Dwight Howard to the LA Lakers: Looking at the redundancy of the whole 'redemption' narrative
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Dwight Howard has returned to the Los Angeles Lakers. Maybe it will work. Maybe it will not work, and the Lakers cut ties with him after a dozen games like the Houston Rockets did with Carmelo Anthony. They certainly can do so, as Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Lakers can cut Howard at any time before January 7 if he does any of the things which have made him leave one franchise after another on less than amicable terms.
But the one thing which is irritating about all of this is the entire situation being portrayed as a "chance at redemption". To this, the question should be asked: a redemption for what? What sins has Dwight Howard committed that he needs to earn redemption for?
Sure, Howard has made plenty of mistakes. He irritates everyone with his silly antics and focuses too much on trying to have the ball in his hands to become the next Shaq or Hakeem. And this is probably his last chance to stay in the NBA. But no one talked of redemption when Carmelo signed with the Rockets, nor will anyone talk of redemption if and when Chris Paul gets himself traded from the Thunder. The redemption focuses on Dwight, and it really is not because of his chemistry or play style issues.
For a league which always puts the spotlight on Lakers, it all dates back to the 2012-13 season where Howard had a bad year, the Lakers failed to reach expectations, and then he actively left them for another team. Then he failed to win a title as a star.
Retroactive narratives
We all have to learn the fact that fans and commentators alike rewrite narratives so that those who win rings get everything rewritten to justify their actions, and those who do not get scorned. And the narrative around Dwight and this talk of redemption is an example of how the narrative gets rewritten to blast one who failed to win.
Let us put Dwight’s seasons after the Rockets aside. Even if he had done everything correctly, become a better person, and accepted a subordinate role on the Hawks or Hornets, it would not have really burnished his legacy. Howard’s legacy is defined by three teams: the Magic, the Lakers, and the Rockets.
When was Dwight supposed to win? In Orlando, he became a star but the Magic failed to construct a supporting cast as they hamstrung themselves with one bad contract after another. The Lakers failed in the 2012-13 season in part because of Howard, but only in part as the team was hampered by injuries and a lack of depth.
With the Rockets, he had three seasons. The first season, Howard played well and was fantastic against the Trail Blazers in the first round while Harden shot under 38% from the field and 30% from long range. The second season, Howard played well when healthy and the Rockets ran into the buzzsaw that was the Golden State Warriors.
Howard certainly shared some responsibility for the third season in 2015-16, where the Rockets barely made the playoffs and the relationship between himself and Harden utterly imploded. But like the Lakers implosion, there were reasons for that failure which went beyond him. The team suffered from a coaching mess at the start, Harden took a step back, and the two parted ways. Not on the best of terms, but still on better terms compared to the Lakers who acted like Dwight owed them.
And consider Howard’s one big free agency decision of his career, where he decided to join the Rockets. Howard turned down the glitz and glamour of LA to play for the team which he thought offered him the best chance to win. Kawhi Leonard by contrast turned down the team where he outright won a championship to go play in LA, whether it was the Clippers with Paul George or the Lakers. But Howard lost and Kawhi won, so one is blasted and the other one feted.
So feel free to talk about how this is Howard’s last chance, or how much he can really contribute given that this is his 15th season in the NBA and the athleticism he depended on so much is gone. But don’t talk about redemption. Even if Howard somehow turns things around and accepts his role, it should not change his legacy over those 8-12 years when he was a legitimate star.