Divisive Dwight is at it again, just when the Orlando Magic need it least.
Saturday night in Milwaukee, Orlando erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit in a 99-94 come-from-behind win over the Bucks. The win was one of the better moments in an otherwise turbulent season for the 17-11 Magic.
But after the game, the talk was all about Dwight Howard, as Orlando's disgruntled superstar lamented his role — or lack of one — in his team's furious rally. Howard had just a handful of touches in the fourth quarter, most of them early in the period, and he let it be known that he wasn't happy about it, regardless of the end result.
"I do want the ball more in the fourth quarter," Howard told FOX Sports Wisconsin after the game. "I want to become a closer. The only way you get there is by getting the ball and have coach have the confidence in giving me the ball.
"Just run plays through me, so I can be comfortable in being the guy and have confidence in getting the ball late in the game and scoring."
The timing of Howard's comments was unusual, to be sure — they sounded like remarks a player would make after a deflating loss, not a joyous, come-from-behind win — and they were uncharacteristic, even for Howard. Or at least the Howard we used to know.
But given the All-Star center's paradigm shift this season from a consummate team player and all-around good guy to a kvetching, me-first malcontent, his words don't come across as quite the shock they would have this time last year.
Last year — or at any time over the last seven years, really — Howard would have deflected a question about fourth-quarter touches, choosing rather to focus on Orlando's 16-0 run that turned an 88-78 Magic deficit with 5:44 to play into a 94-88 lead with 2:06 left to go.
It would have been easy to praise Jason Richardson, who almost single-handedly spurred the run. After all, Richardson followed up a 16-point third quarter by scoring 12 of his season-high 31 points in the fourth, hitting four of his five shots, including a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range.
Richardson's nine 3-pointers Saturday set a career high, and his 31-point performance was his highest scoring game since joining the Magic in December 2010.
"It was the Jason Richardson show," head coach Stan Van Gundy said after the game. "He loves being in those situations, and he put on a show tonight."
But it was the kind of show Howard apparently wished he could turn off, so he chose to hone in on the fact that someone else stole his spotlight, instead.
What Howard doesn't seem to realize is that running the offense through him late Saturday would have disrupted the pristine flow that had gotten the Magic back in the game in the first place.
A 49 percent free throw shooter, Howard would have spent the entire quarter at the charity stripe, and history isn't exactly in his favor when it comes to winning games at the line. Orlando's offense would have grinded to a halt had Howard been the centerpiece of the Magic attack, and they would have lost the game had the ball been in his hands.
Howard said he wants to be a closer like Kobe Bryant, but there aren't many Kobes in this league, and it's rare — if not unheard of — to put the ball in the hands of a cold-shooting, free-throw-clunking center when it's rally or bust.
Furthermore, if Howard thinks Orlando's best option Saturday was to run the offense through him in the game's crucial minutes, he clearly wasn't paying attention to the first three quarters, because he was part of the problem in the first place.
He was just 4-of-12 from the floor heading into the fourth quarter — it was Drew Gooden, of all people, who held him in check — and even when he did get touches in the final frame, he didn't exactly convert.
"I want to be that guy whose team wants him to close games out for them," Howard said Saturday. "Coach just needs to have confidence in me. I'm the leader of the team. Ride my back. I'll lead. I don't care if I miss every single shot; I'm going to continue to play hard. Just get on my back."
Leave it to Howard to say he'd rather miss shots in defeat than let his teammates lead the way in victory. In the end, though, it's all about perspective, and these days, that's an area where Howard is sorely lacking.
On the court, he's played with the dominance Magic fans have grown so used to, but in the locker room, he's about as single-minded as he's ever been, and unfortunately for the Magic, it's not the first time this season that Howard has divided the locker room with his self-serving comments.
Since requesting a trade from the Magic in December, Howard has shared public sentiments about his desire to play for a number of other teams, including the Nets, Mavericks and Lakers.
And during a recent 1-5 slide — one which saw Orlando score fewer than 70 points three times — Howard added Chicago and Boston to his list, telling reporters from those cities that he'd be open to playing in their city, as well.
Howard put himself ahead of the team again Saturday, showing little regard for what his words mean to his teammates.
This tumultuous season that has been as trying for Howard's comrades as it has for the big man himself, and he's not helping calm their nerves one bit. Every loss and every underhanded shot Howard throws at his teammates — whether intentional or unintentional — is pushing the team that much closer to the edge.
The best the Magic can hope is that Howard will put a lid on it and be the player that got him to where he is — both on the court and off — to keep this whole thing from unraveling.
Because right now, Howard is putting himself first, for better or for worse, in wins and in losses, and regardless of whether his teammates are flourishing or floundering. And if he keeps it up — for however long he's still in Orlando — it could lead to disaster for the Magic.
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