Dwight Howard is a force

Basketball Betting Lines

01/11/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Twenty-one-year-old Dwight Howard is playing in just his third year in the NBA, and has already developed into one of the top big men in the league.

Originally selected out of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy by Orlando with the first overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, Howard, who has not missed a game during his career, is dominant on the boards and when he gets the ball around the hoop. He still needs to work on developing his jump shot, which would complete his game.

Howard's numbers have improved from season-to-season. He had a solid rookie campaign, as he averaged 12.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and shot 52 percent from the field. In his sophomore season, Howard posted 15.8 points and 12.5 boards per contest while shooting over 53 percent from the floor.

After 36 games this season, Howard leads the Magic in scoring (17.4 ppg), rebounding (12.8 rpg) and blocks (1.9 bpg). He is also shooting an impressive 57.1 percent from the field and has led Orlando to the top of the Southeast Division.

He has collected 27 double-doubles and has logged 30 or more minutes in 33 contests. Howard has become the leader of the Magic and his phenomenal play has made his teammates better players.

Orlando's opponents have to double-team Howard when he touches the ball around the basket, which allows for better looks and more space for the other Magic players. Head coach Brian Hill's offense goes through Howard and is very efficient when the star forward gets the rock in the low post.

Point guard Jameer Nelson, veteran forward Grant Hill and swingman Hedo Turkoglu are Howard's main supporting cast. Trevor Ariza, Carlos Arroyo, Tony Battie, Keyon Dooling and Darko Milicic are contributors and have been solid role players.

Nelson, who was drafted by Denver with the 20th overall selection in the 2004 draft and was then traded to Orlando on draft night, is expected to help Howard make the Magic into perennial playoff contenders for many years to come. The 24-year-old Nelson is a pure point guard and is one of the key ingredients to the Magic's formula for success.

The strong play of Howard and the success of the Magic, should definitely get Howard a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. If selected to the squad as a starter or reserve, it would be his first appearance in the mid- season event for the rising star.

Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Jermaine O'Neal, Amare Stoudemire and Yao Ming are some of the top big men in the game today. Howard belongs right there with them. He is not as smooth as Duncan, or as polished as Garnett and O'Neal. He can't drain threes like Nowitzki, score like Yao, and when Stoudemire is 100 percent healthy there may not be anyone better.

However, Howard can defend anyone in the low post and is not afraid to do the dirty work that helps teams win the big games. He is a hard-working forward whose best days are still ahead.

At just 21, Howard keeps getting better and is very hungry on the court, which is evident by the way he plays the game. Howard is a rising star, and a spot on the Eastern Conference roster for the All-Star Game along with a berth in the postseason for Orlando will give him more credibility when being compared to the elite big men in the NBA today.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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