Magic Wands: July 3, 2009

-Happy Birthday Me!

-And Orlando's D-league affiliate is... the Reno Bighorns! Hurray. Orlando will now ignore you completely. The Bighorns feature such fantastic talent as Lamar Butler, Richie Frahm and Cezary Trabanski.

-Dwight Howard offers his thoughts on an odd Thursday last week.

-With the Draft over, it is time to once again discuss the NBA's rules regarding entry. It is very clear the one-and-done rule is not working as intended. It has gutted college basketball and made the whole system somewhat farcical -- meanwhile the experienced teams keep winning the title. Minnesota Timberwolves blog Canis Hoopus links to an interesting article that asks why people are not complaining about the lack of education in baseball.

-The Rockets are not hiding their love of Marcin "Bow Down Before the Polish Hammer or You Will Get Nailed" Gortat.

-Am I the only one who remembers Curtis Borchardt, a pick out of Stanford by the Magic in 2003 before he was traded to Utah for Ryan Humphrey on Draft night? Apparently he is a "force" in Europe and signed with a new team.

-Some self-promotion. But yesterday was the 10-year anniversary of the senseless and racially charged murder of Northwestern basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong. A few friends of mine at Northwestern helped produce a story chronicling the story and its impact on the communities of Evanston, Illinois, and Atlanta.

-Woody Womack of Orlando Magic Daily with a complete breakdown of Orlando's Summer League roster.

-Updated odds for who will win the NBA Finals puts the Magic at 6-to-1. Pretty good. Cavaliers, Lakers and Celtics still ranked ahead of them.

-I am beginning to trust President Obama's basketball analysis (special guest color commentator for the NBA Finals in 2010? Think about it, Mr. President). Obama said Bryant is still not at Michael Jordan's level. I would agree.

-Here they are the 50 highest earning American athletes according to Sports Illustrated. Top 3: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, LeBron James. James gets the foul and is bumped ahead of Mickelson despite the two playing completely different sports and Mickelson being such a nice guy. Shaq is No. 5. Dwight Howard? No. 13, up from No. 22 on last year's list. Tracy McGrady is 15. Worked hard for that money. Steve Francis is No. 22(?). Vince Carter is behind him at No. 23. Go figure. Rashard Lewis and his mammoth contract get him to No. 30 on the list (he only has $750,000 in endorsements).

LATE Magic Wands: June 26, 2009

-The Magic may not have won a title, but they still got a parade. Or stood at City Hall and thanked the fans and community.

-This Magic fan is taking the Finals loss a little too hard if you ask me. It was bad, but not this bad. Some teams have more resources than others and are better run. And have one of the best players on the planet.

-Nike and the Hall of Fame are getting sued by a Massachusetts company that claims to have exclusive rights to Hall of Fame logos and merchandise.

-Now Orlando gets to embarrass Shaquille O'Neal at least three times a year... or at least hear Shaq try to desperately hold onto the spotlight for one more year.

-According to EA Sports, Orlando would still beat Cleveland even with Shaq in Wine and Gold. The simulation was run before the Vince Carter trade.

-The Wall Street Journal slowly peels back the mysterious cloak of the AAU. It is partly to blame for the lack of fundamentals young American players have.

-Could the impossible happen? Could Rasheed Wallace really be wearing Magic blue next year?

2009 Mock Draft

They said it couldn't be done. And it was. This will change 20 million times before the actual Draft takes place. But here is my hat thrown into the ring. Seeing as the Magic don't have a pick, I'll just throw the picks out there and let you digest and comment on them.

Everyone and their mom has a mock draft these days. So I will analyze the drafts with my mock draft competition next Friday. Happy Drafting.

1. Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin - no explanation needed

2. Memphis Grizzlies: Hasheem Thabeet - rare a 7-3 guy like this comes around, makes up for losing Pau Gasol maybe

3. Oklahoma City Thunder: James Harden - good scorer and shooter who should complement their talent well

4. Sacramento Kings: Ricky Rubio - flashy point guard, exactly what Sacramento needs

5. Minnesota Timberwolves: Tyreke Evans - need a point guard now that Foye is gone... wait a sec... the 6-5 guy who can play the point and score

6. Minnesota Timberwolves: Stephen Curry - need a point guard now that Foye is gone

7. Golden State Warriors: DeMar DeRozan - would fit well into this system, he is a freaky athlete

8. New York Knicks: Jonny Flynn - strong point guard who can manage a team... plus he has an explosive first step and is fearless... would be D'Antoni's New York Nash

9. Toronto Raptors: Jordan Hill - athletic power forward who could complement Bosh... for now

10. Milwaukee Buck: Brandon Jennings - so glad you could finally make it to the Draft, was that year in Rome worth it? Still questions about whether he can run a team

11. New Jersey Nets: DeJuan Blair - I love this guy, he works hard and does the dirty work... shouldn't be starting, but he will find a place on the court

12. Charlotte Bobcats: Gerald Henderson - not sold on him, but he is an intangible guy with some talent

13. Indiana Pacers: Ty Lawson - has winner written all over him

14. Phoenix Suns: Jrue Holiday - not sold on him, but he is an athletic combo guard who can run the show and score

15. Detroit Pistons: Earl Clark - another guy who is a pure tweener, but he has the athleticism to succeed at the NBA level

16. Chicago Bulls: B.J. Mullens - really could have use another year

17. Philadelphia 76ers: Terrence Williams - this guy will stick, he is a good defender and very athletic... he will find his place

18. Minnesota Timberwolves: Tyler Hansbrough - works hard and if he can put on some muscle, could be a good option off the bench

19. Atlanta Hawks: Eric Maynor - remember this guy beat Duke? He is a smart player who can manage a game

20. Utah Jazz: James Johnson - I honestly don't know much about this guy, but he has got to go somewhere

21. New Orleans Hornets: Jeff Teague - solid point guard who can run the break

22. Portland Trail Blazers: Omri Casspi - freaky athlete from Israel, Portland traded up to get him

23. Sacramento Kings: Chase Budinger - dead-eye shooter

24. Dallas Mavericks: Sam Young - another sleeper... I really like him, he is an intangible guy who plays really tough

25. Oklahoma City Thunder: Wayne Ellington - the forgotten piece of the Carolina championship team... he can shoot it

26. Chicago Bulls: Marcus Thornton - another one of those tweeners

27. Memphis Grizzlies: Austin Daye - the most interesting prospect in the Draft, he is 6-10 and rail thin, but freakishly athletic

28. Minnesota Timberwolves: Jonas Jerebko - awesome name, he will do awesome stashed overseas

29. New York Knicks: Taj Gibson - good athlete for a four, would fit in well with 7 seconds or less scheme

30. Cleveland Cavaliers: Nick Calathes - solid point guard... never lived up to expectations at Florida

Magic Wands: May 29, 2009

-LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony have not tired from their busy summer in Beijing. In fact, as Sean Deveney of The Baseline, it has strengthened their resolve this postseason.

-Carlos Arroyo was named the MVP of the Israeli League for helping Macabbi Tel Aviv win the league title.

-At least Orlando beats Cleveland in tourism. LOL.

-Florida guard Nick Calathes will not be entering the NBA Draft and has apparently signed a contract with Panathanaiokas.

-What Dwight Howard should have done to win Game Two against the Cavaliers.

-Dwight Howard is apparently not a huge fan of those mildly entertaining LeBron James-Kobe Bryant puppet commercials Nike has put out. It is no secret the whole world wants the dream matchup of Lakers and Cavaliers in the Finals.

-ESPN is opening a research and development lab at Disney.

-ESPN Outside the Lines has a nice story about former Magic player Cuttino Mobley and his fight with a congenital heart defect.

-Memphis and maybe Derrick Rose might be in trouble for recruiting violations and improper payments.

-Bill Simmons laments a change in the NBA. And demands better officiating. This should be a golden age for the NBA.

-Chris Broussard on the impossibility of life after Michael Jordan.

-NBA referee Violet Palmer is going to be an adviser for NCAA officials.

