeout in the second quarter Wednesday. Carter interrupted Howard’s one-sided discussion with an official to loudly and repeatedly tell the Rockets center that he was “the biggest crybaby I know.”
Carter, an Orlando resident who has played countless summer pickup games with Howard and spent a season and change as his teammate with the Magic, said after the game that they’re buddies. But Carter certainly didn’t back off his comment.
“All the time,” Carter said of Howard’s whining to officials. “He always talks about how I’m a crybaby. I was like, ‘Yo, you’re the biggest crybaby I know.’ And then later, he’s like, ‘Yo, why’d you say that to me?’ But I know Dwight. It’s all good, but he is [a crybaby].
“I mean, he takes a lot of punishment, but I’m like, ‘Yo, c’mon Dwight, c’mon. You elbowed, you’re sitting in the paint the entire time. What are you whining about?’ He told me to stop crying. I was like, ‘What? Are you serious?’”
Got ’em. I mean, oh, poor Dwight. How could Carter say such a thing? That no good, senior citizen discount-toting sonuva bitch. How could he, a former teammate of Howard’s, defile Superman’s good name?
Probably because it’s true.
All NBA players complain sometimes. Really, I shouldn’t generalize and say “all” like that. I don’t really mean all—except I do. Typically, when players don’t agree with a call, they become angry, sniveling, oversized children, pleading with the refs to change reverse their division (spoiler: the refs never do). And if they don’t get their way, some of them will throw a temper tantrum. Or cuss under their breath, “under their breath” meaning loud enough for the TV mics to pick it up. Some might even cry themselves to sleep at night over such injustices. If you’re Rajon Rondo, you may even be compelled to hurl a ball in the zebra’s direction.
Point being, NBA players tend to complain. And whine. Especially Dwight. He’s never met a call he couldn’t argue or committed a foul. Ever. He’s perfect.
Relax, I’m kidding. About Howard being perfect, not about the whining. Carter was on point. As a former teammate—who spent just over a season in Orlando with Dwight—he would know better than most. Although, we all know. We all see Howard arguing calls on a nightly basis. We all watch his priceless reactions to the whistle blowing at his faults. We all know he can be a bit of a crybaby.
But who in the NBA isn’t? Players gripe; it happens. Howard just needs to learn about moderation, about which calls to argue and which to let go.
Understanding when and when not to chuck a ball at an unruly fan wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
