What They're Saying: Bobcats vs. Magic 11/16

-Rashard Lewis plays fill in the blanks with Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel as he prepares to play his first game of the year tonight.

-Stan Van Gundy said he does not expect Marcin Gortat to play tonight after missing the last to practices with an illness.

-Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer dissects the Bobcats' point guard problems. D.J. Augustin and Raymond Felton have struggled to get their teammates good scoring opportunities, but a whole bunch of players have been out for some period of time and are still getting up to speed.

-The Bobcats may not be winning, but Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer likes that Larry Brown has a plan and sticks to it.

-Ben Q Rock of 3rd Quarter Collapse examines the difference of having a stretch-4 like Rashard Lewis in the game or having a typical power forward like Brandon Bass

-Five things we learned about the Magic without Rashard Lewis in the first 10 games.

-The Bobcats might be short-handed tonight after trading Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic to the Warriors for Stephen Jackson. There will be a litany of reaction to the trade. Hardwood Paroxysm just think it's weird, but could work. And Queen City Hoops is skeptical that Jackson is the answer to Charlotte's scoring woes. And Henry Abbott of TrueHoop sees the move as potentially working -- if not for just the fireworks it could cause off the court.

-Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reports that Jackson might start tonight for the Bobcats.

-As Otis Smith told Rashard Lewis, "Vacation is over." John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com writes Lewis is ready to take the court tonight.

Orlando Magic 93, Charlotte Bobcats 81

Orlando is still in search of a 48-minute effort. The kind of game where the team knows that it put in a good night's work and completely buried an inferior opponent.

It looked like the Magic would run roughshod all over the Bobcats after building a 22-point second-quarter lead and getting 15 points from Vince Carter in a surprise return. That was not how this one would go. Charlotte rallied to pull within six points at the end of the third quarter as the offense began to sputter.

Stan Van Gundy wanted defense. His team delivered in the fourth quarter, holding the horribly inefficient Charlotte team to 10 points in the final quarter. His team hit enough big shots, including a big three by Jameer Nelson with about three minutes to play to extend the lead permanently into double figures for a 93-81 win.

Defense was the key word tonight and the Magic came out with the intensity and focus they needed to create another strong offensive start and another double-digit first-quarter lead. Orlando was up 35-23 after one quarter behind some strong play from Brandon Bass -- 12 of his 14 points in the quarter.

Things were made easy as it was finally Howard who got his opponent in foul trouble as Tyson Chandler was a non-factor thanks to some early foul trouble. Howard had his way in the post to the tune of 15 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Defense was, again, the key word and Orlando began to struggle in the third quarter. The Bobcats were shooting a woeful 36 percent from the field entering the game, but found a way to put up 30 points in the third quarter to close the game to within six.

A few things happened in this quarter that gave Orlando problems.

First, the offense became much less patient. The ball movement and attacking style that opened up shots in the first half stopped as the team settled more for quick jumpers and failed to get Howard the ball inside. Howard attempted only two free throws tonight and had 13 shots. Charlotte, in not having Chandler for most of the game, really did not have anyone to defend him and Howard got five of his six assists in the first half.

The quick shooting helped the speedy and versatile Bobcats get on the break more too. Raymond Felton gave Orlando particular problems in the third quarter. The North Carolina product finished with 18 points, most of it coming in the third quarter. These fast point guards getting penetration is becoming a theme after what Russell Westbrook and Will Bynum were able to do in the Magic's other losses.

Boris Diaw's versatility also gave Orlando problems in the third. Even though he shot only seven of 18 from the floor, he finished with 14 points and eight assists. His driving ability gave Brandon Bass some issues defensively. This is remedied by Rashard Lewis' return and luckily Diaw is not as efficient in this offense as he was in Phoenix's.

Otherwise, Orlando played an outstanding defensive game. The team was able to force Charlotte into a lot of turnovers and mistakes, 17 turnovers on 10 steals to be exact. And 10 points in the fourth quarter says everything it needed to say.

I would have liked to have seen Orlando take control in the third quarter and put the game far out of reach. The team still seems to be missing that killer instinct to bury its opponents. But this was also a good sign. The Magic never gave up the lead and fought off the rally to get a solid win on the road.

Will that work against a team like Cleveland tomorrow night? Probably not. The extend the lead in the third quarter thing might be better.

But certainly seeing Carter back in the lineup and playing well -- although not going to the basket as much -- was very encouraging indeed. As this team gets healthier, more of the pieces will fall into place.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Bobcats 11/10

-Even if Vince Carter returns tonight, Stan Van Gundy wants the Magic the recommit to the defensive end starting tonight against the Bobcats.

