Chattanooga Times Free Press

Howard happy to join Hawks

- BY CHARLES ODUM

ATLANTA — Dwight Howard beamed Monday as he posed for photos, finally wearing his hometown “ATLANTA” in big letters across his broad chest.

Howard said his homecoming to the Atlanta Hawks is “a blessing and an honor” that wipes away the frustratio­n he felt during up-and-down times with the Lakers and Rockets the past four seasons.

“I was placed in situations that weren’t really the right situations for me,” Howard said. “But all that stuff, the only thing it did was mold me for the opportunit­y that I have now. All the good stuff and bad stuff, all the hardships I had to endure, all that stuff, it really just made me a better person.”

Howard came out of Southwest Atlanta Christian School to become the No. 1 overall pick by Orlando in 2004. He spent eight seasons with the Magic and one with the Lakers before playing for the Rockets the past three seasons.

He signed a three-year, $70.5 million deal with Atlanta in July — but this is not his first Hawks jersey. He said he regularly wore Hawks gear while growing up in Atlanta’s suburbs.

“I had all the Hawks jerseys and I wore them like I was on the team, and now to actually be on the team is just a dream come true,” Howard said.

Howard, 30, is the biggest part of a new look for the Hawks, who open training camp today. The remake also includes starting point guard Dennis Schroder, the former backup to Jeff Teague, who was traded to Indiana. Howard replaces Al Horford, who signed with Boston.

Hawks coach Mike Budenholze­r said Howard gives Atlanta the rebounding force it lacked even while making nine straight playoff appearance­s. The Hawks usually were undersized with Horford misplaced at center, but that won’t be a problem with Howard, who has averaged 12.7 rebounds in his career and was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for three straight seasons (2009 to 2011).

The Hawks ranked only 24th in the NBA in rebounds last season.

“We’re strong in some other areas, and that’s the area we look and see the most obvious room for improvemen­t and obviously the area where Dwight can have a great, positive impact,” Budenholze­r said.

Budenholze­r said he’s confident Howard also can be a good fit in his offense, including “our core principals of playing unselfishl­y and with ball movement.”

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