Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard are still tight. Despite all the drama in Orlando a couple years back they text regularly and both say they have a good relationship. What, you’ve never fought with a friend then made up? That’s what we guys do.
So when Dwight Howard was faced last summer with the biggest decision off his career, it should be no shock he turned to a favorite coach and friend for advice.
That advice, via Bill Reiter of Fox Sports:
https://twitter.com/foxsportsreiter/statuses/385226260596531200
If this is true, it shouldn’t be a surprise. Van Gundy is going to look at things from a basketball perspective, and as we have said before Houston was the best basketball decision.
With Howard and James Harden, plus good role players such as Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin and other s on the roster this is a team with the foundation to win and win big. They have the pieces in place. The Lakers are in transition now as Kobe Bryant winds down his career, they could have the pieces in place to win again in a couple years, if you trust management to make the smart moves and be able to woo free agents.
Howard went with the sure thing. It was the smart move.
But now the pressure is on him — nothing is being handed to him and there is no backing out to get to another city. This is the team that will ultimately define his legacy in the NBA, these next several years. Now he has to earn it.