Blue Man Hoop
Fansided

Five non-Durant free agents the Warriors should try to sign

By Carlos Murillo

Dec 2, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard forward Nicolas Batum (5) looks to pass the ball as he is defended by Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli (31) during the second half of the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Warriors win 116-99. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 2, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard forward Nicolas Batum (5) looks to pass the ball as he is defended by Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli (31) during the second half of the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Warriors win 116-99. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next

Dwight Howard

Warriors
Apr 27, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) reacts after being called for a foul against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter in game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

The Warriors want a scoring threat inside the paint and, despite his flaws, Dwight Howard can still be really good.

Bear with me here.

Dwight Howard has been one of the most dominant centers in the league over the course of his career and is surely a future Hall of Famer. Entering his 13th season in the league, Howard is ready to win.

The concerns with Howard are all valid. He’s injury prone and has caused trouble in every professional locker room he’s been in. He’s complained about touches and going to a place where he’d be the fourth or fifth offensive option doesn’t seem logical. His maturity level still has a lot of questions surrounding it.

After the Houston Rocket’s season ended, Howard appeared on TNT’s Inside the NBA where he spoke very openly and honestly about his mindset and goals to Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley. It seems that after all of the turmoil at the end of his Orlando Magic career that followed him to Los Angeles and eventually to Houston, he’s ready to move past al that and focus on winning basketball games.

Howard is already 30 years old and does have a history of various injuries including a nagging back that has plagued him for years. But he did play 71 games last season while only averaged 31 minutes per game. That’s probably about how much Golden State would use him so, if he wants to prolong his career, he should go somewhere where the workload won’t end him.

He averaged 13.7 points last year, his lowest point output since his rookie year, and 11.8 rebounds per game. He blocked 1.6 shots per game, playing on a team that struggled to defend for stretches.

Golden State could use his skill set. Festus Ezeli is going to command a lot of money because of his rim protecting and catching alley-oops from Curry and Draymond Green. Howard has made a Hall of Fame career out of doing these things and he has much better hands and defensive instincts than Ezeli.

Maybe I just have a weird soft spot for Howard. I still think he has a lot of good basketball in him and he can be a key part of a championship team.

Taking a chance on Howard is a huge risk. But both parties can help each other in huge ways. The Warriors can give Howard a chance at redemption and an elusive championship and the center can give Golden State an scoring inside presence.

Next: High-Risk, High-Reward Forward

Home/Stephen Curry