Dwight Howard confirms he asked the Lakers to bring back Phil Jackson as coach during the season

Now that things are all said and done and Dwight Howard has jumped ship to the Rockets. I’m sure you’re wondering what his relationship with Phil Jackson was on. Dwight admits that during the season, he asked the Lakers to bring the Zen Master on as head coach… Guess we know what would’ve helped keep DH in L.A.

If Phil Jackson had been more involved with the Lakers or coaching the team, would that have affected your decision?

DH: “Well, I asked to have him as my coach earlier in the year. (pause) The best decision for me was to do what’s best for Dwight. I think this is the best thing for me. This wasn’t a decision about anybody else. I didn’t have anybody pushing me to do anything. This is what Dwight wanted.”

The Lakers are going to HAVE to work out something with Phil. Perhaps not as a coach but he needs to be on board with the franchise in some capacity – other than just being Jeanie Buss’ fiancé.

Dwight signed a four-year, $88 million maximum contract with the Houston Rockets that includes an early termination option after the 2015-16 season and a 15 percent trade kicker, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.