Howard happy with spot in Houston, vows to return stronger

MANILA, Philippines – Newly acquired Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard is elated to finally return the Philippines for his second visit, this time as part of the NBA Global Games Tour featuring the first ever preseason game in Southeast Asia between the Rockets and Indiana Pacers.

The 6-foot-11 Howard, who was present at the media availability session at the Mall of Asia Arena Tuesday, shared his elation to be reunited with the “best fans in the world”.

"I'm so excited be back here in Manila. I always told people in the years I've been in the NBA, one of the best places I've been is the Philippines and I think they are the best fans in the world," said Howard.

"I'm looking forward for the game on Thursday and I'm very excited for this opportunity to be back here after a long time. I miss this place. I'm happy to be back to see all the beautiful people here," he added.

Both the Rockets and Pacers arrived early Monday in separate flights for the historic Global Games Tour on Thursday to be held at the same venue.

The three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year is raring to be back on the floor after a mediocre season with the Los Angeles Lakers, which ended in a first round playoff ouster after much hype and promise.

But Howard insists he has improved.

"I've gotten better. I can't really say what aspect you’re going to see in the game, but I'll say mentally I'm in a different place than I was last season. I think I'll be a much better player on this part of my career than I was in the beginning," said explained.

Howard will suit up for his third team in the last three years, and said he has acclimated himself well with his new teammates. He added that that they have been enjoying their time together.

"It's been great. The guys have been good and coaches have been great to me. I'm close with guys like James (Harden), Chandler (Parsons) and Jeremy (Lin), but we're all a pretty tight knit group of guys. We all have fun with each other," said Howard.

At the start of the off-season, there are a number of teams that gutted out their roster for a chance to sign arguably the most dominant big man in the NBA, but Howard chose the Rockets for their upside, especially the opportunity to play under esteemed post-player and head coach Kevin McHale.

"Houston will be a better fit for me and the opportunity to work with Kevin McHale on a daily basis was amazing to me. I also wanted to play with a guy like James (Harden). One of the best two guards in the NBA, he is also up and coming I think he will be great," said the seven-time all-star, who ironically was wearing a yellow outlined shoes from adidas.

"Me and coach have spent a lot of time together this summer. We traveled in Colorado and we trained together. I also have been working with Hakeem (Olajuwon) for the last three to four years already," he added.

Howard, the Orlando Magic's all-time leading scorer, is confident with the talent level of his new team but believes that hard work and determination are the keys to their progress.

"Talent will only get you so far but hard work and dedication will take you to the top and we've been working hard all summer to get better. Do we have enough talent to win? Yes we do but it's about how hard we will work and how dedicated we are," he said.