ESPN

Dwight Howard's exit from Orlando was somewhat less than cordial. Now he'll have to deal with the fallout upon his return. Howard will be in Orlando for the first time since becoming a member of the Lakers, and it's pretty likely that he'll be booed mercilessly. Still, Magic fans might have at least a hint of affection remaining for their former superstar; it's not like his departure left them mired in the basement, possibly for years to come. Right?

How will Dwight Howard perform tonight in his return to Orlando?

•  
  28%
  He'll excel
•  
  53%
  He'll put in a typical performance
•  
  19%
  He'll disappoint

(Total votes: 93,935)

Is ''Hack-a-Howard'' an effective strategy for containing Dwight Howard?

•  
  75%
  Yes
•  
  25%
  No

(Total votes: 48,229)

No. 12 is back in Orlando. No, the Magic didn't reacquire Dwight Howard at the trade deadline, but instead gave his old number to newly acquired Tobias Harris. The second-year forward wore No. 15 for Milwaukee, but switched to No. 12 -- the number he wore during his college career at Tennessee -- when making his Magic debut this weekend. Some Orlando fans debated whether Howard's number would eventually be retired by the franchise, even after his contentious departure. And while giving the number to Harris certainly doesn't prevent that, the question remains: Is it too soon to see someone else wearing Superman's old duds?

Should the Magic have prevented newly acquired Tobias Harris from wearing No. 12 (previously worn by Dwight Howard)?

•  
  17%
  Yes
•  
  83%
  No

(Total votes: 24,265)

Which recently traded star's old number are you most surprised his former team gave away?

•  
  63%
  Carmelo Anthony (now worn by Anthony Randolph)
•  
  11%
  Chris Bosh (now worn by Quincy Acy)
•  
  15%
  Dwight Howard (now worn by Tobias Harris)
•  
  11%
  Deron Williams (now worn by Randy Foye)

(Total votes: 6,734)

Dwight Howard's "will he or won't he" saga wasn't quite as protracted as, say, Brett Favre's (Brett, if you're reading this, don't get any ideas, yeah?), but if he had his way last season, Howard wouldn't have necessarily ended up with the Lakers. Howard said he originally wanted to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets, joining Deron Williams and Joe Johnson in an East Coast power trio. Given how everything ended up this offseason, should the Magic have made the trade?

Which team would have been better?

•  
  66%
  The Lakers with Dwight Howard
•  
  34%
  The Nets with Dwight Howard

(Total votes: 113,665)

• James7933733: "im still mind blown that the magic didnt do a trade that would give them brooks, lopez, and humphries along with 4 first round picks but they do a trade with the lakers where they get neither bynum or gasol in return."
• red98raider: "Great job Dwight...you succeeded in alienating the City of Orlando that raised & supported you, and now tell your new city you really didn't want to go there. Wait until the LA media gets ahold of you when you opt out next year."
• Idunkonyou: "What is even better is the fact Howard has yet to accept an extension with the Lakers. He is hell bent on going to the Nets."
• heisenberg_3: "The Nets will score points....everyone can agree with this. But you know what other teams score tons of points? The Warriors and the Timberwolves. Those teams win 25 games every year...why? They can't play defense. This is the worry with the Nets."
• reavesuppercut: "not the biggest nets fan, but I'd love to see howard play in brooklyn."

Join the conversation or respond by signing in or creating a profile and blogging.

This Dwight Howard thing hasn't lasted as long as, say, that Brett Favre thing did a few years back, but it's starting to feel like it. Howard won't back down from his demand for a trade, and has said again to the Magic that he will leave as a free agent at the end of next season. The Magic have floated a number of trades, but nothing has worked so far -- either the particulars were too complex, or one team felt it wasn't getting enough in return, and so on, and so on. One of these days, it seems like Dwight Howard is probably going to be wearing a different uniform, but will he have to wait until the end of the season to do so?

Is there any realistic scenario in which Dwight Howard remains on the Magic for the entirety of this season?

•  
  32%
  Yes
•  
  68%
  No

(Total votes: 42,473)

The Magic have told other teams that they might not trade Dwight Howard before the season starts. Are they bluffing?

• grjacob: "The Magic have all the chips. Even if you hold him until next summer, Dwight would have to leave $20M on the table to sign elsewhere (without a sign-and-trade agreement from Orlando)."
• dw2c: "Suprise story! The Magic management mishandle another round of negotiations involving the diva Howard."
• PekingDunk: "Can't tell if Orlando showed the world how bad most NBA front offices are or if it's just Orlando's own front office that's that bad."
• iloveillini407: "i think orlando would get a deal done if they didnt insist on turk and richardson being involved as well. nobody wants them. maybe if orlando didnt overspend they wouldnt be in this situation."
• jrrod02: "I still feel the Lakers are the front runners. Orlando seems to just want to milk Howard for all he's worth. Eventually they'll cave in. They won't risk letting him go for nothing."



Join the conversation or respond by signing in or creating a profile and blogging.

The Rockets and Lakers have joined the Nets as possible trade destinations for Dwight Howard. Which team would be the best fit for the Magic center?

