Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard won't change his ways to avoid technical fouls
Dwight Howard, the All-Star centre for the Orlando Magic has been notorious for attracting the wrong kind of attention from the officiating staff. He has a habit of arguing calls with referees way too much and reacting
when they do not go his way.
After amassing 18 technical fouls during the regular season and sitting out two games due to mandatory suspensions, he still refuses to change his approach towards the officials.
According to the NBA’s rulebook, a player or coach has to serve a one-game suspension without pay if he exceeds the limit of 15 technical fouls during the regular season. After the preliminary suspension, the player
or coach shall receive another automatic suspension for every two additional technical fouls called.
He missed the high-profile game against Chicago on Sunday, a game the Orlando Magic lost.
The Magic are 1 – 3 without their star center-piece and two-time NBA defensive player of the year, Dwight Howard.
But Howard has refused to mend his ways after the incident that warranted him his last technical foul. Howard was called for a 10-second violation by referee Bennett Salvatore as he attempted a free throw in the game
against Charlotte.
Salvatore called a delay-of-game violation on Howard, who reacted by throwing the ball away. He was immediately hit with a technical foul, much to the delight of the home crowd. But Howard was still critical of the
call, and called it baseless.
"Why switch up who I am?" he said. "The technical fouls that I've gotten, I don't think they should have been, not all of them, called for technical fouls. Rolling the ball is normally a delay of game."
Howard has been putting up monster numbers for this season, averaging 23.1 points and 14.1 rebounds per game while shooting close to 60 percent from the field. He is also a strong contender for this season's MVP.
Howard has repeatedly said he does not worry about rubbing off on the officials the wrong way. He does have a habit of becoming aggressive while debating calls with the referees but in his opinion it is not something
that warrants much thinking.
"I just have to play. I just can't allow it to affect my game," he said. "Refs are going to call the game however they feel. I just can't allow that to mess up my head."
When asked if he thought the suspensions could play a part in his MVP campaign, he bluntly said he was very valuable to his team, and that's something no one would disagree with. He
brings a defensive intensity and dominating paint-presence that few other teams possess, and he has been playing really well of late too.
"I can understand Derrick Rose's case because they do have the best team," Howard said. "That seems like the favorite all year. I don't know. I just think I've had a pretty good year."
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