Queen City Superman: Imagine Dwight Howard as a Charlotte Bobcat

I remember watching the 2004 NBA Draft and wondering who the Orlando Magic were going to take with the top pick.

Was it going to be Emeka Okafor, the defensive-minded big man, who had led the University of Connecticut to a national championship just a few months prior?

Or would the Magic take a gamble on the promising high-schooler from Atlanta, Dwight Howard?

It was a tough decision to make since whoever the Magic drafted was going to be the centerpiece of their latest rebuilding project.

The team wound up selecting Howard, and Okafor was chosen by the expansion Charlotte Bobcats with the second overall pick.

Howard went on to become the league's best center. "Superman" has made four All-Star teams, won a Defensive Player of the Year Award, and has led the Magic to the playoffs three consecutive years, including a trip to the finals.

Okafor, on the other hand, has never quite turned into a superstar. He's not a bust by any means—with career averages of nearly 14 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks per game—but I'm sure Bobcats fans would have rather had Howard instead.

The Bobcats are yet to qualify for the playoffs.

So what if Orlando did pass up Howard in favor of Okafor? Today, Magic fans would probably be upset, while Bobcats fans would likely be content.

However, if Howard hadn't landed in Orlando, the Magic might still have become one of the Eastern Conference's top teams. There's no telling what kind of talent the team may have acquired.  

Meanwhile, with Howard anchoring the defense and teaming up with new-All-Star Gerald Wallace, the Bobcats definitely would have reached the playoffs by now. 

But oh well, Howard ended up with the Magic and Okafor became a Bobcat (now New Orleans Hornet).

And as they say, "It is what it is."