After Dwight Howard made the decision to leave the Los Angeles Lakers for the Houston Rockets, many wondered what would cause a player of Howard's caliber to leave $30 million on the table and a chance to play for one of the league's most historic franchises for a team in Texas. Well not it seems it may have a lot to do with Kobe Bryant.
In the latest column by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, it appears that Bryant's unwillingness to coddle Howard played an influential role in his ultimate decision. After Bryant's involvement in the recruitment process leaked out, so too did word of Bryant's displeasure of all the fun and games Howard was having in the Laker locker room.
"Bryant had come to rage against the idea that Howard's clownish disposition could overtake the locker room, the Lakers' culture, and had warned Howard that he would never, ever let it happen. He hated it with Shaquille O'Neal, but Shaq performed on a championship plane for the Lakers and delivered a disposition to dominate on the floor."
This doesn't come much as of a surprise as Bryant's serious demeanor often clashed with Howard's bubbling, childish behavior during the season. Bryant clearer wasn't going to allow Howard to have his way on a team he hasn't even earned the right to lead, and reportedly spoke to Howard in a way that he wasn't accustomed to.
"Kobe talked to Dwight in a way that I don't think anyone one had ever talked to him - not in Orlando, not here, not in his life, I'm betting," one witness in the room told Yahoo! Sports. "He's been coddled, and Kobe wasn't going to coddle him."
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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