Dwight Howard is a Rocket, and thus ends one of the strangest sagas ever for a premier professional basketball player. In case you've been ignoring the NBA for the past two years, the 27-year-old and best big man on the planet has publily twisted and waffled his way through free agency.
Last summer, with the opportunity to hit the open market by opting out of his contract with the Orlando Magic, Howard did the exact opposite, hoping to force a trade to his team of choice, the Brooklyn Nets (who couldn't sign him as a free agent). Instead, he was traded to the Lakers, who assembled what looked to be an championship contender. However, they struggled all season long and found themselves out of the playoffs in the first round.
Howard settled on five possible destinations: Houston, Dallas, Golden State, staying with the Lakers or playing for his hometown Atlanta Hawks. After interviewing with all of the teams this week, he trimmed his list to Houston, L.A. and Golden State before reportedly picking the Rockets
As NBA fans put up with the Dwightmare, Howard's stock dropped in the eyes of the public. He's still the most talented big man in the league, but many people said due to his immaturity and inability to raise his game under the bright lights of Hollywood, that they wouldn't want him on their team. It's crazy to type this, but Howard actually has become somewhat underrated -- nearly impossible for a player of his caliber who is demaning a max contract on the open market.
Despite his struggles in L.A., Howard still logged averages of 17.1 points and an NBA-high 12.4 rebounds. He was still an All-Star and still remained a Defensive Player of the Year candidate with 2.4 blocks per game. He's a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and a seven-time All-Star who instantly turns the Rockets into one of the top contenders in the Western Conference.
But can Houston really compete? It's still too early to tell because the reshaping of the Rockets' roster remains a work in progress. One person who will be playing with Howard is James Harden, the team's breakout star from last year. After being traded before last season from Oklahoma City, Harden proved that he could be the go-to scorer and franchise leader. Howard and Harden should form a dynamic duo. But who will join them?
One possibility is Josh Smith. Smith is a young, athletic power forward who like Howard is from the Atlanta area. The two go way back, and Howard is one of the people pushing to land Smith. Smith's game has some holes, but he could be a No. 3 star on a legitimate contender. Harden-Howard-Smith could be an intriguing "Big 3," though there are questions about Howard's and Smith's maturity level. Smith's game is offensively limited -- he's a terrible spot-up shooter, but despite that, enjoys putting up jumpers -- but he and Howard could form a dominant frontline on defense.
Another possibility is Ryan Anderson. Rumors have started swirling about a possible trade sending Omer Asik, the Rockets' center who is now expendable, to New Orleans for Anderson, a stretch 4 who averaged 16.2 points in his only season in New Orleans. The Pelicans are looking for size after trading last year's center, Robin Lopez, as part of a package to acquire Tyreke Evans, so this trade could be a win-win for both teams.
The Rockets have some other intriguing pieces -- Jeremy Lin, Chandler Parsons, Patrick Beverley, Donatas Montiejunas, Terrance Jones, Isaiah Canaan. They could put some interesting combinations on the floor, but is it enough to compete with the Lakers and Thunder in the West? If Howard becomes the Howard of old -- the 20-point, 14-rebound guy who dominated on both ends of the floor in Orlando; not the guy who struggled with injuries and pressure in L.A. last year -- and Harden continues to develop into one of the top 10 players in the NBA, then that seems like a legitimate contender. Those are big ifs right, but the likelihood is those ifs actually become true.
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