Dwight Howard is not a super star. He’s arguably (when everyone is healthy including him) the best  center in the NBA. But ask yourself a question, then maybe add a follow up. Does he transcend the game of basketball? If you believe he does, is it for his performance on the court? My first answer is a resounding no. So I don’t even get to the follow up, but for you skeptics out there, the answer to that one is similar to the first. Not even close. This nonsense that led to Howard’s announcement of joining the Houston Rockets, wasn’t about one night, it was about everything leading up to it.

This is a body of work issue, a resume issue, not a where is Dwight going to go issue. This is also not a just Dwight issue. Everyone is to blame, as usual with stories like these. How Friday night’s Indecision went then the reaction from it, all a microcosm for how this Dwightmare’s played out since departing Orlando. Here’s the best part: I don’t care! Dwight isn’t big enough, nor good enough for me to spend so much attention awaiting word. Howard’s decision to go to Houston doesn’t even shift the balance of power in his own division. Lebron’s? That changed the entire nature of the game. Teams tried to go small, didn’t work, they tried to go big last year, didn’t work. That’s why the TV Show was such a big deal all around. Narcissism isn’t anything new with pro athletes, trust me, work in the media and you become numb to it. It’s everywhere from colleagues to the guys we cover. But like anything obnoxious or difficult to stomach, we put up with it on a sliding scale depending on what you offer. Here in lies the issue with Dwight Howard.

There was no, ok little, burning of jerseys in the street. Nobody was dropped to their knees in the street, clutching that Howard Lakers jersey, screaming up asking God why? This wasn’t Lebron leaving Cleveland, because Dwight is incapable of having long term relationships with fans. Of course part of it is the two are miles apart with their impact on the game each night, but that adds to Dwight’s lack of SUPER-stardom. But the bigger issue is that each of the last two seasons, the same man has kept a different fan base in limbo. All before leaving town one way or another. Please save me this notion of chivalry in the battle of free agency, that Dwight nobly went to his now former boss and let him know of his intentions. This is the same guy who was involved in issues with two head coaches and multiple players from day one. The guy who left town on twitter, almost as bad as he left town in real life. Remember that? Howard ejection, Kobe Bryant return to the bench. Lakers exit the playoffs stage left.

Howard may still just be a kid at heart. For the life of me I can’t figure out how in the world Stan Van Gundy went an entire season, and didn’t say one negative thing about the guy on my radio show. Dwight simply isn’t a leader. Best center? OK. Leading you to a championship? No. That’s now on James Harden’s shoulders. Ironically, Dwight bolted LA to relieve his own pressure, but added a significantly more amount on his new teammate, The Beard.

Superstars rush to the spotlight, Howard left. Kill Lebron all you want for teaming up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, but James’ desire to win never left. How can you say the same about a guy in Howard, who distanced himself from a proven winner, to be the #2 option at best? I can’t. Which is why I won’t believe anything other than Bryant did not want Howard on his team next season, or any year after that. It was a matter of principle maybe for Bryant, who knew he had a duty to help pick his own successor. This whole sit down before Dwight’s decision to go to Houston, a perfect opportunity for Kobe to play one more Phil Jackson mind game on the kid. Tell him you can fix him, you can turn him from silly kid to stern winner. Knowing full well, this is the guy who’s mental strength has been questioned well before his arrival in LA, and a guy you played with most of the season. Kobe knew exactly what he wanted, you didn’t need the pic of he and Gasol plus the unfollow afterwards to know this. Superstars don’t run from greatness.

Think back to The Decision, before that even. Lebron was a super star, compared to MJ, Kobe, and others before them. Beyond games on high school televised, there was talk all over the sports world and beyond. Lebron’s brand was becoming gigantic, his name recognition was already global. This didn’t come from his off the court antics, or actions, or narcissism. No, it came from his abilities on the court. That’s a super star! Being known outside your game, outside your realm of sport, for what you do on the field of play first and foremost. This brings us back to why more people on the Today show know of Dwight than another current NBA player. Because of his antics. The funny thing is Dwight had all the makings of one, like Kobe and LBJ, coming out of high school with a story. But it never really caught fire, maybe it was Orlando, but Shaq was smart enough to get out and turn that into stardom. Super Stardom. Dwight couldn’t last two seasons in LA.

There’s the other question about the position Dwight Howard plays, and how he being the best at it fuels a false sense of a “Super” star. Beyond the NBA itself eliminating the position from the All-Star Ballots, there’s the harsh reality that the last Center to lead the league in scoring was Shaq. 14 years ago. Kevin Garnett is no center, Tim Duncan can be but he’s played the 4 enough to be considered a tweener. Not a true 5 like D12 is. That year for Shaq also the last time a 5 has won the MVP. Who’s the last center to lead his team in scoring during a championship season? Shaq, 2000-01. To be a franchise player, to back up your stardom with a super preceding it, you need to show and prove on the court. To be a game changing 5, you have to make an impact two ways, otherwise you are a more athletic Marc Gasol. A Roy Hibbert who trades some size for athleticism. But far from a guy who will change the tempo of the game, who changes how teams will forever defend the position. That’s reserved for the “Super Stars” of the game.

Dwight led the league in rebounds per game last year, that is a tremendous accomplishment, but how much does it impact the game? Howard has been the league’s best rebounder for years, but you see where that’s gotten his teams, the Finals once. Obvious answer is he needs help, better answer is he’s help for better players. The game has changed significantly. Three of the final four teams remaining this post-season showed us (minus Miami) you need to be big. So yeah, having the best rebounder is important. But not a game changer. With enough shooters and penetrators you can survive a season being a poor rebounding team, hell, as Miami showed you can even win a title. So where does that leave the Rockets newest big man? A vital piece of a team, a cog, the best cog in a dying position of relevance. From his perceived off the court approach, to an overhyped perception of what he brings on the court, Dwight Howard is overrated. It happened again. We’ve been turned fools once again, this silly notion that he’s good enough to care about his next destination.

(pic c/o Hoopschina)