Through 20 months of twists and turns in the saga we came to know as the "Dwightmare," from Orlando to Los Angeles and finally to the July 5 day that his decision to go to the Rockets was first revealed by USA TODAY Sports, he was the target of well-deserved criticism because of the whimsical way he had gone about his career of late.
But in choosing to leave the Los Angeles Lakers and join a Rockets team that exploded on the Western Conference scene by trading for James Harden last October, he did exactly what his detractors wish he would have done so much earlier — make a clear and understandable decision about his basketball future.
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COMMENTARY: Dwight made the right choice
All the noise about his warped priorities, all those signs that he cared more about his business than his basketball, and Howard got it right in the end by chasing the one dream so many wondered if he cared about anymore: a championship. He left nearly $30 million on the table to head for Houston, signing a four-year, $88 million deal rather than the five-year, $117 million contract the Lakers were allowed to offer. In doing so, he set the table for a revival that — if it comes to fruition — will be nearly impossible to nitpick.
It is too easily forgotten that Howard was among the walking wounded for most of his time with the Lakers. His back surgery in April 2012 left him immobile for months, and his October return, as Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak later admitted, was premature. He was there without truly being there, in other words, with his legs still tingling, his vintage bounce coming and going and physical limitations compounding the problems already present on a Lakers team that clearly lacked chemistry.
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Howard will be a happier, healthier version of himself than the one we saw in that trial run in Hollywood, what with Kobe Bryant's shadow so far away now and his younger running mates in Harden, Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Lin aware of his top-tier place in their new pecking order. And that, make no mistake, is enough for the rest of the NBA to lament the reality that another Western Conference contender has been born.
the Rockets and Lakers finished with the same 45-37 record during the 2012-13 regular season. Yet their situations couldn't have been more different — one full of hope and progress and the other a dysfunctional disaster that fell so short of even their own expectations.
The Rockets are an upstart team that added a dominant big man in the middle, meaning they should start next year's playoffs with home-court advantage and will be in the mix from there. They will be good, but there will be none of the hype-hell that he took so much of the fall for before. It is, without question, a very different starting point than the all-or-nothing world in which he lived last season. What's more, their coach fits Howard better.
PHOTOS: Dwight Howard through the years
Dwight Howard will join the Rockets next season. But that all comes after a whirlwind nine years in the NBA. Flip through this gallery for a look back at his career. Dwight Howard will join the Rockets next season. But that all comes after a whirlwind nine years in the NBA. Flip through this gallery for a look back at his career. Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports Fullscreen
Dwight Howard will join the Rockets next season. But that all comes after a whirlwind nine years in the NBA. Flip through this gallery for a look back at his career. Howard was the top player in the country his senior season at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. Howard won Gatorade National Player of the Year his senior season. When Howard was picked No. 1 overall in the 2004 NBA draft by the Magic out of high school, he still had braces. Howard had veteran teammates to guide him as a rookie, as Grant Hill does here Oct. 6, 2004, during a preseason practice. Howard, particularly early in his career, was criticized for his lack of finesse on the offense end. Here, he bulldozes past Hawks center Jason Collier as a rookie Nov. 26, 2004. Howard was drawing regular double-teams by his second season in the NBA. Howard developed his rebounding skill at an early age, averaging a double-double as a 19-year-old rookie. He led the NBA in rebounds per game four times in his final five seasons with the Magic. Howard shows off his headphones during part of the Team USA tour before the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Howard made his Team USA major-competition debut during the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan. Howard and company brought home the gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japana. Howard had 20 points and 12 rebounds in the 2007 All-Star Game, which drew attention and led to him being voted in as a starter every season since. Before being beset by injuries in recent seasons, Howard was one of the most reliable big men in the NBA. He played all 82 games in each of his first four seasons and only missed seven in his first seven combined. Howard worked with Magic assistant Patrick Ewing for years on his post skills and defense. Howard's Superman-themed dunk during the 2008 dunk contest won him the title and remains one of the most iconic moments in contest history. Howard played with current Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant for Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning his only Olympic gold medal. Howard reportedly had a $7.8 million home in Orlando. Howard played with current Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant for Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning his only Olympic gold medal. Howard's 6-11, 270-pound