The Dwight Howard Fiasco is finally over, but it will take a while to get rid of the bitter taste.
Normally, there wouldn’t be anything wrong with a superstar athlete leaving the city that gave him his start because it’s business, but not this time. Not again.
As if the Orlando Magic organization didn’t learn the first time around with Shaq, the bad man has returned. Or should I say departed?
Time and time again the Magic have received the proverbial short end of the stick. It all began with Shaquille O’Neal skipping town and leaving the city in shambles, followed by Grant Hill sitting out with an “ankle injury” while he sapped the organization for millions, and continued with the waste of a lottery pick on Fran Vasquez, who has yet to join the Magic after being drafted in 2005.
Things were looking up for the Magic as only three years ago they made an appearance in the Finals. It seemed as if they had it all planned out; a great team, a supportive fanbase, and a brand new arena: everything except a superstar who was on board with the plan.
It’s not easy to write these words about a young, skinny 18-year old that transformed into one of the league’s most dominant players in only a few years. But that’s exactly how good he was.
Now, the problem wasn’t the fact than he left plain old Orlando for the flash and exhilaration of Los Angeles, it was how he did so.
Senior Drew Montero stated, “I don’t blame him for leaving but he handled the situation pretty badly.”
When asked if he could’ve handled the situation better, Junior Rick Ecker stated, “I think he could have. I think he was very immature with how he handled think and I think that also caused the rest of the team to just fall apart.”
Senior Jordan Swan was glad to see him and his attitude leave, and said, “I felt like he was acting like too much of a baby.”
The entirety of the 2011-12 NBA season was a painful charade for Magic fans. One question bounced around the press rooms: are you staying or leaving Dwight? Anyone with common courtesy would have simply gone to management early in the year behind closed doors and let them know he wasn’t coming back next year.