NBA Rumors: Dwight Howard driving LeBron James away from Houston Rockets?
Now that the Miami Heat’s season has come to an end and forward LeBron James (along with big man Chris Bosh and guard Dwyane Wade) can opt out of their contracts and become an unrestricted free agents, there are many who believe James could bolt for a better opportunity to win a championship (if that place exists).
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One team that is expected to heavily pursue James this summer is the Houston Rockets. The Rockets landed high-scoring guard James Harden in 2012 and then lured the game’s best center, Dwight Howard, away from the Los Ageles Lakers in 2013. If the Rockets could ass James to that duo, they would probably be the most talented team in the NBA.
Convincing James to leave the Heat won’t be easy – he has won the Eastern Conference Title and played in the NBA Finals in his all four of his seasons with the Heat and has claimed two championships, winning MVP of both.
Plus, according to Ira Widerman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, James may be turned off by a locker room led by Howard, who often jokes around and isn’t as serious before and after games as some would like.
Howard has had that rep for some time and it is true that he likes to joke around in the locker room, but he is also a very talented player and when healthy, is the best defensive player in the NBA.
Howard averaged 18.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.8 assists while shooting 59.1% from the floor and 54.7% from the free throw line while James averaged 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 56.7% from the field, 37.9% from three and 75.0% from the charity stripe last season.