Dwight Howard’s run in Houston did not necessarily end on good terms. There were many rumors of miscommunication and tension between James Harden and Dwight Howard. The Rockets did not exactly have a successful season, barely reaching the playoffs.
As with any star departing a team, as Howard did to go to Atlanta, there are now plenty of rumors emerging about his time in Houston. Most recently, a report from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon states that Rockets’ GM Daryl Morey pushed for Clint Capela to play more minutes over Howard, seeing as the latter was going to leave in free agency:
Former Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff resisted complying with the wishes of general manager Daryl Morey and owner Leslie Alexander regarding a drastic reduction in Howard’s playing time. Team sources said Alexander never participated in the meetings with Morey and Bickerstaff but fully supported the general manager’s plan to prioritize Capela’s development.
MacMahon’s report also suggests that James Harden may have pressured management to decrease Howard’s minutes. However, MacMahon has conflicting reports about that aspect of the story.
Nevertheless, this should not be too surprising. Capela turned into a promising player last season and his development is important. Dwight Howard reportedly learned of the plans (despite nothing coming to fruition) and became more distrusting of the organization. Howard had previously spoken about feeling his role was being reduced.
It’s hard to say whether this was what pushed Howard out the door. But it certainly seems like it was a major contributing factor.
