Dwight Howard was described as humble and showed a willingness to change and be coached in his free agency meeting with the Hawks last week.
Time will tell.
The Hawks agreed to a three-year, $70.5 million contract with the eight-time All-Star center. The move, coupled with the re-signing of their own free-agent Kent Bazemore, was part of the reason the team parted ways with Al Horford.
Howard had issues upon leaving the Magic after eight seasons. His one season with the Lakers left much to be desired. In the past three seasons with the Rockets, the pairing with James Harden proved not a good fit. Howard opted out of the final year of his contract with the Rockets.
There were overtures that Howard wanted to return to his hometown of Atlanta throughout last season. Also, those close to Howard believed the Hawks were indeed his first choice when he entered free agency. Just hours after a lengthy afternoon meeting last Friday, the Hawks and Howard agreed to a deal.
Horford agreed to a deal with the Celtics on a four-year, $113 million max deal the next day.
Current Hawks player Kyle Korver admitted the team will have to make adjustments with Howard at center. He’s simply a different player than Horford.
“He definitely adds a whole different dynamic that what we’ve had,” Korver said Tuesday. “We are going to have to evolve as a team. It sounds like he really wants to get himself back on track and prove that he is among the elites. It’s exciting for us. There is a ton of potential. I think we have to evolve as a team a bit. There is no doubt about that. He plays differently than Al. But I think there are a lot of new possibilities and potential and we are excited about it.”
Howard appeared on TNT’s Inside the NBA in May and was asked by co-host Charles Barkley why he appeared disinterested at times with the Rockets.
“I’m always interested in winning,” Howard said on the broadcast. “As a big, sometimes you want to feel a part of what is going on. If I could bring the ball up the court, shoot 3’s, dribble between my legs, do all that stuff, that would be great. But I have to rely on my teammates in certain aspects to get the ball. Now, there have been times when I’ve gotten upset and taken myself out of games and situations. That’s on me. And I have to grow and be a better player at that. I’m always interested in the game.”
Howard’s answers to questions about his willingness to accept a role and be coached was a key reason the Hawks offered him a contract.
According to Howard’s agent, Perry Rogers, Howard was “very impressed” with the vision for the Hawks’ franchise of owner Tony Ressler, coach Mike Budenholzer and general manager Wes Wilcox. The building of a state-of-the-art practice facility, in partnership with Emory Healthcare, was seen as proof the organization is committed to winning.
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