Stepping it up
Two players to look out for in the upcoming season. Dwight Howard and Luol Deng. Both of these young players are ready to break out and reach their potential. To become superstars and lead their teams to glory. They’ve put in their time, they’ve worked on their games and they’ve earned their props. But now it’s time to take it to the next level. Potential is one thing but desire is another. And if both these players desire to be the best then they can be. All the physical tools are there.
Dwight Howard, the man child, is ready to dominate. When Orlando took him over Emeka Okafor, a lot of people scoffed. Why take the raw potential over the finished product? But now four years in, you can see why. Okafor is a good player, but he can never reach the heights Howard can. He is the next great big man. He can have a Shaq or Duncan-like effect. When he gets it into his mind, he can be unstoppable. The evolution of this franchise center is unfolding right before our eyes. He gained valuable experience playing with the National Team and it is right to defer to Kobe, LeBron and Melo. But this season with the Magic he has to take over and be The Man. He has to want to put the Magic on his back and carry team. The man who teammates call Thunder is ready to slam the rock at will on any who dare to stand in his way. They robbed him at last year’s slam-dunk competition just because he’s big. But for a big guy he proved he can get up with all the high-flyers. The sticker dunk was awesome, but Michael Jordan and them didn’t want to give any props. It doesn’t matter because Howard is ready to take over.
The Chicago Bulls picked up Ben Wallace to push them over the top, but the player that really needs to step up for them to get to the championship is Luol Deng. The 6-foot-9 Deng averaged 18.8 points and 7.1 rebounds last year. But to reach the next level he needs to up those average and become the prime-time player he can be for his team to win it all. With his mid-range game and silky slashes to the hoop he should be able to do it. He must add the one-on-one ability that will enable him to create his own shot to really advance his game. If his offseason work paid off he should be unveiling those new one-on-one moves this year and prove he can be a crunch time player for Chicago. All the pieces are around him, but now he needs to step it up.
Both Howard and Deng are ready to take the next step in their careers. They both have to want it, though, because in the league if you don’t bring it every night then you might as well call it in. Because this is the NBA. The best athletes in the world. Hopefully, both these humble and personable players can step it up and become superstars. But they have to show that fire and have the will to be the best at what they do.
Jack Said,
November 5, 2007 @ 7:09 pm
ben wallace is a tad old
dfagfdgfadssdf Said,
November 5, 2007 @ 8:36 pm
i completely agree, and howard is gonna be a beast, it’s just a matter of time. Howard just has to step up on offense a bit more and when he does he is gonna be a nightmare for teams night in and night out. Deng is ALMOST there.
pachero Said,
November 5, 2007 @ 8:50 pm
I agree with you on Howard, but I think Deng cannot flourish to his full potential in the Skiles’ system. I don’t think Deng’s numbers will improve this year.
Greetings from Madrid
Bradleiu Said,
November 5, 2007 @ 10:04 pm
you summed it up best when you described Howard as Raw potential.
He relies on immense physical talents that he has. He dosnt rely on skill because he has little of it.
Barlo Said,
November 5, 2007 @ 10:39 pm
How can you leave out Richard Jefferson and Andre Igoudala. Those two and Luol Deng have similar styles of play.
Rj > Andre Igoudala, Luol Deng on 1 on 1 skills
Luol Deng > Andre Igoudala, RJ Mid range J
RJ > ANdre Iguodala, Luol Deng 3 pt shot
Andre Igoudala > RJ, Luol Deng Passing Skills
RJ is poised for his breakout year this year and so is Andre Iguodala.
Your talking of Shaq and Duncan Effect of Dwight
But there is something Dwight doesnt have,
Shaq has that hook bank shot on the baseline, post moves and power dunks.
Duncan has the bank shot on the elbow, and a whole lot of variety of post moves.
Dwight has power dunks.
Tamilan Said,
November 5, 2007 @ 10:45 pm
I agree with Pachero. Deng has skills but i doubt he will improve significantly, especially with the teammates he has(ben gordon).
