Friday, August 28, 2009

Magic Wands: August 28, 2009

-Ever wonder where your mascot sits in the evolutionary chain? Now you can find out.

-Think the officiating was bad in the postseason? Just wait until the NBA locks out the current referees and they have to bring in subs. It would not be pretty if the NBA has to go a long time without the high-level officials they have now.

-Mapping Orlando's success over the year.

-So much for Courtney Lee sulking about his trade to New Jersey. Now, according to NBA FanHouse he is committing himself to proving the Magic wrong and making them regret trading him away. I know we all hope he does well... but not all-time Magic killer, trade-regretting well.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

That Team Mentality

The Finals have come and gone. We have all gone through our withdrawals and our depression -- some are still getting through it. It is still tough to watch Kobe Bryant dancing before every SportsCenter and it is even tougher watching Games 2 and 4 when they air on NBATV.

Lock them away with Game 1 of the 1995 Finals and Game 6 and 7 of the 2003 First Round in the annals of missed Playoff opportunities.

But I bring up this heartbreak because yesterday was a very special day -- and the very special shirt that I bought when I went to Amway Arena for my first Magic Finals game in 14 years.

Yesterday was Stan Van Gundy's 50th birthday. Hard to believe he has made it that long without some sort of heart problem considering the way he carries himself on the sidelines. But here's to another healthy 50 years, Stan.

Van Gundy can be considered the team's greatest head coach for sure. But what has gotten Van Gundy to that point. Besides the record.

That brings me to the shirt I got to remember the Finals.

I went to Game Four after flying home from school for the end of the year the day before. I knew I needed an official Finals shirt to remember the occasion. The only shirt I have left from 1995 was a print of The Orlando Sentinel front page after the Magic won the Eastern Conference Finals. It no longer fits me, to say the least.

The shirt that caught my eye at the Orlando Magic store at the arena was a group of all the jerseys on the team arranged around the Finals logo with the traditional trimmings saying it was the Magic and that they were Eastern Conference Champions.

It is a sweet shirt. And I am a little upset they marked it down with the Finals over. No fun if you buy it after the fact, I say.

But what does it say that this was the shirt to choose of all the others at Amway Arena?

I think it goes to what Stan Van Gundy has done as a head coach. Van Gundy has done what every good coach does: get the best out of his individuals. More than that, he has gotten them to commit to a team mentality that only the good teams have.

Sure, he has his quirks. But Stan Van Gundy is a team-first guy and has built a team mentality with the Magic.

Whenever I wear that shirt, I think about what each player contributed to the team (and confuse Tyronn Lue's No. 10 for Keith Bogans' No. 10). That is why the Magic got to the Finals. They were the great sum of its parts.

So happy birthday Stan. I know you deserve your vacation. But it's time to get this team a ring.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Magic Wands: August 21, 2009

-Orlando has released its new ticket sales motto. Simple, appealing, encouraging: BE MAGIC. Not "Are You Ready For This." Not "Heart & Hustle." But if it wins you a title, it wins you a title. The wallpapers look sweet though.

-21 reasons to buy NBA League Pass from DIME Magazine.

-A lot of dead-time summer talk about retiring jerseys. If you have not read the series over at 3rd Quarter Collapse, they break down the arguments for retiring Penny Hardaway, Darrell Armstrong, Nick Anderson and Shaquille O'Neal. Really good stuff.

-The most intriguing argument for Magic fans is Nick Anderson. No doubt he holds a dear place in the hearts for many Magic fans. But how good was he really. Whit Watson of Sun Sports talked with Jordi of the Serious Tip and the truth is, in 1994-95, Anderson was pretty good.

-How's this for a "Shaq vs."? Apparently O'Neal took the idea from Steve Nash and Mr. Nash was not very happy about it.

-Orlando set records with 3-point shooting last year. But they are just the poster child of a growing trend in the NBA.

-Carlos Arroyo, rap superstar.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Orlando and selfishness

One thing has amazed me about Orlando since Stan Van Gundy took over as head coach. You can see it every time the Magic play and it is probably the key to their success.

It is simple really. The ball goes into Dwight Howard, he tries to bully his way to the hoop only to be double-teamed and dishes back out to Hedo Turkoglu. Turkoglu is fairly open and you would not blame him for taking the shot but with a defender rotating over to try and distract the sharpshooter, he fires it over the Jameer Nelson at the top of the key.

