Editorial: Centers of Attention

By: Carl Lamarre (@TheRealCl24)

To be frank, the NBA has a lackluster line-up of big men in contrast to the 90′s. We don’t have a velvety smooth Hakeem, a compassionate Patrick, an indomitable force in Shaq, nor a leader in David Rob. It kills me that Dwight and Andrew – the #1 & #2 centers in the league lack the immense drive to be the force that they can be.

This past year, we’ve seen a multitude of episodes consisting of the soap opera between Dwight Howard and his former beau the Orlando Magic. As entertaining as the drama was, the man was a cancer point blank. You got your coach fired – who did lead you to an Eastern Conference title – your point guard’s confidence diminished because of your banter in regards to having an elite PG a la Deron Williams, and you placed the league in shambles because my man, you were the most talked about player who ended up not even playing all the way through the season. Don’t get me wrong, Dwight Howard is a manchild. He’s a relentless defender and rebounding machine. Still, after serving close to a decade in the league, I still don’t believe Dwight’s postgame is favorable to an Andrew Bynum or dare i say Demarcus Cousins. Dwight’s extended episode went for a whole year, and guess what folks, he’s been mum ever since he went to the Lakers, but, if the Lakers fail at a title, or Kobe gets in his ear, best believe this episode will return back to your television. Do I think the Lakers can get a championship this year? On paper, hell yeah. But, realistically, I’m not counting out OKC for the simple fact, you have Kevin Durant who is virutally unguardable. You have Russell Westbrook who will annlilhate Steve Nash and place him in a nursing home. You have a front court consisting of Ibaka and Perkins. Perkins has tangoed with Dwight in the past back in the day when he played for Boston, and did a splendid job on him defensively. So, Dwight is going to have to bring his A game, and leave all the drama behind as he welcomes himself to Hollywood, because as a top 5 player, you don’t get judged by who many views you get on Youtube or by how many people laugh at your press conference. Ask Lebron.

Now Andrew, you’re a talented dude. You’ve earned everything that came to you this past year. You were an All-Star, All-NBA, and posted career numbers as a second option. Now, you’re going to be the cornerstone of a Philadelphia franchise who hasn’t reached an NBA Finals since the Allen Iverson days. You have the tools to be the most dominant big man, but mentally we need to know you’re here. Bynum is capable of posting monstrous numbers as he has before having 20-20 games in the past. But then, he’d revert back into the rookie he was and give you 6 points the next day. I can’t lie, Andrew you’ve gotten real cocky my brother. Launching threes when God knows you’re from for being Peja from deep. That’s just god awful. Laughing in a game at your teammate after Blake postered him against your in city rivals isn’t cool. Now, Doug Collins recruited you. He brings you back home. You’re an hour away from your old stomping grounds in Jersey. You’re with a young core consisting of Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Thad Young, and more. This is your team. This is your time to shine. Leave the crazy antics for Metta and LA. This is your time. Lets work my man.