Dwight Howard Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Dwight Howard Out For Season

April 19th, 2012 at 8:51pm CST by Michael Pina

Dwight Howard will miss the rest of the 2012 season, including the playoffs and upcoming summer Olympics, upon undergoing surgery Friday morning to repair a herniated disk in his back, the center's agent, Dan Fegan, told ESPN.com's Ric Bucher.

The injury has already forced Howard to miss eight games this season, which is one more than he missed in his first seven seasons combined. His total of 621 games and 22,471 minutes is the most by a center in his first eight seasons in the modern era of the NBA, Bucher writes.

With this news, the Magic are almost surely a one and done team once the playoffs start, but looking at it from a wider angle, how Howard's health holds up after surgery may now slightly alter his stature as one of the NBA's most sought after free agent acquisitions in 2013. According to Howard, doctors have told him he'll be ready to play basketball in four months, in time for next season's training camp. (Twitter link.)

After exercising his player option at this year's trade deadline, the center will remain under contract with the Magic next season, but beyond that remains a mystery. Howard averaged 20.6 PPG and a league leading 14.5 RPG in one of the most tumultuous seasons a player has endured off the court in recent memory.

Latest On Dwight Howard, Stan Van Gundy

April 19th, 2012 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

After reporting earlier this week that Dwight Howard no longer wants to play for coach Stan Van Gundy and may sit out the playoffs as a result, David Pingalore of WKMG 6 in Orlando now says Howard called Magic owner Rich DeVos to say he wouldn't play for Van Gundy anymore.

Pingalore was the first to report that Howard had asked the Magic to fire Van Gundy, and his story earlier this week wasn't initially disputed. However, a number of outlets are refuting his latest report. ESPN.com's Michael Wallace hears from multiple sources that Howard didn't make such a statement to DeVos, with one of D12's representative calling it a "completely made-up, BS story."

Sam Amick of SI.com also hears from sources "close to the situation" that Pingalore's report is inaccurate, while the Orlando Sentinel reported that "Howard’s camp is adamant that the All-NBA center wants to return for the postseason."

I believe Howard's herniated disc is a serious enough health issue that it could prevent him from playing in the postseason, no matter how badly he wants to return. If he sits out in the playoffs, I don't necessarily think it'll have anything to do with Van Gundy. But even if there's no truth to the latest rumblings of discord between the Magic coach and superstar, it's very hard to imagine the pair coexisting in Orlando past this season.

Odds & Ends: George, Chandler, Pistons

April 18th, 2012 at 8:18pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Orlando is currently sixth in the East and owns a four game lead over the seventh place Knicks. A New York win against the Nets and an Orlando loss versus the Celtics tonight would reduce the lead to three with four games left to play. For both teams, the stakes involve avoiding a first-round matchup with Miami or Chicago. The Clippers have a chance at the third seed in the West with a win against Denver and a Lakers loss to Golden State. Those are just a few of the many storylines to follow as the NBA inches closer to its conclusion within the next week and a half. With that aside, here's the latest news from the world of basketball:

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reports that the Pacers' Paul George has signed with Creative Artists Agency, the same organization that represents LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul to name a few (Sulia link).
Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler is expected to miss the rest of the season, says Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post. Chandler had tried to play through pain on Sunday, but decided after the game that it would be best to shut himself down for the rest of the season.
Don't expect to see the Pistons participating in the annual Las Vegas Summer League this year, as coach Lawrence Frank has opted to send his team to Orlando Magic Summer League instead (David Mayo of MLive reports). Frank cites the organizational structure and condensed schedule as the deciding factors.
Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune writes that Jazz guard Blake Ahearn hopes to earn a second contract with the team and finish the rest of the season, as his initial contract is set to expire today. GM Kevin O'Connor says that he won't make a decision until after tonight's game against Portland.
Lang Greene of HoopsWorld engaged in his weekly chat with fans tonight. A few thought provoking points included his assessment of Harrison Barnes as a player who won't be a franchise changer for a lottery team, the possibility that Austin Rivers slips in the draft, and Kendall Marshall as a player who belongs in the 16-20 pick range, among other topics.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune examines the emergence of Nikola Mirotic, a 6'10 sharpshooting forward for Real Madrid whose draft rights are currently owned by the Bulls. Johnson also writes that Mirotic could have a legitimate shot to make the Spanish team for this year's Olympics.
Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune reports that the Louisiana State of Exposition District board of commissioners has approved a long-term lease extension for the Hornets through 2024.
Billy Witz of Fox Sports takes a closer look at Jerry Colangelo's criteria for assembling Team USA amidst a season of injuries and uncertainty for a number of players who are in his selection pool. Colangelo doesn't appear fazed, implying that the pool is deep enough to counter the potential unavailability of some of his choices for summer.