Now Nelson is WIDE open and easily drains a three -- or even worse for a defender, feeds the ball quickly to Rashard Lewis for an open three in the corner. There is simply nothing you can do about this kind of ball movement.

And it is something Orlando does incredibly well.

Back in May, Hardwood Paroxysm published this incredible analysis of "selfishness". I saved the link because it was something incredibly interesting pertaining to the Magic. Orlando is, as Stan Van Gundy has admitted, an incredibly unselfish team. And the stats even bear that out.

A lot of Orlando's big guns from last season rank above a 5.0 in unselfishness (that means they pass the ball and set others up to score). Turkoglu is noticeably low, but Howard is high, Marcin Gortat is high. And even Jameer Nelson comes in around a 6.0.

I don't know how much stock you can put in these stats, but that is something that definitely has separated the Magic team of the past two years from oh so many teams in the past. That ability to make the extra pass to find the better shot it what separates the good teams from the great teams.

Certainly things have changed with the roster overhaul (and it can be considered an overhaul) this summer. The Magic are still going to be the free-wheeling 3-point shooting team they have been, but it won't be all the time. The roster necessitates that there will be more traditional looks out there.

But Stan Van Gundy made an interesting observation during the team's introduction of free agent signing Jason Williams (a signing I am so indifferent toward that I don't think it deserves a full analysis).

Van Gundy said last year's team was characterized by this quality of unselfishness. But this year's team has a better collection of passes.

What exactly does that mean?

It might mean less three-point shooting and more playmaking -- drives and dish or drives and drop ins to Gortat, Howard and Brandon Bass.

Van Gundy has done a great job molding this roster and unlocking the best in every player. I am sure he will do the same with this roster to utilize every attribute available on the roster.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Jameer Nelson and the Family Band

Now is the dead time in the NBA schedule -- if there is one. The schedule is out, free agency has quieted and everyone is in a holding pattern until training camps open in late September (a scant six weeks away).

The endless prognosticating has begun as The Orlando Sentinel talked to several "experts" about how the Eastern Conference will shake out.

The big concern it seems in the Magic's third place finish in the Sentinel's poll is how the team will come together with so many new pieces. That is an admitted concern seeing that there will be two new members to the starting lineup and many new players coming off the bench.

Before Rashard Lewis' suspension, I thought the first month of the season would tell us how the team was coming together and whether the title was realistic this year or for the christening of the Amway Center -- let alone for both years.

Now with Lewis out for the first 10 games, Orlando is going to have to band together quickly again and gel to keep up with what I am sure will be fast starts from Cleveland and Boston.

Chemistry will go a long way.

Building that chemistry starts this week in Philadelphia.

It will not get mentioned anywhere outside of Orlando, but it is probably the most significant week for the team and its development. In a week in Nelson's hometown and at his expense, Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis and most of the other members of the team will work out together, play together and bond together.

This is not the fake picture-taking of the LeBron James gang or the intense scare and love-me-because-you-fear-me camaraderie of Kevin Garnett's band. This is where the Magic get their spunk and become a family.

I have never really heard of a team doing something like this. And entering its third or fourth year, it has truly become a success. Something the team looks forward to and the reason why Nelson has become the true captain of the team.

A lot of questions about Orlando will be solved this week behind the closed doors of a gym, weight room and paint ball facility. It is where the team truly becomes a team.

And where the road to a title truly begins.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Magic Wands: August 14, 2009

-The last time Brian Hill was coaching in the playoffs, Detroit was sending him home. Now the Palace of Auburn Hills is his home as an assistant coach with John Kuester.

-Whether we like it or not, the idea of corporate sponsors on NBA jerseys is slowly becoming a reality. A very good breakdown of how sponsorships work in European soccer and what it could mean for the NBA at Cowbell Kingdom.

-A New Jersey state senator is suggesting the state government stop paying subsidies to local sports teams unless they show their Jersey Pride. Apparently the Nets are removing the words "New Jersey" from their road jerseys. Brings up an interesting thought in the debate for corporate sponsors on NBA jerseys.

-Hedo Turkoglu wants to be an All Star this year. But the Toronto Sun wants him to be an MVP candidate for Toronto to be successful.

-Speaking of Turkoglu, he nearly signed with Portland. Good thing he didn't, according to Otis Smith.

-Tony Battie might be the next contestant on the Buyout Train.