-Orlando has a night life problem that needs to be fixed if the team is to host the All Star Game... and maybe even the Finals.

Magic Wands: May 22, 2009

-Relive the greatest play in Magic history. Amazing how things came into place so perfectly in this game. Thanks to 3rd Quarter Collapse for the find.

-X's & O's of Basketball says Malcolm Gladwell's theory about pressing as a way for David to defeat Goliath is actually incorrect. In youth basketball, full-court press stunts growth and the way this article sounds makes it seem like an easy way out. Good thing to teach the kids. The Gladwell article is a good read though.

-Sports targets a very specific audience, so whenever it wins TV ratings it is a big deal. As Hal Boedeker of The Orlando Sentinel reports, the Magic's Game Seven win over the Celtics was the highest rated TV show Sunday night in Orlando.

-When you forget to look at your schedule this happens. Now the NBA has to throw down with the WWE for the Pepsi Center on Monday. Looks like the NBA wins.

-So where did the 1995-96 team go? Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel tracked them all down... or found them at least.

-Someone has pointed out what a bad year it has been for the NBA. First Kevin Duckworth died before the season. Then Norm Van Lier and Johnny "Red" Kerr passed away. Wayman Tisdale passed away last week. Of course, Chuck Daly two weeks ago. And now news that Jerry West has been dealing with a heart ailment in secret throughout his life. Hope for the best for the NBA logo.

-Shaquille O'Neal is taking broadcasting lessons at Syracuse. Maybe he should go to a real journalism school like Northwestern next time. Full disclosure: Go 'Cats!

-Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse finally gets Stan Van Gundy to explain his attire.

-How the NBA Draft Lottery actually works.

-Welcome to new Orlando Sentinel columnist Shannon J. Owens. It appears the Sentinel is finally re-arranging their staff and have found some pretty good replacements for David Whitley and Jerry Greene. Her first column proclaims Orlando as a legitimate sports town!

-Dwight Howard's new Adidas commercial. Very sweet. And also very Free Darko'ish.

-The 2012 Olympic team in London might look familiar. Many of the stars from the 2008 team in Beijing appear to be on board for a two-year commitment. That is assuming they win the World Championships next summer in Turkey.

-Puppet LeBron James learns about the un-stoppable.

-A kind of old video, but still very true. Dwight Howard is a beast.

Magic Wands: May 1, 2009

-Interesting allegations about the Magic's promise to hire minority groups for the building of the new arena. The NAACP was planning to picket all remaining Magic home games in the Playoffs because of their belief that not enough black workers had been hired for the building of the new arena. Both the city and the team believe they have gone above and beyond that effort, Jessica Reuter of Bleacher Report says.

-Apparently the Dream Team is not already in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Well, they are nominated now.

-David Stern confirmed to The Orlando Sentinel that the All Star Game will return to Orlando in the near future in the new Orlando Events Center.

-Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the winner of the Create-A-Caption contest on 3rd Quarter Collapse. With some luck and determination, you too can achieve this great honor.

-A plea from Hardwood Paroxysm for NBA bloggers to stop criticizing referees and believing in the infallibility of their teams.

-Despite continually being relegated to NBATV, Orlando does well in the ratings on TNT and national broadcast.

-The world is beginning to find out how awesome Adonal Foyle is. Not on the court, but off it. Henry Abbott of TrueHoop caught up with Foyle in Philadelphia and asked him a few questions and tells a great story about his relations with some hating Philadelphia fans.

-Jeremy Fowler of The Orlando Sentinel tells a personal story about the impact of sports on all our lives.

-Rashard Lewis has a horse in Saturday's Kentucky Derby, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel reports. Cheer for Join the Dance on Saturday.

-The age limit sure seemed like a good idea at the time, but now Jeremy Tyler of California, a 6-foot-11 high school junior, is skipping his senior year to play overseas professionally. Much like Brandon Jennings, the NBA's new rule might be sucking players out of the college system. Kyle Hightower of The Orlando Sentinel has a good story on the ramifications of this decision.

