So, Dwight Howard has left Los Angeles for Houston. After perhaps the most disappointing season in Los Angeles Lakers history the center brought in to be the eventual leader and face of the franchise has taken his talents elsewhere. Let’s tackle 20 questions about Howard coming to the Lakers, this past season, and what it all means.

1. What were my thoughts the day the Lakers traded for Dwight Howard last year?

It was a move the franchise had to make if it was on the table, but was not without its risks. Andrew Bynum was coming off the best individual season of his career, but the chance to bring in Howard, widely regarded as the top center in the league at the time and conservatively a top ten player, is one the team couldn’t pass up. Howard would be an unrestricted free agent after the season, was coming off back surgery, and Bynum had made great strides. Regarding Howard’s free agency after the season…who really leaves the Lakers in free agency if the Lakers want to bring him back and have the cap space to do so? Anyway, it was a gamble worth taking.

2. What were my thoughts on Dwight Howard during the 12-13 season with the Lakers?

He didn’t look like the same player from Orlando. I attribute most of this to his back surgery. He didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for the season and was thrown out on the court earlier than he probably should have been. He didn’t have the same burst nor the conditioning. His shoulder was also injured during the season further hampering his health. He seemed to improve as the season went on, but never looked 100 percent. A huge problem though was that he didn’t look like a good mix with the team too much of the time. The center sometimes didn’t seem fully invested, there were rumblings of clashes with coaches/players, and he didn’t look like a player you’d want to hand the keys to the franchise over to. The Lakers were an incredible disappointment and Howard was part of that undoubtedly.

3. Did I want the Lakers to re-sign Dwight Howard after the 12-13 NBA season ended?

Yes. I still feel the right move was to re-sign Howard for what would have to be a max contract. However this was not nearly the slam dunk decision it seemed to be when the Lakers initially traded for him. Then, it looked like a no-brainer, a critical move for the franchise to make. After this last season ended there was ample evidence that Howard in a Lakers uniform was not working on many levels. And really the most important issue was whether or not you wanted to trust Howard to be the player you relied on most for the next five-plus years.

4. Is Dwight Howard a player you want to invest in as your franchise player for the next five-plus seasons?

This is the question that stared the Lakers in the face. If the organization’s pursuit of Howard is any indication it seemed like an easy question for the Lakers to answer; a resounding yes. My answer to this question is probably not, but I’d still take the risk and the potential upside that comes with Howard. After seeing him play this season I was not sold on him taking the reigns from Kobe Bryant and leading the franchise in its next era. It’s difficult to pass up on a player with the potential and talent of Howard who should be a top five player in the NBA (key word being should). Re-signing Howard if you’re the Lakers, at least to me, meant that you were all in on him as the franchise player going forward. I’m not confident he’s that player.

5. Where should Dwight Howard have signed?

There is going to be some bias in this answer because I have been a Lakers fans since I was a child. Of the five teams Howard was considering, Lakers, Rockets, Warriors, Mavericks and Hawks, I’d still say the Lakers would be tops, barely, and with a caveat. That caveat being if he had a sizable interest in being the next great Laker; if that mattered to him. The opportunity to be the next great Laker was an endeavor I had hoped Howard would embrace. His legacy would never have been greater than if he led the Lakers to championships as the team’s best player. The Lakers throughout the history of the NBA have been consistently successful. The team would have cap space in a year to further build around him. The track record is right there for all to see. Houston was a close second, essentially a tie from where I sit. Outside of those two teams the Warriors were intriguing, but it would have taken some creativity to make it work. The Mavericks (other than the Mark Cuban factor) and the Hawks I wouldn’t take all that seriously as teams he should sign with.

6. Why did Howard sign with the Houston Rockets?

It’s an up-and-coming team with a great player to team up with in James Harden (one of my five favorite players in the NBA). Going there puts the team in a nice place in the Western Conference. The Rockets have one of the most respected general managers in sports in Daryl Morey. They have a quality head coach (Kevin McHale) who can help Howard’s development further. Houston also has some success in its history. The Rockets also represent an exciting and fresh start for Howard. And there’s a lot less pressure on him there than Los Angeles. Him choosing to go to Houston makes sense. There’s a lot to like.