-Everyone loves a good Adonal Foyle update. Adonal is in St. Vincent and the Grenadines running a basketball camp for his Kerosene Lamp Foundation. He, Bo Outlaw and Courtney Lee are running a camp and teaching valuable life lessons. Foyle is truly not just a halfway decent basketball player, but one of the great philanthropic athletes.

-It's official: American high school junior Jeremy Tyler signed a contract with Macabbi Haifa of the Israel Premier League.

-Like the Nets? Didn't think so. But if you buy a ticket plan with them you can get a reversible Dwight Howard/Yi Jianlian jersey. No, I am not kidding (via Deadspin)

-Coming soon to an Internet near you is the documentary Sonicsgate. I know we all followed the Sonics story and I really feel for everyone in Seattle. It is difficult for Magic fans to remember -- especially now -- that this almost happened to us, although maybe not as bad as it did to the die hard fans of Seattle.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Dwight double standard

There have been a number of random thoughts that I have had during the last weeks of the playoffs and the offseason. These are all things that will have a major bearing on the upcoming season for sure.

Perhaps the biggest question that will have to be answered is what I am calling the Dwight double standard.

Take yourself back to Game Five of the first round. Philadelphia's strategy is to hack at Dwight Howard as much as possible and try to make him go to the line thus discouraging Orlando from taking advantage of its best weapon and matchup in the series.

It even works as the Magic continually go away from Howard while he is being defended by the likes of Samuel Dalembert, Marreesse Speights and the unageable Theo Ratliff.

Being the playoffs, the referees feel a little generous and don't always make the call. Later on LeBron James will breathe funny and immediately whistle Courtney Lee for a foul. C'est la vie. More on James in a minute.

So Howard throws an elbow. A somewhat spontaneous reaction to the physicality coming his way and the lack of response from the officials. It is his way of expressing himself, so to speak.

What happens? The predictable. With the NBA feeling touchy about physical play at any point in the season, they lay the hammer down (unfortunately, not the Polish Hammer) and suspend Howard for Game Six.

Luckily the Magic had a Polish Hammer and used it to nail the 76ers in Game Six.

But that's not the point. The point is Howard had to stomach an unfair balance of fouls coming his way, especially for a player of his stature.

As The Puns Are Starting to Bore Me pointed out at the time, Howard led the league in free throws attempted. But he was the only player in the top 10 who did not use getting to the free throw line as part of his strategy.

Look, as we learned in the postseason, it's not always great for Howard to be at the line. I sometimes believe I am the only person who feels confident at any point in the game to have Howard at the line. You have to have that trust in him. And he will get better.

But this is something Dwight will have to live with. There is a double standard for big man. As Greg Oden tried to dispel in that ESPN the Magazine ad: "Big Men Don't Sell." Big men don't get the same calls as the LeBrons and the Dwyane Wades.

Those guys look more acrobatic when they get fouled. When Howard gets fouled, we expect him to power through it and still score. It is incredible that he -- and other big men like Shaquille O'Neal -- put up with this double standard.

But it is one he has to put up with and move on from. Certainly the only way for him to erase this double standard is to start making free throws and force teams to play him straight up. Complaining to the refs won't help him at all.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Magic Wands: August 7, 2009

-The countdown to avoid a lockout has begun as owners and representatives from the players' union met in New York earlier this week.

-The Orlando Events Center will officially be the Amway Center. 3rd Quarter Collapse's erivera7 got a chance to chat with Alex Martins about it as well as the possibility of seeing a sponsor on Magic practice uniforms -- and when they say practice uniforms, I assume they mean warmups, that makes much more sense.

More interesting Martins is very open to the idea of having sponsors on game uniforms. Something I know I am staunchly against. I want to see "Orlando" or "Magic" on my uniforms. It makes them more personal and easier to identify the "Magic brand." If you get a sponsor, it needs to be for a 10-, 15- or 20-year commitment.

-Speaking of the Amway Center. They released new video and artist renderings of the palace on Church Street.

-Bradford Doolittle of NBA Prospectus runs some fancy numbers through some complicated machine or formula and comes out with some indecipherable date. I think what he says is the Magic will play the third easiest schedule this season. Cleveland is first and amazingly Charlotte is second. He also computes the Spurs are the odds-on favorite to win the title. I guess that's why they play the games on the court.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Rashard Lewis suspended for PED violation

The Orlando Sentinel reported today Rashard Lewis has been suspended by the NBA for violating the league's substance abuse policy. The 6-10 forward will miss the first 10 games of the season without pay.

