23 candles light fuse of talent

Magic's Howard burning bright among young guns

Aaron J. Lopez

Published January 11, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.

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Photo by Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press

Orlando's Dwight Howard isn't even 23 years old, yet he is making a big splash in the NBA. "He's a terrific young player," Nuggets center Marcus Camby said.

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Michael Jordan made No. 23 an iconic number in American sports, while David Beckham did the same for soccer fans worldwide.

Jim Carrey explored numerical obsession in a mediocre movie titled The Number 23.

The very foundation of human reproduction is based on the fact each parent contributes 23 chromosomes to their child.

For many people, 23 carries mythical powers. In the NBA, it simply represents some of the best young talent on the hardwood.

Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James turned 23 years old in 2007, as did Toronto forward Chris Bosh, Portland guard Brandon Roy and Utah point guard Deron Williams.

Among the most talented 23s-to-be is Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, who will make his only Pepsi Center appearance of the season tonight against Anthony and the Nuggets (7, Altitude).

Howard, a 6-foot-11, 265-pound dunking machine, has supplanted Shaquille O'Neal as the most dominant big man in the Eastern Conference.

He is averaging 22.4 points, 15.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game - all of which would represent career-highs for a single season.

No NBA player has averaged at least 20 points and 15 rebounds since Moses Malone in 1982-83.

"He's a terrific young player," Nuggets center Marcus Camby said. "I think he's going to be a tremendous player in this league for a very long time. He's so big and strong down there, and he's just really starting to learn the game."

While Bosh put together a tongue-in-cheek YouTube advertisement soliciting All-Star votes, Howard needed no such campaign. In the latest round of fan balloting released Thursday, Howard had about 1.4 million votes - more than double that of his closest competitor, O'Neal.

Fittingly, O'Neal's first four All- Star appearances came while playing for the Magic. Howard will play in his second All-Star Game, leaving him 12 behind O'Neal, who has set the modern standard for behemoths in the paint.

"I don't think there's a bigger force around the basket in the league," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "I've never seen a guy's shoulders look like shoulder pads. He looks like he's wearing inflated muscles."

Will the Nuggets front line of Camby, Kenyon Martin and Nene be able to slow Howard tonight at the Pepsi Center?

Perhaps Camby has a numerical edge. He wears the No. 23.

lopezaa@RockyMountainNews.com

23-and-under league

Big Brother always was watching in George Orwell's classic book 1984. These days, he might subscribe to the NBA League Pass to keep an eye on all the young stars born in 1984 and later. "We've got a strong generation, man," Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said. "We just going to roll with our generation and see where it leads." A 12-man roster featuring the top players who are 23 years old or younger.

* STARTING LINEUP

Pos. Name Team Age Comments

F Carmelo Anthony Nuggets 23 Co-captain of U.S. national team; scary inside-outside game; defense, rebounding improving each year.

F LeBron James Cavaliers 23 Co-captain of U.S. national team; triple-double threat every game; marketability on par with Tiger Woods.

C Dwight Howard Magic 22 Monster in the paint; 20 points, 20 rebounds a routine game; power and mobility second to none.

G Chris Paul Hornets 22 Nearly impossible to guard one-on-one on perimeter; improving jump shot to complement passing ability.

G Brandon Roy Trail Blazers 23 Can play point guard, shooting guard or small forward; strong two-way player on offense and defense.

* BENCH

F Chris Bosh Raptors 23 Speed and quickness make for difficult matchup; unheralded because of small NBA market.

G Deron Williams Jazz 23 Team USA member; thriving in Utah as successor to John Stockton.

F Josh Smith Hawks 23 Impressive shot-blocker at only 6-foot-9; on pace to improve scoring average for fourth straight season.

C Al Jefferson Timberwolves 23 MVP (most valuable piece) of Kevin Garnett trade; averaging double-double for second year in a row.

F Kevin Durant SuperSonics 19 Long arms and legs lead to nickname "Durantuala"; proving self NBA-ready as rookie.

