Lakers’ head coach Mike D’Antoni still cannot fathom why Dwight Howard left – NBA News
He came, he saw, he played and failed, and then left abruptly.
These few words aptly sum up Dwight Howard’s frustrating stint at the Los Angeles Lakers.
Although the glitz and media attention of a major market team – perhaps the biggest - and chemistry struggle with Kobe Bryant were the main contributors behind D 12’s decision to part ways with the Lakers this off season, head coach Mike D’Antoni’s offensive system was as much responsible, if not more. In numerous interviews after his decision to join the Houston Rockets, Howard highlighted that the prospect of playing under coach Kevin McHale’s offensive system and his reluctance to go back to D’Antoni’s scheme, where he never got major share of the ball, was a significant factor behind him making a decision to leave the Lakers.
D’Antoni though is still puzzled over the big man’s decision. In a recent interview to ESPN L.A. Now hosts Mark Willard and Mychal Thompson on ESPN LA 710 radio, the Los Angeles Lakers coach said;
"It's hard for me to sit here and criticize or even to understand why he left a place like L.A.," D'Antoni told ".”That's kind of mind-boggling a little bit, but that's in his DNA and what he wants to do."
"Everybody has got to make that decision," D'Antoni added. "You can debate it all you want. Only Dwight knows. Obviously he didn't think he would be as happy here as he will be in Houston. That might be the case and he had to make that decision.”
The fact that Howard let go of an additional year and $ 22 million on his contract to join the likes of James Harden and Jeremy Lin at Houston, pretty much highlighted Howard’s frustration at the Lakers, where fans always treated him like a one year wonder. His back issues didn’t help much as well. That ordeal is however history now and everybody will have to move on.
As for D’Antoni, he has a huge task at his hands come next season. Kobe Bryant is not expected to start the season, even if he theoretically recovers from a torn ACL. In his absence, the Lakers coach will have to rely heavily on the likes of Pau Gasol and Steve Nash to keep the Lakers afloat. Although the two veterans have still got some game in them, they are injury prone, and may not be able to deliver consistently in what is appearing to a formidable Western Conference next season.
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