Does Dwight Howard Need A Change of Scenery?
By Adam McGee
With rumors suggesting that Dwight Howard may not be happy with the Houston Rockets, would he be better suited playing elsewhere?
The Houston Rockets are the NBA’s biggest underachievers so far this season. They a team who were expected to be contenders, yet they’re below .500 through 26 games. That’s led to Houston already changing their coach, with Kevin McHale quickly dispatched in spite of previous successes, and a natural progression would seem to be to consider roster changes as the next step in trying to realign their course.
Daryl Morey is a general manager who has never been afraid of being proactive in terms of retooling a roster. As restricted free agents, guys like Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas will likely be mainstays of the rumor mill over the coming months, but would Houston consider trading Dwight Howard as well?
Rumors started to circulate about Howard’s current satisfaction with Houston yesterday following a report from Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops.
"Dwight Howard is extremely unhappy in Houston playing second fiddle to alpha dog James Harden, multiple league sources tell SheridanHoops.com. And with the Rockets underachieving more than any NBA team, look for them to try to move Howard later this season."
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This was a report that Howard would vociferously deny in conversation with Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle later in the day, following on from yet another disappointing defeat for the team, this time at the hands of the Sacramento Kings.
"I haven’t said anything to anybody about anything. People make up lies and rumors. That’s never been my focus. I’m trying to get these guys to play better and get myself to play better. People are going to say what they got to say to get a story out. People are always going to come up with some rumor and lies. That’s what it is. I can’t focus on that. And I don’t want my teammates to focus on that."
Even if Howard is happy in Houston, and the team is currently happy with him being their big man for the foreseeable future, that doesn’t mean that both parties couldn’t benefit from a move that took him elsewhere.
It may be too soon to speculate on potential landing spots, but let’s take a look at some of the reasons why a Howard trade could be good for everybody.
Next: Getting The Best Out Of Howard