Dwight Howard explains frustration with Rockets, Daryl Morey
By Tom West
In a recent interview, Dwight Howard explained his frustrations with the Houston Rockets, and his difficulties with James Harden and GM Daryl Morey.
The Houston Rockets, in all their lackluster glory, belong to James Harden. He’s the one dominating the ball on every possession, playing a league-high 38.1 minutes a night and averaging 29 points per game. Meanwhile, Dwight Howard is left aside as the fallen star, two years removed from his most recent All-Star selection and seemingly indifferent about his role and the team.
In an insightful interview with ESPN, he discussed almost everything you could think of, from how he still believes he’s worth a “really big contract” to how he’s afraid to take jump shots if he misses to the terrible way his time in Orlando came to an end.
Some of the most interesting remarks Howard made about Houston revealed his relationship with Rockets GM Daryl Morey:
"“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.”’Morey declined comment."
Howard was never meant to be the center of attention with the Rockets. He was an All-Star during his first season with the team, in 2013-14, averaging 18.3 points and 12.2 rebounds per game and showing his force in the paint, but this is Harden’s team. Most importantly, it is Harden’s offense. The fact Howard averaged a mere 8.5 field goal attempts a game this season (his lowest mark since his rookie year in 2004-05) is no surprise considering the way Harden dominates the ball in Houston’s three-point heavy offense.
Nevertheless, it’s hard to think Morey’s comments won’t be one of multiple reasons Howard chooses to sign somewhere else this summer (he has a player option for 2016-17, so he can run away if he pleases). In fact, it’s still a little surprising that he wasn’t dealt at the trade deadline in February.
The fact Morey declined to share his take on the matter to ESPN further highlights the tension.
Howard also mentioned how he needs to figure out what went wrong with his relationship with Harden:
"“I don’t know. … 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.”"
When asked how Howard could consider going back to the Rockets after the season they’ve had, he said the following:
"“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 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.”"
Who knows where Howard will be by the end of this summer. There are always going to be teams in need of a center and even though it’s hard to argue that he’s still a max player, he can still be a productive offensive player with his rolls to the basket and interior finishing if he’s given the opportunity to do so. Plus, while he’s far from being a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, he can still anchor the paint for a team in need of that interior presence.
We’ll have to wait and see, but with even more light shed on his problems in Houston, it would be startling to see him stick around any longer than he has to.
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