Dwight Howard Extension Rumors: Dwight Needs To Sign Long Term Or Magic Will Make 'Necessary Decisions'

We went through a lot of drama this year with Dwight Howard. Will he sign an extension with the Magic? Will the team trade him? What is up with him and Stan Van Gundy? He agreed to waive his option, meaning he would be under team control next year, but that could mean going through the same situation. It might come to a head earlier this year, as the Magic will try to sign him to an extension or look to maybe move him this summer.

I asked #Magic CEO Martins if he'll trade #dwighthoward: "We'll cross that bridge when it comes to it...#1 goal is to get him to sign ext."

— David Baumann (@DavidBaumann33) May 9, 2012

#Magic CEO Martins told me on camera w @BHSN that #dwighthoward needs to sign long term extension or "necessary decisions will be made."

— David Baumann (@DavidBaumann33) May 9, 2012

#Magic CEO Martins wants long term extension from #dwighthoward "so we don't go thru a season like we went thru this year," he told me.

— David Baumann (@DavidBaumann33) May 9, 2012

I think I speak for everyone with a rooting interest in the NBA when I implore the team and Howard to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.

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Magic GM Otis Smith Will Visit Dwight Howard in Los Angeles

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard is still recovering from back surgery in Los Angeles, where he had a procedure to repair a herniated disk last week. Magic General Manager Otis Smith will make the trip out to the west coast and visit his franchise center, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Smith told Robbins he will make the visit to support Howard, and cheer him up:

"They're all my kids," Smith said of his players. "I've got one of them that's not with the team, that you want to have with the team that's injured, that's down. So you've got to go see him. You've got to pep him up a little bit and tell him he's doing the right thing by his body."

According to team CEO Alex Martins, they have communicated with Howard through phone and text, but the club wants to check in on him face-to-face. Meanwhile, on the floor, the Magic return home to Amway Center on Wednesday night after going on the road and getting a split against the Indiana Pacers.

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VIDEO: Mike Prada Discusses Dwight Howard's Injury

Dwight Howard Injury Reaction: Jameer Nelson Needs To Step Up

We got the terrible new yesterday that Dwight Howard will miss the rest of the season, Playoffs and the Summer Olympics as he undergoes surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back. Our Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post is opting to look ahead instead of behind. They feel like with Dwight Howard out of the lineup, it means Jameer Nelson will be the most important member of the starting lineup.

As a point guard, Nelson may not be the most obvious candidate to step up in the All-Star center's absence, but the reasons why become fairly clear upon further consideration. Howard shoulders enormous responsibility for Orlando's offense, as he leads the team with 20.6 points per game, but the Magic simply cannot get those 20.6 points the same way they would if he were healthy, namely by posting up. Indeed, Orlando has hardly posted up in his absence, and even went one game running one post-up in 103 overall plays.

Nelson is now the most experienced member of the starting lineup, and he is also the lone team captain now that Howard is off the court. If the Magic are to have any success in the Playoffs, it will likely be up to Jameer Nelson to carry the offensive load.

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Dwight Howard Injury: Magic Center Will Have Back Surgery, Out For Year

Orlando Magic franchise center Dwight Howard will undergo season-ending back surgery, according to a report from ESPN's Ric Bucher, who spoke with the All-Star center's agent on Thursday night. The surgery to repair a herniated disk will take place Friday morning in Los Angeles. It will not only end his 2012 NBA season, but it will also prevent him from participating in the 2012 Olympics on Team USA. His agent, Dan Fegan addressed the surgery, as well as allegations that Howard was mailing it in recently. Via Ric Bucher:

"Dwight has never laid down once in his entire career," Fegan said. "It's absurd that some publicly, and others privately, speculated that Dwight was laying down or quitting. In fact, he was working his hardest to play through an injury which now requires surgery."

Howard spoke with Chris Broussard of ESPN, to address the season-ending injury. Via @ChrisBroussard:

It hurts (emotionally). & with people saying I'm quitting on my team. This is a real issue, I tried to play through it and it just made my back worse. The Dr. said I can start rehab right away and be back to full contact in 4 months. If anything, I'll come back stronger.

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Dwight Howard Injury: Magic Center Will Attempt To Return For The Playoffs

There have been rumors circulating that Dwight Howard did not want to play for Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy anymore and that he was planning on sitting out because of that, healthy or not. It turns out that those rumors were 'completely made up', at least according to a representative for Howard. He wants to play very much, even though he has a herniated disc in his back that's making it hard for him to do so. According to Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld, he's going to attempt to come back for the playoffs.

