Dwight Howard Says He And James Harden ‘Can Win A Championship’

Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2015-16 NBA regular season coming to an end in the next few weeks, the Houston Rockets are trying to hold onto their playoff hopes. Despite making an impressive run to the Western Conference Finals last year, the Rockets have fallen off this season and could miss the postseason altogether.

Along with dealing with a down year and the drastic decision to fire head coach Kevin McHale at the beginning of the season, stars James Harden and Dwight Howard haven’t exactly seen eye-to-eye leading to speculation about the duo’s future in Houston.

All signs point to Howard leaving Houston this summer in NBA free agency. Dwight will likely opt out of his contract with the team and explore the market yet again. Although the writing appears to be on the wall in Houston, Howard continues to maintain that he and Harden can coexist and win championship with the Rockets via Sam Amick of USA Today:

“If we just come together like we’re supposed to – and it takes time, you know. It takes time. If we can just come together like we’re supposed to and like we want to, then I’m telling you, we can win a championship.”

At this point, Houston is sporting a .500 record at 35-35 and are currently neck-and-neck with the Dallas Mavericks (35-35). It will be a close finish in the West for the eighth seed with the Rockets, Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Utah Jazz all in the running.

Even if the Rockets manage to secure the seventh or eighth seed in the West, Houston will have an extremely tough matchup in the first round of the playoffs. The Golden State Warriors (63-7) have a tight grip on the top seed in the conference while the San Antonio Spurs (59-11) will almost certainly lock up the second seed.

If the Rockets miss the postseason or get knocked out in the first round, Dwight’s departure may be a foregone conclusion. Houston may end up putting all their efforts into trying to lure Kevin Durant in free agency once or if Howard decides to head elsewhere.