“The only thing I’m ever uncomfortable with is bulls**t.”
That’s what Stan Van Gundy said on April 5, 2012, one day after he’d been told by Orlando Magic management that Dwight Howard wanted him fired. The embattled coach was explaining to reporters why he always deemed it best to be honest and forthright with media members – even during times of uncertainty and intense scrutiny.
Van Gundy was embraced by Howard in a show of hollow support less than 40 seconds later, instantly providing the melodrama of professional basketball a moment that would live in its infamy forever. Both coach and player would leave Orlando shortly thereafter – Van Gundy was dismissed by the end of May and Howard traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in August.
The three-time Defensive Player of the Year has the opportunity to become a free agent this summer. His lone season with the Los Angeles Lakers was disastrous, and his second with the Houston Rockets was similarly disjointed. A team that had legitimate title aspirations coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance barely made the playoffs and was summarily swept by the injury-depleted Golden State Warriors in the first round. Not that such a result should have been surprising; a disappointing end to 2015-16 was written on the wall for Houston when Kevin McHale was fired less than two weeks into the season.
In a sprawling, refreshingly candid interview with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, Howard touched on his dispiriting recent past and the possibilities of his future. While anecdotes on his falling out with the Rockets, relationship with Kobe Bryant, and overall mental approach to the game are illuminating, it’s the 31-year-old’s comments on that cringe-worthy interaction with Van Gundy that provide another focused lens into his misunderstood psyche.
ESPN: Your tenure in Orlando ended badly. The video [from April 5, 2012] of Stan Van Gundy at a shootaround telling reporters you wanted him fired, and then you showing up and putting your arm around him, and then Stan walking off might be the most awkward NBA moment ever. What was going on there?
Howard: “So much of what happened in Orlando was brought out the wrong way. When I walked over to Stan that day, people say that I knew what Stan was saying. I had no clue. I remember it like it happened yesterday. I felt my life changed that day.”
ESPN: How so?
Howard: “People decided that day I was some kind of bad guy. I don’t think people realized what happened.”
Howard insists he never explicitly asked Magic higher-ups to fire Van Gundy. Instead, he apparently told owner Rich DeVos the award-winning coach had “lost his voice in the locker room.” Howard says he made those comments to ownership well before the 2011-12 season began, too.
None of which is to suggest he wouldn’t take back interrupting Van Gundy’s interview, of course.
ESPN: Looking back, what could you have done differently to handle that situation?
Howard: “I shouldn’t have gone over to Stan [at the shootaround]. I just wanted to show people that I respected my coach, that we had been through battles together. Stan and I got the best out of each other. If I wasn’t doing something right, he’d come to me and say, ‘Dwight, I know you can block shots better than this. I know you can rebound better.’ He helped me become a better player.”
ESPN: So why did you decide you wanted to be traded?
Howard: “Right after the lockout ended, in December, I went to GM Otis Smith. But before that, I called Jameer Nelson and told him I was going to ask for a trade. I told him, ‘This has nothing to do with you, Stan or anyone else. I just want a different atmosphere. I’m too comfortable here. I need to grow.'”
All signs point to Howard opting out of his contract and leaving Houston as a free agent in July. One of the three teams he wanted to land with after requesting a trade from Orlando, the Dallas Mavericks, may be his most ardent suitor on the market.
Even if he signs one final mega-deal with Dallas, though, how Howard’s career unfolds from there will remain unpredictable. One thing for sure? The event that forced it to spiral out of control in the first place will be remembered forever – not only by his many detractors, but Howard himself, too.
(Via ESPN)