-I will definitely have more on the Magic's offseason plans when it becomes important to think about. But interesting debate over at 3rd Quarter Collapse about the possibility of signing unrestricted free agent Antonio McDyess.

-Anybody want a Geert Hamminck jersey? There is one being auctioned off on eBay right now!

-Add Courtney Lee to the list of teammates that Dwight Howard has injured.

-The Houston Rockets are doing what they can to keep the public safe from the swine flu scare.

-Patrick Ewing is not expecting to get a head coaching gig next year and will likely return to the Magic.

-David Whitley of The Orlando Sentinel just became the second Orlando Sentinel sports columnist to step down from the Sentinel in the last month after Jerry Greene retired. Whitley is heading to AOL sports. New blood coming into the Sentinel, maybe?

-Early entry list for the NBA Draft is out!!!!! I feel like a kid on Christmas who already got his present for this year, last year!

-Dwight Howard is No. 10 on the NBA's list of jersey sales. Progress! Kobe Bryant passed presumptive MVP LeBron James for No. 1.

-A list of athlete twitters via ESPN the Magazine at AthleteTweets.com.

-A long article from Spurs blog 48 Minutes of Hell about the possibility of players like Jeremy Tyler who decide to skip college ball to go and play in the NBA D-League. Interesting proposition with interesting ramifications for basketball in the United States.

Magic Wands: April 10, 2009

-The Cleveland Cavaliers launched a Web site for LeBron James' MVP candidacy. Check it out at http://www.lebronisreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallygood.com/. Yes that is the real URL. Someone make DwightHowardisafreakinbeast.com soon.

-The Magic play the prank of all pranks on April Fool's Day. They lost to the Raptors. Oh, and this.

-Ric Bucher of ESPN (Insider, sorry) chronicles the debate about who has the better supporting cast Dwight Howard or LeBron James. The answer: a draw. Clearly they are very different players so the debate might be a little moot. But this was before the Magic rolled all over the Cavs. Whoops.

-Plenty more to be said about the future of Hedo Turkoglu with the Magic. But as the playoffs draw near his contract situation is becoming more of an issue. Erivera7 of Third Quarter Collapse begins the breakdown of the Turkoglu contract situation. The discussion was based off of an article written by John Denton of Florida Today.

-After the Magic's two big weekend wins, Kevin Arnovitz of TrueHoop breaks down why the rest of the league should fear the Magic. I say, finally some national exposure. Also more reasons why Howard is the Defensive Player of the Year.

-Apparently Orlando has a better chance of winning the title than Boston. Hmm...

-Congratulations to Michael Jordan, David Robinson, John Stockton, Jerry Sloan and C. Vivian Stringer for being elected members of the 2009 Class of Basketball Hall of Famers. All are well-deserved.

-Marcus Jordan, son of Michael Jordan, committed to UCF, the Orlando Sentinel reported Monday. Do not let Michael anywhere near the Magic. He does not do so well organizing teams.

-Kyle Hightower of The Orlando Sentinel updates us on the upcoming collective bargaining agreement discussions. It seems like things are going well and a lockout will be avoided. Some interesting things -- like a shorter schedule -- seem to be on the table too.

-Dwight Howard was pretty happy Monday night. Or at least he would have been if he went to North Carolina instead of jumping straight to the NBA. "I made the right decision, don’t you think???" Howard said on his blog.

-Rob Peterson, writing for NBA.com's Race to the MVP Daily, writes that the center is not an MVP darkhorse. Really, the center is the MVP favorite. So quit crying Howard fans, he just is not up to the level of LeBron and Kobe this year. Oh, and Wade... him too.

-Dwight Howard claims another victim in practice. This time it forced Anthony Johnson to miss Tuesday's game in Houston.

-The Hammer is now a baseball fan, thanks to his trip to Minute Maid Park in Houston. Hopefully Marcin Gortat's newfound love for the Chicago Cubs does not rub off on the rest of the team.

-Worth posting again: eight things you need to know about Adonal Foyle.

Draft Watch NCAA Tournament Regional Finals

Won't be as many guys here because I will be flying for Sunday's games. But some college thoughts as the nets start to get cut down this weekend.

