NBA Trade Deadline: Dwight Howard Returning but Not Committing

On a day where the Orlando Magic and the rest of the NBA were expecting a yes-or-no decision with the Dwight Howard saga, they instead got a definite maybe.

Orlando sports rides on the broad shoulders of one man, and on this day, the Magic couldn't pull the trigger to put this painful indecision out of it's misery.

Howard has been the darling of this town for quite some time, with his fun-loving personality and bright smile. But a cloud that has hung over the Magic all season has managed to remain over them for what could be another season. And it's all due to the lack of commitment by Howard.

With his option picked up for next season, the All-NBA center will once again have the chance to survey the NBA landscape to see where he may want to take his talents (I know that phrase is getting old), holding Orlando hostage in the process.

Sure, as much as Howard has demanded and flip-flopped back and forth, he has more than managed to keep his production up to snuff on the court. But Orlando still must feel a sense of abandonment, and he hasn't even left. At least not yet, anyway.

On top of the burden Howard has thrust upon the Magic, he has also slighted Brooklyn in the process. Orlando thought Howard wanted to be with the Nets, and so did the Nets. Now he can't choose between the two. And Nets power forward Kris Humphries thought he had seen commitment problems before, but this is a whole 'nother dilemma.

With all the uncertainty, Orlando fans may still rest in the fact that Howard will at least be in a Magic uniform for one more season. And only positive thoughts come out of seeing a superstar in a small market (Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Howard).

But the fact that this organization will have to go to hell and back once again is beyond preposterous. Yet they couldn't pull the trigger.

Not with their big-man leading them to a high seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, which has clearly been overshadowed by the constant changing of Howard's mind.

And now we have yet another season to suffer through Howard's nonstop reversals. There is no way the Magic sign him to a long-term deal over the summer. The best thing for the organization could very well be to trade him. That is if they can muster up the fortitude to do so.

But by this option being picked up, the Magic are allowing Howard to see where Deron Williams and Chris Paul land, to find out if Mark Cuban can dump enough salary in time for the 2013 off-season, and once again to exhaustively consider his possibilities.

Howard may say he is loyal, but with loyalty comes commitment. Orlando has yet to receive that from the star center, leaving them in a predicament that will carry over to next season.

Howard expressed his readiness to move on with Orlando's season after the option was picked up, communicating the fact that things were at peace.

For now, anyway.