"The club official had ended the group interview, but I walked alongside Dwight Howard as he left the Orlando Magic locker room late Friday night and introduced myself as a reporter from Los Angeles.

He stopped. He suddenly had time for one more question.

"How does it feel to know that folks in my town are hoping they can watch you do this every night?" I said.

"I understand," he said, smiling down, his eyes twinkling through his horn-rimmed glasses. "And I'm really pleased to meet you."

Thus ended a glorious open house for basketball's most valuable — and available — property, Howard purposely stopping to chat with a guy from Los Angeles after spending three hours dominating a bunch of other guys from Los Angeles.

Lakers, have you seen enough? Jim Buss, do you finally understand?

After Friday night's 92-80 loss to the Magic, if the Lakers still don't feel that trading for Dwight Howard would be a good deal, they deserve to be blocked into the third row.

You don't think this guy could help salvage the Lakers' season and set the course for their future?

Flying up and down the Amway Center floor Friday, he scored 21 points, grabbed 23 rebounds, blocked a shot, stole a pass, played all but 21/2 minutes, and his coach only shrugged.

"These are the kind of things he's been doing night in and night out," Stan Van Gundy said. "We're sort of used to this by now."

You don't think this guy is in a different league than Andrew Bynum?"