The NBA has a new player that everyone loves to hate. He has single-handedly gotten rid of two coaches and sparked numerous fights with one of the top athletes in the game. This 6-foot-11-inch player has been a one-man wrecking ball ever since he reluctantly put on a purple and gold jersey. I am pretty sure by now we all know to whom I am referring : Dwight Howard.
NBA free agency has begun, and Howard has been the main focus. He announced recently that he would land in Houston. Prior to that, though, he had the sports world captured by his blatant disregard for the path of destruction that he left in his wake to the Los Angeles Lakers franchise.
Howard was a contributing factor to one of the Lakers’ worst seasons in a long time. He never could get on board with the coaching style, even though it has been speculated he had a hand in getting the original coach for the season, Mike Brown ,terminated. The franchise seemingly bent over backwards to make him happy. What Howard gave them in exchange: constant complaints about injuries and low numbers in rebounding (which is supposed to be his strong point). Also, he never fully meshed with the Lakers’ golden boy, Kobe Bryant. The two stars have had public fights through the media, and it has been made clear that they truly do not favor one another.
After all of this, Howard has turned the beginning of the free agency period into a lottery. He isn’t the first to do this of course; Lebron James captivated the nation with “The Decision” before going to the Miami Heat and winning two championships. The difference between the two is that James was a proven leader; he carried the Cleveland Cavaliers on his back to the playoffs.
Howard is just a proven problem player who cannot share the spotlight. This is shown in his choice to land in Houston, which houses a team that has not seen the playoffs since 2008. He could have easily went to Dallas and continued to build on an already solid team, but instead, he decided to go somewhere where he could easily become the franchise player. By doing this, it shows Howard did not belong on the Lakers in the first place, with an already established star.
The Dwight Howard free agency “Sweepstakes,” as it has been named, sheds light on the business behind the sport. Like in all business, it comes down to the bottom line: profit. Howard is a great player and has the potential to make good amount of money for himself and a team, but is he worth the hassle in the long run? From a public relations standpoint Howard’s antics are overshadowing his natural ability as a good player. Now that he has finally landed somewhere, it would be in his best interest to make this work by cutting out the complaining and the temper tantrums and just playing the game. Being the player everyone loves to hate gets old real fast.
Amber Patterson is a junior majoring in public relations.
