NBA Rumors: How Rob Hennigan Can Convince Dwight Howard to Stay with Magic

If you've come to think that Dwight Howard would never put on an Orlando Magic jersey again during his NBA career, I promise you that you're not alone. 

However, Rob Henningan is not on your side, and seeing as he's the man who controls Superman's future, that's kind of a big deal. 

According to HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy, the Orlando general manager would like for Dwight to remain in a Magic uniform for as long as possible, preferably beyond the 2013 free agency period during which the prized center seems all but guaranteed to depart: 

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In recent days, the Magic have shifted their attention away from the ongoing trade talks and focused on persuading Howard to remain in Orlando. Hennigan and his staff will travel to Los Angeles later this week to meet face-to-face with Howard and deliver a presentation designed to persuade Howard to return to the Magic. Hennigan is determined to fix the strained relationship between the player and the organization, and he’s hopeful that Howard will resume his career in Orlando.

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So, how can Hennigan convince his All-Star center to stay with the Magic? 

At this point, it's too late to immediately start rebuilding the team and Howard won't be around long enough to see that kind of process start to take shape. 

There are really only two things that Henningan can do. 

The first is letting his center help lead the search for a new head coach.

He can't afford to set up another clash between coach and player and must run any and every step of the selection process by his star player if he hopes to keep him in town for more than just a few days into the 2012-2013 season. 

Kennedy also reports that the Magic have a leading candidate for the job and that Howard will likely be present at a meeting with any candidate. 

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Jacque Vaughn is the frontrunner, but Michael Curry and Lindsey Hunter are also finalists for the job.

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The second step is convincing Howard that the only way to truly repair his image is to remain in Orlando and help the Magic win a championship. 

At this point, it's no secret that the big man has put a significant damper on his reputation among NBA fans. The omnipresence of his ear-to-ear grin is no longer enough to override the constant flip-flopping and relentless presence in the rumor-o-sphere. 

If Howard continues to force a move from Orlando and lands on a contender—which seems to be the only type of place he would go—he's going to face a level of vitriol that either matches or surpasses that faced by LeBron James. 

He'll be hated almost universally. 

However, if he spends his entire career in Orlando, he can repair that image and will continue to have support from the fans he's provided a spectacle for ever since he first entered into the league. 

Howard is a fun-loving guy with a great attitude and a genuine love for, well, being loved. I'm just guessing here, but something tells me he wants to continue to draw cheers and not boos. 

Staying with the Magic would give his fans an unexpected surge of happiness and may even be enough for them to forgive him for the last few months. 

These are the things that Hennigan must constantly feed into the ears of Howard. 

It remains unlikely that Howard would stay in Orlando, but it is possible.