Los Angeles Lakers: Can Dwight Howard redeem himself in reunion

The Los Angeles Lakers and Dwight Howard surprisingly came together again this offseason. Will he redeem himself after his disastrous first tenure?

Things have been looking up for the Los Angeles Lakers following one of the most disappointing seasons in team history.

After a forgettable season that featured a roster of hobbled players and a shockingly vulnerable LeBron James, the Lakers were able to strike gold in Lakerland by trading for superstar Pelicans’ forward Anthony Davis. Davis comes to Los Angeles to help LeBron form the league’s newest, and potentially most dangerous dynamic duo.

After striking out in the Kawhi  Leonard sweepstakes, Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka moved quickly to secure commitments from top remaining free agents such as Danny Green, Quinn Cook, Avery Bradley and DeMarcus Cousins while retaining JaVale McGee and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Of the group of additions, Cousins was considered, by most, the Lakers’ x-factor. After recovering from serious Achilles and quad injuries, it was unknown what version of Boogie this team would see. The Lakers were buying stock low in hopes they could help revitalize the career of the once all-star.

Unfortunately for both DeMarcus and the Lakers, Cousins would tear his ACL while playing in a pick-up basketball game in Las Vegas. The news came as a shock and disappointment. This catastrophic injury left the Los Angeles Lakers with a roster that lacked another center to back up JaVale McGee.

That was when Pelinka reached out to the one guy that can prove that no bridge in the NBA can be completely destroyed: Dwight Howard.

Dwight Howard had become one of the most hated players in the city of Los Angeles. The Lakers traded for the then Orlando Magic superstar in hopes that he could help lead the Kobe-led team to another dynasty. Former general manager Mitch Kupchak made a huge gamble, trading their young center in Andrew Bynum for a guy that was going to be a free agent at the end of the year. The goal was to let winning convince Howard to re-sign.

The 2012-13 Lakers were doomed from the start. After losing all eight of their preseason games and beginning the regular season only 1-4, the Lakers fired head coach Mike Brown and hired Mike D’Antoni.

D’Antoni’s offensive schemes did not favor the center position like Howard had become accustomed to in Orlando. Dwight would often complain after games, sometimes waving around box scores pointing out his lack of touches. The toxicity spewed into the locker room could not be cured. Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard could not co-exist regardless of how well they played.

After watching Bryant go down with a season-ending torn Achilles, Dwight Howard and the Lakers would get swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, and it wasn’t particularly close. Dwight’s first, and potentially last, season with the Lakers would end in an utter disappointment.

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During that offseason, the Lakers found themselves in a position that they were not used to. The All-Star center that they gave up so much for was at risk of leaving after just one season. At a time when the future of Kobe Bryant was an unknown, the Lakers’ front office and fans felt a sense of desperation to keep Dwight in town.

In efforts to convince Dwight Howard to re-sign, the Lakers did a very non-Lakers move by posting banners on the side of Staples Center reading “Stay” with the hashtag “StayD12”. This was a type of move that one may expect from a team like the Clippers, but not the golden child of the league.

Dwight Howard would eventually decide to spurn the Lakers and sign with the Houston Rockets to team up with James Harden. Fans in Los Angeles were far from pleased. Many would post videos of them burning his jersey. Others took to social media to voice their displeasure for the former Laker. Even Kobe Bryant would eventually get his chance, calling Howard soft in one of their head-to-head matchups after Dwight’s departure.

Fast-forward six years and six teams later and you will find a defeated and humbled Dwight Howard. Following a few relatively productive years in Houston and Atlanta, things began running downhill quickly. Dwight would become a burden in Atlanta, traded to Charlotte, traded to Brooklyn where he was immediately waived.

Dwight Howard returns to the Los Angeles Lakers after playing in only nine games for the Washington Wizards due to a back and hamstring injury that would eventually end his season.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Dwight Howard had been “warned” that any negativity on his part would not be tolerated, as his non-guaranteed contract could be easily voided at any time. Howard, with very few options, promised to abide by their rules.

What is the difference between 2012 Dwight and present-day Dwight? Only time will tell, but Dwight Howard himself will be the first to tell others that he is a changed man from the star that would get upset with his lack of shot attempts.

Following his reunion with the Lakers, Dwight Howard revealed that his intentions were to fill all and any roles that his team needed him to fill. In an interview with Spectrum Sportsnet’s Chris McGee, Dwight describes his goals for this season as:

"They want me to be the best person I can be for this team. Defense, dominating the boards, dominating my position, helping everybody out, talking, and talking… But whatever this team needs me to do, we’re going to do it."

Assuming Dwight can keep peace with his teammates, his large presence should be very much appreciated on the floor. The three-time NBA defensive player of the year provides another rim-protector next to Anthony Davis and JaVale McGee, something that the team may need with their lack of perimeter defenders.

On the offensive side of the ball, fans should not expect to see Orlando Magic Dwight Howard anytime soon. The Lakers will most likely not have many, if any, plays drawn up for the big man, but his team will expect Howard to box out and help create second chances.

How will the Staples Center crowd react when number 39 steps onto the court for the first time? The league doesn’t have long to find out, as the first Lakers’ preseason game is less than a week away. Dwight Howard knows that he may not be the Superman of old; however, he will need to dip into his old bag of tricks to help win over the fans in Los Angeles.