Dwight Howard still has the support of his former coach, Jeff Van Gundy, after making comments that offended some of his former Magic teammates. "He knows I would never disrespect my teammates," Howard told ESPN after Lakers' shootaround Friday in advance of their game against the Toronto Raptors. "He understood exactly what I was saying and that's what he expressed."

Van Gundy believes Howard wasn't trying to badmouth any of his former teammates. "He did not, in my opinion, mean to say 'I didn't play with good players in Orlando,'" Van Gundy, currently an analyst for NBC Sports, told the L.A. Daily News. "The question was about his demeanor. He's been criticized for his demeanor on the court. He was basically trying to defend himself in his demeanor saying he can be smiling and still be serious about winning."

Howard first revealed his continued talking with his former coach before the Lakers game against the Heat last month.