Magic Posturing About Keeping Dwight Howard Until Feb. 2013?

Doesn't matter. The deal can be agreed to while merely delaying the paperwork. Same thing that happened with Artest trade - "agreed to" on July 31 and we all knew he was a Rocket, but the paperwork and official press conferences waited until mid-August.

 

IF magic keeps Dwight, will Rockets be willing to rent Howard even for half a season? Last year Rockets was, not sure about this season...

 

According to The Cat in page 3-4 (cannot remember) of the rookie signing thread, there is some loophole, which we all know Morey LOVES loopholes.

 

Lol! Oh ye of little faith I am about to Moreify thee Dwight Howard to thus Houston Rockets by thee way of thy Robert hennigan.

 

Nope. It'd have to be a sign and trade and that's not happening. If Bynum signs an extension with the Lakers that would mean the Rockets are the only team that can trade for Howard.

 

My guess is Morey would, but the offer would be a lot less than what it is now. Probably 2 picks plus Morris and Patterson, without taking any bad contracts. Just my 2 cents.

 

Are you really so naive that you don't understand how it all works?

You really don't understand WHY there'd be leaks such as he will not re-sign in Houston?

Obviously, it's because he is scared of getting traded here and does NOT want be in that situation.

HOWEVER, if he WAS in that situation, with the extra year and about THIRTY MILLION at stake, there is NO GUARANTEE he would walk away. There's no guarantee he'd re-sign either.

If it was THAT much of a guarantee he WOULD walk, there would NOT be so many leaks coming from his camp saying he would. It is obviously a scare tactic so he doesn't have to make that choice.

To say he will walk away - based on the media leaks - is absolutely ridiculous.

When people say definitively that he WILL re-sign due to the thirty mil, they too are wrong.

BUT, if an outsider had to weigh the two options, common sense, his ALTERNATIVES and THE NEW CBA would likely lead him to believe that he would re-sign.

No guarantee either way.

But, those of you who post as if it is 100% he will not re-sign have no clue what will happen a year from now.

When his options are limited, he can make an additional thirty mil, and the organization has a year to try to convince him to stay - again, with no history of hardship feelings such as is the case in Orlando - the odds are certainly no worse than 50/50 he WOULD re-sign.

Why you guys consistently talk as if you know something as fact - especially based on MEDIA reports - is beyond me.

 

Nope the game will end in this summer, Rockets can't persuade him to stay in 1 month. Well no team can do it.

 

Remember, before Dwight waived his early option, Orlando almost traded Dwight to Houston for half a season rental. IF that was, why not this season?

 

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA
Source w/ direct knowledge of Howard-Orlando meeting: "Dwight remained unchanged in his desire to be traded and has no intention of (Cont)"

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA
Source continued..."Signing another contract or extension in Orlando." Magic GM Rob Hennigan told Howard he's trying to trade him but ...

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA
...but finding no acceptable deal. Magic waiting so long after draft and start of free agency to get serious on Howard deals has hurt offers

Now we got their balls in a vice.

 

Game. Set. Match.

 

The quicker Hennigan realizes that he is NOT in the driver seat, the better off the Orlando Magic will be. No team is that eager to take on a Dwight rental. Hennigan is looking extremely incompetent as a GM thus far.

Why would Dwight even think about staying at this point? You haven't made any freakin moves this offseason other than bringing back Jameer Nelson!

 

He is not in the same situation, and he is not the same Dwight.

 

Morey will give you a 3rd and perhaps final chance Hennigan

Had a chance at the draft but it was "too early" because you were only a week into the job.

Had a chance from after the draft, on through FA, to now(up until the rookies signed today).

Here's the last chance. Take it or leave it!

 

Andrew Bynum won't sign a three year extension since he knows that if he plays the majority of this season, that some team out there will likely offer him a four year nax deal in the off-season--Hello Atlanta or Dallas. Bynum is already doing all he can do in order to play every game and set himself up for that big payday. (Skipping the Olympics and getting those German magical injections for his porcelain knees). It's going to be interesting to see if the Lakers step up and to offer him a five year max deal considering his knee injury history or will another team acquire his services with a four year max deal. If it comes to it, the Lakers can sign and trade him; but I can see why many Lakers fans don’t trust his knees to hold up for a long term deal and would rather have Howard the better and more durable player.

