Dwight Howard Tells ESPN He Never Ordered The Code Red

It’s been seven days since Dwight Howard and Stan Van Gundy gave basketball fans the most uncomfortable interview in history, and now Dwight would like to explain himself. The toothpaste is out of the tube and there’s no putting it back in, but watching Dwight try is its own sort of spectacle.

So, did he ask for Stan Van Gundy to be fired?

“I saw some stuff come out where it was said, from sources, that I demanded that Stan get out of there. And I was like, ‘That’s crazy’. ... I haven’t said anything this season -- to anybody in management about, you know, you need to do this with Stan, or vice versa; they never said we’ll do this for you. ... Have I said it before? Ahh . . . Being upset, yea, I’ve said it, you know, but I’ve always come back and said I’ll do a better job, I’ll take more of a hit, I’ll lead better, I’ll do everything I can to get better.”

Okay, come on.

It’s one thing to deny you asked him to be fired, but now we’re supposed to believe Dwight -- the guy who’s openly questioned his teammates’ effort while holding management hostage all year long -- went to management and said, “I’ll take more of a hit.” REALLY, DWIGHT? WORD?

Sorta undercuts everything else he said. You can read the full transcript here.

I just hope people keep asking him about this until one day he finally snaps on someone like Hannah Storm or Michelle Tafoya. It’s all fun and games until one day the cuddly seven footer turns into Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, cursing out a horrified SportsCenter anchor. YOU WANT DWIGHT ON THAT WALL FIRING COACHES, YOU NEED DWIGHT ON THAT WALL FIRING COACHES.