Does Dwight Howard’s baggage outweigh his talent?
When it came to survival, Stan Van Gundy should've known he wasn't going to win a battle with Dwight Howard. (AP photo)
Last November, I proposed a trade for the Hawks: Deal any two players on their roster for Dwight Howard.
Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. Josh Smith and Al Horford. Johnson and Al Horford. Marvin Williams, several Mediterranean islands and the undying gratitude of every Atlanta resident.
But given what just occurred, I’m wondering how much better off the Hawks would be in the long run with such a diva on the roster.
The Orlando Magic, in an expected move, fired coach Stan Van Gundy, ostensibly because Howard wanted him out. Even before Van Gundy went public late in the season that Howard was trying to get him fired, it was clear the two were in an unworkable situation.
Ownership knows firing their coach and general manager (Otis Smith) won’t lose them any ticket sales. Losing Howard would. So this was an easy choice. Of course, if Howard leaves any way, they will fired Van Gundy for nothing.
Van Gundy is a terrific coach, one of the NBA’s best, in my opinion. Critics banged on him for outing Howard publicly. But given that the franchise centerpiece had been stabbing him in the back for months to management, undermined his authority in the locker room and wrecked any conceivable chance Orlando had of succeeding this season, I had no problem with it. Fact is, Van Gundy probably gained a lot respect around the league for it (certainly within the coaching fraternity and with the media).
It seems strange to suggest this. But Howard, despite being the world’s most dominant center and one of the five best players in the world, period, may nonetheless be poison for a franchise. Whether he remains in Orlando or ultimately is traded or leaves in free agency, there is reason to believe he will wield too much power wherever he ends up.
When it gets to the point that an athlete has the call on who the coach is and how a team is built, it’s an unhealthy situation. Ultimately, the owner is bowing to ever whim of the player because he’s worried about turnstile counts. It doesn’t play well in the front office or the locker room, and that spills onto the court.
The way the Magic have been operating lately, they might as well let Howard interview the candidates to replace Van Gundy. Better yet, let them march, one by one, into the Roman Coliseum, while Howard sits on a throne and gives the thumbs up or thumbs down signal.
Have the lions ready.
It sounds extreme to suggest an NBA team would be better off without Dwight Howard. But it speaks to the player’s prima donna tendencies that it’s suddenly something worth thinking about.
By Jeff Schultz
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143 comments Add your comment
GStateBen
May 21st, 2012
9:01 pm
Agreed Jeff. Otis Smith made bad decision after bad decision and could have told Howard to keep his mouth shut. He drafted Courtney Lee, only to trade him. Then he decided to draft Kentucky players Daniel Orton, who looks like a major project and DeAndre Liggins, who SVG refused to play and could also bust.
This is not a great job either as the Magic have 8 players under contract for roughly $82 million. The project luxury cap limit is $70 million. Hedo is making $11 million next year. Yuck.
JSS
May 21st, 2012
9:25 pm
Magic made the same mistake the Hawks did in 1989, the Mavs did in mid 90s, and Bucks did too; they tried to put an All Star team (on paper) on the floor with a coach who lacked people skills and game management talent. Van Gundy like his brother is vastly overrated as a in-game coach. Like his brother he rode a hot hand against a lot of teams who were flawed (the Cavs) and when they got to the Finals were ripped a new one! Maybe his brother can get him a job commentating and a better tailor… Howard on the hand while not as talented is turning into a modern version of Wilton. A reputation is a hard thing to live down!
JSS
May 21st, 2012
9:27 pm
Hmmm? Jeff Schultz, check your filter, weird…
DawgNole
May 21st, 2012
10:12 pm
LukeMerriman
May 21st, 2012
5:21 pm
Yesterdays Miami Heat game in the third quarter where LaBron and Wade did most of the scoring, those two playing off each other looked like the Harlem Globe Trotters–even though it was mostly those two doing most of the scoring. I have never seen anything like it and I think if the Heat can keep it up, they might just win that title that they are so desparately seeking.
_____________________
With Bosh in there, Miami certainly had a talent advantage, but as I posted a few weeks ago, I just don’t believe you can overlook the Spurs, who are absolutely on fire.
P. Bull Terrier
May 21st, 2012
10:14 pm
The Hawks/ASG should already be camped out in Orlando, offering whatever it takes to sign one of the few guys who could turn this team into a winner – Stan Van Gundy.
