Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic: Are They Title Contenders or Pretenders?

Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic have probably faced the most doubt of any elite team this season in terms of the idea of whether they can win an NBA title or not.

The Los Angeles Lakers have hit their rough patches this season, but nobody doubts that they will pick things up during the playoffs.

The Miami Heat have struggled against the best teams in the league, but they still have LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and when you have those two, anything is possible.

So the question that we are faced with is can Orlando overcome the doubters and still threaten for a title this season?

It seems that Orlando's chances at a title are dwindling, as Dwight Howard looks like he may be on the move after his contract runs out at the end of next season, meaning he could be traded in the middle of next season, so for the time being, it's now or never for Orlando.

One of the biggest criticisms they have faced this year is what the trades they made in December did to them as a team.

On the one hand, Orlando got rid of Vince Carter, who is currently a shell of an NBA player, and upgraded to Jason Richardson, who has the same shooting ability as Carter, but actually has the desire to try in basketball games.

Most everybody would have agreed that they improved themselves offensively in the trades, getting Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Gilbert Arenas (a guy who has yet to pan out), but on the defensive end of the floor some questions linger.

The biggest reason, besides Dwight Howard, that Orlando made their run to the NBA Finals in 2009 is because of their perimeter defenders.

Mickael Pietrus made LeBron James work for every point during the playoffs, and was able to help propel Orlando into the Finals with his stellar defense around the three-point line.

They also had Rashard Lewis, whom they traded for Gilbert Arenas, who wasn't the best defender, but was a versatile one, as he was big enough to bang bodies down low and quick enough to move out of the paint to defend.

That's not to mention Marcin Gortat, who made a name for himself in those playoffs and Rafer Alston, who did an excellent job filling in for Jameer Nelson, both of whom are playing basketball elsewhere this season.

Well, now that we have had some time since the trade, we can accurately judge what it has done to the team. While their defense has gotten worse, going from giving up 92.7 points per game in the first 26 games of the season to 95.7 in the next 42, it is still a top 10 defense in the NBA.

While their defense has suffered just a bit, their offense has improved by leaps and bounds, as they have gone from just over 96 points per game in the first 26 games to just over 101 points per game in the 42 games since.

Then there are those who will point out their recent struggles against the better teams in the league as a reason that they will be unable to compete for a title this season.

Since the beginning of February, their only wins against a top team came against the Heat and Lakers, otherwise they have lost to Miami, Boston, New Orleans, Chicago, Portland and the Lakers. They have filled up on wins against the bottom of the league along the way.

I think this is part of the reason that they have fallen out of favor on a national level, as the number of Magic doubters over the past few months has increased tremendously.

The thing that that has the potential to do for them, however, is put a chip on their shoulder. Back in 2004, almost nobody believed the Detroit Pistons could overcome the super-team that the Lakers had concocted, and Detroit played out of their minds.

If Stan Van Gundy plays his cards right, he should be able to instill that same feeling into his team, which could do more come playoff time than any trade ever could.

I see the biggest problem left for Orlando to be their second unit's defense. When they had Marcin Gortat down low, there was at least a big body who was also a capable defender.

Now, however, the height on their bench comes from forwards Ryan Anderson and Earl Clark, two young guys who don't have the best defensive chops.

Their starting unit will always be fine defensively as long as Dwight Howard is in the game, as his mere presence forces more jump shots than most on-ball defenders in the league. He is the best center in the league and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year for a reason.

So, the question is: are they contenders or pretenders?

While Orlando does have some problems that could potentially lead to their downfall, they seem to have a lot of things that could end up working in their favor come playoff time.

My final judgment for the time being is that they are still contenders until they do something to prove themselves otherwise.