Everyone denies report Dwight Howard called team owner about Van Gundy

Let us start with a good reminder for reading a lot of stories in today’s journalism world — every anonymous source has a motive. If someone “leaks” something to a reporter its because they are trying to spin the story for their own motives.

With that, we bring you the updated report from Orlando’s WKMG’s 6 Sports Director David Pingalore — this is the same guy who broke the story Dwight Howard wanted coach Stan Van Gundy fired and earlier this week reported Howard would not be back for the playoffs. Now he takes everything a step farther.

Pingalore was told through sources that have direct knowledge of the call that it was taken in the DeVos suite at Amway Center by DeVos sometime during the Magic’s game with the Atlanta Hawks.

According to the sources, Howard is still upset with Van Gundy, confirming Pingalore’s report from earlier this month that Howard went to Magic management asking for Van Gundy to be fired. Sources confirm the call to DeVos came after Howard visited Los Angeles to get diagnosed for his sore back.

Not long after that report came out, denials started raining down like Ryan Anderson corner threes.First came this from ESPN:

But multiple league sources directly affiliated with the Magic and Howard disputed the television report to ESPN.com’s Michael Wallace.

“It’s a completely made up, B.S. story,” one of Howard’s representatives told ESPN.com.

Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated sent this out on Sulia:

Regarding report that Dwight Howard told Orlando owner Rich DeVos he wouldn’t play for coach Stan Van Gundy, a source close to the situation says it’s not accurate. It speaks volumes that people are ready to believe it, though. Dwight’s PR is a nightmare these days.

The Orlando Sentinel talked to Stan Van Gundy about it.

Of the WKMG-TV report, Van Gundy told the Sentinel Thursday afternoon in a text message, “I make nothing of them and I have no comment.”

My thought — look, Howard doesn’t like playing for SVG. Apparently nobody does. We get it. But with his good image taking a hit, if Howard’s back let him out on the court for the playoffs he would be out there. I don’t think he’s doing it to sabotage the coach — Van Gundy is gone when the season is over anyway. This is the NBA, a superstar player always wins the power struggle with the coach because that level of player is hard to come by. Howard knows he’s won the war, he’d go out and fight another battle if he could.

But that doesn’t mean people around all the participants don’t have their reasons to spin the story.