• Bruce Bowen should be in the HOF: "If he will only sign an extension with the Nets, why would any other team even trade for him? "
• Heisenberg_3: "Why not just trade him to Houston for Kevin Martin's expiring contract, the rights to one of their rookies, a lottery pick next year, a mid 1st rounder....and call it a day. ORL doesn't need to take on more bad contracts. "
• BillRoberts53: "Lakers got knocked out in the 2nd round this year and swept in the 1st round the year before. They added a 38 yr old PG who is declining. Lakers wont get past the Thunder, Spurs or Clips as currently constructed. If they add Howard then it chages."
• Sources Say I Rule: "This is a Dwightmare scenario for Miami. Their reign (if you want to call winning an asterisk title that) is about to come to a screeching halt. "
• bobbydagreat: "Potential Lakers team : Kobe - Old and all but washed up, Nash - Old and washed up, MWP - Old, washed up, and crazy, Gasol - Old and soft , Howard - Best C in the game. If some of those players were a decade younger, then it would be an amazing team, as it stands."
• jaron136: "the rockets are wasting their time.. why put in so much for a guy that is only giving you one year? this will just give him a reason to milk that back injury.. lakers or nets are the only ones with a real shot here."



Join the conversation or respond by signing in or creating a profile and blogging.

The Nets may be in the middle of building a squad to rival the NBA's best. After acquiring Joe Johnson from the Hawks (a move that makes Deron Williams more likely to come back), the team is discussing a trade that would bring Dwight Howard on board. The move would immediately make the Nets a team to be reckoned with, although the asking price for Howard is incredibly steep. Still, it'd be worth it for a team in its first year in a new location to have multiple superstars already in place to greet fans.

Would the Nets be a championship favorite with Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, and Joe Johnson?

•  
  49%
  Yes
•  
  51%
  No

(Total votes: 15,682)

Which team would get the better end of this theoretical trade?

•  
  47%
  Nets (would receive Dwight Howard)
•  
  53%
  Magic (would receive Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, first-round picks in 2013/15/17)

(Total votes: 122,181)

Which Big Three would be better?

•  
  36%
  Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson
•  
  64%
  LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh

(Total votes: 78,892)

Shaquille O'Neal is apparently discussing a general manager position with the Orlando Magic. Would Shaq be a good GM?

• GregWms285: "First and foremost, Shaq is respected throughout the league by NBA Players and because of that, he would be able to convince Top Players to come to Orlando. Second, he would most certainly bring in a coach to run a successful system (Triangle with Brian Shaw and maybe the man himself, Phil Jackson) or Jerry Sloan (Former Utah HC), and third, if Dwight still wants to be traded, Shaq would trade him to the Lakers for Bynum and Gasol, straight up and then try to persuade D-Will to come to Orlando to play with those them. "
• MDuke311: "There isn't a quicker way to get Dwight Howard to leave Orlando than by hiring Shaq as your GM."
• NJGiant99: "I wonder if having Shaq around would help with free agent acquisitions simply by the relationships hes had with some players? I'm sure it may also destroy said acquisitions though, too."
• Giants21Joe10: "Is Shaq at all qualified to be a GM? Just because he was a great player it doesn't mean he'll be a good personnel guy (*cough* Michael Jordan *cough*)."
• mguinard10: "That would be a horriable move by the magic. Get a good GM in there trade Dwight get some pieces and build from there."
• apex.late: "This Shaq GM / part-Gm talk is a perfect example of the Magic's horrible management in action, and another prime reason why Howard wants OUT."



Join the conversation or respond by signing in or creating a profile and blogging.

On Tuesday, "First Take" debated the proper people to blame for the mess that is the Orlando Magic. Skip Bayless thinks the Magic got rid of their primary problem in coach Stan Van Gundy, while Stephen A. Smith places the blame above Van Gundy's pay grade. What's your take?

The NBA playoffs so far have been characterized by significant injuries to big-time players. Dwight Howard was out before the postseason began, Derrick Rose went down in the waning minutes of Game 1, and several other players (Baron Davis, Amare Stoudemire, etc.) have fallen victim to on- and off-court maladies. Consequently, we're seeing a lot of series that definitely will not go the distance -- there are six 3-1 series in play right now, along with two that have already been decided. The Nuggets in particular have had fits dealing with the new-look Kobe Bryant -- he's been more of a distributor late in games than he has in the past, where the game plan was simply "give it to Kobe."

What would give the Lakers the best chance to win in the playoffs?

•  
  69%
  Kobe Bryant primarily shooting in the fourth quarter
•  
  31%
  Kobe Bryant primarily distributing in the fourth quarter

(Total votes: 23,073)

Which team that has already advanced to the conference semifinals has the best shot at a title?

•  
  39%
  Spurs
•  
  61%
  Thunder

(Total votes: 115,485)

Which team down 3-1 playing on Tuesday night has the best chance at winning its series?

•  
  54%
  Bulls (vs. 76ers)
•  
  24%
  Hawks (vs. Celtics)
•  
  10%
  Magic (vs. Pacers)
•  
  12%
  Nuggets (vs. Lakers)

(Total votes: 6,778)