-Always mindful of the future, the Clevleand LeBrons have been off since defeating the Knicks on Firday. They travel to Amway Arena tomorrow night. Fun.

-The NBA's leading rebounder will be on the floor tonight in Charlotte. Unfortunately he will be wearing the white pinstripes of the Bobcats and his name is Gerald Wallace, who thinks he can continue his 13-plus rebound per game pace despite being a 6-foot-7 wing player.

-Ben Q Rock of 3rd Quarter Collapse fears the Bobcats' poor offensive stats will lead to the Magic taking a breather on defense (AGAIN). I, personally, don't see that. This has vengeance game written all over it (as tomorrow's game against Cleveland has extreme focus written all over it).

-Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily, for one, is not worried about the Magic's sloppy play. I agree with most, if not all, of his points. But I am worried about the defense at the moment. I see things getting better once Rashard Lewis returns.

-On (or near) the top of Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer's Inside the NBA blog is news that four Bobcats -- Gerald Wallace, Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton and Boris Diaw -- are on the All Star ballot released today. Also, Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson will be out and the frustration of their absences is starting to build on Stan Van Gundy, who said he cannot progress the team and integrate the new players the way he would like without them on the court or practice floor.

-David Arnott of Rufus on Fire sees this game as another opportunity for the Bobcats to beat an undermanned opponent (especially with the Magic likely resting Carter for tomorrow's matchup with the LeBrons). On top of that, Charlotte is undefeated at home and has some pretty good pump up music.

-Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter have been named to the NBA All Star Ballot as voting begins today.

-John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com excuses Stan Van Gundy for his sky is falling mantra, but says the strong offense has hidden the change in Orlando's defensive mindset.

-Official injury updates from Dan Savage with OrlandoMagic.com. Both Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson have been ruled out for tonight after not participating in today's shootaround.

-George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel forgot that the game against the LeBrons is tomorrow night and not tonight and decided to play therapist for LeBron and Shaq the night before the big game.

-It appears Shaquille O'Neal has backed off (or is trying to back off) some of his statements from last year concerning Dwight Howard and the "Master of Panic" Stan Van Gundy. As the AP headline reads, "A Much Calmer Shaquille O'Neal ready to face Rival Orlando Magic." But I think after reading the lead you will see, O'Neal still harbors some ill will.

Orlando Magic 109, Charlotte Bobcats 107 OT

Well today was a pretty good day for JJ Redick. First he has a pretty nice game for me in my fantasy league (I believed Stan Van Gundy, boy was I wrong) then he hits the game-tying three for Orlando after the team did everything it could to give away the game.

OK, I only listened to the last 5:30 of the game (that is in gametime). But I got a pretty good sense of how the Magic were playing in that time.

First there was a reckless drive to the basket by Rashard Lewis with the team down one. I did not see it, but Richie Audubato made it sound like a pretty poor shot attempt.

My thought, glancing at Dwight Howard's box score was to get him the ball any way possible. With 45 points and 19 rebounds in the game -- and 13 makes out of 18 shots on the line -- he seemed like the obvious choice for a final shot. He would have made one if not both those free throws the way he was playing tonight.

But Lewis is an All Star too.

The worst was when Hedo Turkoglu was called for a foul before the ball was inbounded. The Bobcats could have taken a four-point lead. But Raja Bell missed a free throw and allowed Redick to be the hero.

In overtime, Howard took over as did the rest of the team.

I am still trying to figure out how the game got to this point. No disrespect to Charlotte, but as Marcin Gortat said, "They're not that good. Don't you want to see the Polish Hammer?" (paraphrasing, but he did say something like that on a sketch for Dante and Galante's show).

Clearly there is still a ways to go before this version of the 2009 Magic hit their stride.

Weighing their options without Nelson

Only two days have passed since Jameer Nelson's injury and it is still unclear what path he will take to get back. But it is clear (even with a blowout win against the Clippers) that the Magic cannot stand pat and expect to still compete for an Eastern Conference title.

Anthony Johnson has been good this year. He has done everything that has been asked of him. But we all know he can not start nearly half the season and the playoffs. At least, if Orlando wants to be successful.

More than one site has conjectured how the Magic will try to replace Nelson. It is clear at the very least they need another body at the point.

You can read Brian Schmitz or Marc Stein's interesting takes on and solutions to the situation.

Johnson is playing quite well tonight (20 points in the first half), but he is not going to keep that up and the Magic do not face the Clippers anymore.

So where does Orlando go?

The first option is to try and find a free agent. But who is available?

