Dwight "The Goaltender" Howard

I've discussed Dwight Howard's talents and flaws at length on this blog. I also bring it up to 7-11 clerks, gas station attendants, and anyone else who isn't able to get out of a conversation with me. Howard's an interesting player because he is top 3 in the league in several categories (shot-blocking, offensive rebounding, finishing with a dunk) and just awful in others (defensive positioning, moves in the post, passing, free throws). The result is a difficult player to gage.

He gets a lot of respect for his shot blocking ability, but I noticed he goaltends an inordinate amount. I kept track of it during the Finals. He actually cut back a bit. In five games, he was called for goaltending 3 times by my count. He probably should have been called two more times. In Game 2, he very clearly stuck his fingers through the rim in order to deflect Pau Gasol's attempt. In Game 3, Lamar Odom shot as he was being fouled. Howard jumped up and caught the ball on its descent.

So, Howard committed about one goaltend a game. No one is going to tell him to stop trying to block shots because of that, but it is a lot of goaltending. I did not count another goaltend the entire rest of the series from anyone else. In fact, only Gasol's shaking of the rim at the end of regulation in Game 2 was even a debatable no-call.

So we're left with the same confusing information. Howard is an excellent shot blocker. But he alone accounted for all the goaltending in a series that saw several games come down to the wire. The bottom line is that he has a world of talent, but let's not anoint him just yet.