Dwight Howard has grown up, or something.
According to Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register, Howard has decided to part way with Kevin Samples, his business manager of nine years. According to Howard, nothing specific happened, he just felt it was time for the two to go their own ways.
At the moment, it appears Howard is not getting a new business manager. Rather, he is just going to start making his own business decisions.
"I know what I want to accomplish," Howard said. "I've always written down my goals and everything I want, and I want to make sure I get 'em. Everything I've lost, everything that's gone away, I'm going to get it back."
The idea of Howard making his own business decisions is either admirable or laughable. I cannot tell because I do not know over the last few years if Samples has been primarily responsible for Dwight's decisions or if Dwight has been calling his own shots for some time now.
It is hard to imagine Samples, who is also Howard's first cousin, was responsible for the unforgettable press conference with Stan Van Gundy last year and some of his other less than spectacular moments with the press.
But how much was Samples involved with the rest of the "Dwightmare"? Ding's story does not specify, but if he had a hand in Dwight going back and forth and opting in to the final year of his contract, then it is probably good that Howard parted ways with Samples.
Obviously Dwight will not be making his business decisions completely on his own. His agent will still be involved and Samples probably will to. As Ding notes, the two are first cousins and Samples moved to Orlando with Dwight when he was drafted and moved with him to LA as well.
The larger point is Dwight is taking a larger responsibility in his own brand. Is that a good thing? Only time will tell but at this point it's hard to imagine any decision he makes being a good one.
Photo: Los Angeles Times
