Chicago Bulls: Why Signing Dwight Howard Is A Bad Move

Although the Chicago Bulls definitely need to make some moves this offseason, they should stay far away from Dwight Howard.

The Chicago Bulls are in desperate need of a do-over.

After starting the year off on a turbulent note by firing former head coach Tom Thibodeau and hiring Fred Hoiberg as a replacement, things only got worse.

Joakim Noah took to the media to express his disdain with being benched. Jimmy Butler publicly criticized Hoiberg’s style of coaching. Guys like Tony Snell and Doug McDermott did not develop as quickly as expected. Injuries and health concerns plagued just about everyone including Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic.

The team did not make the playoffs this time around either after losing four in a row in late March and finishing with a 42-40 record.

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All in all it was a season filled with inconsistency, drama and, ultimately, disappointment.

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While the front office made minimal moves at this year’s trade deadline, getting rid of Kirk Hinrich and bringing aboard Justin Holiday, this offseason needs to be a different story if the organization wants to be successful moving forward.

In order to ensure a different outcome in the years ahead, the Bulls must make moves.

Although the playoffs currently have the attention of most members of the media and fans alike, some eliminated teams are still hot topics of conversation. And lately, thanks to various trade and sign rumors, Chicago is one of them.

Talks of Gasol joining the San Antonio Spurs have come up, after his brother Marc Gasol told the media:

"“My advice to Pau, at his age with the things he cares about, not that (we’ve talked); my advice would be to go to San Antonio.”"

Then of course, there has been speculation of Butler heading to the Los Angeles Lakers after it has become clear that there is no love lost between him and seemingly most of the Bulls system.

Rose has also been at the center of discussion, in regards to the question of should he stay or should he go?

But what about who Chicago should take on?

Well, recently big man Dwight Howard‘s name has popped up.

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Howard, who was once one of the league’s most beloved stars, has taken quite a dive since his days with the Orlando Magic. Drafted No. 1 overall by them in 2004, the center remained in Orlando until 2012, when he begged and pleaded to be traded to the Lakers.

Already having made a fool of himself by causing a media circus around his decision, Howard then looked even more like a clown when he left L.A. only a year later. He signed with the Houston Rockets in 2013, and is said to once again be looking for a new home.

And while Bulls fans have been seemingly trying to get him on their team for years now, it still remains a terrible idea–beyond just the fact that Howard would probably cost a pretty penny.

When Howard played for the Magic, he was a worthy asset. He was an uplifting guy, always full of energy, constantly motivating those around him. He was talented on both ends of the floor, consistently averaging a double-double, having his best offensive year in 2010-11 when he averaged 22.9 points a game and grabbed 14.5 rebounds a matchup in 2011-12.

He was a friend to all, while still being well-respected for his work ethic. And any team would have been lucky to have him.

But the same cannot be said of Howard anymore. His level of play has certainly decreased, as he averaged 13.7 points and 11.8 rebounds this season, but moreover his attitude has entirely changed. He went from being a dependable source of positivity to nothing but trouble.

It seems as though recently, Howard has only really been in the limelight for causing drama, both on and off of the court.

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By now, it is a well-known fact that Gar Forman and John Paxson hate anyone who will ruffle feathers within the organization. However, in the case of Howard, most would probably agree with them: having such a personality around would do nothing but hurt an already troubled team.