Dwight Howard wants everyone to love him. Hell, most athletes want everyone to love them, but life doesn’t work that way. In Dwight’s case, he can run around Orlando, planking like crazy and singing karaoke with random people because an ESPN camera is following him, and in his warped millionaire mind, he thinks that will numb the sting that comes with him demanding a trade from the Orlando Magic.
Last night didn’t do much to alter the perception that he’s already gone, either. The Magic were completely trounced by the Miami Heat in a preseason game that ended with a 118-85 score that is an illusion compared to what really happened on the court. If this were a regular season game, the Heat would have won by 100. It was that nasty. And it also showed us what kind of man Howard is with his 5 whopping points.
But it’s not his fault, guys. It was a team effort at sucking.
“They look like a seasoned team,” Howard said. “We were off for seven months. And guys are trying to get back in to it. There’s no need for us, anybody, Magic fans, whatever, to stress about the first game. There’s a lot more games to be played.”
(Via CBS Sports)
Added Howard: “Just in a different jersey.”
I’m bringing this up for two reasons: 1) The Miami Heat are going to win the NBA championship this season because, as I pointed out when the lockout ended, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are diabolical geniuses who conditioned and trained with the league’s biggest stars the entire time, while guys like Howard just planked; and B) I don’t think that Howard is getting the credit he deserves for being such a dick.
Howard has every right to want to play somewhere else, but he’s played every card wrong. He told Magic fans that he wants to stay and build a championship legacy. Then he said he wants out because the team hasn’t given him the right tools to win with, which Greg Doyel, who I normally loathe, absolutely picks apart in his column today.
Howard is everything that is wrong with the NBA. He’s talented but he’s lazy and spoiled because he is surrounded by enablers who give him the Good Will Hunting – “It’s not your fault!” It’s not all his fault, but instead of the standard 100% of the fault that I give to the inexplicably employed Magic GM otis Smith, I’m giving Howard 50% now.
Like I’ve said for a few months now, the only difference between Howard and LeBron James is that James doesn’t rhyme with coward.
