Dwight Howard & The Kentucky Wildcats

For those who may have not heard, there was a report earlier in the week that stated that Dwight Howard had asked the senior management of the Orlando Magic to fire their head coach Stan Van Gundy. What may be one of the more awkward interviews that I have seen occurred about seven hours before the Magic took on the Knicks. During shoot around, Stan Van Gundy was asked by the media about management being requested by Dwight Howard for Van Gundy to be fired. Later in the interview, Dwight Howard stopped by and gave his thoughts on the situation. Stan Van Gundy showed that he didn't care about the supposed rumours and his main focus was containing Carmelo Anthony and winning the game against the Knicks. Van Gundy also said that the matter was out of his hands and that since he is still the head coach, and winning games is his only concern. Here is a link of the interview, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y08gvGpGCwA

Dwight Howard and his indecisiveness with his future in Orlando was one of the main stories in the NBA prior to the trade deadline. The deadline came and went with Howard staying in Orlando for at least one more season. In regards to the interview, Dwight Howard attempts to be coy about the rumours surrounding him and Stan. He also blames the media for having poor sources. It almost seemed that when he was being interviewed that he was upset that the information even came out. This whole turn of events is a new chapter in the Dwight Howard saga. Another interesting aspect from this situation that may discredit Howard is in regards to trades that Orlando has done. Howard may have had a big voice and perhaps even the final decision in some of the trades Orlando has made. This simply shows that Howard has a strong relationship with the management staff and the Stan Van Gundy firing rumours may be true. From the viewpoint of Orlando, having a strong relationship with one of the most popular players in the NBA and their franchise player, especially in a small market, is a no-brainer. To put it simply and also a little bold, Dwight Howard sells tickets and by allowing him a voice in trade discussions, further entices him to stay. To be honest, the whole Dwight Howard saga is getting a little old because it is constantly mentioned. This situation may be one of the defining points in Dwight Howard's career.

Now, on to more depressing and exciting news. The depressing thing is that NCAA's March Madness tournament is over and we have to wait another year for one of the most exciting events in sports. The exciting thing is that we got to see two of college basketball's most prestigious programs go head to head in the championship game. The game featured 3 potential top 5 draft picks in the upcoming NBA draft and we got the chance to see them showcase their talent. Kentucky came out on top and it was a sight to see. Kentucky was dominant all year long and they sealed their fantastic season with a title. An underlying storyline in the game is that we got to see a rematch from the 2008 NCAA championship game between the 2 coaches, Bill Self and John Calipari. For those who don't remember the 2008 game, Self's Kansas team came out with the win over Calipari's Memphis squad in overtime and also had one of the most historic shots in NCAA history when Mario Chalmers hit the game-tying shot to send it to overtime. Calipari came away with the win this time with his young and very talented team.

That about covers today's post. I'm back in London finishing up this school year while Ivan's back home in Toronto. Hope you guys like the blog entry and keep reading.