The Los Angeles Lakers chances of retaining gifted but enigmatic center Dwight Howard may have been doomed when the 2012-13 NBA season began, rather than after it ended.
In an interview with hoopsworld.com, Howard revealed that he had asked the Lakers to hire former coach Phil Jackson, and probasketballtalk.com reported that the request was made five games into last season when the franchise fired coach Mike Brown.
Hoopsworld.com asked Howard whether Jackson being more involved with the Lakers organization or whether he was coaching team would have affected his decision.
"Well, I asked to have him as my coach earlier in the year," Howard told Hoopsworld.com. "... The best decision for me was to do what's best for Dwight. I think this is the best thing for me. This wasn't a decision about anybody else. I didn't have anybody pushing me to do anything. This is what Dwight wanted."
Pundits have been quick to point the blame on Howard's departure on Kobe Bryant's pep talk during the Lakers' pitch to Howard or on D'Antoni, who couldn't find a system suitable for the big man.
The Lakers' management, however, did very little to show Howard that it had either a vision of trying to win now or a vision of making him the future centerpiece of the organization.
When Brown was fired, Lakersowner Jim Buss ignored Howard's request to hire Jackson, a coach with 11 NBA championships on his resume. With a roster that included three players in their 30s in Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, Jackson was the logical replacement to make the team a championship contender right away.
The Lakers then chose a coach in D'Antoni whose coaching philosophy was in direct contrast with the big, slow and prodding talent on the roster.
In April, D'Antoni admitted to Orange County Register and Bleacher Report writer Kevin Ding that he didn't think Gasol and Howard could play together when he first took over as coach.
"It probably wasn't right." D'Antoni said, adding that he came "to realize that we can play with two big guys. I was a little skeptical at first."
Lakers management did not display a clear direction to Howard, one way or the other.
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