Not a lot has gone right for the 12-13 Houston Rockets this NBA season. From Kevin McHale’s impetuous firing and James Harden’s deplorable defensive effort to an almost total failure to receive anything of tangible value from the power forward position and a definite total failure by Ty Lawson of assimilating into the organization, the Rockets seem to be on the brink of total disaster. Now, they can add Dwight Howard being unsatisfied with his role on the team to their list of woes.
According to a report by Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops on Tuesday, Howard “is extremely unhappy in Houston” playing in the shadow of All-Star shooting guard James Harden.
Howard, 30, is averaging 13.0 points per game, 12.0 rebounds per game, and 1.8 blocks per game on 60.1 percent shooting from the field this year. However, his 8.3 field goal attempts per game are his lowest since his rookie season in Orlando as is his 17.7 percent usage rate (down from 23.3 percent last season). Harden, meanwhile, is getting 20.3 shot attempts per game this year and his usage rate is at a mammoth 32.9 percent (fourth in the league).
At the surface, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year has an argument as to why he should be the alpha dog instead of Harden. The 26-year-old Harden has largely flopped (no pun intended) as “the guy” in Houston, often looking completely disinterested on the court and showing a blatant unwillingness to act as a vocal leader/example setter for his team. To his credit, Howard, despite his prevailing reputation as a goofball and a softee, has been known to step up for his team when it matters the most, even playing through some fairly serious knee injuries last playoffs to put up some impressive numbers in the Conference Finals against the Warriors.
But Howard’s problem, even dating back to his tenure with the Lakers, has always been that he seems to want all of the glory and benefits of being an alpha dog without any of the hard work and accountability that comes with it. This puts the Rockets in a precarious situation when determining whether or not to capitulate to Howard’s unhappiness, especially given his age, injuries, and deficiencies playing with his back to the basket.
Sheridan even goes so far as to speculate that the Rockets could look to move Howard, who has an opt-out clause after the season. While Sheridan suggests that the Miami Heat could land Howard, such a scenario is implausible given the reality of Miami’s cap situation and the young talent Pat Riley would have to part with in order to acquire an aging, rental player.
With NBA trade season officially in session, expect many more rumors surrounding Howard’s future with the Rockets to surface in the coming weeks. But considering the baggage the eight-time All-Star comes attached with, this situation might not reach an agreeable resolution any time soon.
Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
*Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference*