frame combined with his spectacular athleticism makes him nearly impossible to defend. Howard and Jameer Nelson watch as the Magic lose Game 5 of the 2009 NBA Finals to the Lakers. Orlando lost twice in overtime during the five-game series. Howard's marketability hinges on his incredible physique and fun personality, shown as he flexes with tennis star Venus Williams. Fouling Howard has long been an ideal defensive strategy because he can't shoot free throws well. Howard is among the NBA's best shot-blockers, leading the NBA in 2008-09 and 2009-10. He won defensive player of the year honors both of those seasons and in 2010-11. In Orlando, Howard was the smiling face of the franchise for eight seasons. Shaquille O'Neal didn't shown much respect to Howard as a player and still doesn't as an analyst. Both were No. 1 picks by the Magic who then went to the Lakers, both centers known for their strength and athleticism, both Superman enthusiasts. The Magic brought back Hedo Turkoglu in 2011 with hopes of keeping Howard, but they never quite found the same page they had been on during their five seasons together from 2004 through 2009. Howard's last season in Orlando was full of frustration, vented at his balky back, his mediocre teammates, franchise executives and more. Howard and coach Stan Van Gundy didn't see eye-to-eye on many issues, and both ended up getting booted from the Magic in the 2012 offseason. Howard watched the end of the 2011-12 season, his last with the Magic, from the sideline after having back surgery to repair a herniated disk. After months of speculation, the Magic dealt Howard to the Lakers in a four-team August 2012 trade. The Lakers gave up center Andrew Bynum for him, while the Magic received a package of players including former 76ers center Nikola Vucevic and Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo. The trade produced more news media coverage than anything else in the 2012 offseason. Howard shows off the muscle frame that makes him arguably the strongest player in the NBA during his first Lakers media day Oct. 1, 2012. Howard's Lakers debut was delayed until late in the preseason, Oct. 21, 2012, against the Kings, because of his lingering back issues. Howard's first half-season with the Lakers was uncharacteristically poor, with his numbers and efficiency down across the board. Howard and Kobe Bryant formed a tenuous alliance for the Lakers, not showing much chemistry on or off the court. One of Howard's highlights in his first season with the Lakers was making the second three-pointer of his career Nov. 30, 2012. Howard's free throw woes reached new lows in 2011-12 and 2012-13, as back issues dropped his percentage to below 50%. Howard struggled with shoulder injuries, aggravating his torn tendon Jan. 30, 2012, against the Suns. Howard and point guard Steve Nash joined the Lakers in the 2012 offseason but spent much of the first half of the season unable to play together because of injuries.
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Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni runs a system where only one big man was necessary, so the pairing of Howard and Pau Gasol was problematic. With Rockets coach Kevin "Old School" McHale, as Howard dubbed him in his introductory news conference, a content Howard will likely be a scary Howard.
The Rockets knew this, and the theme of "happiness" was clearly a part of their presentation in Los Angeles. They had taken the first crack at Howard, the first of five teams (along with the Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks) to meet with him at a Bel Air hotel and share all the reasons he needed to come their way. They offered more potential than the Lakers with far less pressure, and that clearly appealed to the 27-year-old three-time defensive player of the year who is now four years removed from his lone Finals appearance.
"I made this decision for me," Howard told news reporters on that day. "I really want to be happy. And like (owner Les Alexander) said earlier, if you can't be happy when you're playing, then it's not fun. I just want to get back to being that guy who's having fun and enjoying basketball but at the same time dominating. I did that with a smile on my face. There's nothing wrong with doing that.
"I'm not going to get up here and say we're going to win five championships. I'm not going to do that. But I think if we really dedicate ourselves and sacrifice everything we've got for a championship, then at the end of the season we should be holding up the trophy."
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It took going to Los Angeles for him to see why the premise that had so much to do with him wanting to leave Orlando was so flawed. He realized that winning trumps market size when it comes to the factors that control the way a player is perceived and treated. Add in the always-overbearing presence of Bryant, and Howard learned the hard way that Laker Land wasn't all he had hoped it would be.
He put up some of the best numbers around during the second half of the season, only to be virtually ignored when the individual accolades were being decided. He finished a remarkably low 14th in this year's voting for defensive player of the year and was third-team All-NBA. The Lakers didn't win enough and had far too much negativity, so he paid the price along with anyone not named Kobe Bryant (who made first-team All-NBA).
As he had put it to USA TODAY Sports during a mid-March interview in his Bel Air home, "A lot of people say the grass is greener on the other side ... and I would always come back to them saying, 'If you do the right things, buy your own grass, then it'll always be green.' "
They're laying the sod in Houston now, with greener pastures ahead.
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