Kinky C Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 12:08 am
steve francis is trash lol
chotadaku Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 12:18 am
yes WILL and DESIRE is the only thing these two need. Deng has come a long way in his life, to just make the NBA is a blessing and a huge success for him. Can he take it to another level? Can he be greedy in his own right even though the country he is from has been ravaged by greedy individuals? Deng will never be a Jordan or a Kobe BUT FOR THE BULLS TO WIN BIG he has to be their go to guy.
BIG DWIGHT IS STILL A LITTLE BABY IN SUPERMANS BODY. He is yet to show that beastly attitude like SHAQ did in his early days. He is too soft and is just going with the motions. If he doesn’t start asserting himself in games early and demanding the ball he will waste his talent.
GO RAPTORS GO
Shaun Norden Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 4:07 am
Howard is not going to do anything special unless he gets a mid range game. When he does Orlando will win a lot of games.
Deng is a good player but not a great one. Will be a career 18 and 7 guy.
Jaime Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 5:09 am
Now it´s time for dwight howard to prove he belongs to the NBA elite,it´s time for all us to witness it, no doubt he´s gonnna be the most dominant big man for the next years, and I would say that he´s got huge posibilities to win the championship soon since he will develop into a wonderful center and the key piece to win championships are good centers, as seen with o´neal,duncan,jabbar,chamberlain,olajuwon,moses malone….and pretty soon KG.
About deng, he´s gonna take the bulls to the top soon, when the celtics big three and pistons get old and worse, bulls and magic will be the top contenders in the east.I would never trade players like deng and gordon for kobe unless he quits that selfish attitude.bulls are so good as they are now.
greetings from Madrid too
K-mart Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 5:55 am
Dwight is going top be one of the top 5 players in maybe a year or two because he has that brute strenght and size that will dominate the nba for years to come, ive been keeping an eye on howard since he was in high school and he will better then most of us can imagine, better then amare, better then JO, and maybe right at the top with duncan and shaq just give him some good players around him and he will bring a championship to orlando soon
I dont agree with the other comments I think Deng will flourish more this year since scott skiles knows that deng can be a superstar so hes goning to give Deng the chance to prove it
david Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 6:47 am
I agree with both comments…
Dwight will take profit from his teammates, specially with Hedo and Rashard open at the forward spots…all the paint becomes Dwight’s house.
Luol has yet a long way to improve, but he’s in a team with some players in the same situation…Hinrich, Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, Thabo…and well, obviously Noah. This is a good situation for the team, but can be a handicap for an individual. And as far as I’ve seen him, Luol is more a team player than an individual.
Greets
Gatkouth Tiem Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 7:45 am
Thanks a lot Luol Deng for the fantastice basket ball you in NBA.
djhott Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 7:46 am
dwight howard is a beast, his body has gotten bigger every year
can play center or pf, and with his size and versitality,
he may be able to improve to be even better than amare
due to his size and defense-deng will average the same
Josh W Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 8:15 am
Good call on Howard. He’ll be great, but he needs more pieces around him. R. Lewis is one, but they’ll need one more superstar and a couple better role players for them to make a difference. As for Deng, he can’t improve his numbers. Numerically, he’s close to as good as he’ll get in Chicago. He just needs to work on being clutch enough to draw double and triple teams to get other players open. Or they need someone else that can do that, hints the need for the Kobe trade that will never happen.Individually though, these two players are superstars, but they need other superstars around them to win championships.
space Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 9:16 am
because of the weapons around both of them [lewis & reddick… gordon and thomas] and the team mentality to get to higher rounds in the playoffs, i don’t see a major jump in numbers for either player this year. skill-wise and game approach, definitely will be a big jump, but stats probably won’t be that much higher. the biggest change will be more people looking at them night in and night out from all the summer hype they’ve gotten this year.
which is good for them and their franchises.
djhott Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 9:55 am
space-u think redick is going to average 20pts or something?
