NBA Trade Rumors: The Misconception That Is Dwight Howard

In more ways than one, Dwight Howard has already left the Orlando Magic, but that's not why so many now despise him.

The Howard saga has been a nauseating roller-coaster ride to say the least, and while the March 15 deadline is less than 36 hours away, its effects have not let up. And if the Magic decide to roll the dice and keep Howard for the rest of the season, the speculative frenzy that is this soap opera will only worsen.

Howard himself has done more than enough to feed into it.

Amidst reports that stated he was going to abandon Orlando to join Deron Williams in Brooklyn next season no matter what the Magic did, he came out and proclaimed his preference was to stay put for the remainder of the season.

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"We've been talking, like I said, for a while," Howard said after leading the Magic to a 104-98 overtime home victory against the Miami Heat. "I told them I want to finish this season out and give our team, give our fans some hope for the future. But I feel they have to roll the dice. It might be tough, but I feel we've got a great opportunity. But they've got to roll it."

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Howard's willingness to commit to Orlando for the rest of season isn't chivalrous, and has some within the Magic's organization disgusted. However, is that really why he's become so hated?

Truth be told, it's not.

There is undoubtedly a smorgasbord of resentment toward the attention his situation is commanding, but the disdain for Howard goes beyond that not-so-subtle notion.

There wasn't this much backlash for Carmelo Anthony or Chris Paul, who also held their respective teams hostage, so why is Howard taking so much flack? Why is he rapidly becoming one of the most despised players in the league?

Because he was the last hope at defying a new landscape that has consumed the NBA.

The Boston Celtics started a movement by adding both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to the fold in 2007. And LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh took it a step further in 2010 when they joined forces in South Beach.

Now, superstars teaming with superstars has become the blueprint for a championship.

Anthony forced his way to the Knicks. Paul forced his way out of New Orleans and into the arms of any team with another star, which turned out to be the Clippers. And now we have Howard, whose situation is uncomfortably similar to that of James' nearly two years ago.

After nearly a decade of carrying the Magic and putting down roots in Orlando, Howard was supposed to do what James couldn't, and what Paul and Anthony wouldn't. He was supposed to allow loyalty to trump temptation.

But he hasn't.

Kevin Durant is often perceived as the poster-boy for loyalty. He inked a fat extension with Oklahoma City instead of testing the open market. However, would he have done so if Russell Westbrook and James Harden weren't developing at such a rapid pace?

Unlike the Thunder, there are no superstars-in-the-making currently on the Magic. The closest Howard will come is Ryan Anderson, and while that may be enough to steal an occasional victory from the Heat, it is not enough to win a title.

Has he been selfish? Of course—but who hasn't?

It's damn near impossible to defend Howard's latest move, but it's also unjust to hang him for it.

He's come to accept the latest trend and is ready to embrace it. He knows a bigger market and a prolific sidekick are better for his career.

While his moniker suggests otherwise, Howard is not superman, but he's not a villain either.

He's a realist.

And we hate him for it.

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