Brian Hill Tried to Leave Dwight Howard Behind

How are we supposed to refer to Orlando's season? They opened the season 13-4 but have since posted an 18-33 season. I mean, after sucking for three they've sucked for two-thirds of the season, it's really too long to say they've "faded," right? Aren't they just a bad team that got lucky in the beginning?

In any case, one theory behind Orlando's "fade" (or "slide" or "regression to the mean" or whatever you want to call it) is that the team got burned out by coach Brian Hill intensity. Whether that's fair or not (the Magic have also dealt with more than their fair share of injuries), now that Orlando has officially slipped out of the playoff picture, there's no denying that Hill's temper is close to a boiling point. After losing to the Kings Saturday night, he had a short fuse Sunday morning. From the Orlando Sentinel:

[W]hen all-star center Dwight Howard was late for the team plane, bound for Miami and Sunday's game against the Heat, Hill had had enough.

He was so upset he basically advised the pilot to put the wheels up and leave Howard behind.

Of course, most of Hill's anger was in frustration and to send a message to Howard.

No way he was going to leave Howard in Orlando and have the Magic face Shaq without him.

According to witnesses, Hill told the pilot, "Let's go!" as Howard pulled up close to the tarmac and was scrambling to make the flight.

Apparently, at least one player quickly got off the plane and said he had left something in his car, a tactic to stall for Howard.

I'm curious who tried to bail out Howard -- I'm guessing it had to be a veteran whom Hill respects too much to scapegoat. Grant Hill? Bo Outlaw? In any case, Howard seems like the most unlikely candidate to finally make Hill explode. I'm sure he's young and makes his share of mistakes, but by all accounts he's an earnest hard worker and one of the best personalities in the entire league. Is going out of the way to make an example out of Howard really the best way to get the team on your side? GM Otis Smith has already given Hill his vote of confidence, but I'm not so sure he'll make it to next season, let alone the remaining three years on his contract.