-Scottie Reynolds, Villanova: his name will forever be etched into Villanova basketball history. That was a perfect play drawn up by the Wildcats at the end of the game to get their star point guard the ball on the run attacking the basket. And Reynolds finished with a driving layup with 0.5 seconds left to defeat Pittsburgh for a berth in the Final Four.

Last second shot notwithstanding, Reynolds is a pretty darn good point guard. He really found holes in the Pitt defense and was the exact spark 'Nova needed to win. The Wildcats play fantastic defense and it starts with their point guard. I have not seen him enough to really break down his game, but I liked what I saw tonight and the snippets I saw in Thursday's game against Duke.

He really knows how to get to the basket and make life hard for defenses. Whether he has the speed and poise to run an NBA team is another question.

-Jeff Adrian, Connecticut: this guy will not get drafted, but I am going to give some love to UConn's tough guy. He benefits a lot from having Hasheem Thabeet behind him, but he is a tough defender and a pretty solid rebounder. His height will limit any chance he has from making it in the pros, but I like his play. He is perfect for his team and fills a role for Connecticut.

Draft Watch: NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals

I will repeat some players here, but that is who I watched.

-LeVance Fields, Pittsburgh: the more I watch this guy play, the more I like him. Fields has a lot of quickness and a lot of mental toughness. Last night was not the first time he has hit a shot with the clock winding down. The senior is probably not going to get drafted though.

The reason is probably his height. He is simply too small and does not have the great point guard skills you need in the pros. Interesting comparison I heard Friday morning on Mike & Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio. Doug Gottlieb compared him to Connecticut's Khalid El-Amin and Michigan State's Mateen Cleeves. Neither made it in the league. But both were instrumental to a national championship team.

Fields takes some bad shots, but plays on raw emotion. He just may not have enough to get drafted.

DeJuan Blair, Pittsburgh: I have gushed about Blair a lot already, but I feel like I need to do it again. Blair is a fantastic rebounder -- watch him pull down boards in traffic, it is simply incredible -- and a steadying force in the post. His size will limit him in the NBA, but he is really starting to remind me of Kendrick Perkins. He is a very tough guy and will be a steady force off someone's bench.

-Tyreke Evans, Memphis: this kid is going to be very good. I did not get to see a whole lot of the game Thursday, but 31 points from a freshman in the regional semifinal cannot be ignored. Sad to see him out of the tournament so soon (plus I hate Missouri -- REMEMBER THE ALAMO!). But what I saw was quite impressive. I hope he stays another year, but would not be surprised if he is in the draft.

NBADraft.net has him going 26th and DraftExpress.com has him at No. 9. So clearly there is a lot of room for this guy to grow. The potential is so tantalizing.

-Gerald Henderson, Kyle Singler, Duke: I want to say this, everyone on Duke is horribly overrated. Villanova shut them down last night in one of the most impressive defensive efforts. Henderson and Singler both struggled to get anything going for their team. Credit Villanova for a fantastic defensive effort. But neither of these guys looked impressive in big spots. They are complementary pieces at best.

Yet Henderson is expected to be a lottery pick. Go figure.

UPDATE: Adding some of those Carolina guys.

Ty Lawson is a really good point guard. He has great court vision and really understands pace. The way he is running North Carolina is the same way Steve Nash ran the Phoenix Suns so many years ago.

It will be interesting to see what he can do with a slower paced team. But he has been masterful with Carolina this year. A great tournament was exactly what he needed to make him the top point guard in the draft. NBADraft.net has him going No. 20 at the moment.

Draft Watch: NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

DeJuan Blair, Pittsburgh- I have been waiting a while to watch this guy play. He is a physical, big guy who can really bang around and rebound around the basket. His defense is way ahead of his offense at this point, but he is much farther along than Connecticut's Hasheem Thabeet.

He is listed at 6-6, but might actually be he plays as if he is 6-9. But he is big. He reminds me a lot of Robert Traylor. Traylor was far too overweight, but he always knew how to use his weight and he could step out and hit jumpers. Blair does not have that range and probably has a little more drive. So maybe he is more Corliss Williamson than Robert Traylor.

