Orlando Loss Proves Magic Need to Trade Dwight Howard Before the Season Ends

Two years ago, the Magic won the Eastern Conference, and they were the team LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers couldn't beat. The city known for Disney World became known widely for basketball success.

All thanks to Dwight Howard.

Now, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron are all on one team. Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Baron Davis teamed up to form the Knicks. And Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer power the Bulls.

If you include the Celtics, who are still more powerful than Orlando, the Magic have slim odds of contending for a championship. Last year, a man named Jamal Crawford kicked the Magic out of the playoffs in the first round.

On Christmas Day, Orlando proved they couldn't compete with the Thunder, one of the best in the West. However, OKC isn't the best in the NBA, and in the second and third quarters, the Thunder overpowered Howard and company.

Howard doesn't have a star to support him, and for Orlando, they need to rebuild their team and get some value for Howard. The Lakers want Howard, and if David Stern doesn't veto the trade, Orlando should get some good trade value.

Orlando can't afford Howard when his contract expires at the end of the year, and the Magic won't compete for a championship this year. Even without Howard, the Magic will still likely make the playoffs as a lower seed, as the Eastern Conference only has about nine teams worthy of making the playoffs.

The Magic started the game strong and took a seven-point lead against the scoring champion and OKC, but once the Thunder got their fast-paced game going, Orlando couldn't stop them. Kevin Durant showed bursts of explosiveness in the Thunder's dominating win.

Miami, New York and Chicago all showed what they were made of in convincing wins, and we certainly won't see the Magic in the championship contender mix. If the team is smart, expect Howard to be gone and Orlando to lose in the first round as a seventh or eighth seed.

With stars feeding stars for buckets, dunks lighting up the crowd, and defenses dominating the league, Orlando has no chance at a title (even though Howard is the Defensive Player of the Year).

For the city decorated with entertainment, your basketball is going down, down, down. The only chance for Orlando is to get as much value out of him as possible, and then trade him.