Howard: Playing for Hornets a great chance to 'shut people's mouths'

Dwight Howard is ready to prove the doubters wrong.

After watching his play diminish over the last several seasons, the eight-time All-Star is prepared to show Charlotte Hornets fans he can still dominate on both ends of the floor with the help of new coach, Steve Clifford.

"Cliff's going to push me, but he's not going to ever be one of those guys who I would say would break my spirit," Howard told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. "He really believes in me. Throughout all the mess that has happened the last couple of years, this is a great opportunity for me to prove to myself that I know exactly who I am - to just shut people's mouths."

After signing a three-year, $85-million deal with the Hawks last summer, Howard fully expected to be the focal point of Atlanta's offense, but was disappointed to see his role dwindle as the season progressed.

"Teams wanted me to do different things than they promised me when I went to choose them," Howard said. "In Atlanta, I was going to be involved in the offense. Then, toward the end of the season, it turned into, 'Hey, we just got you for defense and rebounds.'"

Howard admits he's had a difficult time adapting to new schemes over the past few years, but still believes he can be a dangerous scorer with the Hornets this season.

"I haven't had a system where I can be who I am since I was in Orlando," Howard said. "The fact that I played with a Kobe (Bryant), a James (Harden), and they were ball-dominant, affected me. But I've been in this system before, and I know how dominant I can be. I think I'm smarter now, and that is going to allow me to use my quickness and explosiveness in a better way."