NBA Playoffs: Dwight Howard mad at perceived lack of respect from James Harden
By Jason Parker
Houston Rockets star center Dwight Howard is reportedly upset with what he feels is a lack of respect from teammate James Harden during the past season.
Wednesday night, the 2015-16 season came to an end for the Houston Rockets as they were blown out of the NBA Playoffs with a 33-point loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of their first round series.
It was quite the step backwards for a team who was playing for the Western Conference title last season against that same Warriors team. With the season over, the changes will start to be made in the Lone Star State — and one big one will likely be fueled by a beef between the team’s two best players.
According to one ESPN report, center Dwight Howard is upset with what he perceives as a lack of respect from teammate and fellow superstar, guard James Harden. The dispute seems to come from both players having vastly different personalities:
"Howard feels he’s a star and should be respected in the locker room. Howard, known to be playful with media members, was distant over the last two months of the regular season. He was largely frozen out of the offense despite coaches and players saying he needs the ball.While Howard is irked by not getting the ball as often as he would like, it is Harden who is dismayed by the center. He wishes Howard would demand the ball and not goof around so much. Howard’s personality — bubbly, friendly, warm — often can rub guarded people such as Harden the wrong way."
It seems to be the continuing story of Dwight Howard over his NBA career, as he was continuously in the media for having issues with teammates and organizations at previous stops with the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers.
With Dwight Howard becoming a free agent and, more than likely, not returning to the Rockets for the 2016-17 season and beyond, it appears that now will be Harden’s time to prove if he really is one of the elite players in the league, one who can lead a team by himself.
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