The Orlando Magic and Dwight Howard want the same thing—to build a championship team. The question is whether or not they can achieve that goal together. Although the Magic have stopped entertaining trade offers for Howard, the Gold-medal Olympian has recently reiterated that he will explore free agency when his contract expires next summer.
Are the Magic willing to let Dwight Howard leave for nothing?
Do the Magic expect Howard to resign?
Howard has been linked to half a dozen teams. He has not denied interest in other teams. After the season ended, Howard demanded he be traded to the Nets.
But, when the Brooklyn Nets were trying to land Howard, a deal just could not be reached.
When the Lakers pursued Howard recently, he insisted that he would not sign a contract extension with L.A. That trade would have also saddled the Lakers with either the contracts of Hedo Turkoglu or Jason Richardson.
The Lakers, who multiple sources report have interest in Leandro Barbosa, seem to have given up the chase for Dwight Howard, for now.
If Howard really wanted to pursue free agency, he could have done it this summer, but instead he chose to stay with the Magic.
If Howard really wanted to be traded, he could have agreed to sign an extension with the Lakers. But, he did not. Although the Magic have to worry about Howard’s interest in teams like the Nets, who are trying to create their own version of the Big 3, the Magic also have reason enough to believe that they might be able to resign their big man.
With new management and a new coach in place, the Magic have changed their focus back to convincing Howard to stay in Orlando.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that the Magic have hired Jacque Vaughn, former San Antonio Spurs player and assistant coach, as their new Head Coach. With their two new executives, the Magic have recently hired three former Spurs. Many sources have reported the Magic’s desire to build an Eastern Conference version of the Spurs.
The San Antonio Spurs have won four NBA championships, all with Tim Duncan. And, the Spurs have one of the best international scouting programs in professional basketball.
The Magic have two Finals appearances, one with Shaquille O’Neal and the other with Dwight Howard.
Can the Magic repeat the success of the Spurs?
Having Howard is a good start, but repeating the Spurs’ success would not be easy because so many things had to line up right.
Manu Ginobili, drafted 57th, and Tony Parker, drafted 28th, were incredible picks by the Spurs. Ginobili and Parker have been vital parts of the Spurs’ title runs. They were also overlooked and undervalued by other teams.
But, the Spurs’ would not have won their titles without future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, a 13-time All-Star.
And, the Spurs would not have been in position to draft Tim Duncan if it were not for a 20-win season in 1996-1997, which was a franchise low.
After almost a decade of winning 40, 50, and even 60 games per season with Hall of Fame center David Robinson, the Spurs struggled in ’96-’97 because of injuries to Robinson and Sean Elliot.
The Spurs were a 62-win team in ’94-’95, so it was highly unlikely for them to be in position to draft the best big man in college basketball only two years later.
In 1999, Robinson and Duncan led the Spurs to an NBA championship.
Duncan
21.7 ppg 11.4 rpg 2.5 bpg
Robinson
15.8 ppg 10.0 rpg 2.4 bpg
The Spurs’ Title Runs:
By the time the Spurs got their second ring in 2003, Robinson was 37, but the tandem of Duncan (2.9 bpg) and Robinson (1.7 bpg) was still the best defensive combo in the league.
But, can the Magic recreate that success?
If the Magic had tanked this past season and scored Anthony Davis, the New Orleans Hornets’ new defensive stalwart, a tandem of Howard and Davis could have been something similar to that of Duncan-Robinson. The Magic have great ownership, management and some good talent, yet so many factors have to fall into place for the Magic to recreate the success of the Spurs
If the Magic hope to build around Howard, they are making smart personnel moves.
But if the Magic lose Howard after next season, they will have to start over.
Rob S. De France is a College and University Instructor of English Composition living in Los Angeles. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition. De France has played, coached, and officiated competitive high school basketball in California for many years. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.
