The Orlando Magic were gifted a 6'11, 240-pound Christmas goose when Dwight Howard declared late Thursday that he would waive his early termination option and remain under contract through the 2012-13 season. Magic executives were so full of glee, reports John Denton of team-run OrlandoMagic.com, that they met the squad at the airport at 3 a.m. Denton reports that Howard wanted to sign the ETO waiver right then and there.

The Magic told him to sleep on it.

Denton calls the move "classy." Others might call it "deluded," "naive" or "absolutely stupid in every possible way." Howard, you see, hasn't exactly shown a willingness to make a decision and stick with it over the last six months or so. He changed his mind on the ETO waiver three times on Wednesday alone, at least according to the reports that surfaced throughout the day. To be given a window to lock him in and tell him to sleep on it is akin to the horror flick killer who sabotages himself with a grand soliloquy while holding a knife to the protagonist's throat.

Stay tuned to find out whether the Magic executives who told Howard to sleep on it let their mark get away. The trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET.