Dwight Howard gets it, he was the villain of the summer. The NBA star was the main headline of the summer as he decided where to sign in free agency. Teams wined and dined him before Howard ultimately decided to sign with Houston. Fans grew sick of hearing the stories and the rumors. Howard's popularity took a steep fall and now he is left trying to reclaim his fanbase. The Rockets star plans on going from villain to hero this season, just like LeBron James.
The Howard/James comparisons are totally warranted. James was the villain the summer he went through his free agency decision. Airing the "Decision" live was probably the worst mistake of his career, but two NBA titles and MVP awards later and James is on the cover of a video game while being the hero of every young boy. Howard would like to do the same.
"He got hated for a lot of reasons," Howard said, via Yahoo! Sports. "I was really, really happy when LeBron finally won. I was unhappy that it wasn't me up there, but I was glad to see him get through that whole thing. I knew exactly how he felt. People putting you down, saying bad things about your character, who you are as a person. It doesn't sit well with you. When you go out on the court, you want to show them, 'Hey, this isn't who I am.'"
Howard believes it is unfair how he and James were treated during free agency. He noted that Chris Paul went through the same deal, but got far less attention from the press. The point guard was not hounded by the media for an entire season prior to free agency. Howard on the other hand was asked almost every press conference where he would be heading come the summer of 2013.
Howard also related to the way James felt about leaving Cleveland. The center notes that he truly did love Orlando and playing for the city and did not want to hurt the fanbase, but he knew it was time to go elsewhere.
"I just remember LeBron being up at the stage, and saying he was going to Miami, and I just remember the look on his face ... 'I don't want to hurt these people but I've got to do this.' I felt for him. I could just see it in his eyes and his face. And then I started thinking, 'You don't know what it feels like until you go through it," Howard said.
Howard now gets his free start with Houston like James got his with Miami. The center is thrilled to be on a team with a great supporting cast and have all the drama behind him. Howard says that now all that is left is to perform on the court.
