The Celtics Are Favored To Land Dwight Howard And Everyone Is Already Losing Their Minds
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Las Vegas doesn't publish betting odds to lose money. And they seem outrageously safe about betting on Dwight Howard coming to the Celtics. Bovada has set their odds for the talented but much-maligned big man with his options in free agency and set Boston as the heavy favorite with 10-11 odds.
That's not a typo. If you bet $1 on Dwight Howard coming to the Celtics you'd win about 91 cents.
People on Twitter were already losing their minds about the likelihood of the Celtics signing Howard as a free agent when news broke that the two sides are planning a meeting. Never mind that it should generally be a good thing that the team got an actual meeting with an actual free agent, but Howard is that maddening of a figure to so many people.
Securing a face-to-face meeting with Durant was a nice sign of progress. A meeting with Dwight Howard is the polar opposite of that...
— Hockey Jones ???????????? (@adamjones985) June 29, 2016
Dwight Howard has a meeting w/ Celtics? Is that so he can come to Boston, get overpaid, underwhelm fans and opt out after 2 years?
— Fitzy (@FitzyGFY) June 29, 2016
And after the odds came out, the chaos only continued...
Here is why people don't want Dwight Howard. This #Celtics team is insanely likable. Dwight Howard has the potential to ruin that.
— Mikewichter (@mikewichter) June 29, 2016
If there is a God and that divine being has any sense of love and compassion Dwight Howard will never wear a Celtics jersey
— Nick Bruno (@brunes17) June 29, 2016
The #Lakers win free agency if Dwight Howard signs with the #Celtics
— Frosburg (@Boltsbooth) June 30, 2016
The @celtics better not get Dwight Howard. He is toxic.
— Shenehneh Jenkins (@MszUnbreAKAble1) June 30, 2016
...And still rages on into Thursday.
@Johnston985 @flynn985 I think I'd rather resign Travis Knight and Vitali Potapenko than Dwight Howard.
— Mike From Woburn (@MikeFromWoburn) June 30, 2016
The media appears ready for war as well. Tim Welsh called Howard a "cancer" and said a current coach told him that he'd rather play with four guys than have Howard on his team and Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald is simply incredulous about the Celtics having great interest in him. On the other side, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe's headline Thursday reads "Superman Could Save The Celtics" and Chris Mannix believes the Celtics should "absolutely" sign Howard to a deal.
Ultimately, Howard on the court would be one of the two or three best players on the Celtics, if not the best. The 30-year-old is not what he used to be, but he can still be productive and serves two big needs for the Celtics, rebounding and low-post scoring. However, concerns about his character and maturity are very valid, if not documented fact. But the Celtics as currently constituted are in a "beggars can't be choosers" situation and it's clear that Brad Stevens' job is safe regardless of Howard's reputation as a "coach-killer."
One way or the other, everyone seems to be losing their minds over one single player who would probably sign a short-term deal. Howard's immaturity probably wouldn't make much of a dent in a franchise as stable as the Celtics - but he likely wouldn't turn back into Superman either. The actual result of Howard in a Celtics uniform would likely be somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.
But the mere discussion of Howard coming here is guaranteed to keep delivering in the Twittersphere.
Rowan here pretty much sums it up for me.
Kinda want the Celtics to sign Dwight Howard just to see what happens
— Rowan Easter (@RowanEaster) June 29, 2016
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.