Howard opens up about disinterest with Rockets, Harden relationship
Dwight Howard believes off-court distractions played a key role in his lack of success during his three-year tenure with the Houston Rockets.
Once regarded as one of the best big men in the NBA, the eight-time All-Star has seen his production take a serious hit the past two seasons in Houston and he's coming off a year in which he averaged 13.7 points in 71 games.
During an extensive interview with Jackie MacMullan of ESPN, Howard opened up about a number of issues that led to his lack of production; including his relationship with the front office and tension between he and James Harden. He also opined about what is next for him.
Front-office fallout
There were times I was disinterested because of situations that happened behind the scenes that really hurt me. It left me thinking, 'This is not what I signed up for.'
I felt like my role was being reduced. I went to (Rockets general manager) Daryl (Morey) and said, 'I want to be more involved.' Daryl said, 'No, we don't want you to be.' My response was, 'Why not? Why am I here?' It was shocking to me that it came from him instead of our coach. So I said to him, 'No disrespect to what you do, but you've never played the game. I've been in this game a long time. I know what it takes to be effective.'
Relationship with Harden
Before I got to Houston, I didn't know him as a person. What made me really interested in James Harden was the way he attacked the basket when he was at OKC. He was the glue of the team, attacking, making plays, dunking. I was thinking, 'Man, this guy could be special.' When I hit free agency, I watched YouTube tapes of James for hours. I looked at us as a mini Shaq and Kobe. I was thinking, 'Man, this could be a new life for both of us.' And we had some good stretches together. Made it to the Conference finals last season.'
I don't know (what went wrong with me and Harden). ... I want to figure that out, too. I've been trying to wrap my mind around this season, what went wrong, and sometimes you can allow outside things to interrupt the circle. That probably happened with us.
Will he return to Houston?
That's a fair question. You never know what will happen. I'm not ready to rule anything out. But, no matter what the situation (is), I have to be true to myself, both on and off the floor. I can't alienate myself by letting my frustration get the best of me. A lot of the situations I've dealt with in the past couple of seasons have made me realize some things about myself. These situations I've dealt with have made me stronger. You could say I've hit the 'reset' button.
This will be my last chance for a really big contract. If I am utilized the right way, I know what I can do for a team, a city, a franchise. I know my worth, and I will bust my butt this summer to show my worth to everyone.