If Orlando GM Otis Smith had known that Dwight Howard would be making the kind of headlines he has been making this week, I bet he would have traded the superstar center at last month’s NBA deadline.
Howard’s tone and commitment to Orlando at the time swayed Smith into convincing himself that Howard could, and would, be happy playing for the Magic for the rest of this season and at least half of next.
The problem is, Howard is only happy when he is calling the shots, and his most recent demand, the firing of head coach Stan Van Gundy, suggests that regardless where the superstar center plays his next 4-5 seasons, there will be a ton of drama associated with it.
Drama is not new to superstar players and the NBA, however. Knicks fans can recall that Carmelo Anthony bullied his way out of Denver and the next season bullied Mike D’Antoni out of New York. Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum have made negative headlines with regards to the Lakers coaching style of Mike Brown.
There are few teams and coaches in the league that would be immune to a Howard-type scenario, so few that you can probably count them on one hand. Gregg Popovich, George Karl and Doc Rivers seem to be the only coaches in the league who would not fall victim to a superstar player’s demands. Erik Spoelstra, Tom Thibodeau and Scott Brooks have managed to keep superstar talent at bay, and are three of the prohibitive favorites for the NBA title. This is no coincidence.
Howard may believe he is getting somewhere by making demands that Smith may or may not succumb to, but in reality he may be turning off suitors when the time comes to offer him a nine-figure contract next summer.
1. Spurs (38-14) (Previous Rank: 3) – I’ve written several times this season about the Spurs and how they managed to win their first NBA title during the previous NBA lockout. Winners of nine straight, San Antonio is peaking again at the correct time and will be a dangerous team in the postseason.
2. Heat (39-14) (4) – LeBron James is averaging 32.7 points per game in April and has been responsible for his team’s past two wins, scoring 41 and 34 points. If James can continue this level of play, he will finally get his ring this summer.
3. Bulls (43-13) (2) – Chicago hasn’t allowed an opponent to score 100 points in its past five games, showing off the NBA’s best defense. Derrick Rose still hasn’t returned from injury, and with 10 games left, his health is becoming an increasingly concerning topic.
4. Thunder (40-14) (1) – Oklahoma City picked up an impressive win Sunday against the Bulls, but lost its two subsequent games to the Grizzlies and Heat. The Thunder are last in the NBA in assists per game (18.4) and haven’t had a player in double-digits in the category since March 7. This issue arose in the playoffs last year and may surface again.
5. Lakers (35-20) (6) – The Lakers haven’t won a game by double-digits since March 21 (109-93 win over Dallas), but they have managed to close out games in the fourth quarter, evidenced by Kobe Bryant’s 3-pointer against the Nets this week.
6. Clippers (33-22) (5) – Every time Blake Griffin posterizes a player like he did to Pau Gasol this week, you think sky is the limit, until you remember Griffin shoots .530 from the free-throw line.
7. Celtics (30-24) (7) – Boston was 2-2 this week, but each of its games was impressive in its own right. Boston beat Minnesota and Miami by a combined 40 points then lost to San Antonio and Chicago by a combined eight.
8. Pacers (33-21) (8) – Three straight wins has Indiana in control of the No. 3 seed in the East, which means it would get a favorable matchup against the reeling Magic in the first round.
9. Knicks (28-27) (12) – The Knicks are deep enough to survive the injuries to Amar’e Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin, for now. New York’s best hope at a series win will come if it can overtake Philadelphia and Orlando to grab the sixth seed.
10. Mavericks (31-24) (11) – Dallas will need to depend on Dirk Nowitzki getting hot once again if it wants to win in the playoffs. The Mavericks have very little else in terms of scoring; aside from Nowitzki, only Jason Terry and Shawn Marion are averaging more than 11 points per game.
11. 76ers (29-25) (9) – After a fast start, Philadelphia has hit a wall. The 76ers have one three-game winning streak since Feb. 1 and are 13-19 over that span.
12. Hawks (32-23) (13) – Atlanta plays five of its final 11 games against playoff opponents, which will be a nice tune-up for the Hawks. Atlanta is 3-3 against New York, Dallas, Boston, Orlando and the Clippers, who are its toughest opponents for the rest of the season.
13. Grizzlies (30-23) (14) – Memphis has allowed one team to score 100 points against it since March 24 (Clippers), having one player lead among scorers (O.J. Mayo). The Grizzlies have the makings to be a major upset team in the West.
14. Rockets (29-25) (15) – Goran Dragic has been able to fill the void left by Kyle Lowry. Since Lowry’s last game March 10, Dragic has had two games with fewer than seven assists.
15. Magic (32-23) (10) – Anyone who thinks Dwight Howard will not win this battle in Orlando is crazy; Stan Van Gundy’s time is very limited now.
16. Bucks (26-28) (17) – Milwaukee continues to lurk in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.
17. Nuggets (29-25) (18) – Denver has eight players averaging over 10 points per game. The Nuggets have one of the most balanced offensive attacks heading into the playoffs.
18. Suns (28-26) (20) – Steve Nash says he’s unhappy, but the Suns are playing their best basketball and have a decent chance at the playoffs.
19. Pistons (21-33) (22) – Detroit is on a three-game winning streak, but it may be too little, too late. The Pistons are 6-1/2 games behind the Knicks for the last playoff spot in the East.
20. Trail Blazers (26-29) (21) – Portland has alternated wins and losses since March 22. If the Blazers can finally put together a winning streak, they can make a run at the eighth seed in the West, or at least play spoiler down the stretch.
21. Jazz (28-27) (19) – Losing three of four this week and with San Antonio on the slate twice next week, the Jazz seem unlikely to make the playoffs.
22. T’wolves (25-31) (16) – Minnesota has lost four straight and Kevin Love has been held to fewer than 30 points in each of those games. In some ways, that helps Love’s status as an MVP candidate, which is Minnesota’s only bright spot at this point in the season.
23. Warriors (21-32) (23) – Golden State snapped a six-game losing streak with a three-point win over Minnesota. The Warriors’ guard play has been troublesome lately, with Klay Thompson being the last to lead a game in assists.
24. Kings (19-36) (24) – DeMarcus Cousins scored 41 points in a 109-100 loss to Phoenix this week, illustrating the Kings’ biggest problem. When Cousins, the team’s best player, leads in scoring, the Kings are 2-7.
25. Raptors (20-35) (28) – The Raptors have won three in a row for the first time all season, powered by Andrea Bargnani and his 24 points per game over that span.
26. Nets (19-37) (26) – Kobe Bryant’s 3-pointer Tuesday night not only put the dagger in the Nets’ chances of winning, but seemingly slammed the door on the team’s slim playoff hopes.
27. Hornets (14-40) (27) – Apart from a 17-point loss to Phoenix, New Orleans has been an improved team. The Hornets lost to the Lakers by four and beat the Nuggets over the past week.
28. Cavaliers (17-35) (25) – Cleveland went from fringe playoff contender to lottery hopeful in a matter of weeks. If the Cavs can get lucky in the lottery and land a top-three pick again, they can build a very serious, young contender.
29. Wizards (12-43) (29) – Washington hasn’t won a game in April, but John Wall is averaging his second highest assists (8.3) and points (16.9) totals of the season in the Wizards’ four losses this month.
30. Bobcats (7-41) (30) – Don’t call them lucky, but the Bobcats’ last win was on St. Patrick’s Day against the Raptors.