Magic Wands: November 14, 2008

-The world famous Dunking Dancers took their show to Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., for the national champions' Midnight Madness. I have always found the Dunking Dancers hit or miss. Something about launching yourself off a trampoline to dunk the ball seems a whole lot of fun though.

-Courtney Lee is apparently not doing too bad, according to David Thorpe. He is slowly climbing his Rookie Rankings. Hopefully it means he will get to see the court.

-Trevor Ariza is playing well. He certainly is no Maurice Evans and Brian Cook. Ariza of course is averaging 9.4 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game. Evans is not on Orlando any more and Cook is buried on the bench.

-Power Rankings Watch: I know these come out at the beginning of the week. But the Magic climbed in both the ESPN and NBA.com power rankings. And Dwight Howard is holding steady at No. 6 on ESPN NBA Awards Watch. He also leads their tally for Defensive Player of the Year. Now if only, the Magic could play defense as a team. And there is finally enough data for John Hollinger to rev up his Power Ranking machine. The Magic premier at 17.

-A really good look at Josh Childress' life in Greece from Mark Schwarz. Looks like it might not be a viable option for NBA players. Not until entire leagues become financially viable, at least.

-The economy is tough. Let the New Jersey Nets help you. Anyway you can get the butts in the seats. Actually Northwestern University is throwing a similar promotion for college students in December. They will have several businesses in the arena to meet with students and others around the area in a Networking Night.