Oh yeah, the Hawks/ASG just signed a coach who is 3/4 as good as Van Gundy for 1/4 the price. From an accounting standpoint, that sounds like a pretty good value. The problem is, I’m just as likely to pay for a ticket to watch accountants account as I am to pay for a ticket to watch the Hawks do whatever it is they do.
Magic Johnson
May 21st, 2012
10:22 pm
This whole league should be shut down…..That’s why I went to BASEBALL!!
will smith
May 21st, 2012
10:24 pm
Let’s see – MJ got Doug Collins fired, Magic got Phil Westhead fired, ya might even say Shaq and D. Wade got van Gundy fired from Miami right before they won an NBA chamionship. Just because you have some sort of man love going on for van Gundy doesn’t mean that DH is wrong to not have him as a coach. IMHO the act of coming out and whining about a player trying to get you fired is a firing offense in and of itself.
DawgNole
May 21st, 2012
10:27 pm
JackWilson
May 21st, 2012
5:20 pm
Jeff Van Gundy just got fired for no reason . . . . other than Dwight Howard had called for his head earlier in the season. I guess it got a delayed reaction, but it appears the players are running the asylum. Many years ago, Magic Johnson called for the firing of Paul Westhead. Westhead was promptly fired and replaced with Phil Jackson. Phil went on to coach the Lakers to five world championships.
JohnGTFan
May 21st, 2012
5:31 pm
JackWilson…that was funny. It was Pat Riley that replaced Westhead, not Phil Jackson.
JohnGTFan
May 21st, 2012
5:33 pm
and riley won 4 titles, phil won 5 in 2 different stints as the lakers coach
__________________________
And it was STAN Van Gundy who just got fired–not Jeff.
ASGmustgo
May 21st, 2012
10:29 pm
The atlanta spirit group is poison to any franchise. Sell the team so we can care again.
DawgNole
May 21st, 2012
10:30 pm
Reality
May 21st, 2012
5:52 pm
Reality- The Hawks will never be a contender with Joe Johnson
Reality- The Hawks will never be a contender with Josh (jump shooting) Smith
Reality- The Hawks will never be contenders with Marvin and Al
Reality- The Hawks will never be a contender with current head coach
Reality- The Hawks will never be a contender with current ownership and GM
Reality- The misguided direction of this franchise will never change-small market-small thinkers
Kelly
May 21st, 2012
5:55 pm
@Reality Stop it! I CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
_______________________
Hey, at least you admit it. That makes you better than the too many on here who’re in denial.
DawgNole
May 21st, 2012
10:32 pm
Mike in Georgia
May 21st, 2012
7:43 pm
Chris….first, the Hawks are not pathetic…they’ve made the playoffs several years in a row now and beat Boston a couple of years back…
_____________________
Beat Boston in what?!
The ATL Hawks have NEVER won a playoff series against the Celtics.
Ronald Millsaps
May 21st, 2012
10:42 pm
Misty——-You’re way off, way off. Dwight Howard is the biggest punk in sports. This so-called Christian is as self-absorbed, obnoxious, and irreverent (i.e. mocking giving therapy to a choking or heart-attack victim after one of his dunks). Then he carries himself like some kind of victim. He’s the sorriest personality in the NBA, followed by the Dwyane Wade’s trashy girlfriend, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade. Jeff’s right; this guy’s a poison that doesn’t need to be on the Hawks or anyone else. He did indeed run off a good coach, probably just in an ego flex, i.e. the way the overrated, selfish, pathetic-on-defense Moses Malone led the revolt against Mike Fratello. The Hawks NEVER should’ve acquired that guy; no wonder Wes Unseld was fed up with him.
On a rather-separate note, I’m doing some research on the Denver International Airport and can see why several Denver Broncos players have hated the place. Oh, my. If you don’t hate it, you’re wrong. The smallest strike against it is that it was completely unnecessary, as the previous one was perfectly fine and as this one is very far from downtown and in a high-wind area. Again, this strike against it is the smallest. The interior and exterior are loaded with satanic symbols, i.e. freemasonry symbols (Masons don’t tell anyone initially that their group is just that). A sinister, gigantic statue of a horse on the outside (known as “Blucifer”) is just about the initial impression, though the oddly-shaped roof, which appears to be hats worn by satanists and/or klansmen, is more noticeable from a distance. Gargoyle statues are scattered throughout the interior, including one inside a suitcase (what’s that supposed to mean?). Furthermore, a three-part mural promotes massive genocide and the false message that we only can have world peace via depopulation and one-world government. The main figure in these murals is a nazi-looking figure wielding a sword and wearing a gas mask. (This is beyond weird.) An apparent periodic-table reference to gold and silver is really a reference to an antigen used in concentration camps———————–and underneath the airport are extremely-large structures that clearly appear to be just that, including a large chamber eighty feet underground with a sprinkler system (who ever heard of an underground sprinkler system?). Also, an aerial view shows the runways to form a swastika.
