The Magic Front Office, Not Dwight Howard, Call the Shots in Orlando

Some good news: the Orlando Magic haven't gone (totally) mad. 

Whew. This is a relief. After a report from ESPN saying that the Magic would give Dwight Howard the power to decide the fate of both GM Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy, the Magic have fired back, saying there's no truth to that rumor.

Thank goodness.

Via Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel:

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Magic officials released a statement from Chief Executive Officer Alex Martins that read: "The only person(s) who have the final say on coaches and management is the Orlando Magic ownership."

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Glad that was dealt with and done so in a timely fashion by the Magic front office. The last thing that team needs right now is for people to think they're allowing Howard to call the shots any more than he already has. A player as well known for cracking jokes and wearing Ed Hardy as he is for his on-court dominance, Howard has shown no reason to give him the keys here.

Besides the fact that a franchise should never give up all power to player who can walk away when his contract is up, what exactly has Howard done to give the impression that he's got a single clue what's best for the organization? Trading Brandon Bass for Glen Davis to appease him really worked out well, didn't it? His refusal to give a long-term commitment to the Bulls, further handicapping the Magic in their quest to find a trade that gives them something in return for giving him up, proves one of two things: either winning isn't his top priority, or he blacked out somewhere along the way and forgot that reigning MVP Derrick Rose plays for the Bulls. 

Howard is a brilliant, devastatingly dominant basketball player. A general manager he is not. The Magic need to remember this as the deadline draws closer and desperation threatens to set in. 

The Orlando Magic will always be the Orlando Magic. Howard wants to leave. Whether they're able to hang onto him for another season or not, he has already shown where his loyalty doesn't lie. No need to give him the power to handicap the future of a franchise he likely won't even be playing for during his next contract.