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PHILADELPHIA
VS.
TORONTO
MILWAUKEE
VS.
CHARLOTTE
SAN ANTONIO
VS.
DALLAS
L.A. LAKERS
VS.
SACRAMENTO
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Juwan's got a bad rep, which he can't shake
By Frank Hughes
Special to ESPN.com
There are two things that seem to be true and consistent about Dallas
Mavericks forward Juwan Howard:
|  | | Juwan Howard plays hard, but his contract and hit on Derek Anderson are negatives. |
First, he has become a lightning rod for criticism and controversy wherever
he goes in the NBA.
Second, it would seem to be something of an ironic and inappropriate
happenstance, because Howard is actually a good guy.
No, certainly he is no Hersey Hawkins or David Robinson, but he is the
furthest thing from Isaiah Rider, who can only seem to get in the paper for
his misdeeds or poor decisions.
And yet, for some reason, Howard always has been in the news for this
negative occurrence or that miscalculation.
That he was part of Michigan's Fab Five only adds to that image, with baggy
shorts and bad attitudes that set the stage for Generation X.
For anybody who knows or remembers much about the Fab Five, Howard was the
one who was considered level-headed, grounded while high-flying, in-your-face
Chris Webber and Jalen Rose either caused people to hate or love them.
But one incident in particular seems to stand out from Howard's days as a
Wolverine. During a game against the hated Michigan State Spartans, after
Michigan trounced them and the fans relentlessly rode the Fab Five, Howard
and Webber went over and defecated on the "S" in the middle of the court.
Well, not defecated, but that is what the story has become, a folklore that
can be carried about by college kids hoping to one-up their friends with good
tales.
In reality, Howard and Webber made an obscene gesture to the "S", a couple of
immature college kids taunting the drunken revelers who were taunting them
first. But I guarantee the more appalling version of the story still makes
its rounds on parts of Michigan State's campus, the same way Babe Ruth
calling out his own home run has become a certainty (he didn't do it, by the
way.)
In Washington, of course, Howard will always be known for the $105 million
contract he signed and could never quite escape.
But there are so many parts to that story, I wonder just how Juwan became the
miscreant.
For sure, he is not deserving of the money, at least not by the talent
standards set by Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning.
But when Howard was a rookie, the then-Bullets could have had him locked up
for 12 years at what now would be considered a bargain price.
But owner Abe Pollin decided he wanted to singlehandedly reshape the salary
structure of the NBA, and held fast and firm on the money he would give
Howard.
Howard, living in a hotel room at O'Hare airport because he had no family
with whom to stay, finally relented to Pollin's wishes of lower income, with
the stipulation that he had an out clause after two seasons -- and at the
time, out clauses were somewhat new.
As it turned out, that decision cost Washington -- and made Howard -- about
$70 million.
The other part of that story is that the Miami Heat, remember, were willing
to give Howard essentially the same money -- $98 million, but it got bumped
to $105 million when he went back to Washington because there is no state
income tax in Florida.
(As an aside, and not to beat a gimpy horse, but what does this say, once
again, about the GM skills of Riley? He was the first to extend big money to
Howard, and only was saved from that possible disgrace that the Wizards bore
the brunt of because David Stern decided to do Pollin a favor and give Howard
back.)
But I wonder, would the image of Howard be different if he had played
alongside Mourning and consistently won, appreciated for his workmanlike
contributions and ability to lay aside his ego in the name of team and
winning?
Instead, when things fell apart in Washington, he was the poster child for
their failures, and by the end, he was roundly booed at the MCI Center,
despite continuing to play hard every night.
The money will probably be Howard's legacy, but even before he signed the
contract, he said he would not change his game. He knew, deep down, that he
did not hold the talent of Webber or Rose. He knew he had athletic
limitations, and he knew that he received the money simply because a series
of events conveniently conspired at the same time -- and he happened to be at
the right place at the right time.
And he held true to that promise. He did not change his game. He played hard,
and while it never was flashy, it often was productive. Just not productive
enough to carry a team, which he knew even before he took the money -- which,
to be fair, the rest of us would have done, as well.
Now, as he displays his game on the world basketball stage of the playoffs for only the
second time in his career, suddenly he has become known as a thug for the
foul that put Derek Anderson out for likely the rest of the post-season.
Without specifically asking him the pointed question, my guess is that Howard
was simply doing what has been asked of him in his role as the fourth option
on a team of scorers.
He was making a hard foul, just as Malik Rose or Danny Ferry would do for the
Spurs, just as Charles Oakley does for the Raptors, just as Kurt Thomas does
for the Knicks, just as Rick Fox does for the Lakers and just as Scot Pollard
does for Sacramento.
But here are a few stories about the other side of Howard.
In 1995, when the East Coast was inundated with about three feet of snow, the
Bullets got stuck in Cleveland for a few days because they could not fly back
home, or on to Philadelphia, whom they were supposed to play next.
Finally, after about 134 visits to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we made it
to Philly for the game. That night, the Bullets went back to BWI Airport, arriving after
midnight.
The snow plow had been through the parking lot, but none of the players' cars
were dug out.
Instead of driving home, Howard helped dig out the cars of everybody there,
including the media relations folks, the trainer and the equipment manager,
not leaving until he made sure everybody's cars started and were gone.
Later, Howard and I had a falling out for a number of reasons, and after that
we never really were -- and still aren't -- on friendly terms.
But I went back to Washington a few years ago to cover a game between the
Wizards and Sonics, and after a Wizards practice, I was having lunch with
Maureen Lewis-Nasser, their director of public relations.
Howard came walking into the restaurant, sat at the counter and ordered a
quick lunch.
He looked into the back of the restaurant, saw Lewis-Nasser and I, and
instructed our waitress to tell us our lunch had been picked up by him.
Granted, our lunch was about $20 and he makes about $170,000 a game, but I
can think of about 385 other players who would not do the same thing,
particularly given the relationship he and I have.
It's why it astounds me that so much negativity follows Howard. Because
despite our relationship, I don't really consider him a bad guy. And nobody
else should either.
Frank Hughes covers the NBA for the Tacoma (Wash.) News-Tribune. He is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
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