NBA Free Agents 2012: Dwight Howard and His Entourage Must Learn to Shut Up

Dwight Howard is quickly replacing LeBron James as the league's most unlikeable star. The only thing bigger than his hulking frame is his inflated self-image.

David Aldridge is reporting for NBA.com that Dwight Howard is already closing the door on a long-term relationship with the Houston Rockets:

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Amid a report that stated the Houston Rockets are hoping to amass enough trade assets to make a deal with the Orlando Magic for Dwight Howard – even though Howard would only be in Houston for one season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2013 — a source with knowledge of Howard’s thinking said Monday that there was “not a chance” Howard would be persuaded to remain in Houston if traded there, and would leave next summer to sign elsewhere.

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Can't say we haven't been here before.

There are 30 teams in this league, but Howard only wants to play for one or two of them. It makes you wonder why any of these teams want him so badly. The self-centered center clearly doesn't like basketball enough to play for any but the most prime locales.

So, let's get this straight.

A good team with postseason potential is willing to pay you at least $15 million a year to play a game for a living, and you're not interested?

It's bad enough that this guy has treated the city of Orlando like an afterthought. He's proven to every kid who loves this team that when you wish upon a star, absolutely nothing happens. The organization hasn't done the best job surrounding Howard with talent and retaining cap flexibility, but Howard also hasn't given it a chance to fix mistakes it made on his behalf.

The even more baffling part is how picky the guy is about his destinations. If Orlando isn't good enough, fine. But is he really going to turn his nose up at virtually every other organization as well? 

He didn't want to play for the Los Angeles Lakers for crying out loud, a team that's never done anything short of contend.

And, he even fancied himself too good for the Chicago Bulls, a club that still features arguably the best point guard in the league. Apparently it was too cold in the Windy City.

The vast majority of basketball players in this world would love the opportunity to simply play in the NBA. This steady trickle of information indicating that Dwight can't be bothered with any club not on his infinitesimally short list is insulting to anyone who cares about this game for the right reasons.

Whether it's corporate pressure from his sponsors or a delusional sense of self-importance, his fickle approach to choosing his team has turned the league on its head.

It's too easy to call this a business. If it were any normal business, he'd be expected to make some free throws for starters.

No, it's not a business. It's a celebrity cult that's as much about hype as it is winning—to say nothing of winning the right way.

Stop the melodrama, Dwight.

Just shut up and play basketball.