Dwight Howard Felt His 2012 Lakers Run Was Doomed After Mike D’Antoni Hiring Over Phil Jackson

There was palpable pleasure in LA when the Lakers traded for Dwight Howard in 2012. He was a famous person heart, who arrived from the Magic a couple of years after main them to the NBA Finals. The similarities between his arrival and Shaquille O’Neal’s signing with the group in 1996 have been uncanny. Nevertheless, not like the Corridor of Famer, who led the franchise to a few championships, Howard left after one 12 months, incomes the ire of followers and his former teammates. 11 years later, he has lastly defined why he bailed on the group.

On the most recent episode of Above The Rim With DH 12, Howard defined to Lakers proprietor Jeanie Buss that he was enthusiastic about enjoying underneath Phil Jackson, who was rumored to return to the group in 2012. Nevertheless, the group employed head coach Mike D’Antoni, whose tactical method wasn’t suited to get the perfect out of the middle. He said,

“I had talked to [Phil Jackson] on the cellphone. He was like he needed to teach me. Once I heard that, even now I’m getting chills… Two days later [the Lakers] signed [Mike D’Antoni] and I used to be like, ‘I don’t know if that is going to go nicely for me.’”

Howard cherished the concept of Phil Jackson teaching him. The 11-time championship-winning head coach had led the Lakers to 5 titles and had a penchant for utilizing facilities to nice impact.

He initially retired in 2011 and the Lakers employed Mike Brown as his successor. Nevertheless, his implementation of a Princeton-styled offense was a failure and the group fired him after simply 5 video games into his second season.

The Lakers reached out to Jackson as soon as extra to return as head coach. He requested for 2 days to think about the supply, which the Lakers granted. Nevertheless, they didn’t look ahead to a response from the legendary head coach and employed Mike D’Antoni whose philosophy catered to Steve Nash as a substitute of Howard.

Buss revealed the franchise made a acutely aware determination to prioritize getting the perfect out of the veteran guard over Howard. Below D’Antoni in Phoenix, he had received back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006 and the Lakers felt the coach and the star might rekindle that magic in LA. She stated,

“We had Steve Nash on the group. In order that they reunited what that they had finished in Phoenix. Cleary the the selection was to go all-in on Steve as a substitute of what would work finest for you.”

Nash performed solely 50 video games within the 2012-13 season and was a shell of the participant he as soon as was. Howard, who endured a tricky season, determined to take his skills to Houston and joined the Rockets, which was an enormous blow to the Lakers. It made his already tumultuous relationship with Kobe Bryant even worse.

Bryant and Howard didn’t see eye-to-eye

As thrilling as everybody else was about Howard becoming a member of the Lakers, the middle wasn’t eager on becoming a member of the group. In an look on the Gil’s Area podcast, the three-time Defensive Participant of the Yr defined he wasn’t mentally ready to play on the group that beat him and the Magic within the 2009 NBA Finals nor was he able to shoulder the expectation of turning into the ‘new Shaq.’ He stated,

“And I’m simply coming off an harm, I’m nonetheless coping with all of the psychological shit from Orlando and now I received to go to L.A. and I’m enjoying with Kobe Bryant. I watched him play, they beat us within the Finals. One, I used to be already pissed as a result of I needed to go to L.A. and no person ever knew I didn’t wish to go to L.A.”

Bryant and Howard by no means spoke about their points after they have been teammates however there have been stories about friction between the 2, which solely worsened after the middle left the group. The 2 lastly got here to blows in 2014 throughout a recreation between the Lakers and Rockets, the place the Corridor of Fame guard and Howard aired their emotions about one another in an explosive back-and-forth.

Bryant and the middle have been a tremendous pairing on paper. Nevertheless, the Lakers prioritizing Steve Nash and Howard’s mind-set on the time meant they might by no means turn out to be the potent duo many believed they might be.