Dwight Howard opens door to Chicago Bulls switch; sends shockwaves through NBA
The Orlando Magic super star Dwight Howard in a recent interview confirmed that he would not mind playing for the Chicago Bulls. General Managers, coaches and players around the league have stood up to take notice of Howard’s statement, because the repercussions of such a move would not be pleasant for anyone in the league.
If he makes the move to Chicago, Howard would be paired up with the reigning NBA MVP, Derrick Rose. It’s a pairing that Howard didn’t appear too keen on in the summer, but a series of poor performances from the Magic have seemingly changed his mind.
"If I could play with Derrick right now and God wanted that to happen, it will happen," Howard told the Chicago Tribune. "It has nothing to do with me not wanting to play with Derrick Rose. I love him. That's my brother."
Derrick Rose has been hailed as the second coming ever since donning the Chicago Bulls jersey. In just his third year, Rose won the MVP award, led the Bulls to a league topping finish and took them to the Eastern Conference Finals.
By all accounts, he is the best point guard, if not the best player, in the league right now. Throw Dwight Howard alongside him and the combination could be one of the most deadly in the history of the game.
Not to take anything away from Rose, but Howard might not be the one playing second fiddle in that hypothetical duo. While Rose has a few players who can rival him for the spot of best point guard in the league, there is no one even close to Howard at the centre position.
Dwight is dominant. With “superman” as his nick name, it is no wonder that he has decimated all in his way for the last many years. Howard has three consecutive NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards under his belt and he is unstoppable on offence when he wants to be.
A move to Chicago had been discussed before but wasn’t given much credence because it was rumoured that Howard and Rose didn’t want to play together. In his latest interview, Howard has rubbished such suggestions.
"It has nothing to do with adidas," Howard said, according to the Tribune. "In fact, adidas would love that because me and Derrick have the same guy."
For his part, Derrick Rose has also been making the right noises.
"Me and Dwight definitely have a relationship, especially because of adidas. Our market and the city speaks for itself if someone was interested to come to the Chicago Bulls.” he said.
Dwight was rumoured to be on his way out of Orlando this off season but decided to give it another go. He has since made no secret of his wish to be traded, while the Magic’s poor performances haven’t helped either. It could be that Howard would opt out of his contract at the end of the current NBA season and secure a move to the Bulls.
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