A couple years ago, the center position was a coveted one in the NBA. It seemed as though you needed an effective man in the paint to play stellar defense at the rim, and get every rebound possible. However, there was a problem with that; centers were not easy to find in the NBA. Pickings were slim, but there was one man available on the trade market who was the best at his position and probably in the top five best players in the game. His name is Dwight Howard, and at the time he was a major trade chip on the Orlando Magic. Howard was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and later left to play for the Houston Rockets. He has since been labeled a bit of a problem child; however, that hasn’t stopped the Celtics from kicking the tires of the Rockets, just as they did with the Magic when he first became available.
Like I’ve previously stated, Howard has garnered himself a bit of a reputation in the league. He became an issue in Orlando, with some even blaming him for the firing of the head coach. He was shipped off to L.A. where a lot of hype followed his arrival. Along with Steve Nash, Howard joined Kobe Bryant to make one last run at a title. Unfortunately the team never clicked, and Howard signed with the Rockets as a free agent after two seasons in L.A.; Howard has enjoyed some success in Houston paired with James Harden.
Not only was Howard’s attitude deteriorating, he also wasn’t putting up the same ridiculous numbers he had been scoring-wise in Orlando. His last season with the Magic he posted a 20.6 PPG average, along with a career best of 14.5 rebounds per game and 2.1 blocks per game. Last season with the Rockets, Howard’s numbers dropped  to 15.8 PPG, 10.5 RPG, and 1.3 BPG. Those numbers are by no means bad, also considering that his teammate James Harden stole the show for his team last year, as he was easily the second choice for MVP. This season, his points have dipped even further to 14.1 PPG, but he has seen an increase in RPG as his average is 11.9 — by no means awful numbers for his position, but not the numbers we had seen him put up in the past.
Howard is still a terrific player, and one of the best in his position in the NBA. The Celtics are surging in the standings right now and are a pretty good team. That being said, they are certainly a team in need of an extra boost to contend with Cleveland and Chicago in the playoffs. The Celtics do not need to acquire Howard to gain a playoff spot because they will probably be in either way. However, it would be foolish of the Celtics to not call to see if he is available — the addition of Howard could be the difference between another sweep in the first round and an advancement to the second round.