Darrell Armstrong already took that coaching position with the Mavericks. Steve Francis cannot play anymore (and we do not want to go down that road again). Former Magic player Sidney Green's son, and Florida alum, Taurean Green is not doing anything. Edgewater alum Darius Washington has NBA experience and can at least imitate Nelson with his scoring ability.

These are all kind of far-fetched ideas. But what else is available in a trade?

Raymond Felton from Charlotte is definitely available and would be a long-term backup for Nelson (sorry Anthony). Plus he is still working on his rookie contract so that would make him a bargain. Felton is a guy that could really work.

Another guy on the block is Jamaal Tinsley. The maligned Pacers point guard has wanted out of Indianapolis for some time now. He is an experienced starter, which is probably the most important thing Orlando can get out of a replacement. His contract is no fun ($14.5 million over two years). But if the Magic are serious about contending, he is a pretty good option.

There are other options out there in the trade market, but the next question Otis Smith has to ask is: What is the cost?

It is no secret that Courtney Lee has rendered Keith Bogans pretty useless (or at best an older version of Lee). So he is on the table. But to get anyon really fantastic in the trade market, it may cost Hedo Turkoglu. I do not think they can trade him.

Orlando simply does not have a lot to offer other teams in a trade. The team does not have a whole lot of draft picks (although do not be surprised to see Fran Vazquez to be put on the table) and does not have a lot of young talent it can part with.

I think free agency is the route most likely taken then. Who the Magic bring in is anybody's guess. But it has to be someone who can take some of the scoring burden off of Johnson and the other key players.

But who they bring in and how they do it will be a sign of whether Otis Smith believes this is the year Orlando can win a title.

Howard's bad night against the Bobcats

People went a little crazy over Dwight Howard's struggle in Charlotte on Sunday.

Howard turned in his worst game of the season scoring four points and seven rebounds in 26 foul-plagued minutes. Henry Abbott of Truehoop broke down Howard's game and (probably correctly) concluded the game was an aberration.

Everyone has an off night and everyone gets into foul trouble eventually.

What does get pointed out is Howard's tendency to "drift" when he is not involved in the offense. His problem has always been that he loses his aggression on both sides of the ball when he is not involved in the offense.

I could not watch last night's game, but that seems to be what happened. Read John Hollinger's analysis of Howard's game from the offseason -- it is pretty dead on.

While the national media is going crazy over Howard's poor game (again everyone has bad nights), the Magic somehow pulled out another win when they played poorly.

After pulling a come-from-behind victory at Dallas, Orlando again rallied for a big road victory. Again, the Magic are not beating anybody impressive quite yet, but road wins are important either way.

All starters outside of Howard scored in double figures and it seems like everyone on the team has the capability of picking up the slack of struggling players. Pulling out these games is a sign of a good team. It looks like Orlando is going to be just fine after some struggle at the start.

The poor shooting cannot continue. But like last year, a win is a win at this point. And as unimpressive as they have looked, the Magic are building confidence for another late season push.

This is what I am talking about

So I had a few notes here and there in the past week, but was unable to post them. Why?

Because apparently Blogger thinks this is a spam blog. Whoops.

Only an Orlando Magic blog would face these things. No knock on Blogger, they are doing a decent thing and I am not going to complain about it.

But this is tantamount to David Stern fining Rich DeVos for donating to a charity in Grant Hill's name. Yes, it is following the letter of the law but fining someone for donating to charity is not the message you want to send.

Allowing a referee to fix games is not one either -- did we thank Tim Donaghy for making us look better in game two in 2007? Never mind.

But since I last posted, some things have happened. Namely, the Magic have started playing.

The beauty of not being in Orlando is that you cannot watch or go to games. But from the highlights I saw against Charlotte things are... eh.

The first game against Atlanta looked decent enough. It is never fun to lose, but it seemed like Mickael Pietrus made a nice debut and Dwight Howard is forming in to shape.

But Stan Van Gundy has got to be concerned with his defense. I do not care if it is preseason, 45 points in one quarter is never acceptable. First preseason game or not, you got to have more defensive pride than that.

The Magic were good last year because of a dynamic offensive attack, but they won 52 games and the division because they were a halfway decent defensive team.

The first quarter against the Bobcats definitely helped quell those fears. But then again, the highlights I saw showed some bad rotations and dribble penetration and kickouts. Two games in, I am not too worried. But keep an eye on it.

I have been looking forward to Orlando's battle with CSKA Moscow since it was announced in the summer and I will be listening on the radio -- ah, the sweet voice of Dennis Neuman.