Dwight "How-hard" (Can a Free Throw Be?) - a Friday Night Ramble

- Dwight Howard is one of the league's premier big men. He's averaging 21.2 points on efficient 59% from the field, 13.5 rebounds, almost four blocks, an assist and a half and a reasonable 2.7 turnovers per game. He's becoming dominant on defense and his strength and explosiveness make him hard to stop on the offensive end. But he's brutal from the free throw line. Putrid. Awful. Tearshed-inducingly disgusting. He cannot shoot a free throw. In his first season he actually shot fairly well, going for 67%. He hasn't shot over 60% in a season since. This season he's going for 57% - that's right, he's shooting better from the floor than the line. The argument "big men don't shoot well from the line" does not fly with Prehistoric Hoops. Chris Bosh (admittedly more of a finesse player) shoots 83%. Tim Duncan shoots 68%. Carlos Boozer shoots 73%. I kind of feel bad for Stan Van Gundy, really. He has the game's most dominant player, but this kid just can't play more than three feet from the hoop. Imagine if he shot just 65% - not spectacular, but he'll punish you more often than not. This is obviously possible, he shot even better in season number one. But being such a poor free-throw shooter allows teams to use Hack-a-Dwight - which is becoming more and more popular - and watch for it when starting big men are down with injury - and he just can't make them pay. Shooting 65% would put a stop to Hack-a-Dwight, and would make him even more potent down low, as coaches can't throw out their Mark Madsens (yes, still in the league) and Hilton Armstrongs to use six fouls and just push him out of the lane. He would go for 26 a game and record a 20-20 as often as a 30-10.
We at PH play basketball, nothing too impressive, but we can shoot our free throws. I, for instance, pride myself on making 8 of 10 every time. I don't play in the NBA (or do I?) but that also means I don't have 168 hours per week to work on my game.
Just imagine.
- Don't worry! Ron Artest still fancies himself a rapper!
- Stephon Marbury has been suspended for a game for "conduct detrimental to the team." Yawn.
- The Summer of LeBron is in full force. The Knicks, as we've discussed, are major players, with only four players under contract and $18M committed for the summer of 2010. It's gotten so bad that Charles Barkley has said something rude and in-your-face! Barkley said the following in an interview with ESPN, "If I was LeBron James, I would shut the hell up. I'm a big LeBron fan. He's a stud. You gotta give him his props. I'm getting so annoyed he's talking about what he's going to do in two years. I think it's disrespectful to the game. I think it's disrespectful to the Cavaliers." Wise words from the Round Mound of Rebound.
- As a side note, Barkley's autobiography "I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It" is a very interesting read. Unless you've been living under a rock since the 1980s, you'll know that Sir Charles is a very outspoken, articulate man. 250 pages of ranting makes for entertainment.
- The subject of rotund power forwards brings us into our Obscure Former Raptor Update. This week we'll bring you up to speed on the second best player in NBA history with the nickname "The Big O" - Oliver Miller. Miller, according to his Wikipedia page he was once reprimanded by the Phoenix Suns for showing up late to a game while holding a McDonald's bag. Believe it or not, Miller was still playing in 2004 with the Timberwolves, playing 10 minutes a game off the bench, and most likely averaging more oxygen tanks per game rebounds, tipping the scales at 325 pounds. Perhaps the most interesting part of Miller's career is that he twice placed for the Harlem Globetrotters. The only viable explanation for this travesty is that they used Miller's tummy as a trampoline.
Miller's career averages are a semi-respectable 7.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and an impressive three fouls per game. Andrea Bargnani, eat your heart out. Before Oliver Miller eats your whole body.