Sefko On Mavs’ Summer Moves

April 17th, 2012 at 8:49pm CST by Sean Highkin

SportsDayDFW's Eddie Sefko answered some questions in a two-part mailbag (part 1 here, part 2 here) about the Dallas Mavericks' future moves, including which players may or may not be brought back.

Among the current Mavs players Sefko speculates will not be in Dallas next season are Ian Mahinmi, Vince Carter, Delonte West, and Brian Cardinal, in addition to the all-but-guaranteed departure of Lamar Odom.
Sefko thinks there's a chance Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, and Brendan Haywood remain in Dallas. Terry will be an unrestricted free agent, Marion has been discussed often in trades, and Haywood is widely believed to be a candidate for Dallas' amnesty clause.
In addition to Deron Williams, whom it is common knowledge the Mavs will pursue heavily this offseason, Sefko is intrigued by Utah's C.J. Miles as a possible backcourt partner.
Haywood isn't a sure thing to be amnestied, but the Mavs are still banking on Dwight Howard being in play at some point, at which time it's a lock that they will cut ties with him.
Sefko believes that if the Mavs sign Williams and retain Marion, free agents will be interested in signing in Dallas for below market value.

Odds & Ends: Howard, Draft, Hornets, Blazers

April 17th, 2012 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Tuesday afternoon links from around the NBA….

David Pingalore of Local 6 in Orlando, who reported earlier this month that Dwight Howard had asked the Magic to fire Stan Van Gundy, says Howard no longer wants to play for Van Gundy. This situation may end up working itself out: Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel argued yesterday that the Magic should shut down Howard for the rest of the year, and Van Gundy is unlikely to remain the team's coach for next season.
The latest mock draft from ESPN.com's Chad Ford has received plenty of feedback from NBA scouts and executives, Ford writes. Mississippi State's Arnett Moultrie and Dion Waiters of Syracuse were among the players Ford's sources felt were ranked too low — the latest ESPN.com mock had them coming off the board at 19th and 23rd respectively.
North Carolina's John Henson has hired Jim Tanner as his agent, reports Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (via Twitter). The junior forward announced in late March that he was entering the NBA draft.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld explores the direction of the Hornets now that the team is under new ownership.
Having been officially eliminated from the playoffs, the Trail Blazers now look like a good bet to score two lottery picks, as Mike Tokito of the Oregonian writes.

Odds & Ends: Magic, Randolph, Kings, Irving

April 15th, 2012 at 9:59pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Earlier this evening, an ESPN report (via the Associated Press) indicated that Stan Van Gundy is prepared to handle the rest of the season and playoffs without Dwight Howard. To make matter worse, forward Glen Davis hyper-extended his right knee today during the first quarter against the Cavaliers and did not return for the rest of the game. Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweeted that Davis is unsure about when he'll be able to play again this year, which currently leaves Daniel Orton as the only true big man on the Magic roster. It should be noted that if the Magic decide to find replacements for their big man rotation through free agency, the only playoff-eligible players at this point are those who have not already played in an NBA game this year. You can find tonight's other significant stories here:

Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press writes that the determining factor in Anthony Randolph's future with the Timberwolves will significantly hinge on his ability to remain consistent as the team finishes out the year. Randolph is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, and even with his brilliant performance over the last three games, coach Rick Adelman feels that the jury is still out on whether he can be counted on for a full season.
Ken Berger of CBS Sports writes that a Sacramento group including mayor Kevin Johnson is hinting at proposing new ownership for the Kings. The Maloof brothers had recently pulled out of a deal to finance a new arena with the city, much to the chagrin of the city members who are working hard to keep the team in Sacramento.
Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott will proceed with caution with regards to the health of Kyrie Irving, says Tom Reed of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Irving is recovering from a sprained right shoulder, and Scott would rather have him focused on being ready for off-season workouts than returning for the team's final weeks.
Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated examines the role of Chris Bosh as the key to Miami's playoff success.
Raymond Felton has likely seen his last minutes of the season with the Trail Blazers, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Interim GM Chad Buchanan said that he and Felton agreed that this would be an opportune time to properly evaluate their other young guards, namely Nolan Smith and Jonny Flynn. Haynes also wrote another article in which he asked Kings GM Geoff Petrie about being linked to the Blazers vacant GM position, to which Petrie replied: “That's something I can't really comment on. I have a job.”
Ten things you need to know about Derrick Favors, according to Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post spoke with coach George Karl to reflect on how he has handled coaching while prioritizing his life during this season.