Dwight Howard will try to return for the playoffs, according to sources close to the situation. He wants to play, but he's in a lot of pain.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) April 19, 2012

Without Howard in the lineup, the Magic have struggled. They're 4-6 in their last ten games, and they lost five straight at one point between late March and early April. Without Howard in the lineup, the Magic won't be expected to do anything in the playoffs.

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Dwight Howard Injury Update: Magic Center's Playoff Status Uncertain

The Orlando Magic fell to the Boston Celtics last night without their star center Dwight Howard, and it appears that it might be a little while before they have him back in the lineup. According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, Howard received an epidural in his back late last week and is working hard on rehabbing the injury.

Howard received an epidural last Friday after he sought a second opinion from Robert Watkins, a spine surgeon based in Marina del Rey, Calif. The injection was intended to help Howard manage the pain and begin rehabbing. Howard's camp is adamant that the All-NBA center wants to return for the postseason.

Despite his intentions to make it back onto the court, Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy sounds like he is preparing for the worst. According to the guys over at the Mothership, Van Gundy is not expecting Howard to be back in the lineup before the Playoffs start.

"No, I'd be surprised. Very surprised," said Van Gundy, prior to Orlando's game against Boston on Wednesday, when asked if he expected Howard back before the playoffs. "What we're saying right now, our approach is that this is our team, not only in the regular season, but in the playoffs. If we get him back, obviously it would be a huge bonus, but we're not expecting that at this point."

There aren't very many games left in the regular season, but the Magic are in the middle of a fight for the fifth seed with the Atlanta Hawks, and with it the right to play those very same Celtics in the first round. Without Howard in the lineup regularly it appears unlikely that they will be able to beat the Hawks out for that spot.

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Dwight Howard Injury: Surgery On Magic Star's Back A Possibility, According To Report

The Orlando Magic learned earlier in the week they will likely be without star center Dwight Howard for the remainder of the season. The Magic received some more concerning news on Howard, as according to a report by ESPN The Magazine, surgery on Howard's back is not out of the question.

Howard has been complaining of back pain since March, but it wasn't until he sought a second opinion by Los Angeles-based Dr. Robert Watkins on Friday, for what previously had been called back spasms, that he was diagnosed with a herniated disk. The disk is not fully herniated and non-operable treatment has been recommended, the source said, but "it's not 100 percent clear" if that treatment will work, and surgery remains a possibility.

The report also states that Howard will sit out for a period of 10 to 14 days to give his back some rest and hopefully avoid having to have surgery on it, which would likely put him out for some of, if not all, of the 2012 NBA playoffs. Orlando has struggled without Dwight Howard this season, going just 1-4 without him in the lineup.

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Dwight Howard Injury: Magic Star Has Herniated Disk In His Back, According To Report

The Orlando Magic got pounded on Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks without star big man Dwight Howard, who missed the game while getting a second opinion on his injured back. The news was worse than anticipated for the Magic, as it was revealed that Howard has a herniated disk in his back according to a report by John Denton.

Dwight Howard has been diagnosed with a herniated disk in back.His return will depend on how he responds to treatment. Likely out until POs.

— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) April 14, 2012

The Orlando Magic are clearly a different team without Howard in the lineup and are currently the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference as they head towards the NBA playoffs. With Howard potentially missing the final seven games of the regular season, the Magic aren't likely in danger of finding themselves out of the playoffs, but they could find themselves dropping in the playoff seeding.

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Dwight Howard Injury Update: Magic Star Ruled Out Of The Next Three Games

Dwight Howard's back injury continues to nag him and he continues to miss time. He has now been ruled out of the next three games on the schedule according to a tweet by Hoopsworld NBA reporter Alex Kennedy.

Dwight Howard has been ruled out of Orlando's next three games. Magic fans aren't happy that he's hosting a party. Go look at his mentions.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) April 13, 2012

Howard has already missed four of the last six games with back spasms. With the injury lingering as long as it already has, there could be concern about Howard's effectiveness come playoff time.

The party part of this tweet is a little curious. There are not many details of it right now but it doesn't look good on Howard if he's going to host a party rather than get healthy and ready for the playoffs.

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Dwight Howard Injury Update: Magic Star Getting Second Opinion In Los Angeles

The Orlando Magic will be hosting the Atlanta Hawks on Friday in what has turned into a pretty important game in terms of Playoff seeding. Unfortunately for the Magic, they will be without their star Dwight Howard in that game. According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, Howard is in Los Angeles getting a second opinion on his back. But head coach Stan Van Gundy is still confident that the injury is a minor one.

