Dwight Howard Is Worse Than LeBron James

Since LeBron James made “The Decision” to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, he became one of the most vilified athletes in the world.  What Dwight Howard is doing in Orlando with the Magic is worthy of more scrutiny.  Howard has spent the better part of this NBA season holding the Magic franchise hostage.  Howard demanded to be traded, his camp publicly identified teams that he would accept being traded to, and used the threat of using his Early Termination Option (ETO) to force his trade demand.  This put the Magic in a position where they needed to trade him or let him walk away at the end of the season, getting nothing in return.

I look at guys and they don’t look like they want to play. I told them at halftime, If you don’t want to play, just stay in the locker room, because it don’t make sense for a team who we should beat to just demolish us. – Dwight Howard

Howard publicly blasted his teammates for a second time (first time was against the Boston Celtics) after a loss to the New Orleans Hornets as if he had the moral high ground to do so.  Here is a guy that had been talking about wanting out of Orlando, criticizing the efforts of his teammates in public.  Did he ever stop to think that they had grown weary of the circus that he had created?  All he had to do was keep his mouth shut about his trade demands and the possibility of using his ETO.  Instead he behaved completely opposite of the public image he had built for himself prior to this season.  He said and did all the wrong things, becoming a cancer in the locker room and within the organization.

I have gotten some bad advice. I apologize for this circus I have caused to the fans of our city. They didn’t deserve none of this. I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart. I will do whatever I can to make this right and do what I was put in Orlando to do…This has been a very hard time, for me, my family and all of us. The fans deserve a better hero and I will make that happen. I love and appreciate my fans and this city. – Dwight Howard

After creating this circus around his teammates and the organization, he suddenly has a change of heart?  Why put everyone, including the fans, through all of this if you aren’t all in one way or the other?  Wouldn’t you be better served just to keep your mouth shut?  This made Howard look even more like a dumbass.  To top it all off, he then blames his dumbass behavior on the “bad advice” that he was given.  If he was dumb enough to listen to this bad advice, I hope he was smart enough to fire the person(s) that was giving him the advice.  It sure seems he wasn’t smart enough to think for himself either way it goes.

Speaking of firing people, it seems that Howard was lobbying management to fire his coach, Stan Van Gundy.  In a very odd chain of events, Van Gundy was speaking to reporters during a recent Magic practice, when he stated that he was told by Magic upper management Howard wanted him out as coach.  Apparently, Howard must have heard some of the discussion because he felt it necessary to interrupt the media session which seemed to irk Van Gundy who excused himself.

This move to lobby for Van Gundy’s job is another bad PR move by Howard.  So I am going to guess that his bad advisers are still on his payroll.  This move to get Van Gundy fired exposes Howard as a controlling, spoiled athlete.  If he was so unhappy with the performance of Van Gundy or with their relationship, why retract his trade demand?  Why sign a document to waive his ETO?  If you are man enough to demand that he be fired behind close doors, then be man enough to stand up and say that you did it!  It is very clear that Howard is not who we thought was.

For your viewing pleasure, the Stan Van Gundy’s media session: