Only one real solution to dealing with the size of Howard and Magic

There is only one workable solution to the Bulls' Dwight Howard problem:

Get bigger and better this summer to the point where they have a realistic chance to compete with the Orlando Magic.

Trying to commit a hard foul in response to the two Derrick Rose absorbed from Howard is a nice fantasy for Bulls fans, but there's not much chance it will work.

There are certain privileges to having such an imposing physical specimen on your team, and dishing out more physical contact than you receive is one of them.

In fact, Brad Miller tried committing a hard foul in the Feb. 10 game at the United Center. Miller swung his arms down from behind to prevent a dunk. Howard flailed his arms in response and ended up giving Miller a semi-intentional shot to the mouth.

Rose missed a game for the first time this season Friday, sitting out the Bulls' 108-95 loss to Miami with a sprained left wrist. The injury happened after a heavy-duty collision with Howard in the first quarter of Thursday's game in Orlando.

The next day, Rose refused to blame Howard for his injury, even though a similar collision and hard fall on Feb. 10 knocked Rose out with a sore hip. The ensuing all-star break gave Rose enough time to recover without missing a game.

"I'm not angry at all. It's just basketball," Rose said in Miami. "People get hurt like this all the time."

One distasteful byproduct of these two incidents is how Howard claimed he never did anything to try to injure Rose, then a sentence later bragged about the bad things that can happen when you mess with the Man of Steel.

"I think if you hit something that doesn't move, you usually end up falling," Howard said after Thursday's game.

Howard even claimed he has been lecturing Rose on how not to get hurt in future encounters with Howard.

"I always tell him, 'If you come down the lane, always come off two feet,' " Howard said. "That way you'll be on balance. You come off one (foot), all it takes is for somebody's body to hit you and you're going to fall."

That doesn't seem like very practical advice for one of the most athletic guards in the game. Rose himself acknowledged that it's not easy to finish a drive through the lane with both feet on the ground.

"Usually when I am going that fast it is hard to gather up with two feet," Rose said. "I was just trying to make the easiest play as possible. You are going to get hit when you go to the hole."

Rose should realize, though, that this is no time to be stubborn. Avoiding another injury is a better option than proving you have the guts to keep getting to the basket. Rose has to pick his spots, and meeting Howard in midair is one to decline.

Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy stated a straight-faced belief that Howard didn't even foul Rose on Thursday. But that's just coaching gamesmanship. There is no chance Van Gundy really believes that.

This point has no doubt been preached and practiced for months in Magic camp: With Howard on the floor, no opposing player should be allowed to drive all the way to the rim.

Howard knows the perception among league officials is as long as he keeps his arms up, he can hit an opponent as hard as he can and it won't be ruled a flagrant foul. The violence of Thursday's collision can be measured by the gasp that could be heard from fans at the arena.

In contrast, Miller had his feet on the ground and was essentially standing still when he hit Dwyane Wade in the fourth quarter of Friday's game. But since Miller threw his arm out at about a 150-degree angle, it was ruled flagrant.

The Bulls are going to keep playing Orlando three or four times every season and may meet up in the playoffs soon.

So first the Bulls need to get some help on the inside, then there is nothing wrong with Rose choosing to shoot a floater instead of getting knocked over for a third time.