In the wake of the Orlando Magic's decision to fire Stan Van Gundy and part ways with general manager Otis Smith, Atlanta Journal-Constitution writer Jeff Schultz wonders out loud if Dwight Howard is worth the trouble? Sorry Jeff but the answer is yes.
As much as we may hate to see the player and coach dynamic become out of whack it is a reality around professional sports these days. Especially when it involves a supreme talent like Dwight Howard who is the most dominant big man in the NBA today. Personally, I don't like how the situation in Orlando played out and I feel that Stan Van Gundy was completely justified in going public that Howard was trying to get him fired.
After all it probably wasn't much of a secret and Van Gundy knew the writing on the wall just like he did on Monday when he said he wasn't worried about his job status. Of course he wasn't worried because he knew the ax was coming.
Whether we like things like this or not there are very few coaches that could stand up to a player like Howard and survive. There are so few true superstars in the game that even one with a increasingly tarnished reputation is still way to valuable to let simply walk away.
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