I guess we should have seen this coming. Along with all of the hype and hoopla of the Los Angeles Lakers acquiring the franchise’s next great big man in Dwight Howard, comes the backlash of an angry fanbase left behind in Orlando.
Magic fans have seen this scenario before, specifically when future Hall of Fame big man Shaquille O’Neal also left Orlando for Los Angeles via free agency back in 1996. To make matters worse, Dwight made several comments over the past drama filled year, hinting towards loyalty, a sentiment he made clear when he decided to opt-in on the final year of his contract with the Magic rather than become a free agent.
In an effort to repair the big man’s tarnished image after getting his coach and General Manager fired, the NBA Store even put up some Dwight Howard “Loyalty” T-shirts for sale online.
The whole situation kind of resembles the situation nearly 2 years ago when Ohio native Lebron James spurned the Cleveland Cavaliers and now famously took his talents to South Beach to play alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. That move also angered the Cavaliers fanbase and more specifically Cavs owner Dan Gilbert who continually bashed Lebron in the media.
It’s understandable for fans to fall in love with their town’s biggest superstar. But keeping in mind that it is the age of free agency and in addition to entertainment, the sports world is also a business, and players do have the right to decide which team is the best individual situation for them. I feel for you Orlando, but you will soon have your next superstar in years to come. Just look to the Hornets’ once hopeless situation that now looks promising with Anthony Davis, Austin Rivers, and Eric Gordon now in the fold.
Hopefully the new GM will have success in clearing up cap room and making some wise decisions with the many 1st Round draft picks gotten in return for losing Howard and J-Rich. Please don’t hold a grudge like these guys….
Check out 2 angry Magic fans burning their Dwight Howard jerseys:
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen has also provided content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, Cleveland.com, CSN Philly.com, Buckets Magazine, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
