Steve Nash: At Dwight Howard meeting, Lakers ‘didn’t have a chance’
Even going into their meeting with Dwight Howard to convince him to re-sign, Lakers point guard Steve Nash thought Howard re-signing was unlikely.
“Frankly, I thought before the meeting that we really didn’t have a chance,†said Nash on the “Mason & Ireland Show†on ESPN L.A. (710) on Tuesday. “I’d like to think that after the meeting, we had a chance, but ultimately, I think Dwight wasn’t comfortable here and didn’t want to be here.â€
Nash was part of the Lakers’ contingent last week that tried to sway Howard to stay. Instead, the All-Star center chose to join the Houston Rockets as a free agent.
“If he doesn’t want to be here, there’s no point for anyone in him being here, so we wish him the best and move on,†Nash said. “I heard he said to the media that he never quite felt embraced in L.A. He never quite felt maybe supported, and that’s basically it. In some ways you can read into that what you will.â€
“He just never quite felt comfortable at home. I don’t know that that’s anybody’s fault,†continued Nash.
The Lakers struggled with injuries all season, never quite developing the chemistry the team expected to blossom.
“Dwight wasn’t himself. He was coming off back surgery. He had shoulder issues. He was far below 100%,†Nash said. “Pau [Gasol] wasn’t himself until the end of the year and I wasn’t myself. I obviously broke my leg and missed the first seven weeks.â€
The Nash-Howard pick-and-roll surprisingly didn’t click.
“He didn’t seem like he really wanted to do a pick-and-roll offense, maybe because he ran one in Orlando [with the Magic] for so long and wanted to get in the post more,†Nash said. “Houston runs a pick-and-roll offense. They are littered with shooting, and maybe they can space the floor more for him so he can more opportunities inside with space.â€
Nash came to the Lakers hoping to compete for a championship, but the season just didn’t go as planned. Now Howard is gone and the team’s future is uncertain.
“We just weren’t all healthy and the year came and went with us ceremoniously being dumped out of the playoffs, and here we are rebuilding,†Nash said.
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Email Eric Pincus at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.
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