NBA Rumors: Dwight Howard Reportedly Wants Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy Fired

If you thought Dwight Howard would stop being a distraction after opting in to the 2012-13 season with the Orlando Magic at the trade deadline, you were sorely mistaken.

According to David Pingalore of ClickOrlando.com, the superstar center is now clamoring for Stan Van Gundy and the rest of the coaching staff to be fired.

Sources told the reporter that Dwight would not sign an extension past next season with the Magic unless SVG is removed from his post and the team is apparently receptive to the threat.

This isn’t the first rumor to leak out of the Magic Kingdom concerning the growing rift between the reigning three-time Defensive Player of the Year and his coach.

On March 31st, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.com reported that Van Gundy was considering quitting after the playoffs due to Howard’s incessant trade demands and constant distractions.

SVG has every right to be upset with the situation after he kept his team winning (currently 32-22 and a real postseason contender in the East) through all the rumors, speculation and general media circus that has surrounded the franchise for the entire season.

The 52-year-old knows he would be one of the best available coaches and a number of teams, notably the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers, would be seeking his services on the open market.

Howard needs to realize that Van Gundy isn’t the problem and should embrace his coach. Van Gundy is an excellent strategist who has yet to win less than 52 games in a season or miss the playoffs during his tenure in Orlando.

The Magic’s issues stem from the fact that GM Otis Smith is completely incompetent and has been unable to bring in star talent to surround his big man with.

Smith has made numerous bad trades and inked some poor players to rich contracts.

The worst may be refusing to overpay Hedo Turkoglu after the 2009 Finals, instead letting him go to the Raptors on a five-year, $53 million deal.

That was a fine decision by itself, but then Otis went ahead and traded Marcin Gortat, Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus, a first-round pick and $3 million in cash to the Suns in order to get an aging Jason Richardson and re-acquire Hedo on that same awful contract he initially refused to give out.

It’s clear that Otis Smith is the problem in Orlando—not Stan Van Gundy—so if Dwight Howard is going to be calling for anyone’s head, it should be his general manager's.