Usually on any construction project, one crew does the whole project. In this case, multiple ones were shuffled in an out in an effort to prevent any group from knowing exactly what’s going on. If you trust our government, you’re delusional.
Ronald Millsaps
May 21st, 2012
10:54 pm
“dawg”— If not for incredibly-biased officiating, Atlanta’s on-paper record in ‘88 would’ve read 4-2 over Boston. Of course, the officiating was indeed extremely biased, and I do believe David Stern’s mom’s favorite team is the Celtics.
Of course, biased officiating and the attempts to re-tell history don’t change what really occurs. The league is a crooked league and needs a commissioner with credibility. The league gives special calls to major-market teams and then does the same to small underdogs in an attempt to help them extend series in an effort to sell more advertising.
Not sure I’d put Howard in the top five, by the way. I’d go Durant, Rose, LeBron, Wade, and Kobe. Number six would be Paul, Howard, or Anthony.
Ronald Millsaps
May 21st, 2012
11:01 pm
first paragraph 10:42 post corrections: add “as they come” after the parenthetical commentary, and omit “the” in reference to Wade’s girlfriend……………………who is indeed good-looking but who seems to be as sorry as they come. She laughs about how she yells “brick” all the time. I know her type; they think the entire arena wants to hear them. Her vulgar comments against Dick Bavetta show her lack of character and ignorance of a legend.
I’m glad folks aren’t comparing LeBron and Wade to Jordan and Pippen like they were before the 2010 season. Neither of the former shows much maturation at all most of the time, and if they would be defensive-minded like the latter, they’d dominate. They were pretty good yesterday, but still, you would think a team with this talent would be dominating even a good team like Indiana, and they would if its two stars weren’t prima donnas. By the way, Jordan and Pippen would annihilate those two, and if LeBron ever wants to warrant a Jordan comparison he’s going to have to learn how to shoot better, defend better, and drop all the randomness, as he seriously does meander with his passes and dribbling quite often.
Ronald Millsaps
May 21st, 2012
11:09 pm
I’m not suggesting by changing the subject from my 10:42 post that the topics I covered need to be dismissed. We need to take action, i.e. speaking up, and the subsequent posts aren’t as disconnected from that post as you might think. Those with a platform of apparent secular influence generally don’t have very good intentions. (Even in post-Katrina times, many citizens felt they could get by with anything, and the crime rate was unspeakably bad….while FEMA was content to do absolutely nothing.)
I still might make a trade for Howard but would be apprehensive about doing so. Maybe he’d like being close to Griffin.
Ronald Millsaps
May 21st, 2012
11:23 pm
Back to my 10:42 post, do some reading on the Georgia Guidestones if you haven’t already. Don’t assume everyone out there is on your side. I had never even heard of this landmark even though I grew up only a couple of hours away from it. If you think I’m giving ear to random, unsubstantiated theories, look around; I’ve seen fingerprints of these agendas now for years. Heck, look at how just over the weekend Arkansas unconstitutionally kicked John Wolfe to the curb.
Jesse Ventura does some fine investigative work on issues like these. According to him, anyone with a Ron Paul bumper sticker is deemed an “enemy of the State”. I’m not surprised. None of what I’ve typed tonight shocks me. Again, I’ve seen fingerprints of this agenda for years (9/11 was another lie and a self-inflicted wound, at that…the subsequent color-coded terror alerts were hoaxes also). It’s still sobering, though, especially the apparent concentration camps.
najeh dappenfart
May 21st, 2012
11:24 pm
8:46 najeh davenport…Amazing points, you big dummy, easy to say that after theyre all retired!!!! Keep this malcontent away from ATL…And besides Jameer, JJ is his best teammate! FIRE SPIRIT!
chuck
May 21st, 2012
11:30 pm
YES!!!!!!! I would however trade Josh Smith for him.