7. Why didn’t Howard sign with the Lakers?

There’s a lot more uncertainty than with Houston to begin with. The Lakers are an old team that had a difficult time keeping up with teams that were more athletic last season. The only player that is signed past next season is Steve Nash who is 39 years old, coming off an injury plagued season. Kobe Bryant is coming off a ruptured Achilles injury. Much of the rest of the team doesn’t fit with what Howard brings to the table particularly Pau Gasol. When Howard and Gasol were on the floor together last season the results were less than ideal to say the least. Again, the city of Los Angeles never fully embraced Howard. His relationship with the organization (i.e., players, coaches, and front office) didn’t seem to be in a great place. This isn’t going to be completely fair but I think Howard’s reluctance to accept the challenge of being the Lakers franchise player had a decent amount to do with him leaving. Being the number one player for this franchise comes with a lot of responsibility and pressure. The organization and its fans expect championships. In Howard, I haven’t seen a player who looks like he would be comfortable in that role. The expectations in Houston are not nearly as overwhelming as in Los Angeles.

8. What does Howard’s signing mean for the Houston Rockets?

The expectations for this team just went way up. This should make them a top five team in the Western Conference for the next few years at least. One would expect the organization to bring in more complementary talent around their core of Howard and Harden to set them up for deep playoff runs and hopes of a championship. In Howard and Harden they now have one of the best inside-outside tandems in the league. This elevates the entire organization and sets them up long term.

9. What does Howard leaving mean for the Lakers next season?

There is still work to do in free agency and who knows if a trade can be constituted to dramatically change the make up of the team, but it doesn’t look good. The team has very limited options on the free agency front. A trade that would have a big effect would seem unlikely at this point. What this means for the Lakers next season is that at best they may be competing for a playoff spot to be accompanied by an earlier playoff exit (sounds familiar). Bryant is coming off a devastating injury and the team would have issues even if he was fully healthy. The expectations for next season have to be tamed.

10. What does Howard leaving mean for the Lakers long term?

This is really the big question now if you’re a Lakers fan. There’s so much uncertainty going forward. After next season the only player left under contract as of today is Steve Nash. The Lakers will have cap space after next season when the potential is there for several players to be free agents including LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Bosh. They also have their first round pick in what is expected to be a great draft class. There is a chance for the team to rebuild in somewhat short order following the upcoming season, but absolutely nothing is concrete.

11. What should the Lakers do?

The smartest thing to do would be for the Lakers to bottom out next season and hope they get lucky with the lottery. This team isn’t going anywhere next season, let’s be honest, so they might as well put themselves in the best position to succeed from 2014 on. If they punt the 2013-2014 season and get a good draft pick they would then potentially have a major piece going forward. You couple that with a run at one or some of the players that may be available via free agency and not all is bad. Bringing back Bryant for a couple more years would seem like the right thing to do if he’s healthy and productive enough coming out of the injury. It’s hard to say what the team should do with the rest of the roster until we see how this upcoming season goes.

12. What are the Lakers likely to do?

They’ll probably play out this season with their current roster and take their chances in free agency next season. Let’s say the Lakers get Kobe Bryant at 80% of what he was last season for 3/4 of this upcoming season (total hypothetical) to go with healthy seasons out of Steve Nash and Pau Gasol. That’s a threesome that can win some games still in the NBA. A better way to put it is that it’s not a team that is likely going to finish in the bottom 6-8 in the league which would mean a pretty good chance of getting a good spot in the draft and with it a potentially high impact player. This is not an organization that has tanked. Kobe’s not the type to accept it. So, they’ll probably play it out and see what happens. Everything could change as the season gets underway and as the Lakers begin to see how the current team plays.

13. What is one move the Lakers should make?

Hire Phil Jackson to a front office type position. There have been rumors the Lakers may bring in Jackson in an official capacity, but if they didn’t hire him as their coach last season after they fired Mike Brown I’m not sure how likely they are to bring him in now. The Phil Jackson-Jim Buss relationship is one of the strangest in sports. But bringing in Phil would add some credibility and he could be a valuable voice in the organization if they allow him to. This would also increase the pressure on Mike D’Antoni which isn’t necessarily the best thing; the calls for Jackson to return as head coach would only increase. It would be nice for Jackson to have a role in the franchise.

14. What worries me most as a Lakers fan?

The level of commitment the Lakers appear to have to Mike D’Antoni. The head coach was a complete disappointment in his abbreviated first season in Los Angeles. This isn’t all that fair. It’s a lot to ask of a coach to come in mid-season and win a championship. The problem with D’Antoni wasn’t that the Lakers failed to advance deep into the playoffs. The problem was that he never seemed to figure out the team he had. He rarely made effective adjustments. It took forever to settle on a rotation. I’m not sure he ever built up a rapport with the team (look at the bizarre treatment of Pau Gasol). I hope with a full training camp, albeit one without a healthy Bryant, that he will be able to build a culture for this team. As poorly as things went this last season Lakers management remained committed to D’Antoni throughout and into the off-season. If he doesn’t show signs of improvement as a coach and as a fit for this team hopefully management will reexamine their commitment to him.

