If you ask the Golden State Warriors what they think of Orlando rookie Dwight Howard you'll find that they believe that he is certainly the real deal.

``He's legit,'' Warriors Coach Mike Montgomery said of the No. 1 pick in the 2004 draft. ``He's got good instincts, he's big as a house, has good hands. They've got to be very pleased with his progress.''

``He's going to be pretty good," added Dale Davis. "He's athletic and big. He has the kind of stuff you can't teach.''

Averaging 10.9 points and 10.4 rebounds entering Friday, the teammate Tony Battie believes that Howard is making the immediate impact that was missing from past big men who have jumped from high school to the NBA.

``There's been guards that have come out of high school and been effective right away,'' Magic center Tony Battie said. ``But no big man has come out and played right off the top like he has. Jermaine O'Neal rode the bench in Portland. Kevin Garnett did not put up numbers like this. Who else was there? Kwame Brown.''

[RealGM Note: what about Amare Stoudemire, who is having a phenominal season?]