Dwight Howard: Orlando's Roster Must Change or Howard's Address Will

The Orlando Magic may be the most offensively balanced team in the National Basketball Association with an astounding eight players who average double-figure scoring.

The Magic's defense isn't too shabby either, as center Dwight Howard anchors a unit that is fifth in the NBA in rebounding at 43.3 per game and they only allow 94.2 points per game, which is sixth in the league.

With numbers like that, it's hard to imagine Orlando is not a serious contender for the Eastern Conference crown, but there are few observers who even expect the Magic to reach the East Finals.

I tend to agree.

Orlando owns victories against San Antonio, the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami and Boston, yet each one of those teams appear to have a much better shot of playing in the NBA Finals in June.

How is this possible?

Well, when Jason Richardson is your second offensive option behind Howard, a Finals' trip is not likely in your future.

That's not to say the Magic will not be competitive once the postseason rolls around, but it's hard to picture another player on the roster commanding a defensive game plan.

Guard Gilbert Arenas used to be that type of player, but knee injuries have robbed him of most of his former explosiveness and he doesn't seem to be all that happy coming off the bench anyway.

Hedo Turkoglu's return to Orlando has not been nearly as productive as his first stint and although Richardson is a very talented player, few people would consider him to be a star.

And if the Magic hope to reach their third consecutive Eastern Finals someone besides Howard will have to play the star role because all the teams above Orlando in the East certainly have their fair share of stars.

Boston has the big four of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.

Chicago has Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah.

And of course Miami has the trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Orlando has Howard and in a conference that is starting to become defined by star power, that is simply not enough.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy's offensive scheme is centered on placing Howard in the post and surrounding him with players who can score from the perimeter.

When the perimeter players are knocking down their shots, the Magic are capable of posting big wins like last night's victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder and an earlier one over the Lakers.

However, when the shots are not falling, the Magic are capable of losing inexplicable games like a recent home contest against the Sacramento Kings.

After the Kings' loss, Howard admonished his teammates and pleaded with them to play harder, even going as far as to say if his teammates couldn't go hard for two hours, then maybe they shouldn't be playing at all.

No matter how hard Howard's teammates play, it's doubtful it will be enough to defeat any of the above-mentioned Eastern teams in a seven-game series.

The Magic may be suffering from a lack of passion as Howard says, but in the long run, Orlando's bigger issue may be a lack of star talent.

If Orlando's 2011 playoff run ends badly, Howard will likely come to this same conclusion.

If Howard does come to this realization, his playing days in Orlando will likely soon be coming to a conclusion as well.