Dwight Howard's career has gone south since his days in Orlando, and it is only getting worse. He has been a part of numerous teams over the last couple of years, and it has been reported that his teammates always disliked him and that they were happy to see him leave. His departure from teams was always followed with reports about some problems with teammates and this time isn't any different.
When Dwight Howard was traded to the Charlotte Hornets it seemed like the only reason for it was that he was a bad fit for team's style of play and that the Hawks wanted to move in a different direction, but now we know that wasn't the case.
Hawks players were happy to see him leave
In the most recent Lowe Post podcast, Zach Lowe talked with Kevin Arnovitz about how some of Howard's former teammates from the Atlanta Hawks cheered when they heard he was leaving the team. He said he doesn't know what it is and that it can't be only because of the corny jokes, even though Howard tells the corniest jokes. He heard many stories of Hawks players learning about the trade and screaming with joy because of it.
According to Zach Lowe, Howard would give hard speeches before the game about unity and about playing hard, and then he would go out and play without passion and wouldn't rotate as hard as he could. Players wondered why would he talk in the locker room and they were frustrated because of it.
What is the problem with Dwight Howard?
Dwight Howard was a great player in Orlando, as he even led the Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009. When he was traded to the Lakers, his problems started to appear. Playing alongside Kobe Bryant showed that Dwight lacks devotion to the game and that he doesn't like working on his game.
As the game in the NBA evolved, it was harder for Howard to have an impact because he is a poor shooter and he doesn't have a strong game in the post.
He is an awful free-throw shooter and becomes a liability on defense late in the game because of it. Dwight wants to feel like a part of the team, but he has failed to do that so far in his career because of his attitude.
Howard will never be the player he once was, but he can still contribute to a championship as a rim protector and a rebounder.
This may be his last chance to make an impact and prove that he can still be successful in the NBA. Dwight Howard has the talent to be a great player, but his attitude has been a problem for him in his career and it will be interesting to see if he can change now that he is with the Charlotte Hornets.
