Very Interesting Article on Josh Howard - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

TheMaverick · 02-26-2009, 08:22 PM

ESPN: The Truehoop Network Shootaround
by Henry Abbot

"On the court, Josh Howard lives and dies by his emotions. That much is certain. His highest peaks are brimming with confidence and joy, and his lowest valleys are shadowed by self-doubt and disinterest. It's an influence that goes beyond momentum; Howard's emotions inevitably force him into a series of positive feedback loops, self-sustaining spirals that intensify and reinforce themselves over time...
His early career was characterized by nightly demonstrations of athleticism, hustle, and energy, a culmination of the rage of a man denied what he deemed rightfully his: a spot in the 2003 Draft lottery. It should come as no surprise that Howard's determined play earned him consistent minutes and a concrete role on the team, which only fueled his confidence and provided him a bigger soapbox to voice the world's transgressions against him. Howard thrived and, in turn, the Mavericks thrived.

Of course, that couldn't last forever. Howard had earned a reputation as a premier defender, but that status faded as he became more of an offensive threat. Defense is the work of peasants, and obviously something that emerging stars simply cannot be bothered with. Next came the jumpshots: Crossover pull-ups, turnaround fadeaways, and contested jumpers in transition. Becoming an All-Star talent meant taking All-Star shots, degree of difficulty be damned. Lovely.

All of that was manageable, but then a mini-slump was amplified by the death of Josh Howard's mentor/father-figure and college coach at Wake Forest, Skip Prosser, his god-grandmother, and his great-grandmother. Then, with the grieving Howard at his most vulnerable, the Mavs traded his closest friend on the team (Devin Harris) to the New Jersey Nets. So much for support structure.

The 2008 calendar year was about injuries and bad press for Howard. His on-court troubles were trumped by his inability to keep his name out of the headlines, but injuries hobbled the Mavericks' 'most important player' and rendered him almost completely ineffective as he struggled to return to form.

Enter 2009, where a rejuvenated Josh Howard is finally finding himself. Howard's recovery from his various ailments still had Howard tentative in his approach, an issue that wasn't resolved until…the Mavericks brought on Darrell Armstrong as an assistant coach. Does it make a lot of sense? No, not really, but maybe all Howard needed was a familiar face and veteran influence to adjust his basketball compass...

It's strange that Howard's rise and fall are due to events that have very little to do with basketball: His own reputation, deaths to those closest to him, the distancing of a good friend, and reuniting with an old mentor. Upon further inspection, though, should it really surprise us that an emotional, sensitive, and aware player is so affected by events outside his control?"

---

Please discuss.

TheMaverick · 02-26-2009, 08:23 PM

link: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/...ootaround.html

Thespiralgoeson · 02-26-2009, 08:53 PM

That wasn't very interesting.

DavidDaMonkey · 02-26-2009, 09:30 PM

Oh I thought it was very interesting. If nothing else, its possibly an excellent example of great PR.

LonghornDub · 02-26-2009, 10:45 PM

I'd say it was interesting, though not very concrete. No quotes, no new information...

ShaggyDirk · 02-26-2009, 10:59 PM

ummmmmmm ok

birdsanctuary · 02-26-2009, 11:37 PM

Excuses... excuses... Wanh, Wanh, Wanh

Howard's value moved up... Honestly I would be estatic if the Mavs fell into the lottery and could trade some of our pieces up for a high draft pick...

Zki41 · 02-27-2009, 01:02 AM

This draft sucks outside of Blake Griffin and Ricky Rubio. (I know those aren't the only two players ... but we won't see a rookie class like we have this year)

mac222b · 02-27-2009, 01:29 AM

Much as I dislike J-Ho i do feel bad about all of his losses. Would hurt any of us to go thru that.

xraided199 · 02-27-2009, 01:33 AM

man, thats was a GREAT article. and tru, it didn't have many quotes or new info, but it was a very well-written view on a very intriguing young man and great player. of course everyone knows i'm very partial to J-Ho, and i know i have gotten reamed in the past for my support of him, but i like the perspective in this article.

good find, thanks again

xraided199 · 02-27-2009, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mac222b

