By this time, at least the whole NBA universe has already known that Dwight Howard will be leaving the Lakers and signing with the Houston Rockets, ending a very long series of meetings and talks regarding the future not only of the superstar, but also of the team that he used to belong to, considered as one of the biggest and greatest NBA franchises. Reasons and speculations regarding the eventual decision and the circumstances that led to it have been brought forth and circulated across the web, citing the pressure that the big city brings to the big man, the "unappreciative" fans, Coach Mike D'Antoni, and the difficulty playing alongside Kobe Bryant, as crucial conditions that led to this decision.
At this point, one can only say that everything has already been done. Houston now prepares for D12's arrival and explores the possibility of getting someone beyond him, James Harden, and Chandler Parsons. The Lakers, on the other hand, claim that they have Plan B set in motion, as the current roster that they have, considering the loss not only of Howard, but also of Earl Clark (who went to the Cleveland Cavaliers), Andrew Goudelock and Darius Morris, among others, will not be enough to even get them at the bottom four of the playoffs. Add to that the fact that Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are still on their way to full recovery. But before all these concerns come crashing through, perhaps one way of saying goodbye to Dwight Howard is to read and dissect his "letter" of gratitude to the Los Angeles Lakers players, management, and fans. And here it goes:
I’ve decided to become a member of the Houston Rockets.
So Howard finally decided on joining the Houston Rockets after flirting with his the Lakers, the Hawks, the Mavericks, and the Warriors, and the league should be happy about it. Actually, scrap that. It's more of a feeling of relief that finally, rumors and speculations that are NBA-related will now move away from D12. Suffice to say, everyone has been so irritated with this indecision, the second one which came after LeBron James' reveal last 2010, and it isn't worth anybody's time. Howard's performance and attitude towards the game last season has already been signs that this situation should not be overblown, and yet all have fallen to the "D12-does-not-grow-on-trees" argument. C'mon, if the Lakers have offered this guy an interesting pitch in Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, an additional 30 million dollars in your contract, and the possibility of becoming its next big thing, how can you refuse that? Right, pressure. No wonder, this guy ripped the team off and decline further possibility for playing with the Lakers.
This is not to say that this is a representation of the collective sourgraping that Lakers fans have. In fact, most of them do not realize that this is a good move for the Lakers (interesting read here), considering that the team is still two years in rebuilding (including several awful mistakes). The Purple and Gold does not deserve a star who cannot handle playing the pressure that it brings, and the money (and the cap space, unfortunately) that could have been spent on him deserves to be put on somebody who can handle the pressure and play alongside Kobe Bryant. Unfortunately, having D12 has its setbacks, including a season-long misery that the Lakers will go through, and thankfully the Lakers will have none of all these.
I feel its the best place for me and I am excited about joining the Rockets and I’m looking forward to a great season.
But to be fair, D12's decision is a good one, by way of elimination. Houston is a "small town," upper middle-market team that started rebuilding a year ago with the planned James harden trade and a role player on the rise in Chandler Parsons. The team landed the eighth spot in the playoffs, a notch below Howard's old team, and got a couple of wins against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and that means low expectations for a team that can go beyond what has been foreseen. The Rockets have a flexible coach in Celtic legend Kevin McHale, who knows how to make good use of big men (unlike the Lakers' Mike D'Antoni, who only had Amar'e Stoudemire, Channing Frye, and Boris Diaw to be proud of... and probably Pau Gasol who is going to slide into the center spot). In other words, the atmosphere of Houston isn't as close to that of Tinseltown, where every free throw missed and an opportunity for posting up one's opponents will be looked upon with scrutinizing eyes. If it is indeed true that Howard cannot play alongside Kobe Bryant as well as handle the pressure of being at it, then Houston is the perfect city, one that can give him "unconditional love."
And that is why he cannot go to the other teams that have been wooing him for the past few weeks. Dallas looks to have a huge overhaul this season in order to once again make it in the playoffs, after a disappointing 2012-13 season, and Mark Cuban as well as Dirk Nowitzki will have none of a big man that will play like a championship doesn't matter to him. The Hawks, despite losing Josh Smith, also promised that a rebuild will make it possible for them to be contenders once again in the Eastern Conference. And the Warriors? Oh boy, the Warriors need no explanation, for now they have seen what they can do as a team. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson led last year's playoff run, and no one's going to stop them now that they have realized what they can do.
Therefore, it makes sense for the clownish, seemingly happy-go-lucky Dwight Howard to find his place in Houston. But let this be a warning sign: the fact that they'll be seen as contenders would send a message to him, a big one actually: pressure is inevitable. If he thinks that a big franchise who has not won a championship in three years puts him in a situation that pressures him, wait until he sees a Texan crowd who has not won a championship in nearly twenty years and has finally gotten a legitimate star in the post-Yao era (which ended badly). He may find Rockets fans laughing with and about his ways, but he will not realize that in every game in regular season, he is going to be judged by his hard picks, dunks, and free throws (especially the last one). And before he can see it, the pressure that was once in Los Angeles will dawn upon him, one that even James Harden, intent on getting a ring before the Oklahoma City Thunder does, will willingly exert.
And if that does happen, where will Howard take his talents next?
I want to thank the fans in Los Angeles and wish them the best.
Yes, thank you as well Dwight Howard, for not embarking on a future that will be grim and gloomy, given your disposition towards winning championships (after all, you might have forgotten that this is the reason why you are valuable to all these five teams). Thank you for allowing the Lakers management to finally confirm for themselves the fact that they do not need a Dwight Howard that will be the anchor to the team's future, that it can go choose another one given that it will have a humongous cap space after this NBA season (uhm, calling the King this early might help. Probably.).
I'm sure that the Lakers will wish you the best. I mean, look at how Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol won two titles together.
