After jumping ship and leaving the Los Angeles Lakers for the Houston Rockets this summer, center Dwight Howard has had his fair share of critics following his decision.
One of the being Howard's former head coach Mike D'Antoni. Howard has been vocal in the past about how he wanted Phil Jackson instead of D'Antoni following the Lakers firing of Mike Brown last season and has been very critical of D'Antoni's offense since he arrived.
D'Antoni, who has dodged that subject throughout the offseason, finally fired back at Howard in an interview with the Los Angeles Daily News. He laughed about Howard's move to Houston, saying the Rockets' offensive system is similar to that of the Lakers.
"The thing that cracks me up is Houston, they do the exact same thing. And so (Howard) is gonna go to Houston? OK, so did they talk about change there? Don't tell me that it's that different."
However, D'Antoni did wish Howard the best wishes as he moves forward in his career, but according to the article, he "does think [Howard] needs to accept what makes him a special player rather than envision himself as something he isn't yet and may never be."
However, for now Howard looks to keep last season in the past and looks forward to the future with the Rockets after giving his explanation for not returning to the Lakers.
"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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