Much as I dislike J-Ho i do feel bad about all of his losses. Would hurt any of us to go thru that.

exactly. this year has been probably one of the toughest of my life in terms of family issues, and losing loved ones. i REALLY want 2009 to be friggin over. but my point is, for anyone that's the slightest bit human, losing that many people or even one close person can hurt tremendously and affect all aspects of our lives.

i can blame howard for many of the dumb things that grabbed headlines, especially during this past offseason, but some things that are out of his control can't be blamed on him. and for him to be affected by these things is just human.

sphincs · 02-27-2009, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMaverick

ESPN: The Truehoop Network Shootaround
by Henry Abbot

"On the court, Josh Howard lives and dies by his emotions. That much is certain. His highest peaks are brimming with confidence and joy, and his lowest valleys are shadowed by self-doubt and disinterest. It's an influence that goes beyond momentum; Howard's emotions inevitably force him into a series of positive feedback loops, self-sustaining spirals that intensify and reinforce themselves over time...
His early career was characterized by nightly demonstrations of athleticism, hustle, and energy, a culmination of the rage of a man denied what he deemed rightfully his: a spot in the 2003 Draft lottery. It should come as no surprise that Howard's determined play earned him consistent minutes and a concrete role on the team, which only fueled his confidence and provided him a bigger soapbox to voice the world's transgressions against him. Howard thrived and, in turn, the Mavericks thrived.

Of course, that couldn't last forever. Howard had earned a reputation as a premier defender, but that status faded as he became more of an offensive threat. Defense is the work of peasants, and obviously something that emerging stars simply cannot be bothered with. Next came the jumpshots: Crossover pull-ups, turnaround fadeaways, and contested jumpers in transition. Becoming an All-Star talent meant taking All-Star shots, degree of difficulty be damned. Lovely.

All of that was manageable, but then a mini-slump was amplified by the death of Josh Howard's mentor/father-figure and college coach at Wake Forest, Skip Prosser, his god-grandmother, and his great-grandmother. Then, with the grieving Howard at his most vulnerable, the Mavs traded his closest friend on the team (Devin Harris) to the New Jersey Nets. So much for support structure.

The 2008 calendar year was about injuries and bad press for Howard. His on-court troubles were trumped by his inability to keep his name out of the headlines, but injuries hobbled the Mavericks' 'most important player' and rendered him almost completely ineffective as he struggled to return to form.

Enter 2009, where a rejuvenated Josh Howard is finally finding himself. Howard's recovery from his various ailments still had Howard tentative in his approach, an issue that wasn't resolved until…the Mavericks brought on Darrell Armstrong as an assistant coach. Does it make a lot of sense? No, not really, but maybe all Howard needed was a familiar face and veteran influence to adjust his basketball compass...

It's strange that Howard's rise and fall are due to events that have very little to do with basketball: His own reputation, deaths to those closest to him, the distancing of a good friend, and reuniting with an old mentor. Upon further inspection, though, should it really surprise us that an emotional, sensitive, and aware player is so affected by events outside his control?"

---

Please discuss.

go Howard go

Ummmmm Ok · 02-27-2009, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShaggyDirk

ummmmmmm ok

yes?

SMC0007 · 02-27-2009, 10:27 AM

wow....^

erdubya · 02-27-2009, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zki41

This draft sucks outside of Blake Griffin and Ricky Rubio. (I know those aren't the only two players ... but we won't see a rookie class like we have this year)

Ricky Rubio? Are you serious? He will not be cracking the starting lineup on any NBA team... I put my check on it!

darkwitzki · 02-27-2009, 12:02 PM

Josh doesnt care anymore.

TheMaverick · 02-27-2009, 12:29 PM

I merely just wanted to provide the national outlook on one of our star players. Sometimes the local attitude can be quite different than what is perceived nationally.

catsil · 02-28-2009, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMaverick

I merely just wanted to provide the national outlook on one of our star players. Sometimes the local attitude can be quite different than what is perceived nationally.

Great article. Sure, for Mavs fans it's nothing new and uninteresting, but for the rest of the nation this gives a good insight.