The Hateable Dwight Howard

Dear Dwight Howard,

Shut up. Seriously. Please shut up. I am tired of hearing from, and about you. And I think I can say that most basketball fans feel them same way to. The big headline coming from Dwight’s sit down interview with ESPN’s Ric Bucher is that Dwight never wanted anyone to hate him. Really, Dwight? Well, you have a funny way of getting people not to hate you.

If you really look at his behavior over the last three years Howard has acted like an insane girlfriend that someone tolerates because they are hot.

First he declared that he wanted to create his own legacy, not follow in other people’s footsteps. An apparent reaction to people claiming that Howard would leave the Orlando Magic for the Los Angeles Lakers just as Shaquille O’Neal once had. He also didn’t want to be compared to the all time great Lakers’ center (George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Shaq)

He then said he wanted to stay in Orlando.

Then he said he wanted to be traded.

Then he said he wanted to stay in Orlando.

People then wonder if Howard will ask Orlando to sign and trade him allowing him to make the maximum amount of money he can make on a new contract before the league's new collective bargaining agreement takes place. A sign and trade, for point of reference, is a loophole in the league's collective bargaining agreement. It incentivizes a player to sign with their current team, who can offer the player more money than another team, but then the team, as part of a mutual agreement will then trade the player to another team who will then inherit the player and their new contract. If Howard failed to sign a new contract with Orlando before it takes place he leaves money on the table. Guess, who failed get a new deal done.

Then he formally demanded a trade, but was only willing to go to one team, the New Jersey Nets.

When the trade couldn’t get done everyone expects Howard, who is unhappy with his General Manager, coach and just demanded a trade, to play out the rest of the season, go into free agency and play for a new team - more than likely the Nets. Instead, Howard inexplicably opts in to his one year extension to stay with the Orlando Magic for the 2012-2013 season. What? Mixed signals much?

Shortly after opting in to his one year extension he goes into ‘I hate it here in Orlando’ mode again and demands that his coach be fired. This leads to one of the great awkward interviews of all time.


Then after the 2011-2012 season ends he demands to be traded again. Again, saying he will only go to the Nets.

And finally, Dwight ‘Don’t compare me to Shaq, I want my own legacy’ Howard agrees to go to the Los Angeles Lakers. That’s right the same team he said he had no interest in going to from the beginning.

Oh and did we forget to mention that Mr. Howard won’t even be ready for the beginning of the season since he is coming off back surgery.

I mean can anyone look at his behavior and say, ‘oh yeah. that’s normal.' The guy acted like a schizophrenic through this entire process. If you don’t want people to hate you then don’t jerk them around. I know some people will say that Dwight was just ‘too nice and he didn’t stand up for himself and what he wanted. He wanted to make Orlando fans happy and that is why he sent mixed signals’. Well, I guess you can make that argument, but it would then be hard to explain that he is no longer in Orlando AND he managed to get his coach and GM fired (oh yea, that happened too). Oh and let’s not forget, he isn’t signed beyond this year so we may have to go through this type of circus again this coming summer. So Dwight, just shut up and play ball. After all, actions speak louder than words right.