Dwight Howard: Team Leader

Alot can be said about leadership and where it comes from. Are people just born with natural leadership qualities or if they are blessed enough with great talent in their particular arena can they then learn leadership and guide others.

This question is especially prevelant in basketball because for the most part we hear that the best player on the team needs to be the leader of the team and for the most part it is true. There is no doubt that Kobe leads the Lakers and Lebron leads the Cavs, etc. Heck I remember when Tracy McGrady played here he took a leadership class at Rollins College so he could try and become a better leader. He was not necessarily born with that quality nor has he developed it over time.

The leader of the Magic this season definitely became Jameer Nelson as he not only elevated his game to that of an all-star but you could see he was taking the reigns and making the team his own. When he went down Rafer Alston stepped in with brilliant results but something else has occured to me that I think alot of people are missing which is Dwight Howard has decided to become the leader of this team.

After the Hawks game on Saturday he eluded to the fact that the Magic did not have the energy or effort they needed and that they need to bring that every night to be a championship contender.

After the Raptors loss he called a team only meeting which usually fall on deaf ears but it was a brilliant strategy for him because when he spoke the players listened as evidenced by the boat racing that was handed to the Cavs on Friday night.

I have never been one to question how much money my athletes make or what they do in their free time but I do want to know they care as much about the team winning as I do. It sounds so absurd to think that a NBA player does not care about winning but sometimes all the joking and jovial stuff has led me and others to believe that they may shrug off these losses easier than we do. Dwight is quickly teaching me that this is not the case and when he says he wants this team to win a championship he means it. It has been his message all season.

Actions have always spoken louder than words and trust me Dwight's actions have been so clear I think we might take them for granted. But if the best big in the NBA wants to voice his opinions then I am pretty darn sure his team will continue to listen.