Dwight Howard And Orlando Are Facing A Hot Summer

As we said in Smack today, it’s going to be a long summer in Orlando. J.J. Redick is going to have to live with images of that bricked three for the next few months, or even longer if the lockout stretches into the fall. The Magic have to decide what to do with Jason Richardson now that his contract is running out. A team that looked lifeless and dreary at times in the first round will have to figure out just what went wrong, how they fell so far, so fast.

Then, Orlando will have to deal with Dwight Howard. The best big man in the world, perhaps the single most important player to one team, needs to know the Magic want him and they want him enough to drastically improve the team and it’s future. The clock starts now. Time is ticking.

After succumbing in Game 6 to the Hawks last night, Howard, who averaged 27 points and 15.5 rebounds during the series, told ESPN.com that he isn’t worried about the talk just yet.

“That has nothing to do with right now,” Howard said, interrupting the question before it was asked completely. “There’s no need for me to comment on it. So let’s not even talk about it. There’s no need to bring it up. Right now, I’m going to figure out how I can get myself better for next season, not about what team I’m going to play for. So all the speculation can stop. It’s no need to talk about it.”

Orlando’s president of basketball operations Otis Smith confirmed that he has already offered Howard a contract extension that would keep him in Florida for an extra two years after his current deal runs out. But the big man hasn’t signed it. He wants to keep his options open, which on one side makes perfect sense. But then, there’s that lockout looming and the potential for contracts to be drastically changed. Some have taken that to mean Howard isn’t worried about what happens with the new CBA and is willing to take his chances in order to be a free agent.

But ESPN.com reported that sources around the Orlando organization don’t see Howard holding his team hostage the way other stars have recently.

It’s also not in Howard’s nature, some say, to do it Carmelo‘s way and allow trade speculation to derail a team’s season. Those factors would seem to make leaving Orlando almost impossible for Howard. Key word: almost. There’s also a side of Howard that envies the national attention Derrick Rose got this season. And he is attracted to the bright lights and global exposure that would come with a professional residence in Los Angeles or New York.

“It’s nothing against LeBron or Carmelo, but to me, I think Dwight’s a pretty loyal guy,” said Hawks forward Josh Powell, who has been close with Howard since their childhood in Atlanta. “I know he’s hurting right now. He’s been with that team since day one. I would assume and expect he would stay there. But it’s tough on him to see them get as close as they got two years ago and then fall back.”

No matter what happens, the key to all of this is Orlando acquiring more talent and getting better. But with all of these huge contracts, it’ll be a question of how. How exactly can they make that happen? If they can figure out a way to improve the roster, then everything else will fall in place, including the big guy in the middle.

What can Orlando do to get better and keep Dwight Howard happy?

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