Just got my latest issue of Esquire last night and read a pretty startling interview with Dwight Howard. He sat down with Scott Raab and discussed many things, including his future in Orlando.

This portion of the interview was, to me, the most heartbreaking:

 

SR: Do you think that the drive to represent, on an iconic level, will be a factor in your free agency? Do you see yourself in a much larger market?

DH: There's more you can do in a bigger place. I'm stuck in a tough position because I feel like right now, where I'm at, I've done so much. And I just don't know what else I can do. I can't live for everybody else. I don't know what decision I'm gonna make as of right now. It's been crazy. Everybody wants me to come here, come play here, come to our team, do this. It's a great feeling, though, to be wanted.

SR: You're gone. I can feel it.

DH: The toughest part for me is the city — the people. They've got burgers named after me in Orlando, they've got a Web site saying, "Please stay." I love the people in the city. I've literally sat on the bench with a towel on my head crying, because I feel the passion in the stands. I just think about what's going to be best for what I want to accomplish in my life. And I don't want that door to close on me, wherever that door is. I don't want it to close.

SR: Just don't do it as an hour-long ESPN special. Please.

DH: That's not me.

Assuming the 2012 season is lost, and he has no intention of staying in Orlando, it makes sense that Howard would start looking to the future now. And it seems his future is in a bigger market. All this talk about doors closing, and not knowing what else he can do, says a lot about his opinion of our city and our team. It also says a lot about the future of our city and our team.