From Tony Mejia

Anything can happen once injury-prone Andrew Bynum steps on the floor, including him staying healthy and flourishing next to a rejuvenated Pau Gasol thanks to new point guard Steve Nash. Still, L.A. is in championship-or-bust mode, and is rightfully convinced Howard would be the better fit as the anchor in the middle. If they want another dynasty-type run, they’ll have to secure him by the trade deadline or risk losing out on a massive opportunity.

 

You don't notice sarcasm when you read it, I see.

But if the Nets COULD have actually pulled off a deal to get Dwight that Hennigan (spl.) would have been happy with, Dwight would have extended with them with the quickness.

Now that he can't go there until after he's free, he's taken the "I won't extend with anyone" stance to scare other teams off.

My question to the team(s) he wants to scare off is why would they want the hassle of that dude?

And then trade away good pieces for the chance that he will still bolt and leave you with nothing?

I know...i know....top 3 blah blah...

What good it a top 3 player that pouts and or is on some "my back still hurts" isht?

Not saying it will happen....but IT CAN happen.

Stop acting like it would be impossible.

And save the trade him at the trade deadline because teams will offer you the low-ballest of low ball deals cause they know you're desperate to get rid of him or end up with nothing to show for it.

Coming off back surgery...etc.

Just all around....bad look.

No sarcasm...

No snarky reply to you.....real talk.

Why would someone want to set themselves back a year for that dude?

If he were to sign long term, I would STFU in a instant and eat crow...but dude hasn't said he WANTS to play with the Rox and that isht is a turn-off to me...

Especially with how good the rooks looked in summer league.

If he's traded (only a few can afford to even make the attempt to trade for him) AND the team he's traded to can offer him more than any other team, but his agent puts it out there that he won't extend with anyone.....that speaks volumes to me.

People can cover the ears and act new if they want to.....

 

It's official: Dwight Howard has just got made a fool of Robert Hennigan!

 

Magic in due diligence mode as Howard saga takes latest turn

July 24, 2012 Tony Mejia No comments


ORLANDO – First things first, Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic are too far gone to repair any relationship.

The franchise center has made no secret of the fact he’s ready to move on, a stance that pre-dates new GM Rob Hennigan and has been relayed in numerous conversations since the 30-year-old was hired from Oklahoma City on June 20. Despite this, Hoopsworld’s Alex Kennedy reports that the Magic are headed back to Los Angeles for another face-to-face with Howard late this week, the latest would-be development in a saga that has Lakers fans screaming ”Free Dwight” while Houston looks on with morbid curiosity.

So, why the meeting? Doesn’t it come out of left field? Doesn’t it seem like a fruitless waste of time and resources?

On the surface, yes. Delving deeper and considering this has become a waiting game as it is, it makes sense. The Magic have to keep up appearances. They must make taking a hard-line stance and holding on to him for a second straight drama-filled season a possibility despite a long-stated desire from CEO Alex Martins to avoid that route.

Howard’s trade demand and stated distrust for the organization has backed the Magic into a corner where teams are trying to get the game’s best center without surrendering the bounty Hennigan feels obligated to get for a player of that caliber. So, this is a proactive way to extend an olive branch and keep alive a possibility of maintaining some of the leverage that the six-time All-Star handed over when he declined to utilize his opt-out clause at the March 15 trade deadline.

Brooklyn failed to put together a package that suited the Magic’s best interests, as reported first by PBN on July 8. The Magic wanted no part of Brook Lopez, which is another reason granting Howard’s wish of getting to Brooklyn would be highly unlikely come January. Preliminary talks with the Houston Rockets surrounding the NBA Draft came too early into Hennigan’s tenure for a move to be struck. Because of this, the perception is that the Magic are wishy-washy, the kid GM doesn’t know what direction he wants to go in and the organization is going back, hat in hand, to beg Howard to stay.

Howard has also been cast as indecisive, but outside of his decision to opt in, has been pretty consistent in his end game. He wants badly to be part of the relocated Nets, only recently relaying a willingness to re-sign in L.A. if dealt there, as first reported by Real GM’s Jarrod Rudolph. Only the desire to look good and appease his massive fan base in Orlando kept him from harping on his preference to play elsewhere, but once he expressed his trade demand on Dec. 11, he hasn’t rescinded it.

