Dwight Howard believes the Washington Wizards are poised for an unspecified deep playoff run and primed to shock an unknown number of people in a totally ambiguous way.
Allow the center to explain himself, per NBC Sports Washington’s Chase Hughes:
Howard believes Washington is a good opportunity for him to not only return to the playoffs, but to possibly go on a deep playoff run.
“We’ll have a shot. We’ll have a real shot,” he said. “I think we are going to have a wonderful season. I think we are going to really just shock a lot of people.”
Literally what does this mean?
Is Howard referring to merely getting out of the first round? Reaching the Eastern Conference Finals? Sneaking into the NBA Finals? Winning a championship?
Oh, make no mistake, Howard was smart for not getting into super specifics. That’s how players get themselves into trouble. But this expectation is so opaque. He could simply be referring to the Wizards surpassing last year’s 43-win total. We don’t know.
Of course, if Wizards fans are looking for reasons to remain optimistic, here’s an airtight one: They play in the East. Things are wide-open following LeBron James’ defection to the Western Conference. And while it remains extremely difficult to talk yourself into the Wizards reaching the conference finals or even earning an NBA Finals bid, there is an element of “Why not us?” at play for every half-competent team in the East.
So maybe Howard really is dreaming that big after all.
