Pau Gasol Says Dwight Howard's Decision To Leave LA Lakers Should Be Respected

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Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol is looking forward to facing his former teammate Dwight Howard for the first time since he left Los Angeles and signed with the Houston Rockets during the offseason when the Lakers and Rockets clash Thursday.

When the Spanish superstar was asked about his thoughts on Howard's decision, Gasol said that everyone should respect Howard's decision and move on. In an interview with ESPN Los Angeles, Gasol said that Howard felt that it was the best decision for him, considering the animosity that they had to go through last season in Los Angeles.

"He made his decision and felt like that was the best choice for him and so you respect him for it and that's it," Gasol said. "A lot of things went wrong last year for sure. There was a lot of adversity. Nothing really clicked. So it was a tough year for everyone. Not for one individual. Pretty much for the entire team it was a tough year to go through."

One of the most publicized conflicts within the Lakers squad last year was the tension between long-time Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant and Howard. The superstar recently admitted that he and Bryant are not talking to each other anymore since he decided to sign with the Rockets.

When asked about the conflict between Bryant and Howard during their one-year partnership on Los Angeles, Gasol said that there was lack of understanding and communication between the two superstars.

"There was definitely a lack of understanding and connection," Gasol said. "I don't know how much tension there was. There were days when it was fine and everybody was on the same page and when things get a little rough, usually that's when the tensions occur and come up. It was a rough year, a lot of things didn't go our way and that made it that much more difficult."