See, here’s my problem.
Carmelo Anthony had it right. For all his ego, for all the manipulation, for holding the Nuggets and the news cycle hostage for six months, he had it right. It was quiet. He never committed to the Nuggets, kept it quiet, didn’t make it worse. Melo knows it’s a business and acted as such. Anthony was cold, calculating, and brutal in his decision making.
Dwight Howard wants you to like him. It’s not enough that he plays basketball better than all but about maybe two people on Earth, he has to be loved. And as abandoning the franchise that has repeatedly gone into the luxury tax, and gone to the voters to get you a new arena is typically frowned upon, Dwight is doing the whole big long act. There’s a whole speech you’re supposed to give, about how much you love the city and the fans, about how hard it is for you. None of this ever stops the departure, mind you, it always happens along the same timeline.
But Dwight’s a little different in one way. He’s not blaming it on business, or his heart, or wanting to win. No, no. He’s doing it because he didn’t get to play general manager. From ESPN:Dwight Howards trade demand from the Orlando Magic is due in part to the organization not granting his requests for specific trades and signings over the last several years, the All-Star center said Sunday night.
Howard requested a trade during several meetings last week and has been given permission by the Magic to have contact with the New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. He went public with the demand Saturday and then followed that up with a strong explanation Sunday, referring to an eroding relationship with Magic general manager Otis Smith.
“If you dont have a good relationship with the people you work with, how are you going to get better?”-- Dwight Howard"Im pretty sure if you go down the line of teams, every GM has a pretty good relationship with not just the best player but all the players,” Howard said. “If you dont have a good relationship with the people you work with, how are you going to get better?”
via Dwight Howard of Orlando Magic cites poor relationship with GM as reason for trade demand - ESPN.To be fair, Howard pretty explicitly said he didn’t want to be the GM.
“I’m not a GM, I never said I wanted to be a GM,” Howard said.
“What I said was I want to be involved. Everybody has a right to be involved. ... I should want to be involved. I should want to say ‘hey, this is what we need, this is what we need to do.’ If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t have said anything. Obviously I care enough about this team that I’ve asked them and I want to be involved. If you don’t like something, you’d just walk away. If you want to be involved you’d do anything you can. If you don’t get it, what do you do?”
via Dwight Howard of Orlando Magic cites poor relationship with GM as reason for trade demand - ESPN.
One slight problem.
Dwight Howard’s input is pretty well worthless.
It’s not really his fault. It’s hard to really be up on analyzing player trends, thinking of the total team concept, working on scouting and statistical analysis when you’re dunking the bejesus out of people. And yet multiple reports have indicated Howard was upset with the amnesty clause being used on Gilbert Arenas. Reports indicated Howard was upset at the trade of Rashard Lewis. In short, this comes across as Howard wanting to bring his friends in, and being upset when management wanted to manage, and wanted their player to play.
It’s one thing for stars to be consulted on deals, to be made aware of decisions. But there’s a big gap between that and having influence. Howard has his own agenda, he’s always had his own agenda, and it involves commercial appeal. And that’s great! He’s a genuinely funny, lovable guy. But don’t lie to the fans, don’t lie to the media, and don’t lie to yourself. Melo played it cold, because that’s what the situation required. Howard trying to play the victim is like someone being upset they got a paper cut while causing a car wreck.
If you’re going to blow the tracks, don’t blame the conductor.