Dwight Howard's Days May Be Numbered With Magic

Superstar wants out of Orlando

Once upon a time, Dwight Howard seemed poised to be able to play host to the NBA the 2012 All-Star Game in his hometown Orlando. It’s a gift to the game’s biggest stars, a celebration in his own city no less.

Turns out that was just a fairytale.

On the eve of All-Star weekend, Howard is a disgruntled star who can’t wait to play for another team. He has criticized the team’s decision not to surround him with better players and has said he wouldn’t mind playing for the New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls or Los Angeles Lakers.

Yahoo! Sports NBA columnist Adrian Wojnarowski slammed Howard in a recent column.

The Magic will never respond to Howard again, and that’s on him. They’re lost in a brutal five-out-of-six-games debacle, and Howard’s public proclamation calling out Magic teammates last week has compounded issues. Despite his inability to separate the get-me-out-of-town Dwight and the I’m-your-leader Dwight, the organization knows one thing for sure: They’re the same guy.

“No need to point the finger,” Howard lectured on Monday night.

Yes, well, he’s done that. And that’s how he’s losing these Magic so fast – and why he’ll never get them back. No matter how dominant of a player, no matter how superior of a talent, the world’s best center has forfeited the right to talk to his teammates about commitment, professionalism and playing hard.

Wojnarowski’s column said that Howard’s trade demand is affecting the team.

They were 11-4 and winning with Howard’s trade demand. Now, they’re losing with it. The thing is, they’re human and the superstar’s words, his actions, have repercussions. He’s the moon around which this franchise, this locker room, has revolved for years.

When asked if Howard’s trade demand has truly become part of the locker room’s décor every day, Redick said, “It is. Yeah, it is. I’ve said since the beginning: As long as he’s here, it will be a distraction because it’s all anybody talks about when they talk about our team. We don’t hear it? Of course we do.

“But we also have to be professionals, do our jobs, and for the first 15 games we did that. And I don’t think that Dwight’s trade situation made us play so badly these last few games.

It’s unclear how this will affect his marketability going forward, but there’s no doubt the center that call Superman has taken a few chinks to his armor.