Dwight Howard

DWIGHT HOWARD participated in his first practice with the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday in El Segundo, Calif., going through a lengthy workout with no apparent concerns about his surgically repaired back. Howard worked out with the Lakers' new starting five during much of the afternoon practice at the Lakers' training complex, running offensive drills with Steve Nash and playing a little one-on-one against Pau Gasol. After finishing up the workout with drills in the Lakers' new Princeton-inflected offense, he got a few quick pointers from Kobe Bryant.

CHARLES BARKLEY has an opinion on just about everything. And, apparently, a short memory. On Monday, Barkley appeared on the "Dan Patrick Show" and said that Lakers center Dwight Howard should tell off meddlesome teammate Kobe Bryant. Bryant has said on several occasions that Howard should stop complaining about playing with a shoulder injury. "He should have already told Kobe Bryant to shut the hell up by now, or [tell him he's going to] kick his ass" Barkley said. "He should have done that by now because, as a man, there's only so many times you can call me out publicly.

The Orlando Magic demonstrate the importance of having an inside and outside game. The 76ers aren't known for their performance in either of those areas. Combining the best of both worlds, the Magic produced a 115-99 win over the Sixers last night at Amway Arena. Orlando (35-22) is never bashful about chucking three-pointers. The Magic shot 15 for 33 from beyond the arc; the Sixers went 3 for 13. "When you're scoring the ball in the half-court set, you have to be able to shoot the ball, you have to get dribble penetration," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said.

When the 76ers decided to promote good soldier Tony DiLeo to the general manager's post after what on the surface appeared to be an exemplary performance in helping to rebuild the Sixers on the fly, some thought it wasn't sexy enough. They wanted the newest thing - the analytic - that guy who would go all Billy Beane on the organization, pop some numbers into equations that only a small minority of basketball people believe in, and spit out a world champion. This is apparently the plan in Houston, where general manager Daryl Morey - widely regarded as the Dalai Lama of hoops analytics - continues to orchestrate what looks like an unchecked tail-chasing mission that has been going on ever since he was named general manager there five years ago. Morey, who inherited a 52-win team in 2007, is the poster boy for reasons not to position an analytic as the basketball-operations rubber stamp, and further proof that the Sixers, still looking to add an analytic in a significantly smaller role, made the right decision in hiring DiLeo rather than the next would-be boy genius.

No NBA general manager who wants to get his roster from Point A to Point B ever begins that process by trying to construct a four-team trade. Simple is best and that is certainly what Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak was shooting for last summer when Dwight Howard made it clear he would be leaving the Orlando Magic for the Lakers and only the Lakers and you guys in the suits figure out how that's going to happen. The true superstars of the game can dictate their paths that way, using the blackmail of their impending unhappiness as leverage.

Dwyane Wade scored 41 points and the Miami Heat remained in first place in the Southeast Division by holding off the visiting Washington Wizards last night, 90-76. It's the second time Wade has topped 40 this season, both against Washington; he scored 40 last Wednesday in the nation's capital. "We didn't want to lose this game," said Wade. "When you've got a team that's not playing as well and in disarray, you've got to take advantage of it. " Mario Chalmers hit a three-pointer that put Miami up by eight points with 1 minute, 47 seconds remaining in regulation.

Opening on Team USA? Dwight Howard said he might not play for USA Basketball at the world championships. It was the first time he has publicly wavered about playing in the games in Turkey scheduled from Aug. 28 to Sept. 12. He'd stayed firm on his commitment even as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and other stars expressed doubts. Howard said he would let USA Basketball know his intentions "soon. " Hair-raising action You may have noticed that Orlando forward Mickael Pietrus was wearing his hair long, and he had good reason.

Rashard Lewis made the go-ahead layup with 1.3 seconds remaining, and the Orlando Magic overcame a 16-point deficit to beat the visiting Boston Celtics, 96-94, last night. Lewis took the ball after a broken play and sprinted down the baseline past Kevin Garnett for an uncontested layup. Rasheed Wallace missed a three-pointer at the buzzer, giving the Magic their second victory in three games against the Celtics this season. Dwight Howard overcame early foul trouble to finish with 19 points and 10 rebounds, including 11 points in the fourth quarter.

The NBA's most-decorated team avoided the biggest playoff collapse in league history and earned a chance to hang an unprecedented 18th championship banner from the rafters. Paul Pierce had 31 points and 13 rebounds, and little-used backup Nate Robinson gave the Celtics a boost with 13 second-quarter points as Boston beat visiting the Orlando Magic, 96-84, last night, earning a chance to play for a second NBA title in 3 years. The finals will begin Thursday in either Los Angeles or Phoenix.

Tonight, the 76ers open the 2009-2010 season against the team that ended the last season: the Orlando Magic, 2008-09 Eastern Conference champs. The Sixers practiced yesterday at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine before flying to Florida. Tonight's game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off at Amway Arena. Orlando, led by all-star center Dwight Howard, has three other current or former all-stars on its roster: Forward Rashard Lewis, guard Vince Carter, and point guard and former Saint Joseph's University star, Jameer Nelson.