rashard lewis will average 22, and dwight will average 22 12rebs,
nelson will average 13 and hedo 12, reddick may get 10ppg
emerging stars
1.dwight howard
2.lemarcus aldrige
3.rashard lewis
4.nate robinson
5.richard jefferson
6.kevin durant
7.martell webstar
8.andre igoudala
east allstars
starters-g-d.wade g-g.arenas g-c.billups or rip hamilton
g-v.carter g-r.allen g-m.redd or c-eddie curry
f-l.james f-p.pierce
f-k.garnett f-z.randolph
c-d.howard c-c.bosh
kidd-declines,shaq declines,or doesnt make it,no igoudala,no joe johnson,no rashard lewis,no c.butler,no,a.jamison, no deng, no .b.wallace,no. b.gordon
and will the knicks please tell zack randolph to stop shooting all the outside shots, and the inside shots, just post up and use your body, quit going outside all the time.
west allstars
g-a.iverson g-s.nash pf-boozer
g-k.bryant g-k.durant g-b.davis or parker
f-c.anthony f-t.mcgrady
f-t.duncan f-d.nowitzki
c-yao c-amare
no s.marion,no,t.parker,no deron williams, no j.howard,no camby,no okur,no chris paul, no al jefferson, no l.aldrige, no t.chandler
and after this year of too much talent, the commisioner will change the allstar game to 15 players again, and the minutes will be 15 minute quarters
Coop Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 10:23 am
I disagree space,
Because of Rashard Lewis around Dwight now, defenses won’t be able to double and triple team him as much as they did last year. Dwight could easily be putting down 20-23 points per game now with one on one coverage. I think that it is a huge difference from last year, especially now that the Magic have a legit 20ppg scorer in Rashard Lewis on the team.
Dwight is a beast, and I cannot wait to see him and Shard work together for years to come.
anthony Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 10:44 am
one day in the not so distant future many of us will say:
“I can’t believe paxson didn’t trade Luol Deng and some prospects for Kobe Bryant!, one of the greatest talents ever.”
Josh Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 11:43 am
Where is Andre Iguodala? I agree with Dwight Howard but I believe that Iguodala is a better overall player than Deng.
You need Grammar Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 1:07 pm
“The best athletes in the world.” That is not a sentence…moron
Aaron Ray Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 2:28 pm
Space are you really calling the unproved JJ Reddick and the definitely unproved Tyrus Thomas weapons??? Really??? Come on man do you watch basektball, yeah they were good in college….that’s college. Dwight Howard is a monster, is what 22 years old if that. He probably will not even reach is full potential this year but i still think he’s going to make a huge jump at least 20 and 12 and 3 blocks, a couple of steals and I think his freethrow shooting will improve too. He would have even higher jumps if it weren’t for Rashard Lewis. Luol Deng is up in the air….the Bulls do have a lot of weapons…Thomas not being one of them. I agree pachero about Skiles system… it just isn’t made more superstars.
Chris Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 3:11 pm
I think the point Space was making was because of both players respective TEAMS (not just the specific players), their stats won’t go as high.
JJ Reddick may be an unproven player, but Orlando still has a lot of other weapons to go to. Lewis, Turkgolu, Nelson, Arroyo. Dwight might be the monster of the team, but i agree with space that his numbers may not be as great as last year, especially since Lewis is on the team.
Deng is the same thing, Tyrus Thomas has show flashes of what he can do here and there, but despite that Deng’s numbers probably won’t get too much higher because of Gordon, Hinrich, and the return of Nocioni. The Scott Skiles system is horrible. How is it possible to have trouble scoring when you got that kind of talent on your team? Develop Thomas more and I am sure he will be a monster in the middle.
Rafael, Puerto Rico Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 3:21 pm
Great Post.
