by A.J. Coltrane
I was watching the Orlando-Boston game before the Super Bowl this past weekend. Dwight Howard got the ball on the low block and put together a series of spin moves and scored.
My reaction: “That’s the Dream Shake!”
Hakeem Olajuwon has been working with big men since 2006, including Kobe Bryant, Rashard Lewis, Yao Ming, and Dwight Howard. Check out #1 on the highlight reel for a great example of the “Dream Shake.”
I thought two things are interesting from Hakeem’s wikipedia entry:
If I had to pick a center [for an all-time best team], I would take Olajuwon. That leaves out Shaq, Patrick Ewing. It leaves out Wilt Chamberlain. It leaves out a lot of people. And the reason I would take Olajuwon is very simple: he is so versatile because of what he can give you from that position. It’s not just his scoring, not just his rebounding or not just his blocked shots. People don’t realize he was in the top seven in steals. He always made great decisions on the court. For all facets of the game, I have to give it to him.
- —Michael Jordan
More recently he has been working with Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, helping him diversify his post moves and encouraging more mental focus.
I thought that was interesting… “more mental focus.” That sums up Howard’s main weakness pretty well — he doesn’t always appear to be thinking when he’s on the court. (That, and his offensive repertoire has been limited to dunks.)
If he ever does figure it out though — look out.
FlatbreadGarden 