One could argue his petulance over not getting the help he needed doomed the lockout-shortened season before it began, but Howard isn’t the first superstar to go to drastic lengths in detailing his frustrations with management. Unfortunately, that steadfast desire to get out of Orlando isn’t aiding the team’s chances of moving him for the value they envision.

As a result, whispers that they’ll hold on to him through 2012-13 have begun to grow louder, which sources reiterate is the right strategic play. The perception is that the trade offers they’ll receive will get worse as the days pass, but that’s the furthest thing from the truth. When you have the best player in any deal, which Orlando will have regardless of trade partner, desperation isn’t on your end, regardless of perception. The Magic don’t mind playing chicken.

At Hennigan’s introductory press conference, Martins told the Orlando Sentinel’s Josh Robbins that despite the quality of candidates, the NBA’s youngest GM hire “set himself apart from the other finalists with his vision, with his approach towards process and procedure, his detailed plan for building a successful basketball operation and a strong focus on innovation.”

Given the situation the new hire was walking into, the Magic knew they had to choose someone who wouldn’t react emotionally and would systematically accomplish the goal of making sure this Howard situation wouldn’t turn into another Shaquille O’Neal saga. Orlando will not lose Howard for nothing. It will play hardball. It will wait out the nonsense, if necessary.

While more established GMs Mitch Kupchak and Daryl Morey are certainly capable in holding onto their cards and seeing what transpires, both would prefer starting the season with the game’s best center.

Anything can happen once injury-prone Andrew Bynum steps on the floor, including him staying healthy and flourishing next to a rejuvenated Pau Gasol thanks to new point guard Steve Nash. Still, L.A. is in championship-or-bust mode, and is rightfully convinced Howard would be the better fit as the anchor in the middle. If they want another dynasty-type run, they’ll have to secure him by the trade deadline or risk losing out on a massive opportunity

Houston just completed the acquisition of Chicago’s Omer Asik to follow up a similar pillaging of Jeremy Lin, but its roster is flush with the versatility to make the splash of renting Howard or Bynum. Acquiring either gives the Rockets their Bird Rights and a leg up on re-signing a franchise center come July 1. It also gives the team a much better opportunity to compete in a season where they’ll host the All-Star Game, adding to the spotlight that’s on Morey to make a significant move.

Kevin Martin’s expiring $12 million deal is a terrific trade piece, which at some point, the Rockets will put into play. Considering all the manuevering Houston made, Orlando’s thinking has always been that they’re out for a homerun scenario, either renting Howard or turning him into Bynum in a three-way with the Lakers. Because Morey was so successful in accumulating assets, the Rockets camp has been down-playing their desire to get a deal done, hinting at not doing anything at all.

Sources say talks with the Cavs haven’t been of much substance since the team is similarly well-stocked with future draft picks and unwilling to part with young assets Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller.

As a result, the waiting game that could first be attributed to the tedious process of Houston’s Lin and Asik signings has another built-in hold-up, since signed rookies like Donatas Motiejunas can’t be moved until Aug. 5.

Instead of a boring holding pattern, Hennigan and the Magic are going to go chat with Howard. He may even relent a bit, if only to strengthen Orlando’s leverage. Better for him to assist the team in their needs than feel persecuted and victimized. After all, he put himself in this position.

Trade talks will resume sooner than later. Howard starting training camp in Orlando remains a monumental upset as the grueling process of getting the most value for him plays out. As easy as it is for invested fans throughout the country to let their emotions get the better of them, this is a business. Hennigan only has one chance to get this right. It’s what he was hired to do. If you expected him to be rash, you’ve got the wrong guy.



Tony Mejia is senior writer of Pro Basketball News. Follow him on Twitter at @TonyMejiaNBA


http://www.probasketballnews.com/news/magic-in-due-diligence-mode-as-howard-saga-takes-latest-turn/

 

No, he wouldn't have. Just like Deron didn't extend with Brooklyn. Just like Chris Paul isn't extending with LA. It's not scaring off anyone. It's a common sense statement. He's not in the business of throwing away money.

 

The fact that the so called leaks came out and not been denied tells us that he does not want to be here. We all know that superstars don't want to come to Houston. Why is this even an argument? Oh yeah, because i have an opinion that differs from Dwight nutriders.