Kemba praises Dwight: 'For the one season we had, it was fun'

The Dwight Howard experiment failed miserably in his lone season with the 36-46 Charlotte Hornets.

Following the campaign, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year apparently became the scapegoat for Charlotte's problems and had to defend himself following rumors about him being "hated" by the locker room.

Hornets All-Star Kemba Walker was quick to defend his former teammate, who chose a more positive approach in explaining Howard's short-lived tenure in North Carolina.

"It was cool man. I've always been a huge fan of Dwight," Walker said, according to Bullets Forever's Kristian Winfield. "He's always been one of the guys who I've always wanted to play with. Growing up, Dwight was a beast. It was good. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. Sometimes teams don't do well. That's just the nature of the game. I played with plenty of other guys who came to the team. It just didn't work out. For the one season we had, it was fun.

"It sucks that we didn’t go as far as we wish we could have but I had a pretty good season individually, and Dwight had a great season individually. Now he's gonna move on - he's in Washington now."

Howard was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets after the season ended and the two parties quickly negotiated a buyout to make the once perennial All-Star a free agent. He came to a two-year, $11-million agreement with the Washington Wizards - a marriage Walker believes can be a perfect fit.

"John (Wall) is a helluva player. one of the best passers in our league," Walker said of Wall. "I think he's gonna open up so many opportunities for Dwight. I think Dwight's gonna help those guys as well. It’s gonna be fun to watch. They have so many dynamic players on the team between John and (Bradley Beal). It's gonna open up so much for Dwight so it'll be good for him."