Dwight Howard to Sign with Rockets

The biggest free agent of the NBA off-season has a new home. And it's Houston, Texas, as Dwight Howard has agreed to join all-star James Harden and the young core of the Rockets. The story, first reported by USA Today, ends weeks of speculation whether Howard would return to the Los Angeles Lakers or sign elsewhere, with the Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, or Golden State Warriors. Howard, who struggled mightily under the scrutiny of Los Angeles last year, ultimately opted to go for the young, rising team in the Rockets, leaving money on the table from the Lakers.

As a Rockets fan, this acquisition is both very exciting and very nerve-wracking. One of the biggest laws in finance is "more risk, more reward". This signing is definitely that. 

My concerns:  

1. His back. Rockets have been there, done that with Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming and their injuries, and Dwight had a mediocre season recovering from the injury to his back last year in Los Angeles.

2. Howard's offensive game has many flaws:

• He is a putrid FT percentage, and seems to only be getting worse, making him a huge liability in close games if teams choose to foul him.
• After 7 years in the league, he still lacks a true go-to post move (apparently, working out with Dream didn't help much), and is not a guy you can run your offense through.

3. He's most effective in the pick and roll, yet complained how often the Lakers and coach Mike D'Antoni ran it last year in LA).

4. In a perfect world, there's no way he's worth the kind of max contract he will sign (2nd highest paid-player in the whole league after a mediocre 17 and 12 season?!?). 

5. Off the court antics (I myself have called him a "drama queen"):

• He got Stan Van Gundy fired in Orlando. 
• He changed his mind 489484651456 different times about wanting to stay in Orlando long term, then eventually forced his way out of there, deserting his teammates and the organization.
• When times were hard last year in LA, he blamed Mike D'Antoni's offense and his role on the team, and didn't take responsibility for his play.

However, even with all those question marks and concerns, I am hopeful.

In this day in age of small ball and pick and roll centers, Howard, when healthy, definitely elevates my Rockets into becoming a championship contender in the Western Conference. When healthy (how many times have I mentioned that), Howard is the best center in the league: an amazing rebounder and shot blocker who will help a defense that was one of the worst in the NBA last season. He can finish around the rim via the pick and roll (James Harden and Jeremy Lin can't wait to get on the court with him) or dump-ins from the top of the key and will command double teams just because of his shear size and strength, which will open up three-point shots to the litany of Rockets shooters.

So, it's wait and see (and pray). In Daryl (GM of the Rockets) We Trust. After years of acquiring and trading assets, he has finally gone for the big fish in bringing in Dwight. Let's just hope he can live up to all the hype and deliver what Hakeem Olajuwon did to the city of Houston nearly two decades ago, and that's an NBA championship.