15. What is my favorite part of Howard leaving?

What it might (read: should) mean for Pau Gasol. I still think Gasol has a lot left in the tank, especially if can start the season nearly or all the way healthy. He just turned 33, he’s not ancient like some people seem to suggest. The absence of Howard and Gasol’s rather likely move to center should be beneficial for him. I’m excited for him to again be a focal point on this team. I would love to see him prove some people wrong this season.

16. What is the weirdest part about Howard signing with the Rockets?

That a Lakers superstar player decided to sign with another team. Objectively speaking the Lakers are one of the two most successful franchises in NBA history and I would argue the most consistently successful. This is basically uncharted territory for this franchise. It just doesn’t happen. The failure to sign Howard seems bigger because this is a franchise that seemingly always keeps the players it wants to keep. It’s just a strange, unfamiliar place to be.

17. How should Lakers fans feel about Howard leaving?

Not all that sad. And I don’t think the majority of Lakers fans are. It seemed that most of them almost wanted Howard to leave. But they also shouldn’t hold Howard leaving against him personally; he’s not a monster or anything. He was traded to L.A. with one year left on his contract, played it out professionally and took a deal elsewhere. He didn’t do anything that wasn’t within his right. He didn’t demand anything while he was in L.A. But as basketball/sports fans, Lakers fans should probably never root for him again (I don’t think this will be difficult). When a team you root for invests that much into a player and tries so desperately to keep him around and he decides to leave you are pretty much justified in rooting against him from my perspective. I don’t have anything against Dwight personally, but I’ll never root for him to win again. It’s a sports fan thing, nothing more.

18. In the history of the Lakers playing in the STAPLES Center will any player be booed louder than Dwight Howard?

No. I don’t think it will be close either. There have been some halfhearted boos for opponents over the years, but there hasn’t been a player that will be this despised by the fan-base. As mentioned earlier even when Howard was in a Lakers uniform last year the fans didn’t embrace him a great deal. Now that he’s left it’s going to be full-fledged contempt. I expect the crowd to really be into it each time Howard’s Rockets come to Los Angeles to play the Lakers.

19. What grade does the Dwight Howard/Lakers experiment get?

Trading for Dwight Howard was a risk worth taking, but this past season was never realized because of injuries and a lack of cohesion just for starters. The Lakers struggled throughout the season and had to fight down to the wire just to make the playoffs. Howard was not the “Superman” of old, but overall he played like one of the better centers in the league while fighting injuries. The team itself was decimated with injuries late in the season giving them no chance in the playoffs. A first round sweep to the Spurs was their ultimate destiny. When the Lakers traded for Howard the success of the move would largely be tied to their ability to re-sign him long term, which they failed at. As bad as things went this past season for Howard and the Lakers at least he was on the court contributing. The same can’t be said for Andrew Bynum. Making the playoffs and Howard’s ability to at least be playing prevents this from being a complete failure, but that’s about it.

Grade: D-

20. What is the bottom line with Dwight Howard signing with the Houston Rockets?

A very reasonable case can be made that this was best for all parties involved. If Howard had interest in taking on the toughest challenge the Lakers were the best place for him. As bad as the team makeup may be now there is flexibility after this season. But with the Rockets, Dwight goes to a team with a nice young core already in place, a fresh start, and an organization/fan-base that is overjoyed to have him there. It’s a very nice fit for Howard and the Rockets. As for the Lakers, having Howard in the fold long term would have given the team a player very capable of being at least a top 10 player in the league if everything is clicking. But it seemed clear in the end if Howard came back to L.A. that he would not be at his happiest. He would be doing it for $30 million and to make other people happy. That had problem written all over it. Let’s say Howard re-signed with the Lakers. Would anyone be surprised if he wanted out if the team wasn’t winning and he was getting criticized by the media and the team’s fans? Howard has shown to be a person who waffles all the time when it comes to what he wants and that’s probably because he never knows what he wants. If Howard did not want to be a member of the Los Angeles Lakers it was best that he moved on. Dwight Howard in Los Angeles could have very easily been a train wreck.

Thanks for reading! Please comment if you have anything to say.