Big Eaarl
May 21st, 2012
11:31 pm
WHO CARES??? Thugs are the only thing left in in the NBA. Only blacks care about this crap. Refs control who wins or loses. I’ve stopped watching and caring since Dominique and Bird played. Pants worn around the ASS, so many tatoos you can’t even tell if they are human beings, refs control who wins and loses; this sport ( and I use that term loosly) IS A JOKE!!! Just let the blacks (Oh, I’m sorry, Afrcan Americans) have this sport. It is not even worth my time…why am I even writing this?
najeh dappenfart
May 21st, 2012
11:35 pm
Big Eaarl: Its TATTOO. Refs don’t control sport….players do…need to watch the sport fellow…and its African….please learn to write before you grace our pages.
Big Earl
May 21st, 2012
11:36 pm
Josh Smith is a piece of crap and so is Dwight (prima donna) Howard. Does anybody except the
blacks even care???
Stan Van Gundy: Happiest Man on Earth Thanks to "Coward Howard" | :: Sparxxrx LLC ::
May 21st, 2012
11:38 pm
[...] Coward Howard did more than turn on his Head Coach. He smacked and slapped every single ticket buyer with his special brand of hubris, ego, and cowardice. [...]
Big Earl
May 21st, 2012
11:38 pm
@najeh dappenfart… what the hell kinds name is that you imbosil? So I have a typo, is that all you can say?
Big Earl
May 21st, 2012
11:40 pm
And if you REALLY think the players control the NBA, I’d love to have some of what you’re smokin.
najeh dappenfart
May 21st, 2012
11:43 pm
Caucasians have tattoos as well, haven’t you noticed? If you spent time away from your Mom and watched the NBA you would see how the sport is better now than 20 yrs ago…lol…you joker
Big Earl
May 21st, 2012
11:55 pm
Looks like I’ve been censored by the AJC…..go figure?
Big Earl
May 21st, 2012
11:55 pm
Yep
TROLL PATROLL
May 21st, 2012
11:56 pm
Big Eaaarl…in over your head…go back and Troll with ur neighbors on another site…TPatroll sniffs em all out!!!!LMAO
TROLL PATROLL
May 21st, 2012
11:57 pm
LMAO even more -throwing out THE CENSURED CARD!!!!HAHAHAHA
Big Earl
May 21st, 2012
11:57 pm
TPatroll … is that short for Toilet Paper?
TROLL PATROLL
May 22nd, 2012
12:07 am
PATROLL arrives and said troll crawls away with head between legs!!!
Paddy
May 22nd, 2012
7:32 am
There is now no doubt why the NBA is so not what fans want to watch. The inmates have been running the jail for many years now. Put a fork in them ,they are done What a waste of a once great sport!
Admirable SnAckBar
May 22nd, 2012
7:34 am
seems all the players from the high school team that Josh, DH, Rhondo turned out to be diva head cases. Is that what happens when you teach self esteem instead of letting people earn it?
Paddy
May 22nd, 2012
7:35 am
Bg Eaarl……the refs control the sport????? That is a statement of a 12 yr old!
Hog Wild Boars
May 22nd, 2012
7:36 am
I wonder what would happen if Larry Drew and Mark Bradley met in the street ? Bradley chastized Hawks mangement for keeping Drew. Stay tuned.
Admirable SnAckBar
May 22nd, 2012
7:39 am
nobody goes there anymore, it is too crowded.
Buddy Grizzard
May 22nd, 2012
7:51 am
“Can’t blame him for having mediocre teammates.”
Yep, kinda like LeBron when he played for Cleveland and the most talented teammate he ever played with was Mo Williams. And idiots like Magic Johnson said “he should do it by himself” when Magic played with multiple hall of famers.
O'Brien
May 22nd, 2012
7:54 am
Congrats to the OKC. They are what the Hawks wanted to be when we rebuilt. Over a period of 4 years, Hawks picked #2, #3, #5, #6, and #11 in the draft. That was our chance to get a potential star. Instead, we take:
#2 – Marvin
#3 – Al
#5 – Shelden
#6 – Childress
Compare that to OKC in their draft over a 3 year span:
#2 – Kevin Durant
#4 – Westbrook
#3 – James Harden
Hawks go 1-4 on their picks, while OKC goes 3-3. And OKC got their coaching hire right. Hawks? Not so much.
