Go big or go home appears to be the motto for Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic this season.  They have played 3 games so far this season, they are 2-1, and none of the games have been close.

In their two wins, they’ve won by margins of 29 and 42 points.  In their one loss, they lost by 26 points. Granted, in their two wins they’ve played the rebuilding Washington Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves and in their one loss they got manhandled by the pre-season champion Miami Heat but which team is this Orlando squad?

Is this going to be the trend for them all season?  Feasting upon the NBA Eastern Conference bottom feeders while getting dominated by the league’s elite teams?  This team is supposed to be in contention for the championship this season and dominating these undermanned squads are exactly what title teams should do but are they really good enough to handle the Heat, Lakers and Celtics of the world?

It might take some time to find this out since their next major test isn’t until around thanksgiving when they play the Heat again, unless you count the 5-0 and much improved Atlanta Hawks as a true test…which they really shouldn’t be.

My guess is no, they Magic aren’t quite ready for the title yet. I am thinking the Magic will continue to feast upon teams that have no big man that can handle the likes of Dwight Howard and/or no defensive skills adept enough to handle the way the Magic spread the court with their 3 point field goals…which is pretty much most of the East.  While against the more talented NBA teams, this 2 trick pony of a team can and will be shut down just like we saw against the Heat and in the playoffs last season.

I mean, who actually expects Vince Carter to last an entire season at 33 years old? C’mon now, he is due.

The hot rumor out there today is that Chris Paul has demanded to be traded…to one of three teams of his choosing. According to the CBS Sports,

Paul’s list of preferred destinations consists of the Knicks, Magic and Lakers, and members of his inner circle already have sent word to the Hornets of his desire to be traded to one of those teams, sources say. If Paul has his way, he’s played his last game in a Hornets jersey.

So you see what he’s done there? No? Well lets look at the three teams he’s chosen and then I’ll tell you where I think he really wants to go.

The Lakers have Kobe and Gasol, the Magic have Dwight Howard and the Knicks have Amare Stoudemire to go with Mike D’Antoni’s run and gun offense where Paul would fit in perfectly. The Lakers and the Magic probably can’t afford to pull this trade off, not enough cap room and not enough players to trade away.

The Knicks, who cleared away a ton of salary in an attempt to get Lebron James or Dwayne Wade to go with Stoudemire haven’t killed their cap even with the Amare signing. They have the cap space, they have trade pieces, they have a big time city, a big time arena in Madison Square Garden, a big time media market and most of all…he’d be the star.

Stoudemire would pick up right where he left off with Steve Nash if Chris Paul was leading the offense and getting him the ball. In turn, making Stoudemire look good will only make Paul look better. He won’t be the second fiddle or a star in a small market. He will be the number one basketball player in New York City and he’ll probably turn the team into a winner immediately making him the savior of New York basketball.

If I were a betting man, and I am, I am putting my money on the New York Knicks being the place Paul really wants to go. If Paul puts up enough of a hissy fit, it actually might happen.

So, Shaq is bitter that Dwight has taken over the “Superman” nickname ever since his slam dunk contest appearance where he did the Superman Dunk, boo-freakin-hoo.  Seriously what has Shaq done to really earn that name besides having worn a lot of Superman t-shirts, getting the Superman symbol tattooed on his arm and starring in one REALLY bad pseudo-Superman movie “Steel”

Do you ever hear anyone calling him Superman?  I hear people call him Shaq or Diesel or Shaq Daddy or whatever but of all his self appointed nicknames, The Big Aristotle is one that sticks out more to me.  The whole Superman thing doesn’t even really fit him anyway and probably never did.  I mean, sure he is big and strong, but he is hardly invincible, especially at 37  years old but never in his career has he been devoid of injury, he doesn’t jump and he isn’t in great shape.

Meanwhile Dwight Howard has actually donned the uniform on the court and flown through the air, like Shaq has never done.  Shaq doesn’t have a great vertical, he doesn’t fly, Dwight can.  Shaq at this point is closer in body shape to fat Elvis than Superman, on the other hand Dwight Howard looks almost cut from stone.  Just because Howard doesn’t have a room full of memorabilia and merchandise from Superman comics certainly doesn’t make him less of a Superman than Shaq claims to be.  The fact is, currently, Howard is more Superman than Shaq ever could be.

I think it is high time that he just give up the Superman thing and let the kid take it over.  Honestly, its a stupid nickname anyway.

From Cleveland.com