On the Notion that Dwight Howard Has No Post Game

On Tuesday evening, I settled into my media row seat next to David Thorpe for Game 3 of the NBA Finals. I always like to pick Thorpe's brain, so I asked him a question along the lines of "if you start your career looking like Dwight Howard, can you evolve to be a really efficient post scorer?" It was like Thorpe had been waiting for me. Immediatley he hit me with a hail of refutations. He challenged me to say why I thought Howard didn't have much of a post-game. The truth is that some of his moves end up looking a bit wooden. But let's be honest -- so do lots of big men. Thorpe made the point that every time Howard catches the ball against the Lakers, he's surrounded by two, three, or four players. One of them, Pau Gasol, is a master of taking the charge. When Howard catches the ball in the post, there is a lot to worry about beyond completing certain steps. And nevertheless, the vast majority of the time he makes a good play, whether with the pass, a post...