NBA Rumors: Dwight Howard Not Interested In Staying In Houston Rockets
Rumors swirling across NBA rumorland suggest Dwight Howard's inevitable exit from Houston Rockets. He is apparently unwilling to stay in the team and most pundits are in seemingly unanimous agreement that he is likely to decline his player option once his contract expires.
Some analysts argue that Howard is a force to be dealt with had the Rockets not misused him this season. Apparently, Houston's gameplay was more Harden-centric which kind of ignored the center from active hardcourt participation. Getting him to play in a more significant role would probably get the best out of him.
"All I want to do is win," Howard said on NBA TV as quoted by Houston Chronicle. "I'm on that quest, man. It's a lot of hard work, I've had a lot of heartbreaks, but I'm not going to stop until I get it and then when I get it I'm going to try to get another one.
Meanwhile, there is no stopping Howard from leaving the team once the free agency season kicks in given his current beef with Rockets lead player James Harden and his inexplicable on-court persona that seem to baffle people including himself. Rumors indicate that the former Defensive Player of the Year awardee is out to seek for greener pastures. Although most NBA teams would prefer small effective players on the court these days, having a reliable big man is still quite important for some with several teams expressing interest in signing him this summer.
Currently, Charlotte Hornets is desperately in need of a big man in the center. If given opportunities to have greater participation in active gameplay, the All-Star player might once again showcase his dominant self especially when he's healthy. So far this season, Howard ranked number two in overall NBA field goal percentage and number five in rebounding, the Inquistr reported. However, his low scoring record this year is very dismal which he mainly attributed to his ongoing hardcourt dispute with ace player James Harden.
New York Knicks is reportedly in need of an established center as well. There are also reports suggesting that Howard might consider heading to the Big Apple as a free agent although questions remain whether New York exec Phil 'Zen Master' Jackson will be interested in pitching an offer to him, ESPN reported. Other reports also speculate his return to Lakers now that the Black Mamba has retired and with youthful Golden State Warriors assistant coach at the helm.
In the regular season, the Rockets big man participated in 71 games (all starts) and posted an average record of 13.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.6 blocks, and one steal per game.
