The Los Angeles Lakers held its media day at their practice facility today and the two biggest topics obviously centered around Kobe Bryant’s return from his Achilles injury and Dwight Howard’s departure. Most of the Lakers were only concerned about this upcoming season, but Jordan Hill shared a conversation he had with Howard before the decision.
While most correctly predicted that Howard would eventually sign with the Houston Rockets, Hill talked to him before the decision and it seemed like Howard was planning on staying in Los Angeles:
“I talked to Dwight before his decision and it seemed like he was leaning toward staying. I was shocked when I found out that he was leaving for Houston.”
While the fan base shares the same sentiments as Kobe Bryant regarding Howard, it is an interesting story from Hill. Contrary to most reports, Howard was leaning toward staying with the Lakers and those rumored demands may have ultimately changed his mind.
With Howard not re-signing, it might have been the best thing to happen for both sides. At media day today, most of the Lakers who were on the roster last season also talked about chemistry issues. If Howard stayed, it would have continued to be an issue and the Lakers wouldn’t have gone anywhere this season or for the foreseeable future. Kobe went as far as to saying he didn’t care that Howard was gone (in different words).
With no more issues, everyone is looking forward to playing with each other and have already talked about the improved team chemistry. While there are low expectations from the media, the Lakers players and coaching staff seem to all have a chip on their shoulders and are ready to play.
—————————————————————————————————————–
Check out Pau Gasol at media day! Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here!
