CBS Sports: Rockets the most serious "rental" team pursuing Howard

What if they traded him to the Shanghai Sharks and a Chinese exit visa was never forthcoming? OK I do have an evil imagination.

 

Tell me what it is you think he wants...and how he can't have it anyway by simply playing out this season, opting out and then signing with whomever he wants....just as his contract provided for on the day he signed it.

As for the opt-in...until I hear him say it, i have conflicting reports and have no idea what was said. Neither do you. Berger and Broussard say he told them he won't opt out; Woj and Mannix say they were told he never mentioned next season at all.

 

Dwight Howard is going to get criticized no matter what he does, unless he goes the Kevin Garnett route and agrees to stick with a franchise he has no confidence in just because of "loyalty".

If he publicly says he wants out, people will criticize him for abandoning his team while still under contract.

If he keeps mum about it and leaves in the summer, people will criticize him for screwing his team over when they could have gotten something in return.

If he notifies his team in private that he's strongly considering opting out while refusing to publicly confirm or deny it, people will accuse him of being two-faced and sending mixed signals.

Its a no-win situation for him.

 

exactly.

 

Not exactly. He could notify them in private that he WILL NOT sign an extension with Orlando this summer and he will be going to New Jersey. That is that. No more games. Then it forces New Jersey to the table with Orlando and New Jersey has all the leverage to give much much less in a trade because they could just wait till the summer to get him and give up nothing. This back and forth PR game Dwight has been playing is ridiculous.

If Orlando wants to roll the dice that he will change his mind in the meantime then fine. Thats what Cleveland did and look what happened to them. Lebron was looking to leave and everyone knew it. An NBA team cannot wait on pins and needles anymore with soon soon to be free agents. The only difference with Orlando and Cleveland is that Orlando is in a much worse state salary cap wise when Dwight leaves.

 

But still if he could stick to one story and not flip flop back and forth, he would get much less criticism.

 

I think the only reason Orlando needs to trade Howard is Turkoglu. I think they can easily dump Nelson and Anderson without giving up too much value, but no one will want Turk without Dwight in tow.

 

I don't get this whole criticism thing. A superstar is supposed to take criticism. They are no spoiled brats.

 

Dwight's comments are below the belt (to Devos) because there was an agreement/understanding to keep media comments down and if there is a trade this pushes the fanbase closer to a backlash and makes Dwight look like the sympathetic star who wanted nothing more than to get a championship for Orlando when in actuality he has made a calculated decision and isn't being forthright with that to the media. I'm calling it for what it is. I think this new development will be the straw that break the camel's back and gets this trade done.

MadMAx, he is using the media to manipulate the team to not deal him so he has the ability to go to a team without missing parts and still have the chance to make a championship run and surpass Shaq's shadow in Orlando (then he still can leave since he isn't signing the paperwork and go to that team that hasn't been gutted). He is essentially having his cake and eating it too. If he goes to a team that's been gutted, he isn't winning a championship this year, so his best shot is in Orlando this year, and then he still gets to make his choice.

Dwight has every right to say what he wants to the media.... BUT HOUSTON FANS... know what you're getting (potentially)! If Dwight and Morey have an understanding about media comments leading up to his opt-in vs opt-out, Dwight will change course to the media if it serves his interests.

I'm out yall, I have to get my picks in for tonight's games.

 

Turkaglo is the 2nd reason why they should trade Dwight. The 1st being that he's leaving to go to New Jersey for nothing.

 

Maybe he's actually conflicted, and when he says his return depends on the team's championship potential he means it. Why should we expect him to commit to staying or going several months before the summer?

 

OMG!! Heaven forbid he try to help the Magic win a championship!!! Why didn't you say so! Yeah, the Magic should be pissed about that! :grin:

And he can go to whatever team he wishes to go to regardless at the end of this season...whether he's traded or not. He can opt out either way.

The Magic are big boys. They're not victimized by this.

 

Maybe yes, maybe no. Probably the latter. The point is though is look how risky it is to even gamble on that. Orlando gambled with Shaq, Toronto gambled with Bosh, Cleveland gambled with Lebron, etc.

This is a page out of the free agent handbook. No team should EVER gamble. It has never worked out for the team left in the dust. If the player doesnt sign his extension, duh.... he's gone.

 

He's a grown man and the NBA is a business. I understand having indecision but he has had plenty of time to make up his mind. I don't think its too much for the Magic to want an answer at this point.

 

Question is: is it worth our time to keep on waiting for this game coming to an end, while wasting other chances with other teams like the Bogut trade? It's not like we have high chance landing Howard even IF Orlando trades him.

 

Notifying the team privately would have been the right thing to do, the second best thing after staying loyal to Orlando. Why would anyone criticize him for that?

 

This feels like we're in the eye of a hurricane, waiting for the dirty side to come through and everything to go flying around.

 

Woj, Mannix think this could be a move by Dwight to try and have them NOT trade him? I already forgot the way they worded it. Whatever is happening and/or whatever Dwight is saying, as Mannix previously tweeted, Magic are still fielding offers for him. Says Houston, NJ "still in the mix".

 

Amare left Phoenix pretty peacefully if I recall correctly....

The stars have themselves to blame for this one.

 

yea, he doesn't want to be traded to gutted team. understandable.

However, if Dwight & his agent sign the ETO waiver, i'd then, as Otis Smith, trade dwight to someone like Indiana

Perhaps they flip Orlando Hibbert, Granger, and pieces for this year and next for Dwight.