Orlando Magic: Would You Take Dwight Howard Back?

If you’re an Orlando Magic fan, the name Dwight Howard still probably leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Just over one year on from his messy divorce from the club however, the Magic have begun to recover and Howard is onto his second team since leaving Florida. However, while D12 now has the opportunity to truly start again with the Houston Rockets, after a tumultuous season with the Los Angeles Lakers, it seems he just cannot resist reopening old wounds. In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, which you can view here, Howard revealed his displeasure at seeing the up-and-coming Tobias Harris rocking the No. 12 for the Magic so soon after Howard’s departure. His genuine belief that the number should be retired is yet another smack in the face of Orlando Magic fans. With those recent comments in mind, it is worth asking the question while all is quiet on the competitive basketball front, given the chance would you take Dwight Howard back?

Dwight Howard was the best player on a Magic team that was consistently a contender in the Eastern Conference during his eight seasons in Orlando. (Photo Credit/Flickr.com/Keith Allison)

Although it would seem a no-brainer initially to keep Howard at arms length given how he treated the organization, it is worth considering for a moment. Yes, this scenario is unlikely to ever happen, but if the opportunity did come up, would it not make sense to have the best center in the league when healthy on your side? Some out there will feel he acted despicably and he did. These fans are the jilted lover type and unfortunately for them professional sports is a business. Although his actions may seem personal to them, they really were not. He was a player who had grown disillusioned with his situation, as well as being quite power hungry and wanted out.  He dealt with the whole thing horrifically, before going on to make similar mistakes while in the purple and gold of the Lakers, so it is hard to feel sorry for him. But is that really reason enough to not want him back in Orlando?

Sports fans have short memories and if you asked a Cleveland Cavalier fan if they would turn their nose up to LeBron James if he wanted to play for them again, they’d probably be lying to you if they said “yes.” James has done remarkable things to turn his image around and Howard could certainly learn from that. Instead he seems content on alienating as many people as he can, especially if those aforementioned comments are anything to go by. But the fact still remains that he has a tremendous amount of talent, no matter how off-putting he is as a person. You don’t have to be his friend if he plays for your team, as long as he gives maximum effort and earns his paycheck.

There are some fans who will never have him back, though, and their stance on the matter is to be admired. More than that, though, taking Dwight back would mean losing some of the players the Magic currently have. While that seems silly to mention, any general manager will take the finished article over some players brimming with potential, Magic fans are an extremely loyal bunch. This year the team is going to be bad and most fans don’t really seem to care. There is a deep draft class to aim for of course, but there exists a little bit of excitement once more around the team, unfathomable to think this time 12 months ago. They are happy with the young and committed individuals they have on the roster and want to give them the time to flesh out, hoping their faith will be repaid in due course. Old hands like Jameer Nelson and Arron Afflalo also have spoken of their desire to help this rebuilding team grow and that is rare in the NBA these days. If taking Dwight Howard back again meant blowing up a team that hasn’t even started it’s journey yet, some fans would say no and that is nice to hear in an era dominated by super teams.

So which side do you come down on? There are no right or wrong answers here, just an interesting question to pose as the season draws nearer. Howard does not seem content to draw a line in the sand and move on and that will irk fans of the franchise he destroyed when he opted to leave. Some would take him back, realizing he speeds up their recovery greatly. Others would welcome him back not because they want to, but because they realize sport is a business. Then there are those who never want to see him return to the place he made his name. The odds of it happening are zilch, but if it did come to be, what would you do?

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