VINCENT BONSIGNORE on the NBA: Wait of the world on Howard heading... - Los Angeles Daily News

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Carmelo Anthony strolled past the swarm of reporters gathered around Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard on Friday and smiled knowingly.

Make that knowingly, thankfully and with a touch of understanding.

"Your turn," Anthony told Howard.

The implication was clear.

Much like the side show Anthony created at last year's All-Star Game in Los Angeles after demanding to be traded from the Denver Nuggets, a similar drama is playing out with Howard in Orlando, the site of this year's All-Star bash.

Last year Anthony backed the Nuggets into a corner with his trade-me-or-else demand, threatening to walk as a free agent if Denver didn't deal him to the team of his choice.

All-Star weekend turned into the Melodrama, the rumors and speculation about his future whereabouts dominating the scene.

A few days after the All-Star Game, Anthony was on his way to the New York Knicks, his preferred destination all along.

Denver blinked, Anthony got his wish, and the directions of two franchises were forever altered.

Now comes Howard, who made a similar demand of the Magic.

Trade me to Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago or New Jersey, he told them, or lose me next summer when my contract expires.

It's the en vogue way star players force their way into ideal situations these days. Chris Paul did the same thing when he told the New Orleans Hornets he wouldn't sign a contract extension this summer, paving the way

But unlike the Hornets, the Magic have refused Howard's wishes thus far.

The consensus is the Magic wanted to hold on to Howard at least through the All-Star Game, trying to avoid an even wilder scene by dealing Howard only to have him return this weekend in a different uniform.

So he remains in Orlando indefinitely, although his eventual departure seems certain.

"I don't want even to imagine (that situation)," Paul said.

And it's made for an uneasy, edging feeling in Orlando.

Instead of celebrating the world's best basketball players gathering for the next three days in central Florida, the anxiousness of losing Howard is bubbling to the surface.

A divorce appears imminent, but rather than ruin a great bash they'll wait to make the breakup official until after the party ends.

So they put on a happy face and push everything else to the side.

"The situation right now is All-Star weekend," Howard said Friday during a 35-minute news conference. "That's the only thing that matters right now. This is the moment. This is All-Star weekend. We're going to have fun and we're going to enjoy ourselves."

He repeatedly referred to Orlando as "our" city and said he was proud of what the franchise has done since he joined the Magic as the first pick in the 2004 draft.

"We made it to the Finals, we've had some great years," he said.

And he was complimentary of Magic fans, insisting the ones he talks to wish him the best no matter what happens.

"You know, a lot of the fans here say, whatever you decide, we're behind you 100 percent," Howard said. "They've been great, despite what people may say or think. The fans have always been great to me, showed me nothing but love from day one."

Clearly, Howard is accepting his role as the official Orlando ambassador, pointing out the best restaurants, hosting parties and extolling the virtues of the host city.

But it's an awkward position to say the least.

Fact is he might not be here much longer, not with the trade deadline looming March 15 and Howard yet to back down from his demands.

But he's trying not to be a distraction, refusing all questions pertaining to his future.

"That stuff can go on after All-Star weekend," Howard said. "But for right now, my focus is on having a great time, being a great host to all these great players that you see around us."

That all changes Monday morning.

And when it does, the Magic have a big decision to make.

Trade the best center in basketball for 70 cents on the dollar or hold firm and take their chances on re-signing him this summer.

The stakes are enormous.

If the Magic can somehow talk Howard back into the fold and get him to sign an extension - something few people believe will happen - they retain a cornerstone piece to build around into the future.

If they deal him for less than he's worth, the franchise takes a major step backward and it might take years for them to rebuild around the new pieces.

And if they hold firm and lose him for nothing this summer, it will be the second time in 16 years the Magic watched the best center in the game turn their back on them and get nothing in return.

When Shaquille O'Neal left Orlando to sign with the Lakers in 1996, it took years for the Magic to pick up the pieces and return to relevance.

Meanwhile, the rest of the league is on hold.

The Lakers are hesitant to make a move until the Howard situation gets cleared up, wary of parting with trade assets that can be used to acquire Howard.

Similar situations play out in Chicago, New Jersey and Dallas, everyone waiting to see what Orlando does with Howard before plotting their own next moves.

It's a difficult situation for everyone, although to his credit Howard has been the ultimate professional while leading the Magic to the third-best record in the Eastern Conference while averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds per game.

"He's still dominating games," Paul said. "That's what he does."

If the situation is affecting him, Howard is doing a great job of not letting it alter his performance.

"Have you seen his shoulders?" Miami heat star LeBron James asked. "They're pretty big. He can handle it."

Still, the clock is ticking on Howard's stay in Orlando.

He'll make the best of it the next few days, and so will an anxious city.

But for the guests who have descended here, it makes for an uncomfortable weekend.

vincent.bonsignore@dailynews.com