Dwight Howard never wavered from his decision to sign with the Houston Rockets and was in the air returning to Los Angeles when reports came out that he was reconsidering.

"That was not the case," Howard said in an exclusive interview with Amick. "I was very upset about it when all that stuff started to come out because that's not what was going on. I decided … the night before it came out, and my thinking was, 'Let me get back to L.A. and sit in front of (Lakers general manager) Mitch (Kupchak) and give the Lakers that respect.' I wanted to tell them in person.

"There was no (thought of), 'Oh man, hold up, let me think about this again.' The night before, when I had decided, I sat down with everybody – my agent, my best friend who was there, and my bodyguard, and we talked. I said this is where I want to go. I told my Dad that this is where I want to go. I said tomorrow, when I get home, we're going to talk to the Lakers. I'm going to tell the other teams on the phone, and that's what I did."

Howard had planned on informing Mitch Kupchak that he wouldn't re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers and then announce his decision on Twitter.

"I just didn't like the way that it happened," Howard said. "I wanted to wait as long as possible until I talked to the Lakers. I didn't want Mitch to turn on his TV or get an e-mail from somebody saying this is what Dwight did and I didn't contact him first. I wanted to give him the respect, and the Lakers the respect, in telling them before it got put out there.

"I felt like for them it wouldn't have been personal enough. They were the team that decided to take me from Orlando, so I wanted to give them that respect – especially Mitch, because that was somebody who I had conversations with all summer. I wanted to let him know personally, and to thank him for the opportunity to play for the Lakers."

J.R. Smith admits he delayed his knee surgery so that he could sign his three-year, $18 million contract with the New York Knicks, instead of undergoing the procedure and potentially hurting his value.

"For one, I'm a father and I have two young children to look after," Smith said. "It made more sense for my family to get a deal done before [surgery]."

The surgery, a patellar tendon repair and an arthroscopy for a tear in the lateral meniscus of his left knee, is expected to sideline Smith through training camp.

"Without a doubt, the best part about it was we had the support of the team," Smith said. "The team supported us, the [team doctor] supported us all on the decision. At the end of the day it was more of a family decision than anything else."

When Carmelo Anthony heads for unrestricted free agency next offseason, Kobe Bryant could be the X-factor in Anthony's negotiations with the New York Knicks, according to a source.

The Lakers will have cap space next summer and Bryant could promise Anthony that together they can make a run at a championship in Los Angeles.

“For me, it’s about being part of a winning organization,” Anthony said on Monday.

The Knicks will be able to offer Anthony $30 million more than any other team in free agency.

Grant Jerrett will sign a deal and start the season with the Tulsa 66ers, the Oklahoma City Thunder's NBA D-League affiliate.

The move will allow the Thunder to keep the rights of their second round pick in this year's NBA draft.

Jerrett was not at the Thunder's media day or the team's early practices.

Nate Robinson is coming off a career season and signed a two-year deal with the Denver Nuggets in free agency. Tim Connelly is adamant the team is fortunate to acquire him.

"We were lucky (to get him), because Nate was sought after by playoff teams," the Nuggets' general manager said.

Robinson averaged 13.1 points and 4.4 assists last season for the Chicago Bulls, who elected not to re-sign him despite his consistent, energetic and dynamic year.

Robinson is expected to come off the Nuggets' bench this season.

Steve Mills is known to be close to Isiah Thomas

“No, Isiah Thomas will not be coming back to the Knicks,” said Mills.

Mills was hired last week as general manager of the New York Knicks, fueling speculation that Thomas could also return.

The Knicks picked up their 14-15 option on Mike Woodson's contract on Monday.

The New York Knicks have picked up the option on Mike Woodson’s contract for the 2014-15 season. 

Woodson, entering his second full season at the helm of the Knicks after being named interim head coach on Mar. 14, 2012, led the franchise to a 54-28 (.659) mark last season and the franchise’s first Atlantic Division crown since 1993-94. He finished third in media balloting for the 2012-13 NBA Coach of the Year award and was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for April. His .679 (72-34) winning percentage is second-best in franchise history.

“I have long respected Mike and think he has done a remarkable job since becoming the head coach of the Knicks,” Steve Mills said. “After spending time with him recently, it is clear that picking up his option is an easy decision.”

Elliot Williams will go to the Cleveland Cavaliers' training camp on a non-guaranteed contract, according to sources.

Williams was a first round draft pick of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2010.

Williams has averaged 3.7 points in 24 NBA games.

The Los Angeles Lakers have not discussed a contract extension for Pau Gasol at this point, and the veteran forward believes the chances of a new deal will depend on his performance this season.

"If the team is interested, they will approach me and at some point there will be some kind of meeting," Gasol said. "But I’m not sure when or how. I think it’s going to depend on how I perform during the season. The better I perform, I’m sure the more interested they will be to try to sign me, I guess."

Gasol, who will make $19.3 million in the final season of his current contract, is still working to regain full health entering opening night.

"I’ve learned to live my life on a daily basis and try to have fun in the process," Gasol said.

Amar'e Stoudemire underwent a surgical procedure in July to repair one of his ailing knees, according to a team source.

It marked the third surgery in 12 months for the New York Knicks' forward, whose offseason did not include much basketball. The surgery in July was described as a "clean up" and is not considered serious.

The secrecy surrounding Stoudemire's latest health issue could be an indication that the club is not optimistic that they can rely on the veteran power forward.

Stoudemire appeared in just 29 games last season and had debridement surgeries on both of his knees, the right knee in October and the left in March.