The “Dwightmare” is finally over but that doesn’t mean it won’t still be talked about especially with the Lakers taking on the Magic tonight. Of course prior to the game many reporters are asking Dwight how he feels returning to the Orlando as well as how he feels about how everything went down. Read more after the jump.
“I’ve had a chance to sit back and think about it and there are some things I could’ve done better. There are some things that could’ve been done better on both sides,” Howard said in a lengthy, wide-ranging interview after Los Angeles Lakers practice on Saturday. “But at the end of the day, we all learn some lessons and we’ve got to move forward.
“I’m happy here, I’m having a lot of fun. This is a place that I’ve always prayed that I could be a part of something very special. So I want to take advantage of it.”
“It doesn’t really matter to talk about it now. It’s over and done with,” he said. “There are a lot of things we both could’ve done, but at the end of the day, it happened just the way it was supposed to happen. There was a reason behind everything. We might not see it or understand it at the time, but there was a reason why everything happened the way it happened and I think it made both parties stronger.”
“Orlando will always be my home. That’s where I grew up, really. The fans were great to me for eight years. I have some unbelievable memories,” he said. “But like I told you guys when I got here, this is a new chapter in my life. This is my home now. And I’m looking forward to making a lot of great memories here.”
“It’s my job to let people know that when you get traded or ask for a trade from a team, it has nothing to do with a city or the fan base,” he said. “It’s a business decision. Yeah, it may affect people because that’s their team that they love and they want to see their team do good, but at the end of the day we only get one shot at this and I have to do what I believe is going to be best for me.”
When the subject turned to his new team, Howard’s mood noticeably brightened, and he offered his strongest comments to date about the likelihood he’d sign a long-term extension with Los Angeles in the summer.
“From one to 10? I’d give it a good 12. I love it. It’s been a lot of fun,” Howard said. “Just everything here, from the practices, the motivation of everybody here is championship, that’s what we need.
“I like the direction we’re headed. We’ve had some tough losses but we’ll learn and we’ll grow from it. We’re going to stick together.”
