NORMAL – It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No…it’s Superman, and he’s dunking over centers and swatting any point guard willing to come into the paint!
Although Dwight Howard is a bit far from the planet of Krypton, there’s no denying that the Clark Kent of basketball’s skills are out of this world. But after seven empty championship seasons, it seems that Superman may be out of Orlando soon.
The 7-foot center has recently been mentioned heavily in trade rumors after a series of disappointing playoff runs with the Orlando Magic, and critics are saying there is no other place than the Windy City for the basketball superhero.
Howard has mentioned that he would love to play with Derrick Rose, and Chicago Bulls, who are always looking to make a big splash, have been deemed the best fit for Superman. They have the franchise, the city and the reigning MVP to build around in Rose. The Bulls should stay right where they are and resist making a trade for Howard.
After a shortened season due to a lockout, the former 82-game NBA season has been consolidated to 66 games in 124 days. Unlike previous seasons, the key to a championship this year will be youth and depth on the bench. Chicago has the deepest bench in the league, and players like Taj Gibson and Omir Asik, who could probably start on other teams, will be more important than ever this season. The deep bench and fresh, young legs would allow the Bulls starters to rest more often and remain effective during the playoffs.
If the Bulls traded for Howard, they would have to give up both Gibson and Asik, or valuable role players like Luol Deng and Joakim Noah. While Howard would surely dominate during his time on the floor, he won’t be able to play the entire game. The move would leave the Bulls bench shallow, and the role players they would have to give up would leave the Bulls vulnerable in other positions.
Despite how many high flying dunks and blocked shots sent into the crowd, Howard will never be as good as LeBron James. Similar to Howard and Rose, James tried to win a championship as the only star on his team but never succeeded.
Instead, he opted to sign with the Miami Heat and use the “Frankenstein” method of “plug-in-and-play” by creating a three-headed monster of James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Three superstar players and a handful of minimum salary players seemed like a flawless method to win a championship. That was until they lost in the NBA Finals to the team-oriented Dallas Mavericks.
If James, arguably the best basketball player in the league, can’t win a championship with two other superstars, then how is Howard going to do it with one? The answer: He can’t. As good of a tandem Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose would be, there is clear precedence from the previous season that a team is about chemistry and teamwork, not simply having the best names on your roster.
However, the most important factor in Howard coming to the Bulls wouldn’t even be basketball. Rose and Howard are the top Adidas athletes under contract, and playing in the same market would limit Adidas brand exposure to Chicago and minimize marketability.
Adidas is willing to sign Rose to a nearly $200 million lifetime contract in Chicago and Howard upward of $150 million if he went to New York or Los Angeles, which is far more than either player will make in the NBA. Would Dwight Howard be willing to risk a lifetime Adidas contract for a possibility of multiple NBA championships in Chicago? As much as fans would love the Adidas tandem in Chicago, money usually makes the decisions for players.
As Dwight Howard continues to soar above the rim, he should avoid coming to the Chicago Bulls after witnessing the failure of a team full of superstars last season, as well as the massive contract he may be losing out on with Adidas. As for the Bulls, they also need to understand that the depth and youth on the bench will ultimately represent the key factor in their run towards the championship. With the Bulls making a run towards the championship this season, they need to find some kryptonite fast before Superman crashes the party in Chicago.