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Could Dwight Howard Be Good for the Bulls Next Year?

By Michael RENE KANOY

Mar 19, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) is defended by Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) is defended by Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Chicago Bulls might free up big money if they trade Jimmy Butler for draft picks. After taking care of the core pieces like Joakim Noah, would it be a smart move to get Dwight Howard in free agency?

Do you think of Dwight Howard as a bad fit for the Bulls?

Too expensive?

Another potential prima donna?

Would the Bulls money be better spent on another veteran player?

The Bulls front office has a habit of favoring veteran free agents for trades from as far back as Ben Wallace, to Carlos Boozer, to the failed attempts to get Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony.

Let’s say GarPax are still in that mode of thinking. Would they even take a look at the enigmatic Dwight Howard as a piece of the core?

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Howard looks unhappy about his stint in Houston because the team went all or nothing for three-point shooting and he was relegated to a minor role; a lob-the-ball offense instead of post-ups or pick-and-roll offense. Houston’s defense is almost non-existent because they run out the ball and attempt to outshoot all of their opponents with threes with plenty of ISO-ball with James Harden.

Watching how well Howard plays in the playoffs can gauge how good he still is as a core player and could be one of the Bulls’ targets going into the summer.

Given that Howard is only as old as Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah, he isn’t some aging relic like Kendrick Perkins. He can still anchor the defense and defensive rebounding chores for the Bulls if partnered with Bobby Portis and even Cristiano Felicio in Hoiberg’s rotating lineups. Of course, Noah is still projected to be the starting center.

The Bulls can actually shop Gibson around and free more money (just under $9 million in his final year) if they do trade Jimmy Butler for draft picks and players. They can get an upgrade in Howard at the post and maybe have enough left for one or two more free agent pick-ups, depending on roster needs.

(I like Chase Budinger, who got waived by the Pacers ($5 million) to make space for Ty Lawson, then got picked up by Phoenix for a 10-day contract.)

Budinger is like a poor man’s Nicolas Batum, who can light it up from range and is fairly athletic, too.

Howard is still a strong big and more importantly, a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Orlando ran four shooters with Howard as the center when they made it to the NBA Finals in 2009. He may not bounce or sky like he used to (back injury), but his size and wingspan can still clog the paint and he knows how to defend the pick-and-roll; one of the Chicago Bulls’ weak points this past season.

Howard and the current Bulls bigs would shut down the paint and force opponents to beat the Bulls with jumpers. The Bulls get a tougher presence in the middle with Howard on board.

Howard would also make the jobs of Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic easier too, because they can square up their man on defense and still have a shot-blocker waiting to defend.

All of this might work if Howard will accept a fairly reasonable pay cut to get the chance to play for a possible playoff contender. He might be a better choice than any of the stellar free agent prospects at the post as a veteran player addition for the Bulls. Howard has championship experience and knows how defense in the paint should orient itself.

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    • He covers so many aspects on defense: clogging lane space, defensive rebounding, shot-blocking and altering shots, as well as directing defenders to where they should be.

    The big sell for Howard to sign with the Bulls is that the current team slightly resembles his old Orlando championship team, but better at all positions. Hoiberg’s team is deeper on offense at the wing (Mirotic and McDermott) and at guard (Rose, E’Twaun Moore and Justin Holiday).

    Plus, the core front line is strong and underrated on offense and will be killer on defense once he comes on board. The Bulls also run a passing, pace-and-space offense with myriad options for Howard to be the rim attacker, as well as post-up player.

    Howard can get his points with the Bulls, unlike in Houston, which essentially has their own black-hole player in Harden.

    Howard complements Felicio well and will teach Portis how to be a better defender at the post. A unit with Dwight Howard as the center is an idea that looks like it can work with the current people on the roster minus Butler, Gibson and Pau Gasol.

    Everybody might raise hell over shipping Gibson out, but the Bulls were shopping him around in February anyway, but no one wanted to part with a first-round draft pick as part of the deal.

    With possibly the strongest post defenders in the league next year, Dwight Howard should be on top of the Bulls shopping list.

    Next: Gar Forman, John Paxson address the state of the Bulls after season's conclusion

    Just watch the highlight film of Howard against the Bulls themselves and you know he should be with the Bulls than with an MVP wannabe.

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