Howard Again Denies Asking For Coaching Change

April 13th, 2012 at 8:38am CST by Luke Adams

Last Thursday, in arguably the most eventful shootaround of the season, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters that he was aware Dwight Howard has asked the team to fire him. Howard arrived at the media scrum, unaware of the comments his coach had just made, and denied ever making such a request. Despite Van Gundy having made his lack of job security public, Howard continues to insist he hasn't requested a coaching change, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.

Howard sat down with ESPN's Hannah Storm for a one-on-one interview, and a transcript of a portion of their conversation was released by ESPN. Asked by Storm if he ever asked for Van Gundy to be fired, Howard replied, "No, no. So when it was said, I was just like, in shock, I was in shock."

"I got a lot of negative press out of the whole situation," Howard said. "You know, ‘Coach killer, this or that.’ And it was just bizarre how the whole thing happened. You know, but I haven’t said anything this season — to anybody in management about, you know, you need to do this with Stan, or vice versa; they never said we’ll do this for you."

Howard did concede that he'd made requests of management in past seasons when he's been upset, but said "I’ve always come back and said I’ll do a better job, I’ll take more of a hit, I’ll lead better."

Whether or not Howard has a standing request with the Magic for a coaching change, it seems nearly certain that Van Gundy will be replaced after this season. The real question will be whether D12 will follow him out of town a year later, when his contract with Orlando expires.

Odds & Ends: Mavs, Beasley, Bucks, Raptors

April 12th, 2012 at 10:32pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday evening:

Dallas radio hosts Barry Horn and Kevin Sherrington weighed in on a couple of Mavericks issues. Horn believes the Mavs are a better team without Lamar Odom, who was shut down earlier this week.
Sherrington speculates that the Mavs are still interested in acquiring Dwight Howard, especially if they can't sign Deron Williams this summer.
Michael Beasley told Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press that he wants to stay with the Timberwolves going forward. Beasley is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says the Bucks lack a clear direction for the future and will not contend with their current roster. Hunt believes the first step will be re-signing Ersan Ilyasova this summer.
Doug Smith of the Toronto Star doubts that Raptors 10-day contract signees Ben Uzoh and Justin Dentmon will be anything more than placeholders for the team.

Magic GM Otis Smith’s Role Shrinking?

April 9th, 2012 at 10:06am CST by Chuck Myron

10:06am: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel wonders whether Shaquille O'Neal's support for Dwight Howard is tied to his desire to become the next Magic GM. O'Neal is difficult to take seriously at times, Bianchi notes, but recalls the comments Orlando's original "Superman" had on Bianchi's radio show last week.

“I would love to be the general manager of the Orlando Magic,” O'Neal said. “(Magic CEO) Alex Martins, you’ve got my number. Call me!”

9:07am: After breaking down some second-tier free agents, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reports that Magic GM Otis Smith has been "removed from the process" with Dwight Howard, and that sources say Adonal Foyle, the Magic's director of player development, was in charge of the team's talks at the trade deadline. According to Kyler, Smith still would have to approve all transactions, but his role has been "radically scaled back."

Howard's front-office interaction comes almost exclusively with CEO Alex Martins, Kyler says. ESPN's Marc Stein wrote in his Weekend Dime that Magic executives look fondly upon Foyle and he's being groomed for a "future role of front office prominence." Kyler's report suggests he's already starting to take charge.

Just last week, we passed along a HoopsWorld report that Smith sat down with Howard and coach Stan Van Gundy, so it's clear Smith isn't completely disconnected from the team or its star player. If Kyler's report is true, though, it points to more turmoil in Orlando and greater power for Howard. While Smith, unlike Van Gundy, has not acknowledged that Howard has asked the team to fire him, reports have suggested D12 wants to be able to determine the fate of his GM as well. Regardless of who's said to be in charge, it increasingly appears as though Howard is by far the most powerful figure in Orlando.

HoopsWorld On Howard, Smith, Gasol

April 6th, 2012 at 6:31pm CST by Sean Highkin

HoopsWorld's Derek Page has compiled a column about the futures of several prominent NBA players featuring input from other writers:

Alex Kennedy thinks the Magic will once again attempt to acquire a player via trade or free agency to appease Dwight Howard, although the possibility is still open for him to be dealt.
Lang Greene says the Hawks should give serious consideration to moving Josh Smith this summer, as his trade value will be high and he is unhappy in Atlanta.
Eric Pincus finds it unlikely that Pau Gasol has a long-term future with the Lakers, due to the luxury-tax implications of keeping him.
Bill Ingram thinks the emergence of Courtney Lee will make it easier for the Rockets to move Kevin Martin for the right price.
Page believes Shawn Marion's contract makes him relatively easy for the Mavericks to trade, but with Howard off the market, it's not as necessary for the purpose of clearing cap space.