"I guess what I say doesn't matter" - When the Lakers ignored Dwight's wish to hire Phil Jackson
dwight-phil
The Los Angeles Lakers' 2012-13 season was filled with surprises and disappointment. In the offseason, they acquired Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, effectively creating a superteam with Kobe Bryant, Metta Sandiford-Artest, and Pau Gasol. Mike Brown remained the head coach and changed the Lakers’ strategy to the Princeton offense.
Everything looked good on paper until the Purple and Gold kicked it off with a 0-8 preseason record and a 1-4 start to the regular season.
I want Phil!
Brown was sacked, and the Lakers asked Howard who he’d like as a replacement. Dwight wanted the legendary Phil Jackson, but the big man was left shocked when the organization decided to go with a different coach.
"Yes, they did. I had a decent year. I put up good numbers,” D12 said on if the Lakers front office wanted him to stay. "Mitch [Kupchak] wanted me to stay. Jeanie [Buss] wanted me to stay. But I didn't think it was a good fit.”
“When they fired Mike Brown [after five games], they asked me what coach I wanted. I said, 'Phil [Jackson].' They said, 'Well, we don't know about Phil.' So they went out and got D'Antoni, and I'm thinking, 'Well, I guess what I say doesn't matter,'” Howard said, per ESPN.
Dwight felt pretty offended. Why would the Lakers ask for his opinion but suddenly not grant it? As one of the superstars, Howard wanted a voice on the team’s makeup and coaching staff. That’s the least the Purple and Gold could have done to please him.
Misunderstanding
The new coach scenario was just one of the many elements of the downfall of the Lakers and Howard’s relationship. As Dwight disclosed, he had tense moments with Kobe, but they never actually had bad blood. The big man was just sick of being perceived as a soft, goofy guy, especially under pressure.
"Kobe and I never fought,” Howard recalled. “But I didn't like hearing that I was running away from the 'bright lights.' I knew what it meant to play for the Lakers, and I wasn't afraid of it. But I was a free agent, and I was looking at Houston, who had James, and, at that time, Chandler [Parsons] and Jeremy [Lin], and I thought, 'This might be better for me.'"
Howard left Los Angeles and flocked to Houston, where he teamed up with James Harden. Dwight's instinct was correct, as he did have a better stint with the Rockets than with the Lakers—the team made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons and reached the 2015 Western Conference Finals.
Would things have turned out differently if Howard had a better relationship with the front office? Who knows. The good thing is that Dwight was able to patch things up with the franchise in the 2019-20 season and even win a title for his efforts.