I sincerely believe Howard is overrated. He is a great talent, but only a good player. I can’t believe he sometimes gets compared to the likes of Shaq and other legendary big men. He just doesn’t score enough to be in that class. With his skill level he shoulg be scoring 26 a night. He gets the rebounds and plays some defense but to become the superstar everyone says he is he should be scoring high consistently.
space Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 3:40 pm
reddick isnt the proven night in night out scorer, but teams will not leave him open and make it harder to get those entry passes to howard. if there were no rashard, no reddick and even no jameer he would be closer to 24 and 14. he would be even further if he got more touches. further still if his offensive basketball iQ a few points higher. i don’t see him gettting to a consistent 20 with the poor freethrow shooting.
as far as tyrus, keep watching his stat line this fall. the bulls will be counting on his 10-7and 2blks every game. skiles is a system guy.
George Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 3:49 pm
Blah. They’ll be good, but don’t hold your breath waiting for them to take the league by storm. All in all, they will both play similarly to their previous seasons. Dwight will be an All Star, but not because of a huge jump in stats, but because who else is going to come out of the East at center?
I don’t think Deng will ever be a “Super Star,” while Howard is still a few years away from being a beast night in and night out.
Billy Bob Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 4:10 pm
Luol Deng has baby breath and such
berto Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 4:22 pm
Dwight Howard is the monster, theres no argument there there are no doubts about that man, hes the next gen center he will be the most dominating center in the nba aside from amare.
The truth about the deng situation is that breaking out for a big night is not his thing as a career 25% 3 point shooter he lacks the long range to devastate a team in the crunch. Wit Ben wallace and the pogo T squared under the basket his rebounding numbers could drop as well. what he has to do to take them and himself to the next level is make this team the defensive juggernaut it could be. At 6-9 he can gaurd any player on the perimeter due to his freakish length, and athletecism. Chris Duhon has had a defensive mind set since duke and can be an asset off the bench. Along with Big Ben wallace a 4 time nba defensive player of the year under the goal to contest the basket. along with a future top ten shot bocker in tyrus thomas and possibly joakim noah if he can get healthy and strong enough.
Brian Boytono Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
ladies ladies ladies, Dwight howard is little more than a 3rd option He will max out as 18and 13 guy. These numbers are nothing to scoff at but the next elite center he is not. I had the privallage of watching Greg Ostertag muscle around in the pain for Utah. Though he clearly was’nt a top option with Hall of famers such as Stockton, Malone, Adam Keefe and Thurl Bailey doing the brunt of the scoring load, he was in fact the 2nd best center in the league in the 90’s. Possibly behind shaq. Ostertag has been considering a Come back but from what ive heard he wants to play for a Team that will allow him to Flex his offensive muscle to the Tune of 25 and 15 not to mention 4 or 5 blocks. Seth Stick to covering prison ballers who “deffinetly would have made it”, had they not stollen, raped, or killed. Let the men talk go play in the yard with the Cons.
Craig Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 5:19 pm
You must be in the same pain that you watched Ostertag muscle around in. Dwight is already better than Ostertag. Too many pain pills?
Alex Yuan Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 5:27 pm
Wow Brian Boytono…Greg Ostertag as the second best center in the 90’s. Really? I’m sure we agree that Shaq was among the top big men there. But how can you forget about Patrick Ewing? David Robinson? Hakeem Olajuwon? Hell, even Arvydas Sabonis, despite being past his best days (which were in Europe) was better than Ostertag. Don’t get me wrong…well…nah, Ostertag was there to do the dirty work and was definitely not the 2nd best center in the 90’s.
Dwight Howard is going to be the 2nd option on offense, behind Rashard Lewis because of his massive contract. But Dwight Howard is not a 3rd option, he is a cornerstone. He will have similar numbers from last year. He should have a higher scoring average, but he probably won’t as the second option. His rebounding will not decrease because he is a beast there. But it won’t increase because there’s only so many rebounds you can get.
Luol Deng is the only untouchable with the Bulls because of his potential. I can see him increasing his scoring to about 20 ppg, perhaps 8 rpg. His efficiency should remain excellent, despite a possibility that people will start keying in on him (yes, the Bulls do have weapons like Space is saying, and despite being raw, Tyrus Thomas is one of them solely based on his rise, not to stardom, but a very good role player).