The Sentinel says Lewis tested positive for a substance known as DHEA, a testosterone booster found in several over the counter nutritional supplements (and completely legal in the US and even legal in baseball, but banned by the NBA). Lewis said it was an honest mistake and apologized for it while accepting the consequences.

There are so many thoughts running through my mind.

First was, "Oh great, now Cavs fans will be putting an asterisk on our Eastern Conference championship." Thus "The Curse" tag. Luckily respected beat writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Brian Windhorst, does not believe in such things as asterisks.

With baseball constantly going insane over steroids and performance enhancing drugs, that was the next place I went. I remember during those infamous Senate hearings, Senators going after David Stern for the NBA's lax punishments for taking performance-enhancing drugs. I guess Orlando should be thanking that for Lewis' seemingly paltry 10-game suspension.

But at that time, I thought, steroids aren't needed in the NBA. Muscles don't necessarily help you -- especially a shooter. It can throw off your shot or whatever.

Then we all became more educated about steroids and how they are actually used. Yes, they can be used to improve strength and change physical appearance. But they are more commonly used to quickly recover from workouts and injury.

We all know entering the postseason that Lewis was struggling with knee tendonitis issues. He missed a few games to rest the knee. Is it that hard to believe that he took the nutritional supplement -- knowing or not knowing it had a banned substance -- to help him recover from that injury?

My big question is why he was taking this supplement and whether it was because of that injury. My next question is how do you not check the label?

This excuse has been used before by other people caught for violating PED policies and I believe Lewis honestly did not know what was going on, but it is ridiculous for a guy getting paid nearly $17 million a year not to know what he is putting in his body when his body is his living.

One thing I have learned from all the steroids hullabaloo in baseball is that over the counter stuff is not safe from drug-testing policies. This stuff is not always necessarily FDA approved as a Sports Illustrated article a few months back revealed.

It certainly raises a question, whether you believe Lewis' story or not. But there is some evidence to make you think he was in a rush to recover for Orlando's playoff run.

The final thing I thought of is what this will mean for the Magic at the beginning of the season. Generally, I am not worried about how the team plays early. Orlando did its job to brace itself for an injury to its front court this summer in signing Brandon Bass, Marcin Gortat and Matt Barnes.

And as 3rd Quarter Collapse points out, Stan Van Gundy has had to face worse.

But looking at the schedule, the first 10 games are not difficult. There are four games against teams from last year's playoffs -- two against Detroit. Game Nine is against Cleveland -- it would have been too ironic if it were Game 11. A trip to Toronto is somewhat concerning. But overall, the Magic could easily escape with a 6-4, maybe even 7-3 record without Lewis.

This is a good team. Orlando knows how to win and this is only a hiccup in its quest for a championship.

Let's just hope there is not any more fallout. Bad PR is not good for any team in this economic climate.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Magic release Schedule

The 2009-10 season officially began Tuesday when the NBA released its schedule -- complete with national television broadcast.

Orlando will appear on national television a franchise record 24 times. The Magic trail only the Cleveland LeBrons... I mean Cavaliers... in national television appearances. The Lakers, Celtics and Spurs are also predominantly featured on the national TV broadcasts.

From that standpoint, the regular season schedule is coup for Orlando and all its fans. I know I am excited to see my Magic almost every week of the season from school. It should help grow the franchise too... especially if they win.

But, you cannot really glean much from a schedule besides who the NBA thinks is going to win and who the league wants to feature. It is clear Orlando is near the top of that list. The schedule though is virtually the same. Ah, the beauty of the NBA schedule.

Here are some other random thoughts on the Magic's schedule:

-Orlando's trip to the 2010 Finals begins the same way its trip to the 2009 Finals began: with the Philadelphia 76ers. Should be another interesting matchup and a good test for the Magic in their first game with the new-look roster. Ironically, the schedule also closes with the 76ers coming to the Amway Arena. Bad luck for those Philadelphia fans living in Orlando.

-The Magic's first national TV appearance is against the Cavaliers. All four of the games against Cleveland are going to be on TV and should be featured as one of the big rivalries of the season. Always look forward to this matchup especially with Shaquille O'Neal now in the picture.

