What would I have given to have been present when Dwight Howard embraced Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy in front of the media after Van Gundy told said media that Howard wanted him fired.
One word: AWKWARD!
I think Van Gundy knows he is a dead coach walking, and I respect him for being real about it – consequences be damned. And by the way, I think the Magic would be making a terrible mistake if they did fire him.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a Van Gundy apologist per se. I do think that he is a whiner. I do have a problem with his tendency to throw his players under the bus.
Having said that, I do think Van Gundy is one helluva coach who won’t stay unemployed for long. His record while coaching the Magic speaks for itself.
As for Howard, I think he is setting up the Magic for years of failure.
Let’s make something clear: he will NOT be with the Magic long term. Everyone – including Howard himself – knows that but Orlando. The Magic should have traded his ass at the trade deadline when they had the chance.
The only reason why Howard decided to keep his option for the final year of his contract is because he desperately wants to be liked. As I said earlier, he really wants to leave Orlando. He just doesn’t want to be hated for doing so.
And when he does leave after next season, the Magic will be in shambles. It will have lost Howard for NOTHING in return. The Magic would likely not have as good of a coach as Van Gundy. And who on that roster scares opposing teams?
This is why a sports organization should never, EVER let a star player dictate its next move. The Orlando Magic is going to get played big time.
Categories: NBA, sports story
Agree but here’s the real problem..the league doesn’t want Dwight Howard in Orlando! When you have a league that caters to superstars and ESPN that caters to superstars you get what big city owners want…superstars in big cities and no superstars in little cities…some cities get lucky…OKC and San Antonio come to mind but by and large the majority of small cities have NO chance at landing a superstar in free agency or trade. If the league cared, that snazzy new collective bargaining agreement would have a franchise tag.
There’s nothing like “crazy love!” Some good posts here…
Umm wha makes you think he will walk away for mothing? I’m quite sure management is smart enough to extend him or trade him.
I don’t think that the Magic will get as much for them as they would have this season.
The longer they hold onto Howard, the lesser the compensation.