G Rudy Gay Grizzlies 21 Prototypical NBA build (6-foot-8, 220 pounds); scoring average nearly double from rookie season.

C Andrew Bynum Lakers 20 Coming into his own alongside Kobe Bryant; making big strides defensively and on the boards.

Celebrity 23-and-under team

Hollywood is all about who's young, hip and - perhaps most important - rich. The five highest-paid 22- and 23-year-old nonsports celebrities, according to Forbes magazine.

Name Age Occupation 2007 earnings NBA connection

Avril Lavigne 23 Singer $12 million Canadian pop star probably a Raptors fan.

Keira Knightley 22 Actress $9 million Passion for shoes; must own some Air Jordans, right?

Scarlett Johansson 23 Actress $5 million Starred in The Perfect Score, which also featured Portland forward Darius Miles.

Mandy Moore 23 Singer/actress $3.5 million Appeared in NBA I Love This Game promotional video.

Frankie Muniz 22 Actor $3 million Los Angeles Clippers fan going through rough season.

Magic at Nuggets

* When: 7 tonight.

* Where: Pepsi Center.

* TV/Radio: Altitude; KKFN-AM (950).

* Probable starting lineups

Orlando (23-14) Pos. Ht. Pts.

15 Hedo Turkoglu F 6-10 19.5

9 Rashard Lewis F 6-10 18.3

12 Dwight Howard C 6-11 22.4

10 Keith Bogans G 6-5 9.8

30 Carlos Arroyo G 6-2 6.4

Coach:

Stan Van Gundy

Denver (21-13) Pos. Ht. Pts.

15 Carmelo Anthony F 6-8 25.4

4 Kenyon Martin F 6-8 9.4

23 Marcus Camby C 6-11 9.0

25 Anthony Carter G 6-2 8.0

3 Allen Iverson G 6-0 27.1

Coach:

George Karl * Injuries: Orlando - F Tony Battie (torn left rotator cuff) is out. Denver - G Chucky Atkins (sports hernia) is out; C Steven Hunter (right knee surgery) is probable.

* Notes: Anthony continues to march toward a starting spot in the NBA All-Star Game. He trails San Antonio's Tim Duncan but is second among Western Conference forwards in the latest ballot returns, comfortably ahead of Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki. "To be here talking about being the second forward in the West and not being on the list (of players) that might not make it, that makes a person feel good," Anthony said. . . . Hunter, eight weeks removed from surgery, will be in uniform for the first time since Nov. 12. "It's going to be tough to get playing time, but I'm going to keep playing hard," he said. "Injuries can happen, foul trouble can happen, so I'm going to stay ready." . . . Orlando is 16-6 on the road but has not won in Denver since Dec. 20, 2002. . . . The Nuggets' game Feb. 22 at Chicago no longer with be televised by ESPN, but the network has picked up the Nuggets-Cleveland game Feb. 10 starting at 5 p.m. MST.

Praising Howard

"I don't really know how to describe him. Strong, physical. I can't go down word for word. He's a man-child. I don't really think he's reached his full potential. He's still 22 years old. He's got a long way to go." Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets forward

"Beast. He's got (more) dunks than most NBA teams. He gets it done, man. He's come a long way since his rookie year. The kid can play." Kenyon Martin, Nuggets forward

Different kind of iron man

If Howard catches the ball anywhere near the basket, look out below. He is shooting 60.5 percent from the field in 2007-08 thanks to a league-leading 133 dunks. The most frequent dunkers in the NBA through Wednesday, according to the Orlando media-relations staff.

Dunks pct./ Player Team Dunks Total FG total FGs Dwight Howard Magic 133 286 46.5

Andrew Bynum Lakers 81 174 46.6

Shawn Marion Suns 78 237 32.9

Tyson Chandler Hornets 69 163 42.3

Amare Stoudemire Suns 69 259 26.6

Numbers game

59.7 free-throw percentage for Howard through 37 games this season. Though not as atrocious as the 52.4 percent career mark of Shaquille O'Neal, left, Howard's 60.7 percent accuracy in four seasons makes him a liability in late-game situations.

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