Howard is only 24 years old. He's probably got a decade, if not more, ahead of him in which to cement himself as a champion in the NBA. But he's had plenty of chances already, and you have to wonder how many he needs before he can finally get it done.
This is the fourth consecutive spring that Orlando's Superman has carried the Magic into the Eastern Conference playoffs. He's only made it out of the East once, and he's yet to win the whole enchilada.
In 2007, one and done.
In '08, out of the first round but knocked out in the East semis by a strong Detroit Pistons team.
In '09, Howard and the Magic beat Boston and Cleveland in succession in the East playoffs, advancing to the Finals, but were slammed by Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in five games.
Again, he's only 24. But he's been the most dominating big man in the game for some time now, and if we've learned anything from the past decade and a half in the NBA, it's that dominating big men win championships.
We just witnessed a nine-year period in the NBA where either Shaquille O'Neal or Tim Duncan ended up in the Finals every single spring. Shaq now has four rings; Duncan has four as well. Both are still alive and kicking.
Hakeem Olajuwon won two titles. Alonzo Mourning, who played with Shaq in 2006, won one. David Robinson, who played with Duncan in '03, has a ring too.
Eventually, every big man worth the size-19 sneakers he's wearing wins a championship in this league. That's just the way it works. If you have an imposing big man in the middle, you should have what it takes to win. And if you don't, something's wrong.
It's ironic — the two most notable ringless big men of the last 15 years are teammates, of sorts. Howard is leading Orlando's charge into the East playoffs again this spring, and Patrick Ewing is on the bench with the Magic, as an assistant coach and a mentor to Howard.
Maybe someday, they'll both taste Finals glory. But at the moment, the Magic are down 2-0 to the surging Celtics, and it's starting to look like it's not their year. They're running out of time to turn that perception around.
There's hope for Howard in the future — how could there not be? All the components are in place. He's surrounded by teammates who are good shooters, good defenders and good character guys. He's well coached, both by Ewing and Stan Van Gundy. He's got a good attitude, a good work ethic and a devout fan base behind him.
With all that going for him, how can he not win?
For all the talk we've heard — especially in the past week — about LeBron James' inability to win a championship, it's surprising we've heard so little of that same treatment leveled at Dwight Howard. Howard is less than a year younger. He's equally gifted athletically. You could argue he's more mature, and you could definitely say he's had better supporting casts around him.
But for whatever reason, LeBron has been anointed as the NBA's chosen one, and he gets all the negative attention that comes with it. Howard flies (no Superman pun intended) under the radar, and when he loses, he gets off scot-free.
In the coming days (or perhaps weeks), one of two things will happen. Either Dwight Howard will answer the call and win a championship, or maybe we'll have to take a look at his resume and think about what's missing.
