[CBS Sports] Howard no lock for Lakers; interested in Rockets

 

 

I'm sure someone from LakersGround will steal this, as they did my Stephen A. interview.

Anyhow, here's Rudolph.

http://stationcaster.com/player_skinned.php?s=741&c=3891&f=1437031

The news comes out that it's not a lock Dwight re-signs in LA. ... What are your thoughts on that? Is this a place he'd be interested in coming?

I don't think anything is a lock at this point. Reports are premature. We are a certainly a few months away from the start of the free agency period. What I can tell you is, Dwight through his career, has earned the right to be a free agent. It would behoove him through free agency to weigh every option he has. Houston is a good basketball option. Financially, it's good. James Harden makes this team very, very attractive. You have a young guy you can grow with. He would win if he came to Houston. But again, you have to also look at the Lakers, look at the Mavs, look at the Hawks, that's what he has earned. This is the biggest and most important 4-5 years of his career. This is gonna be his prime. If he's gonna get a title and gonna get it done, it's gonna be in this next contract. He has to weigh everyone evenly and make the best basketball decision and that's what I believe he's gonna do.

You mentioned what he's earned with becoming a free agent. Do you think the last two years have maybe lessened interest in Dwight Howard with injuries, how he's played, the dealings with the Magic and Lakers and being generally unhappy and not a guy everyone seems to look at as a great teammate? Do you think that is hurting his value?

No. No. When you look at it and take a step back, last year in the lockout season until he hurt his back, the Magic were the three seed. He was an all-star playing well. ... With the Lakers, the back injury slowed him up. He came back before he should have. I think the thing that has hurt Dwight Howard, for the last year and a half, he hasn't been able to concentrate solely on basketball. Its been where are you going, when are you getting there, who you playing for, who's you're coach gonna be and so many different things. The beautiful thing about this contract is, once he signs, regardless of where he goes, those things are no longer being discussed. He's with a team, he's gonna be with that team, he's gonna grow with that team. He'll come back healthy, hell come back better than ever and motivated. Guys on the inside understand. Fans look at it from an irrational point of view. ...

When you threw out the teams out there, when you look at Dallas and Houston, there are some advantages even though they can't pay him as much as LA can; no state income tax, owners not afraid to go over the luxury tax and guys who want to win. They'll pay people and bring people in. How important is it to have an owner like that?

Tremendous. He wants to win. People aren't focused on Dwight of the last two years. People are focused on him from 2009 when they went to the Finals with one offensive move and the [next] year they went back to the Eastern Conference Finals. That's the player they see they're getting in Dwight Howard. The money in Texas, I believe he would make more money. This is myth, that staying in LA gets him an extra 30 million but no one takes the fifth year. ... You have 4 year contracts across the board, and look at the cost of living and state tax, it puts Texas in a great place to be financially better for Dwight Howard to stay. But in terms of having an owner who will challenge the refs when you aren't getting calls and reducing the amount technical fouls you'll get and go out there and make moves and consult him, not listen to him because you don't want an owner to roll over. Houston is a tremendous place, great city, great fan base, not a place where he'll be one of the smallest guys but you also have the Astros and Texans. A place that knows how to embrace professional athletes and these professional athletes don't have to compete with actors or actresses. A great landing place for him if he decides to come to Houston.

What's the most important thing to Dwight? Money? Being a star? Winning?

I can tell you with 100% certainty, it's winning. Everything else come from winning. If Dwight wins, he'll be a star. If Dwight wins, he'll find money. If Dwight wins, he'll get respect. It doesn't happen if he's not winning. The corporation Dwight Howard, it starts on the court. If he does that, people become interested in using him in different avenues. If he's not playing well, people don't care. Dwight didn't get extra endorsements from playing in LA. People in fact took a step back from Dwight Howard. If he plays well, perhaps these opportunities open up. Dwight was in movies when he was in Orlando. No truth to needing to be in LA to be a big time star. He can do it out of Houston, out of Dallas, out of Atlanta. He can't do it if he's not winning. He has to win. It has to start on the court. If not, no one cares.

How important will it be to him to have a team that fits his skills around him?

It's tremendously important. He can't help you if you want him shooting jump shots, if you got him setting screens for a PG that lost a step, and you have to set him so far out. You have to play to the strengths of your big guys. Not [talking about] a center. Like the Rockets played to the strengths of Harden, who is tremendous out of the PnR but you don't see that too much because Asik is a defensive guy. Why wouldn't you want to build your system to go with the skills Dwight Howard has? It makes sense to do that. The possibility of playing for a coach like McHale, arguably the best back to the basket player this league has seen, if McHale can give Dwight three of his post moves, imagine how devastating this guy would be. You always want to be in position in a system that fits you. But again, each team will have an opportunity to adjust the system or incorporate Dwight within the system. There will be some leverage. It can't be 100% about Dwight. You have to fit him in and not take away from any of the other guys but it has to be a marriage that works for everyone and a smart organization will make sure that marriage works. I don't think the Lakers have done that but they have an opportunity to change before free agency comes.