Kobe Bryant doesn't like him, Gregg Popovich spazzed on him, and even Shaq dissed him. It seemed like everybody is against Dwight Howard, but it looks like there's still one guy who's still on his side: General Manager Mitch Kupchak.
The Lakers have had it kind of rough over the past two years when you consider their blowout sweep by the Mavericks, Phil Jackson's retirement, and owner Jerry Buss' death. Kupchak said this was one of the most "unique" periods of his 26-year tenure, according to an interview with USA Today: "We've had some pretty off-the-wall years here – the year Magic (Johnson) announced (he had HIV), the other lockout year when Del Harris was coaching and Kurt (Rambis) took over and we brought back on Dennis Rodman, and with Shaq (O'Neal) and Kobe (Bryant), maybe even Eddie Jones – who couldn't seem to get over the hump because everything was crammed into a half a year, and it was like one unpredictable thing (after another). This has been a unique period. I can't think of anything I can compare it to."
Kupchak thinks Howard can help the organization get out of this rut. His reasoning behind still being pro-Superman is because of how he came back from his back injury despite not being 100 percent. Kupchak, who's also had back surgery, is also aware of the uncertainty of his return next season, but he's confident Howard will reconsider if the team starts doing one thing: winning. He said, "If we win, why would anybody think to leave Los Angeles? I'm not sure why anyone would think that anyway, but winning solves all the problems." Sounds like a Kobe thing to say, but is he wrong in thinking so?
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[via USA TODAY Sports]
