Dwight Staying?

Dwight Howard on Monday stated his commitment to the Orlando Magic, saying he wants the franchise to grow in stature. He also said he needs help on and off the court to make that happen.

"Not only do I need the right teammates, but I need the city behind me. That's the only way it's going to get done. We can change this small city that we have — this small market that we have — and we can make it a big market," the Magic center told the Orlando Sentinel during a Memorial Day barbecue he held for fans in Orlando.

Dwight Howard makes it clear: Surround me with better players so I can lead the Magic to greatness. (AP Photo)Orlando tried to improve the All-NBA center’s surrounding cast last December with two major trades. The Magic acquired Gilbert Arenas from the Washington Wizards for Rashard Lewis, and they reacquired Hedo Turkoglu from the Phoenix Suns in a six-player deal that sent Vince Carter out west. Orlando finished second in the Southeast Division with a 52-30 record and was eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs.

The 25-year-old Howard told the Sentinel he wanted to "start my own path" in Orlando. "I'm not trying to run behind nobody like Shaq or be behind somebody else," Howard said, referring to Shaquille O'Neal's exit from Orlando 15 years ago for the Los Angeles Lakers. L.A. is considered a primary option for Howard, who can opt out of his contract a year early in 2012.

Howard told the Sentinel he came up with the idea of a cookout Monday morning as a way to address fans' concerns about his future in Orlando. The Sentinel reported that hundreds of people attended even though the event was announced only on Twitter.

"As of right now, I'm a part of the Orlando Magic and I plan to be here," Howard said. "And I want the Magic to do whatever they can to make sure that we can get our city behind us. That's the only thing that I want to happen: just to have the city behind me and the support of our fans.

"I never said I was leaving. I never, ever thought about leaving. That's basically where my head is right now. I never said anything to them [the Magic] about what my plans were because that's not what I'm focused on right now."

The forthcoming Einhorn (new minority owner of the Mets whose middle name is Finkle btw) wasted no time in humanizing himself to the fanbase with this relatable quote:

“In 1975, I even dressed in a homemade jersey as a Met for Halloween. I have been a baseball fan for my entire life and have enjoyed teaching the game as the coach of my daughter’s little league team.”

Good for you buddy.

Bulls layed to rest due to Heat stroke...

The big 3 showed up big last night, each scoring over 20 and equally contributing to the elimination of the best team in NBA. The Bulls had a great run but they might need to go grab one more guy because the Heat are a year ahead of schedule and something tells me they're not going to get worse in the coming seasons.

If his career in the NFL doesn't workout...

A Couple Thoughts on the NBA Draft Lottery...

David Kahn (on the left) looks like someone just stole his lunch. Don't worry buddy, if it makes you feel any better Michael 'Air' Jordan was selected 3rd overall.

I didn't realize the kid from Jerry McGuire was related to Dan Gilbert.

Is the dude from the Jazz even paying attention? I guess it doesn't matter..they'll probably just draft the 'Great White Hope' Jimmer Fredette with the 3rd pick.

20 seconds in...did he just throw up Longhorns?

Fake hand shake, fake hand shake.

(To Dan Gilbert) And that my friends is what I like to call a slump buster.

What's the deal with the backpack Kevin? Whatcha got in there??

LeBron City or Wade County?

     LeBron James and Dwyane Wade broke into the league in 2004 and have been mega stars since day one. Now that they are teammates the question is whose team is it? Every team has a leader and while you COULD say in this case that this Heat team has two, I’m not going to allow that argument. No fence sitting here. Pick one…Whose team is it?

     LBJ is thought of as quite possibly the best player in the NBA. He is the most remarkable talent that this league has seen since MJ and rivals Kobe Bryant in popularity. There is no doubt that this guy is the reason why the NBA has seen a spike in ratings the past few years. Everytime this guy is on televison the public is glued, from his first day in the league to game one of the Bulls/Heat series which set a record for the NBA on cable television. He might not have a title but he’s got an impressive resume. He did take a miserable Cavs team to the NBA finals and lead the Cavs last season to having the best regular season record. 7 time All-Star, 2x MVP, blah blah blah. You get it, he’s good.

     Then there’s Wade. A lot of what I said for LBJ could also be said for his teammate Dwyane. One big difference though, Wade has an NBA Championship and a Finals MVP. Many will say that he couldn’t have done it without Shaq and while that might be true, I will always dismiss that argument. Here’s why, name the one player in the history of the NBA to win a title without a tremendous talent helping them along the way. Go ahead…I’ll wait…go on, Wikipedia it. Every team gets to put 5 professionals on the floor; no team will ever win the title with just one great player. That’s a weak argument so don’t use it.

     LeBron James was on a team that was 100% his, no debate. He could have went to almost any team in the league and it would have been 100% his. However, on July 8, 2010 LeBron announced he was taking his “talents” to South Beach or better yet, Wade County. My personal opinion is that LeBron is the best player on the team and probably the best in the league but it’s not his team. It’s Wade’s team. Just like A-Rod is the better player for the Yankees, it will never be A-Rod’s team as long as El Captain Derek Jeter is taking the field. LeBron is the best player on the Heat but Dwyane Wade is the Heat.