Dwight Will Stay?

This whole Dwight Howard drama is over with a gigantic thump. Or you can see it as delayed for one more season.

With the trade deadline approaching, there was a lot of speculation that Howard was going to be dealt from the Orlando Magic to another team. Howard said he wanted to stay on the team till the end of the season and then make a decision. That wasn't good enough for the Magic and wanted Howard waive his option coming up that would make him a free agent a season earlier. It seemed to be a stare down and Howard blinked. Dwight Howard has proven his "loyalty" and agreed to sign a waiver that essentially terminates the option to leave the team this summer. That means Superman will stay in Orlando for another year.

I'm a bit confused by this whole thing. It was clearly in Dwight's best interest to wait out this season and decide to play in Brooklyn next year with Deron Williams or find a new team with a fighting chance. Instead he decides to put off the inevitable for a year and give the Magic one more shot in finding some pieces to put around him. If championships are Dwight's goal more than money or Disneyworld, this risk sacrifices another year of his time that he has that he could be using to try and win elsewhere. If the Magic can't get anyone else to help out, he would've wasted a year for nothing.

That's one reason for this move. Or could this whole thing be as simple as Dwight Howard not wanting to be the next LeBron James. Before "The Decision," LeBron was one of the most loved players in the league and perhaps the most watched player. After taking his talents to South Beach, he basically become Public Enemy #1. Dwight sees this and is perhaps trying to figure out a way to keep his popularity and get out of Orlando. One way to do that is to stay in Orlando for another year, play the loyalty card, and then, when the team can't field a decent contender around him, leave with the excuse that he gave them a fair shake for the world to see. Yes, this popularity/image excuse does seem weak compared to wanting to win titles but you also have to consider the financial aspects. More popularity means more endorsement deals.

Whatever the reason for Dwight staying, I'm Orlando will appreciate the move... for now.