Diva Dwight doubles down on drama

As if one season of the Diva Dwight Chronicles wasn’t enough, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard has decided to double down on the drama. After a season of turmoil, which included trade demands, recantments, injuries and disarray, the all-star center started off the off-season in true diva style – by making yet another trade demand.

The news probably isn’t very surprising to anyone other than Magic owner Rich DeVos, who fired the team’s coach and general manager to placate his star player after a disappointing season highlighted by turmoil rather than team success. As last season’s trade deadline approached, Stan Van Gundy went public with rumors that Howard wanted him oustered. Potential trades were discussed to prevent Howard from walking away for nothing in free agency, but after a bizarre week of public flip-flopping by the face of the franchise, the team ultimately convinced Howard to sign a one-year extension and commit to the club – or so they thought.

With the Finals over and the draft passed, Diva Dwight is once again seeing an opportunity to grab the spotlight. Despite the extension and a back injury that could linger into the season, Howard has set his mind to joining Jay-Z in Brooklyn and has reportedly told management the Nets are the only team he’s interested in long-term. This means other teams will be inclined offer little-to-nothing for the center, knowing it would be nothing more than a single season rental.

Whether his wishy-washy wishes come to fruition is up in the air. Monday, the Nets agreed to trade a bunch of spare parts and expiring contracts to Atlanta for Joe Johnson and the nearly $90 million remaining on his contract. Assuming star point guard Deron Williams re-signs with the club, the deal will certainly put the team in salary cap hell. Fortunately for Howard, Mikhail Prokhorov, the Nets’ deep-pocketed majority-owner, isn’t likely to be scared away by the league’s salary cap or luxury tax, meaning there’s still a possibility that Howard may pout his way to Brooklyn.

Clearly Howard has not learned from LeBron James’ dramatic fall from grace following his publicly bungled departure from Cleveland. While it’s certainly a player’s prerogative to request a trade or relocate via free agency, players often frustrate and alienate fans by doing so in public fashion.

Of course, the longer the current drama goes on, the higher the expectations that will be placed on Howard’s broad shoulders (and achy back). If the indecisive center ends up in Brooklyn, he’ll be expected to win a title immediately. Like James, he’ll face immense scrutiny with each loss or subpar performance. Up to now, he’s shown that he can handle the intense spotlight. Even if he doesn’t reach his preferred destination, he’s already likely cemented his status smack dab in the middle of the spotlight. Now that James has won his elusive first title, fans are looking for a new public enemy and it seems that Dwight Howard is reporting for duty.

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