No NBA general manager who wants to get his roster from Point A to Point B ever begins that process by trying to construct a four-team trade. Simple is best and that is certainly what Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak was shooting for last summer when Dwight Howard made it clear he would be leaving the Orlando Magic for the Lakers and only the Lakers and you guys in the suits figure out how that's going to happen. The true superstars of the game can dictate their paths that way, using the blackmail of their impending unhappiness as leverage.

Dwyane Wade scored 23 points Tuesday night as the Miami Heat extended their winning streak to 19 games by beating the visiting Atlanta Hawks, 98-81. LeBron James added 15 points for the Heat, who matched the fifth-longest streak in NBA history. They will try for their 20th consecutive win on Wednesday when they visit the 76ers to start a five-game trip. Only three teams have won at least 20 straight games in the same season: the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (33), the 2007-08 Houston Rockets (22)

The Los Angeles Lakers routed the Chicago Bulls, 90-81, at home to improve to 33-31. It marks the first time this season they have been two games over .500. The Lakers also moved a half-game ahead of the Utah Jazz and into sole possession of the No. 8 playoff spot in the Western Conference. The win was a team effort for the hosts: Dwight Howard had 16 points and 21 rebounds; Kobe Bryant finished 19 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds; and Steve Nash chipped in 16 points. They led by as many as 18 points in the third period.

THE ONLY TRADE involving Dwight Howard, it turns out, came last summer. The potent scorers who moved did so long ago. There was no eye-catching activity left for deadline day, resulting in minor deals Thursday to the disappointment of those hoping for a frenzy. Josh Smith stayed put and the Boston Celtics' core stayed together, leaving J.J. Redick, dealt to Milwaukee, as the biggest name to be traded. "I don't think I've seen fewer trade deadline deals, ever," Houston general manager Daryl Morey said.

If Kobe Bryant's season seems tough, imagine what Dwyane Wade went through five years ago. "I came to all-star weekend one year, I think we had won nine games. Seriously," Wade said Friday. "I was looking for my 10th win at the All-Star Game. " Things sure have changed for his Miami Heat. Back where they first teamed up as all-stars in 2006, Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh return as NBA champions who will start together for the Eastern Conference on Sunday night. Now the misery belongs to Bryant, Dwight Howard, and the Los Angeles Lakers, whose season has been so disappointing that Bryant was asked Friday if the all-star weekend was a "retreat" for him. "I don't know if it's a retreat, it's just more of an opportunity to get some rest, regroup, put the first half of the season behind us and move on," he said.

CHARLES BARKLEY has an opinion on just about everything. And, apparently, a short memory. On Monday, Barkley appeared on the "Dan Patrick Show" and said that Lakers center Dwight Howard should tell off meddlesome teammate Kobe Bryant. Bryant has said on several occasions that Howard should stop complaining about playing with a shoulder injury. "He should have already told Kobe Bryant to shut the hell up by now, or [tell him he's going to] kick his ass" Barkley said. "He should have done that by now because, as a man, there's only so many times you can call me out publicly.

I CAN'T RECALL, off the top of my head, the last time a trade worked out so badly for the teams that supposedly acquired the best players. When the Sixers and Los Angeles Lakers got together with the Orlando Magic and Denver Nuggets to pull off a complicated, multiplayer deal in August, the assumption was that the Lakers had made a coup by stealing All-Star center Dwight Howard from the Magic and that the Sixers had made a strong leap forward in...

Shortly after the trade that brought Andrew Bynum to the 76ers was consummated, Nikola Vucevic received a phone call that roused him from sleep. It was Sixers coach Doug Collins, Vucevic said. "We talked and had a good conversation. He wished me good luck and told me that he wished he could coach me. " There were no hard feelings on his part, recounted Vucevic, reached by phone earlier this month. The 7-foot Montenegrin center, drafted by the Sixers with the 16th overall pick in 2011, understood completely that Collins wanted to play players he felt he could trust late in the season and in the playoffs.

The Atlanta Hawks snapped a six-game road losing streak with a 104-92 win Wednesday night over the Charlotte Bobcats. Josh Smith had 30 points and 13 rebounds, and Kyle Korver added 21 for the Hawks, who led most of the way by a comfortable margin. Charlotte cut the lead to seven with 5 minutes and 40 seconds remaining, but that would be it.   Howard leaving L.A.?   In yet another setback for the sinking Lakers, word is that a disgruntled Dwight Howard may not be staying in Los Angeles.

WASHINGTON - Has it come to this? After Friday night's 102-96 win over the woebegone Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center, Kobe Bryant couldn't contain his excitement. "I actually am happy to win one damn game," the Los Angeles Lakers superstar said, laughing. And he wasn't kidding. That win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Lakers, who take a 10-14 record into the Wells Fargo Center to face the 76ers at 6 p.m. Sunday. A team that won back-to-back NBA titles as recently as 2009 and 2010 was happy for a win over a Wizards team that has played all year without injured guard John Wall and fell to 3-17 heading into Saturday's game at Miami.