For those of you that are TV lovers, surely you’re familiar with “Zack and Kelly,” “Ross and Rachel,” or any number of other dramatic romances that never seem to die and leave people wondering week-to-week, “will they or won’t they?”
Well, I get that same feeling following the decisions of Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard.
We already went through this around last season’s trade deadline. Rumors flew around everywhere before the anti-climatic ending of Howard signing an extension to stay in Orlando. Now, we have to do it again in the offseason, assuming the Magic will trade Dwight so they get something in return before he leaves next year and they get nothing. The common belief is that Howard is going to find a home elsewhere, but now one “source” says the big man would actually like to stay in Orlando.
A source close to Orlando Magic All-Star Dwight Howard said Wednesday that he still loves Orlando and isn’t seeking a trade.
In an interview with WESH 2 News sports anchor Larry Ridley, the source said Howard is bothered by the hit his image has taken since this season’s trade rumors and problems with Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy.
The source said Howard is “hurt by all the negativity surrounding him (and) doesn’t understand why he’s blamed for everything that happens inside the (Magic) organization.”
First of all, if Howard really feels that way, he must be in some kind of serious state of denial. To think he had nothing to do with the firing of head coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith is just silly.
Secondly, if you told me Howard had Kardashian blood in him, I wouldn’t be surprised. This story is obviously going to be the big focus of the offseason and the speculation won’t end until Dwight signs a new contract. Hopefully, it’s a decade-long deal, so we don’t have to hear about this again for a long time.
I have to wonder if all this drama hurts Dwight’s stock a little bit. There are always those guys that you have to watch out for because their talent may not be worth the disorder they bring to the ranks of your team. I am sure any NBA team would be happy to have Howard. A talented true center is such a rarity these days, but it would be in the best interest of his next team (or the Magic, if he stays) to keep Dwight Howard away from the media as much as possible.
