Dwight Howard is a jokester. (But not really)

Dwight Howard is a funny guy. Whether hes impersonating Stan Van Gundy or Dwight Howard, saving Hannah Storm or dressing up as a homeless man for Halloween, he's always looking for a laugh. So it should surprise no one when he dropped this little gem during his remarks after accepting his third straight defensive player of the year award: "I wanna thank my teammates for allowing their man to get to the basket again, force me to block shots and pick up fouls, sometimes technical fouls. So thanks teammates, you're the best." ZING!

Sound a little harsh? Maybe, but Dwight might just be at the end of his rope with his teammates. It's not hard to see why. Playing alongside numerous suspect defenders, Dwight Howard has been asked to anchor both ends of the floor this year, and especially in the first two games of the playoffs. Apart from his undeniable contribution on the defensive end, tonight he scored 33 points on 9 of 12 shooting. No one else on his team shot better than 50% from the field. Rumors are already seeping out about a potential trade this summer involving Dwight Howard in anticipation of his likely free agency departure at the end of next year. No doubt these rumors will kick into high gear when and if the Magic are bounced from the playoffs early, and one of the main reasons for his apparent dissatisfaction is the poor performance of the players surrounding him.

So even though Howard might have seemed like he was joking, his teammates and the Magic front office should take him seriously. Dead seriously. Despite a string of moves over the last two years that make Mark Cuban look passive by comparison, Dwight is going into games with a decidedly worse supporting cast than he had in 2009 when the Magic went to the NBA finals. The Magic have remained one of the top teams in the east in part due to Howard's own personal growth. His offensive skills and output have increased significantly while he has maintained his defensive dominance. The only knocks on him this year were his suspensions due to technical fouls and the fact that his team finished 4th in the east. His frustration with his teammates and with the refs is understandable (although with officials he needs to reign his emotions better). Otis Smith has the rest of the playoffs and perhaps one more season to convince Dwight Howard to stay. If he can't, it seems likely that no one in Orlando will be laughing.