The Summer of 2013 Dwight Howard Circus

the (openly gay) Mayor of Houston, Annise Parker:

Annise Parker ‏@anniseparker 2h

Hey @dwighthoward: we have @jharden13, a great economy, exciting city and super Rockets fans. What are you waiting for?

 

Dallas-Fort Worth-area Raising Cane’s restaurants will kick off a campaign inviting Mavericks fans to help persuade Howard to sign with Dallas. The company has leased six electronic billboards (in Dallas) to help publicize its cooked-up offer to Howard.
Raising Cane’s marketing manager Adam Reed says that if Howard signs with the Mavericks, “he will be welcome to come by any of our (20) local restaurants to enjoy seriously delicious chicken fingers at any time, on us, for the rest of his life.”
Last week, the Lakers had seven billboards posted in the Los Angeles area with a capital-letters plea to Howard to STAY. But if the way to 6-foot-11, 265-pound Howard’s heart is through his stomach, the Mavericks might one-up the Lakers and Houston, which have yet to offer edible inducements, let alone a lifetime supply.

Raising Cane’s press release:
Basketball superstar Dwight Howard stands to earn free chicken finger meals — for life — if he signs a free agent contract to play in Dallas...
“These next few days, Dwight Howard will be making arguably the most important career decision of his life,” said Adam Reed, Marketing Manager at Raising Cane’s. “We have a lot of passionate fans among our Crewmembers in our DFW restaurants, so we thought we’d make Dwight an offer he couldn’t refuse to up the ante for a Dallas-bound decision. We are also calling on every Dallas fan to join us in making the case online, in order to bring the big man to Big D.”
Raising Cane’s has created a special hashtag, #CANES4DWIGHT, that fans can use to join the campaign to recruit Howard to Dallas and bring the championship trophy back where it belongs.
Fans will be entered for a chance to win Free Cane’s for a Year, as well as four tickets to Dallas’ 2013 home opener, each time they use the customized hashtag. The winner will be announced shortly after Howard announces his decision.
Reed was quick to point out that he can’t speak for Cane’s locations outside DFW, but “Should Dwight decide on Dallas as his new home, he will be welcome to come by any of our local restaurants to enjoy seriously delicious chicken fingers at any time, on us, for the rest of his life.”




Hollywood Blvd


Sunset Blvd


Staples Center

 

Magic Johnson:

1 Jul
I hope Kobe, Steve, Coach D'Antoni, Mitch, Jim and Jeanie Buss can get @DwightHoward to stay with the Lakers!

1 Jul
@DwightHoward Stay. #StayD12

 

Clay Danishefsky, who calls himself "a 15-year-old HUGE Laker fan"

3m
I really want @DwightHoward to stay! So bad!

Jul 1
@DwightHoward We, the city of L.A. have one message for you: We Love You Dwight! #StayD12

30 Jun
A letter from me to @DwightHoward. Please RT and hopefully he will see it. #StayD12

 

Now Keith Sullins of a Houston restaurant company that owns Papa John's locations, Genghis Grill, Egg and I, and Firehouse Sub has announced on CSN Houston's SportsTalk Live that Dwight can have
"All he wants, no charge, forever," Sullins said.

"Dwight, if you pick Houston,
we're going to start you off
with the Egg and I, the best
breakfast in town," Sullins
said. "You're going to love the
Egg and I. Lunch, we're going
to head on over to Firehouse
Subs. You're going to have all
the subs you can eat. Dinner,
we're going to go over to my
Genghis Grill - finish up with
a little stir fry. And then
midnight, we're going to be
bringing some (Papa John's)
pizzas to you.

In addition:
The Kolache Factory has
already promised Howard free
kolaches for his Rockets career
if he signs with Houston.

 

The Lakers continued their "#STAYD12" campaign by commissioning a billboard with Howard's likeness to be mounted on the back on a flatbed truck that was seen driving down the 405 freeway in L.A. today

 

Skip Bayless:

"Dwight Howard has gotten more attention for delivering less than any NBA player ever."

 

the Orlando Sentinel is not happy. they published this:

"Has anyone not had dinner with Dwight Howard yet? You should be embarrassed. Dwight Howard is accepting all invites apparently...He left bloody knife imprints on Stan Van Gundy and the Orlando Magic organization, and is almost assuredly going to do it again to the famed Los Angeles Lakers brand.

So which NBA team is he going to screw up next? There are four contenders besides the Lakers: Golden State, Dallas, Houston and Atlanta. The smart money is on Houston...Houston We Have a Problem. Howard is a problem of gigantic proportions...because of his ego. He doesn’t do accountability, never has. As former Orlando magic teammate J.J. Redick once said: “I'd be more surprised when Dwight starts taking responsibility.” ... Dwight will have none of that. He just wants people to continue groveling at his greatness. And there’s been plenty of that lately as Howard decides which team he is going to screw up next.

The most idiotic move comes from a chicken finger chain restaurant in Dallas offering Howard free chicken fingers for the rest of his life if he signs with the Mavericks. The Lakers, in particular, have embarrassed themselves by putting up billboards and banners in the LA area _ including the Staples Center _ with a large photo of Dwight and the phrase “#STAYD12.”

Been there, done that, and have the StayDwight.com memorabilia to prove it.

Sadly for all the teams in the groveling sweepstakes, the people on Twitter have a better perspective on the saga of “Dwightmare, the Sequel.” Let’s have a peek:
...
“SOURCE: The #Rockets took Dwight Howard out to lunch, and over 2 hours later, he's still deciding what he wants to order. Everyone else ate and left.”
...
“Anyone else hoping for a Dwight Howard "The Decision" but set at a Chucky Cheese but with strippers?”
...
I suppose there is a good reason to embrace Howard as a star in the NBA.

But it’s not about NBA championships.

It’s about comic relief.

 

per ESPN's J.A. Adande "Dwight Howard has already spoken on the phone with Jack Nicholson about remaining with the Lakers"