Josh Howard isn’t a good fit for the Spurs

May 2, 2012; San Antonio, TX, USA; Utah Jazz forward Josh Howard (8) shoots between San Antonio Spurs forward Boris Diaw (33) and Kawhi Leonard (2) during the second half of game two in the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the AT

The San Antonio Spurs are interested in unrestricted free agent Josh Howard according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (H/T Project Spurs).

Spears noted the Spurs aren’t the only team interested in Howard’s services.

Jazz free agent Josh Howard getting interest from Mavs for     Dallas return, source tells Y! Utah, Lakers, Nets, Spurs, Celtics     also interested

Howard, 32, has been one the Spurs’ primary wing targets for the last year. While I understand that Howard fits a defined niche — long, athletic wing that can defend most players — he doesn’t make a good fit for the Spurs.

He’s notoriously inefficient as evidenced by his shot selection; nearly half of Howard’s shots came from the mid-range area. This would be palatable if he actually shot well. He doesn’t. Howard converted at a 33% clip from outside the paint. His 3-point percentage, a staple for Gregg Popovich’s system, dipped even further to 24.3%. Would Pop really be OK with a guy whose poor shooting constricts the floor for Parker and Manu?

Howard is decent rebounder for his position. He was Utah’s sixth best defensive rebounder, grabbing a board on 13.9% of their possessions. Compared to the Spurs’ wings, Howard is merely average.

What also makes me weary of Howard is that his athleticism has been nearly depleted. A vast part of his game revolved around his athleticism and now that he doesn’t have as much it trickles down and affects the rest of his game.

It probably won’t take a huge amount of money to sign Howard. I think allocating our resources to Green makes a lot more sense though. There’s a reason Howard isn’t a Spur right now (well, yeah, he took more money in Utah) and I hope it stays that way.