Before Dwight Howard made his decision to leave the Los Angeles Lakers for the Houston Rockets, one major concern was his relationship with head coach Mike D’Antoni.
It has been rumored for months that Howard has voiced his displeasure with D’Antoni and his perimeter-oriented offense. While Howard never asked Lakers management to fire D’Antoni, it was clear that Howard wasn’t pleased with his role in this system according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN LA:
Dwight on D’Antoni: “I think that we had our moments, but I think that his style was a little bit different than what I was accustomed to”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 6, 2013
Also, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, Howard indirectly took a shot at Mike D’Antoni while complimenting his new head coach and former Celtic, Kevin McHale:
Howard excited to play 4 HOU coach: “No offense to Mike D’Antoni but we’re talking about Kevin McHale, who had a million moves in the post.”
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 6, 2013
Many Lakers fans will blame Mike D’Antoni for Howard’s departure. While he may be responsible, D’Antoni was willing to make adjustments throughout the season which eventually featured a slower tempo and more post play. The Lakers were able to climb out of a 17-25 start to make the playoffs despite an injury-plagued season.
It will be interesting to see how D’Antoni is received by the fans, but it sounds like Howard made up his mind before the Lakers meeting that he was on his way out of town.
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In case you missed it, be sure to check out our video about Dwight Howard leaving For Houston.
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