O'Brien
May 22nd, 2012
8:01 am
Speaking of coaching, LD should be on 790 at 10:30 am.
Taylor Wooten
May 22nd, 2012
8:12 am
That Coach was fired….because he was white.
Ghousa Bey
May 22nd, 2012
8:14 am
In an ideal world, thugs like Howard would be riding the back of a garbage truck.
All I'm Saying Is....
May 22nd, 2012
8:17 am
“But given that the franchise centerpiece had been stabbing him in the back for months to management, undermined his authority in the locker room and wrecked any conceivable chance Orlando had of succeeding this season, I had no problem with it.” — And where are your facts, Schultz, to support all of the above? These are powerful statements without any evidence provided to back them up.
How about this: Stan Van Gundy has a track record of being the type of coach whose whiny ways soon lead him to lose his job. He did the same thing in Miami that he did in Orlando. That is a fact.
LET’S GO HAWKS!
Double Zero Eight
May 22nd, 2012
8:23 am
The ansawer is ‘NO.
Most NBA players have baggage of some sort.
I want a winner in ATL after 44 years of
mediocrity. If I want something regarding
spirituality, I will attend church vs. attending
a Hawks game.
Tom Dial
May 22nd, 2012
8:32 am
Magic Johnson got his coach fired, and his successor, Pat Riley, became one of the most successful coaches and executives in NBA history. I follow the Magic closely. Have since they signed Shaquelle in the early ’90s. I think they needed a coaching change. And a point guard change. But not a center change.
observer
May 22nd, 2012
8:39 am
I think it would be the perfect trade if Hawks traded Josh Smith for Howard. We would trade our dumb, selfish player for another of the same kind, but with more talent. As another plus, Howard could then get Larry Drew fired. Talk about improving a team…wow!
nate from detroit
May 22nd, 2012
8:39 am
This is a great example of why the boringest team (at least by what the media says) in the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs, may be on the brink of another title. This kind of crap wouldn’t happen in San Antonio as long as Popovich and Duncan are still there. The Spurs franchise is the model right now of how professionals should and do conduct themselves. In a team sport, the team has to come first and the individual last. Someone needs to teach Mr Howard this lesson.
flagboy?
May 22nd, 2012
8:42 am
This is why most actual sports fans hate professional basketball, and just one reason why I was really hoping the NBA lockout was still going on right now.
NBA is a joke.
It Is What It Is
May 22nd, 2012
8:49 am
As an Orlando resident I can tell you this isn’t the first time this scenario has played out. Penny Hardaway wanted coach Brian Hill out. The Magic fired him. Wasn’t long before Penny was gone too. Now Dwight got Van Gundy fired, in the last year of Dwight’s contract no less. Dwight will be gone too. But the Magic are just stupid enough to pay this guy (who is coming off a back injury/surgery) over a 100 million dollars..again! They are still living in the fear of the whole losing Shaq debacle from the 90’s and are scared to death it’s going to happen again with the face of their current team.
PMC
May 22nd, 2012
8:54 am
No I don’t think it’s completely about Dwight. Part of it is just that Orlando is Orlando, it’s not LA or NYC or Chicago or Boston etc.
Dwight is one of the top players in the league and the Magic have been constructed incredibly poorly.
I think Van Gundy is an excellent coach, but he’s a lousy communicator and his interpersonal skills aren’t very good. In other words, he’s quite talented, but he’s not a guy that is fun to work with when the team isn’t winning.
This team wasn’t going to win because it’s pretty much Dwight and not much else. That’s one reason Dwight wants out.
Put Dwight in the middle with a decent team around him and I think he would have a lot more playoff success (see: Oneill, Shaq)
Eb
May 22nd, 2012
8:59 am
Hawks are clearly the worst franchise of all time in the NBA. For those of you touting Charlotte, the Bobcats have 30 more years of misery before matching the Hawks pitiful existence. Teams that came after us have reached the ECF, WCF, and Finals- which still remain elusive to the Hawks 44 years later. This team has a track record of poor ownership which currently resides with the worst ownership group in proffessional sports history. These guys are undercapitalized and wouldn’t know talent if it fell from the sky and bit them. Until this team is sold to a good owner with a commitment to winning a title, the results and the reputation of the Hawks will remain the same.