"It's back spasms, basically, caused by bruising and getting pounded," Van Gundy said Thursday afternoon.

"It's not a disk problem or anything, but anybody who's been through back problems knows sometimes they resolve more quickly than others. We're heading down the stretch now, so as much as we'd like to get everybody together and have 'em out there and playing, we've also got to get healthy. It's a tough time."

I think it's pretty safe to assume that Dwight will not be in Orlando for the game tonight, and if the pain is bad enough that he has to fly across the Country, he could be out a little bit longer than that.

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Dwight Howard Injury Update: Orlando Magic Star Doubtful For Friday's Game Vs. Atlanta Hawks

If there wasn't concern for Dwight Howard's injury before the Magic lost to the Washington Wizards, there should be now. A tweet by Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports that Howard's back is still bothering him. So much so that he is doubtful for Friday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Dwight Howard said he was hurting in practice today and probably will not play tomorrow against the #Hawks.

— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) April 12, 2012

Howard has missed four of the last six games for the Magic. In that span the team has gone 2-4 in that span. This in addition to the loss of Hedo Turkoglu for the rest of the season leaves the Magic for now without a substantial inside threat that could be exploited by opponents. While the three-point shooting of players like Jameer Nelson and Ryan Anderson can make up for that now in the regular season, it could become a problem in the playoffs.

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Pistons Vs. Magic Recap: Without Dwight Howard, Orlando Rolls To 30-Point Win Over Detroit

The Orlando Magic entered Monday night's game against the Detroit Pistons having lost five of their past six games. Word also came down on Monday that All-Star center Dwight Howard would be held out again because of the persistent back problems he's been dealing with over the past few weeks. But that didn't slow down Stan Van Gundy's club against the lowly Pistons, as they jumped all over Detroit early and never let up in the second half to finish with a 119-89 win.

Without Howard, it was a total team effort by Orlando on the offensive end as all five starters scored in double figures. The Magic shot 53 percent from the floor and 54 percent from behind the arc in one of the most productive and efficient offensive performances of the season. Jason Richardson led with 22 points and was on fire from downtown, hitting six of seven attempts from three-point range. J.J. Redick hit four of seven from outside and added 20 points while Glen Davis picked up the slack on the interior, grabbing 16 rebounds and scoring 16 points.

It was a big win for the Magic without Howard, but they have little time to enjoy the blowout as they hop on a plane and will face the Wizards in Washington on Tuesday night.

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Pistons Vs. Magic Score Update: Orlando Leads By 21 At Half

The Orlando Magic jumped all over the Detroit Pistons in the first half on Monday night, leading 64-43 after 24 minutes at Amway Center. The Magic shot 51 percent from the floor and 53 percent from behind the arc in the first half, racing out to a double-digit lead against the lottery-bound Pistons. It was an impressive performance without All-Star center Dwight Howard absent from the lineup again with back problems.

Glen Davis had a big first half for Stand Van Gundy's club, producing a double-double already with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Including Davis, four of the Magic's starters were in double figures, led by Jason Richardson who had 13 points on three of four from three-point range. The Magic committed only two turnovers which combined with the hot shooting put them firmly in control heading into the locker room.

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Dwight Howard Injury: Magic Forward Out With A Back Injury, Doubtful For Tuesday's Game

Orlando Magic forward Dwight Howard will miss Monday night's game against the Detroit Pistons with back problems according to a tweet by the team's radio staff. In addition to missing Monday's game, he is speculated as being doubtful for Orlando's game on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards.

SVG: No Dwight tonight doubtful for tomorrow.

— Orlando Magic Radio(@Magic_Radio) April 9, 2012

Dwight Howard has been battling problems with his back lately and missed the last game against Detroit back on April 3. This is not the only injury that Orlando has been battling as of late, injuries to players such as Ryan Anderson, Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson has contributed to the Magic falling to sixth place in the Eastern Conference close to the end of the regular season.

If Orlando is going to make a deep run at the playoffs, Howard and the other members of the Magic have to be healthy to help the team advance in the postseason.

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Magic Vs. Pistons Preview: Orlando Needs To Overcome Injuries To Snap Losing Streak Against Detroit

The Orlando Magic have had to deal with a ton of injuries lately and have dropped to sixth in the conference. Can the Magic get their first win against Detroit this season on Monday?