Dwight Howard Wants Out: What Should the Magic Do and How Do You Feel About It?

Of course, you want to have your cake and eat it too. Who doesn't? LeBron James went for the ultimate version of this, at least as far as sports are concerned. He wanted to get paid (basically) the most money. While playing where he wanted, with whom he wanted.

Fair enough. We (The Public) never killed the Celtics "Big 3" for teaming up. And I completely understand why.

Both Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were closer to the end of their careers than the beginning. Paul Pierce was in his prime, but he had no help.

Their teaming-up made sense for all parties. Not to mention, it ultimately let the Sonics turn into the current Thunder.

Why did we kill LeBron? Because he has the potential and the talent to be the best basketball player ever. But he left his home state team (where he swore he would win a title) to team up with some of his elite friends in Miami.

When the Heat eventually win a title (they will) LeBron won't get the credit he should. But it's because he took the easiest possible route to a ring.

Chris Paul almost (or actually did) went to the Lakers. That would've been bad for the NBA, but awesome for Kobe. Sending him to the Clippers was ironic in so many ways.

But at the end of the day, the Clippers were a bad franchise. They made bad moves and even their good moves backfired on them. So that's a challenge. Not to mention, Paul didn't actually sign an extension when he was traded.

That brings us the proverbial (and literally sized) elephant in the room. Dwight Howard. It seems like a given that he will literally follow the Shaq career playbook.

Although I doubt that he actually ends up on the Lakers, unless LA will give up Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, which is highly unlikely.

What should happen? Why are we mad at Dwight Howard? Should we be mad at him?

Such easy questions actually require complicated answers. The easiest answer is why we are mad at Howard. It's because we've seen this before with Carmelo Anthony. Ultimately, the Denver Nuggets were better off with the players they received in return. And the Knicks didn't take off until Jeremy Lin entered the equation.

We're mad at Dwight Howard because he won't just state his intentions. If he just said "I'm going to test free agency, if the Magic want to trade me, I understand why" it would be the end of this. For the most part. But Howard won't commit to ANYTHING. And he teases almost every market with "well, I could see myself playing here."

And it's not really all about getting a "MAX" contract. When we talk about what a team (say the Magic) and a free agent team (say the Nets) can offer, it's really about $10 million over the first four years of a contract.

But the "home" team (Magic) can offer a fifth guaranteed year. But assuming Howard stays healthy, he will easily recoup the fifth year (at a higher salary) if he stays healthy and continues to produce at his current level.

So overall, we've really only talking about Howard leaving $10 million (at most) on the table if he leaves Orlando via free agency.

If it's only about $10 million (to a guy who will have earned over $175 million when he signs his next contract), why does he need to be traded right now?

Hell, if Howard just committed to the Magic, they might be able to make some moves to give them a legit shot in this screwed-up schedule of a season.

He wants to pick his landing spot AND get the most possible money. Of course he does. Why wouldn't he?

And we should be mad at Howard. He's going to leave Orlando. Unless the Magic go on a "magical" run to win a title, Howard is out. And look at the St. Louis Cardinals. Even winning a title can't guarantee that your star will stick around. Howard is off to Dallas or New Jersey. As far as I can tell.

So yes. We should be mad. No matter where Howard goes, he won't be on a team as good as Miami or Chicago. Or Oklahoma City. Or, God forbid, the Los Angeles Clippers.

It's not about just winning a title or about getting the most money. It's about being the Big Dog and calling your shots. That's the dream. To be wined and dined and see all things that are fine.

Why are the fans mad? Because a player won't accept $120+ million to stay and try to win a title. What else can you do? The draft is fickle. Free agency is even scarier. Big contracts end up being a burden more often than an asset. You never know.

That's why the stars want to team up. They don't want to shoulder the load by themselves. And they don't like having to shovel their car out of the snow. Or wait while their car service runs late.

The current players don't have the pride of the previous generation of players. That's why when LeBron ultimately wins a title in Miami, he will only get a share of the credit.

In Miami, LeBron can only be a cog in the machine. If he had won a title in Cleveland, he would have been a Basketball God.

Now Dwight Howard seems to be following the same path. Shaq only won in LA because he ended up on a team that could spend money, with Jerry West overseeing a roster coached by Phil Jackson that included Kobe Bryant.

Dwight Howard isn't going to land anywhere with such a promising outlook. But as long as he continues his current path, he will never achieve the All-Time Great status that he could have.

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