The Dwight double standard

There have been a number of random thoughts that I have had during the last weeks of the playoffs and the offseason. These are all things that will have a major bearing on the upcoming season for sure.

Perhaps the biggest question that will have to be answered is what I am calling the Dwight double standard.

Take yourself back to Game Five of the first round. Philadelphia's strategy is to hack at Dwight Howard as much as possible and try to make him go to the line thus discouraging Orlando from taking advantage of its best weapon and matchup in the series.

It even works as the Magic continually go away from Howard while he is being defended by the likes of Samuel Dalembert, Marreesse Speights and the unageable Theo Ratliff.

Being the playoffs, the referees feel a little generous and don't always make the call. Later on LeBron James will breathe funny and immediately whistle Courtney Lee for a foul. C'est la vie. More on James in a minute.

So Howard throws an elbow. A somewhat spontaneous reaction to the physicality coming his way and the lack of response from the officials. It is his way of expressing himself, so to speak.

What happens? The predictable. With the NBA feeling touchy about physical play at any point in the season, they lay the hammer down (unfortunately, not the Polish Hammer) and suspend Howard for Game Six.

Luckily the Magic had a Polish Hammer and used it to nail the 76ers in Game Six.

But that's not the point. The point is Howard had to stomach an unfair balance of fouls coming his way, especially for a player of his stature.

As The Puns Are Starting to Bore Me pointed out at the time, Howard led the league in free throws attempted. But he was the only player in the top 10 who did not use getting to the free throw line as part of his strategy.

Look, as we learned in the postseason, it's not always great for Howard to be at the line. I sometimes believe I am the only person who feels confident at any point in the game to have Howard at the line. You have to have that trust in him. And he will get better.

But this is something Dwight will have to live with. There is a double standard for big man. As Greg Oden tried to dispel in that ESPN the Magazine ad: "Big Men Don't Sell." Big men don't get the same calls as the LeBrons and the Dwyane Wades.

Those guys look more acrobatic when they get fouled. When Howard gets fouled, we expect him to power through it and still score. It is incredible that he -- and other big men like Shaquille O'Neal -- put up with this double standard.

But it is one he has to put up with and move on from. Certainly the only way for him to erase this double standard is to start making free throws and force teams to play him straight up. Complaining to the refs won't help him at all.