Dwight Howard considered retirement following his disappointing 2014/15 campaign, Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated passes along in a full-length piece that’s worth a read. Injuries certainly played a role in Howard evaluating that option, as he missed 41 games because of knee issues in 2014/15. Other factors, including his fit on the Rockets and his mindset toward the game of basketball, also were major factors.
“The joy was sucked out of it,” Howard said about his mindset toward the game that season.
The former No. 1 overall pick signed a four-year deal with Houston during the summer of 2013 and the team expected him to mesh well with rising star James Harden. The Harden-Howard pairing never came together as the franchise had hoped for, though the team attempted to create chemistry between the two by setting up a meeting during the 2014/15 season. Harden reportedly explained to Howard that he wanted the big man to set stronger screens and be a tougher rim protector, and Howard reportedly didn’t provide much of a response. One team source tells Jenkins that the gathering felt more like an intervention than a typical NBA player meeting.
Howard acknowledges that his communication skills are partially to blame for him not working in Houston and previously in Los Angeles.
“When I don’t like what’s going on, I tend to shut down, put my headphones on and ignore everything. I don’t talk about things. That happened to me in L.A. It happened to me again in Houston. I should have communicated better,” Howard said.
The big man was traded to the Hornets this offseason just one season into a three-year contract with the Hawks. Charlotte will be the center’s fourth team since he forced a trade from the Magic back in 2012.
“I had one bad year so I thought about quitting”.
And that attitude is why his career fell apart in the first place. Athleticism might get you through the first 5 or so years of your career, but only the truly motivated can survive in this league.
I think it speaks more on the fact that he probably has social anxiety to an extent, and did not know how to fix the situation through communication. So he probably was down on himself and wanted to retire because that’s the most obvious soluction and so he wouldn’t be a distraction anymore. He’s had a better NBA career than thousands of others even with him not being good anymore. At least he’s being honest with himself which will make it easier for teams to trust him to contribute from here on out.
“I quote things to suit my perspective cuz I’m so hip guys, so hip
No you’re not.
Good evaluation. Putting quotations around something he didn’t say is literally putting words in his mouth.
They both did that lol
Pot calling the kettle black?
One might call his style halfhearted so, not surprised.
It’s amazing seeing someone spacewalk across this planet’s strong gravitational field while contested by opponents but it is also a chore watching athletes who don’t move their feet.
Jordan’s problem now.
This guy has been a nut job for almost his entire career.
Game has changed. When he gets fed, he can still score. He’s showed it in the playoffs, which is more of a half court game. I could see Charlotte playing a little bit more through him, inside-out at times, which could mean better offensive numbers…he isn’t nearly the defender he was at one time, but he is still more than capable on that end, and he showed last year that he can still rebound at a high rate
Harden never looked for him, ever, and he never attempted to contribute anything on the defensive end. He cared more about dribbling and tricking refs into calling fouls than playing team basketball. GS still plays inside-out basketball. Harden had zero interest in that during that time…thats why Houston played better with that more athletic, disruptive, defensive lineup in that series they came back against the Clippers. Dwight has his own faults. But to claim he’s garbage now is ridiculous, and to claim he is solely at fault for things happening previously is also ridiculous. Offensive numbers are going to go down if you don’t get touches. He doesn’t have the greatest post game, but he can easily score 8-10 points a game in transition if guys look for him, and he still has that little baby hook that works for him
Chris Paul is going to find out real quick what it’s like to play with James Harden.
Both Harden and Paul have got to be 1 and 2 in the league that need the ball in their hands 90% of the time. This has got to be an explosion waiting to happen.
The only thing I’ve heard people say that makes sense is that Harden is tired of doing everything. That may be the case but he’ll want help, not someone to take over.
This will not work out at all. Remember Mike D’Antoni in Los Angeles with Kobe Bryant?
And another thing…..
To play with Chris Paul you’ve got to be a spot-up shooter. James Harden is not a spot-up shooter.
Neither is Eric Gordon by the way. He likes to dribble and drive and either kick or score himself. This is not going to be good.
Harden is the one that’s going to need to acquieste for them to succeed
That may be true but Paul is more able to adjust. The whole thing may not work until the discipline of the playoffs.
@Gary – agree
@formerlyz – Howard does pay too much attention to the refs. If he could just stop that.
Last chance for Howard to resurrect his All Star status & to rebuild his shattered image. Make or break season for him. If he averages anywhere near 20, 10, and 1.5, he will regain people’s respect, trust & confidence as an All Star center…..BUT if he doesn’t average anything close to those figures, he will be permanently labeled as a “decent, veteran big man” or a “solid role player”.
No way he averages 20 points. He’ll likely be the third option behind Kemba Walker and Nic Batum and maybe the 4th option behind one of Malik Monk or Frank Kaminsky
This is what I’m talking about. Averaging 20 points doesn’t mean much on its own