Hornets news: Dwight Howard admits he should have communicated better with Lakers, Rockets

It’s no surprise he clashed with Bryant, whose persona is famously confrontational, but in Houston he also engaged in a cold war with the mild-mannered James Harden. “James is not the kind of guy who is going to say, ‘Yo, man, you got a problem?’ and I’m not either,” Howard says. “When I don’t like what’s going on, I tend to shut down, put my headphones on and ignore everything. I don’t talk about things. That happened to me in L.A. It happened to me again in Houston. I should have communicated better.” One Rockets official called a meeting with Howard and Harden that felt more like an intervention. Harden voiced what he wanted from Howard, namely stronger screens and tougher rim protection, but Howard didn’t express much in response. The freeze deepened.

In each instance, Howard didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with the other star player on the team be it Kobe Bryant with the Lakers or James Harden with the Rockets. His desire for an increased offensive role played a significant part in things not working out.

This combined with the lack of communication likely didn’t help make things better as it created unnecessary tension. Howard is one of the most talented big men in the league that can impact the game greatly defensively and on the glass, but his limitations offensively are what has gone against him over the last few stops including his lone year with the Atlanta Hawks.

Keep in mind, there was much disgruntlement from Howard because of his decreased role in the offense during the Hawks’ first-round playoff series against the Washington Wizards. Ultimately, these experiences could be used as building blocks for him in this next chapter of his career with the Hornets.