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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Just because basketball fans around the world have become enamored with the star-studded Miami Heat doesn't mean Magic center Dwight Howard will be joining in the fun, too.He is tired of the topic.
Much like his team CEO did a few days before, Howard refused to bow down before the Three Kings of Miami Monday, expressing some of the same skepticism that others around the league have shown.
Showing some obvious distaste at all the hoopla over the state rival from South Florida, Howard first declined to even discuss his opinions about the Heat, then later expressed some limited feelings in an e-mail to FanHouse.
"The Miami Heat is another team like any other, and they all need to win games. They put together an amazing team, and they'll win a lot of games, but nobody in the league is a sure winner,'' Howard said.
During a break at his third annual kids basketball camp at the University of Central Florida, he also said his team would not be pushed into personnel moves specifically to combat the new-look Heat. His camp, which includes more than 400 kids this week, is part of his Big Change for Kids campaign.
"You don't build teams to beat a single team (like Miami),'' he said. "You build teams to win championships.''
Howard, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year, has led the Magic to back-to-back 59-win seasons, losing to the Lakers in the NBA Finals in 2008, then losing to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals in 2009.
Howard was in China doing promotional work earlier this month before coming home to Orlando, but he heard more than he wanted about the Heat while he was there. The Heat have stolen the spotlight from the rest of the league by signing free agents LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
"If you ask me questions about the Miami Heat, I will not be answering them,'' he told a media gathering at his camp, which he repeated a few minutes later. "Please. I was in China for two weeks. That's all I got asked about. What do you think of the Big Three? There's a Big Two in Orlando: Stan (Van Gundy) and Patrick (Ewing).''
Howard sounded disappointed that the Magic opted not to re-sign forward Matt Barnes, whom he helped recruit the summer before. Barnes signed with the Lakers after the Magic opted not to make him an offer.
"I was hurt that some of our people signed with other teams,'' Howard said, referring to Barnes. "I just want the players returning to understand if we want to win a championship, we've all got to be on the same page. And every guy has to man-up.''
Howard had little response to a question concerning the trade talks between the Magic and Hornets that still could involve bringing Chris Paul to Orlando.
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