Both won’t jump too high. But their presence on the floor will make an impact on how the game is played, how the opposition adjusts, and how much better their team should be because of each of these individual players.
anthony Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 6:46 pm
Ostertag??? 25 and 15??? 4 blocks???
Are you related to him?
Dwight Howard is not a super star, but he deserves much better than to be compared to Greg Ostertag.
I like Dwight Howard as a player. I can see a nice future for him in the NBA if he stays healthy.
zig Said,
November 6, 2007 @ 8:03 pm
i agree. but for them to have great seasons, they also need good wingmen. Dwight Howard needs Rashard Lewis to live up to the monster money. If Lewis, and Hedo Turkoglu are outside threats, that will open up the inside more for Dwight, they wont have to worry bout other teams collapsing inside.
As for Deng, same thing. If guys like Hinrich and Gordan are functioning, then Deng can have a good year too. Probably not as big as Howard with Ben Gordan taking up alot of the shots, but he should be an All-Star caliber player.
Coop Said,
November 7, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
You really are using Greg Ostertag in the same sentence as Dwight Howard?
Howard is only 22, give the guy some time to get his scoring nitch. It will help this season to have Rashard around, and as they grow together, Dwight’s points per game will go up. He never really did any jump shots before this season, and he works on that everyday.
Howard will be a superstar, and it is not because he is from the East - its because he is a beast.
space Said,
November 7, 2007 @ 1:48 pm
don’t hurt ostertags feelings like that.. lol
also with the reddick thing, he is a good shooter anyway so howard HAS to kick it to him when he makes it to the floor. that ‘kick’ was a potential bucket or trip to the line that howard loses out on. thus drops the average. three kicks to reddick a game can be as big a difference as 2-3 points on his season scoring average.
i watched the game last night. they still double him because teams fear him more and rashard got good looks all night long. and who will get that ALL season long?
its wacky: i mean they double a 22 year old who doesn’t hit his freethrows and leave alone a consistent 20+ veteran scorer with a chip on his shoulder. if that defense is a preview of things to come i plan on seeing rashard in the allstar game.
space Said,
November 7, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
i am glad someone finally sees it as it is, but i swear i want to rebutt that shaq story…. —man.
djhott Said,
November 8, 2007 @ 7:40 pm
dwight howard is a better than chris bosh, and shaq this year
if u make him center he is number 3
1.yao
2.amare
3,d,howard
4.s.oneal
5.e.curry
6.m.camby
7.t.chandler
8.b.wallace
9.m.okur
10.z.ilgauskus
kobe&mihm for r.lewis,h.turkolu,k.bogans, 08 pick, and tickets to disneyland
anthony Said,
November 9, 2007 @ 11:48 am
I’d put howard ahead of amare.
kobe in oklahoma???
djhott Said,
November 11, 2007 @ 1:13 am
dwight over amare i agree, do to fiba, and his new body
where will kobe end up at?
kobe to chicago for ben gordon,k.hinrich,a.nocioni, and pick
g-c.duhon g-a.barrett
g-k.bryant g-t.safosha
f-l.deng f-v.khrypa
f-t.thomas f-joe smith
c-b.wallace ca.j.noah/aaron gray
djhott Said,
November 11, 2007 @ 11:02 am
rafeal,
howard had like 37 18 or something on phoenix last night
no way he is overrated
yea he is passive and doesnt demand the ball all the time
but he is a beast
anthony Said,
November 11, 2007 @ 6:20 pm
paxson is to chicken $h!t to pull the trigger on a Kobe trade.
Gatkouth Tiem Said,
February 29, 2008 @ 4:35 am
Hello any one who is in Deng’s side I hope Deng will do great compared to that of Howard since the on going of deng’s performance is still untouchable in this season.For me if Deng goes on like he be the hero.
Gati of Ethiopia