Now with the reality of Dwight Howard's departure from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Houston Rockets settled in, many fans have voiced their opinions and expressed extreme disappointment in the All-Star center.
One man who's been highly demanding and critical of Howard throughout his entire career has been Shaquille O'Neal, who in a phone interview with NBA TV, reiterated his comments on Howard and came to the defense of Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni, who is speculated to be the reason for Howard's departure:
"I heard a discussion about Mike D'Antoni not fitting Dwight's style. That's false. I played for Mike D'Antoni. He loves the big man and Dwight is a pick-and-roll big man. He has about a hundred million pick-and-roll plays to get Dwight involved."
O'Neal added more criticism on Howard and his lack of being able to adjust his game in order to help the team win:
"It's about what you do and about what you get your teammates to do, to win. Just think about it, before I was introduced to the Triangle, was I a Triangle player? I was not a Triangle player. Phil Jackson brought in that boring Triangle. I listened to what he said, but I added a little bit of my own stuff to the Triangle to it. Kobe added a little bit of his stuff to it and we got everybody to work together. That's what you do to win championships."
O'Neal concluded things with his belief that it's up to the players, and not the coach, to win and earn championships:
"It has nothing to do with the coach. You know that and I know that. It has nothing to do with the coach. It has everything to do with you."
Howard chose the Rockets over the Lakers on Friday night, saying he believes Houston gives him the best chance to win an NBA title.
"I just looked at both teams and I felt like Houston was going in one direction -- they got a lot of young players, they got a good coach in Kevin McHale and I just felt like having him as a coach, he could really help me in the post and help me develop like I want to," Howard said in an interview with ESPNLosAngeles.com. "That was mainly the big reason right there, and having the opportunity to grow with a team, a young team, like the Rockets. That's the reason why [I decided to leave]."
Howard added:
"It was tough," Howard said of leaving Los Angeles. "I enjoyed, for the most part, living here in L.A. I just really think the timing in L.A., it wasn't right for me. Maybe two years ago, or 2-3 years from now, it would have been the right time. But I just think right now the timing was off for me. That's not saying that L.A. is a bad place, but I just think it's all about timing and fit when you're talking about basketball. You can put anybody together on the court and expect them to win, but the pieces have to really fit in order for a team to be successful and it was very, very tough, man. It's probably one of the toughest decisions I've ever had to make in my life."
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