The LeBron James Model: What If Dwight Howard Leaves and Loses?

Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic has made his point very clear to those watching his every move, and even to those who could care less about what goes on in the world of basketball.

He wants to win, and he wants to win as soon as possible.

If that means that he must re-evaluate his tenure in Orlando he will do so, but he ultimately wants his legacy to blossom where he began. At least that is what he says.

The Magic will not be able to deliver a championship anytime soon by just banking on the mediocre productivity of his counterparts and Dwight Howard himself, so he may just follow through with his ultimatum and become a free agent in the summer of 2012.

I could not blame him, and neither could any other human being with a television.

The franchise does not seem to be shifting the coach to cater to Dwight’s needs and fundamentals on the court, so he has no reason to stay, other than the fact that Orlando fans have been extravagantly loyal to him.

Kind of like how loyal Cleveland fans were to LeBron James before the summer of 2010.

They would move at the sound of his voice and shrink away at his command. That is how dominant these two basketball figures had become in the places they began playing when they entered the professional league. Only one of them has fallen from grace in the eyes of the public, but the other seems to be heading down the exact same path.

Howard may not want to face the reality of the situation, but the league has become more aggressively charged when it comes to disdain for athletes who admit they need help to win at the highest level.

He may fall victim to a similar fate.

In last year’s playoffs, when LeBron walked off of the court yanking off his jersey, he had reached the peak of his patience as far as his teammate’s contributions went.

There was a moment in his mind where he checked out, and a lot of people speculate that it was because he could not handle the moment. I firmly believe it was the fact that there was no one on his team that he could share the load with. Can you honestly say that the building around him in Cleveland was not set to self destruct had he not made an exit sooner than later?

James wanted someone beside him to carry a fair share of the responsibility, and regardless of how he played in this year’s Finals, he did not have a second option in Ohio. There was not another player that he could depend on if his hot hand grew cold. For someone who does not handle the avenue of pressure with a smile and a ready-to-go attitude, that's like throwing gasoline on a wildfire.

In the 2011 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, LeBron James did exactly what he spent years of his career trying to prove to people he would not do in the big moment—he checked out and left his teammates hanging in the balance.

The weight of the blame should be passed around the Big Three equally, but James’ mind was nowhere near this year’s final moment. Now, there are a bunch of people walking around chanting, “I told you so.”

He left and lost, which gives the Cleveland Cavaliers all the moral glory in the world, which I feel, by the way, is absolutely idiotic.

If Dwight Howard were to leave the Orlando organization and lose in the last moments, the judgment would not be so cruel and harsh.

Why?

Because Howard has been such a media darling for the duration of his career that fans and media members rarely take the time to view him as the bad guy. It is so easy to take a smart remark or inappropriate smirk from him and shrug it off as his personality, because he seems like such a great guy when the cameras are on.

His personality suggests that he is one of the most ‘likable’ guys in the league, and fans reciprocate the notion. If he were to lose in the Finals after joining forces with the New York Knicks, people would question Carmelo Anthony and/or Amare Stoudemire’s talent level and ability to perform and carry their weight on the team before they would criticize Howard for what he failed to do.

People would attack Anthony’s lack of defensive know-how while praising Dwight Howard for contributing, however major or minor his contributions may have been.

Even if he ultimately decided to head to the Los Angeles Lakers, no one would blame him primarily for any defeat that took place in the postseason.

The new head coach, Mike Brown, would possess the lion’s share of the blame if anything ill-fated were to happen with the Lakers for the second year in a row. If Howard was not doing his job on the court, people would be more than eager to shout to the mountaintops that he was not being utilized correctly and Brown’s system is at fault.

Perception sits at the top of the board when it comes to judging a person’s personal accomplishments and failures. LeBron lost all likeability, which makes it easier to point the finger at him when things go wrong wherever he stands.

Dwight Howard has the side of the people, which makes it easier for fans and the media to turn a blind eye.