No Might in Dwight

This superman is his own kryptonite.

When Dwight Howard was ejected from the last game of this Lakers season, a 103-82 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, he submerged into the darkness of the team’s tunnel alone.

As the league’s new goliath trudged to his team’s locker room the Lakers mainstay arrived in a blazer and crutches to save the day.

Kobe Bryant showed us again that it takes a strong will in the face of adversity to earn the fans respect and become a champion.

In contrast Howard melted under the bright lights of Los Angeles. A champion does not pick up a dumb foul against a guy who doesn’t even have a picture on his CBSsports.com player profile when his team needed him the most.

After the game Howard spoke to the media and said “I think I handled some situations good and somesituations bad, but it’s a growing process.”

While the star stocked Lakers never got the chance to grow as a cohesive unit this season the way the 2008 Boston Celtics did, Howard proved once again that any team that was primarily focused around him will not win an NBA title.

Contrary to popular belief the stats back up the claim.

While Howard’s teams have made the playoffs six times during his nine year career, Howard’s teams have only made it out of the first round three times.

Howard’s best statistical performance in the postseason came in the 2010-2011 season when he averaged 27 points and 15.5 rebounds against an Atlanta Hawks team still plagued by Joe Johnson’s disgustingly large contract.

And the Magic lost the series in six games.

Even when Dwight’s Magic made it to the NBA Finals they were felled by Kobe Bryant and the Lakers team whose colors are now on Howard’s back.

In that Finals series Howard only broke the 20 point barrier once and had 20 turnovers in six games.

One of the league’s most physically dominant players has neither the pedigree of a champion, nor apparently, the mental acuity to win a title.

No team whether it is the Lakers, the Mavericks, or the Hawks should not pay Dwight Howard the max contract he will for these reasons.

While any move the Lakers make financially will most likely put them over the luxury tax, Howard’s discourteous actions in defeat do not warrant a team making him the centerpiece of a title contender.

Two years down the line, Howard will not have a teammate like Kobe Bryant to show him what it takes to win.

Howard will be alone bitterly tasting the agony of defeat once again.