-Always interesting to note is how many of the national television appearances are at home. I believe every NBA team should be given at least one home national television appearance -- yes even the Grizzlies. This is the best way to showcase every city in the league and their buildings. I obviously cared more about this when Orlando got only two or three national TV games, compared to 20-plus. But Orlando's national TV appearances break down like this: 12 home, 12 road. Eight additional games will be on NBATV.

-Can't tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but Orlando plays Oklahoma City twice in the first month. I like the Thunder and think they are a dark horse to make some noise in the West. Young teams play better at the beginning of the season. I don't think they will be in the playoffs next season, but the year after possibly. A young team like that could be trouble early on.

The same thing could happen with a young team like Toronto, whom Orlando faces twice on the road in November. Hedo Turkoglu is going to want to take out his former team early in the season while the emotions are hot.

-For the first time in a long time, the Magic are on the road for Thanksgiving, featuring a Thanksgiving night game at Atlanta. The chitlins will be cooking at the Howard household!

-Magic again host a Christmas game. They get the Celtics on Christmas Day at the Amway Arena a year after blowing out the Hornets last year.

-The big West road trips are in December and January again, as usual. Unusually they are both four-game trips and seem pretty well balanced with the Western powers. Have to feel good about doing better than .500 on both junkets out West.

-If I am not mistaken, the February 7 game at Boston will be the first time since 2005 that Orlando was scheduled to be on ABC when the schedule was released. The Magic played the Celtics on the ABC premier two years ago, but I do not think they have been scheduled to make the big stage appearance since Tracy McGrady led them against the Mavericks late in the 21-61 season.

-Lakers don't make their return trip to Orlando until March 7.

-Could the schedule not match up with my school's breaks better? I feel like I am going to be at only five non-Chicago Bulls games this season. At least they play the Bulls twice this year in Chicago and on days I can probably go.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Versatility is a good thing

August is the time of year where the NBA action calms down. Today's announcement of the schedule is going to be a nice pick up of the action from the late summer reprieve. From this point until late September, there is simply nothing to do.

So with most of the free agents having already decided where they will be playing next season, the annual offseason power rankings are rolling out.

The reviews on the Magic are generally good. But, like whenever a major contender complete remakes their team the summer after reaching the NBA Finals, there are some questions.

Most notably, Bill Simmons wonders whether Orlando lost the uniqueness that made it so good and so difficult to matchup with last season. Various others believe the Magic positioned themselves for a championship and did more to keep their window open than the Cavaliers or the Celtics.

Me, I will say that I am willing to wait. I share Mr. Simmons' concern that Orlando lost its uniqueness. And, honestly, I am afraid of change after such a successful season. I remember the years when the team was constantly overhauling its roster around Tracy McGrady to little success.

What I am saying is: these things can be quite hit or miss.

Obviously this situation is much different. Vince Carter is a huge offensive improvement over Hedo Turkoglu and adds a dynamic to the team that the franchise has not had since McGrady's departure.

But still, that doubt lingers. When the schedule comes out later today, I will certainly take a close look at that first month. It will be formative for this team.

I believe most Magic fans consider Rashard Lewis a power forward and that they and he operates best with him at power forward. But a lot of people -- esepcially in the national media -- believe Lewis will shift to small forward with Brandon Bass starting at the four.

One thing is for sure, and this is a point that has been made unendingly at 3rd Quarter Collapse, this kind of versatility is good. To be able to comfortably go big with a lineup of Jameer Nelson-Carter-Lewis-Bass-Dwight Howard or stay with the "traditional" Nelson-Carter-Mickael Pietrus-Lewis-Howard is a hug matchup advantage.

Bass has the ability to step out and hit the mid-range jumper (not a 3 mind you) and could still allow the Magic to play its up-tempo shot-happy style. But it also gives them a bruising secondary low post presence. Just watch Dwight Howard's assist numbers skyrocket.

In the Los Angeles series -- and in the Detroit series last year and the year before and even to a certain extent against Boston -- Orlando struggled with bigger lineups. Now the Magic can throw out their shoot-first, Howard clean-up second lineup as well as a bruising lineup that can physically match their opponents.

I forget who said this -- Kevin Pelton, maybe? -- but Orlando is no slouch even if it has to play Lewis at small forward for stretches. So what if the Magic go traditional for most of the season, they can go back to what got them to the Finals in the postseason, when the matchup dictates it.

Orlando can play any way it wants. I do not know if it will equate to a title. But if it all gels correctly, the Magic will certainly be a tough team to beat on any night.

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