Blair knows how to throw his weight around, but in the NBA his height and his unathleticness are going to be exposed. He has his use though. I can see him being a Glen Davis-type in the NBA. If he can extend his range, he could be real effective in quick spurts.

NBADraft.net has him going No. 13 and DraftExpress.com has him going No. 18.

Sam Young, Pittsburgh- Young had the big game of the second round, scoring 31 points in Pittsburgh's big win over Oklahoma State. Young was fantastic from the three point line. This game might have been a little of an aberration, but he clearly has some skill and a lot of athleticism. He is not the featured star of this Pittsburgh team, but he contributed in a big way Sunday. I am sure he turned some heads.

The athleticism is there. Let's see if he can put in another big game later in this tournament. NBADraft.net has him going No. 22 and DraftExpress.com has him going No. 34 (fourth in the second round).

LeVance Fields, Pittsburgh- the feisty little point guard has probably been Pitt's best player all year. He reminds me a lot of Jameer Nelson with the way he plays. He just does not have the scoring ability. His point guard skills may not be all the way there as he is more of a scorer than a distributor. Either way, in the NBA he is going to be asked to be a floor general.

Will he ever start? Only if a team is desperate. Fields could probably use another year to develop. But Pitt's struggles as the No. 1 team and in the tournament so far could fall directly on their point guard.

He struggled handling Oklahoma State's press late in the game and it allowed the Cowboys to stay in the game longer than they should have.

Fields is not projected to be drafted in the next two years.

NBA Draft Wathc: NCAA First Round

The First Round is nearing completion and I am sure a lot of our brackets have been destroyed. Good thing the predictable and fun NBA Playoffs are coming up. Let's talk Draft though right now. Here are my thoughts on some potential NBA players in the NCAA Tournament.

A.J. Abrams- the guard from Texas can flat out shoot and that is always a skill that will land you on an NBA team. I am sticking to the local CBS feed so I am not watching every game. But CBS switched to the Texas-Minnesota game and Abrams turned a two-point deficit into an easy win in a matter of two minutes. Then CBS switched away from the game.

Abrams is a great shooter. This was no fluke. He seemed like he could stroke it like JJ Redick, but he also has the speed to get to the basket and really attack. He is not a true point guard though (otherwise, we would be talking about him a lot more). I think he is ultimately doomed to be a small shooting guard like Ben Gordon. Those can be pretty valuable, but not incredibly valuable. You always want more out of those type of players.

Abrams would fit into Orlando's system in the second round (but he won't last that long). But they don't need another point guard. NBADraft.net does not have him being drafted. I think he is a guy someone will be willing to take a flyer on. That shooting ability is just too good, even if he cannot play the point in the pros.

Manny Harris- I go to school at Northwestern, so I have gotten to see this guy play a bunch. He is a very good player. Scratch that, he can be a very good player. He is 6-foot-5, very strong, has a decent shooting stroke and can play defense. John Bielein does some odd things with his defense and offense to keep the scores low at Michigan, but Harris still has been able to shine.

He certainly made a name for himself in the Wolverines' win over Clemson on Thursday. The only problem with Harris is that he does not bring fantastic play every night. Which is why I think he too should stay in school. He could be a top pick if he can prove that he can be a consistent scoring option.

Harris reminds me of a more talented Corey Brewer. Brewer was the best perimeter scoring option on those Florida national title teams and never seemed to wow you with anything. Harris has all those abilities and a better knack for scoring. It is tough to shine in Michigan's team-oriented style, but Harris needs to do it to create some draft buzz.

DraftExpress.com currently ranks him No. 23 in their 2010 mock draft. So a long way to go for him, but I think he could be a very good prospect if he can show more consistency.

NBA Draft Watch: Conference Tournaments

Well, the NCAA Tournament is here and that is really the first time the lay-NBA fan gets to see the future stars of tomorrow. So as I watch the tournament I will provide my thoughts on some players that could be suiting up for NBA teams in the very near future. I will update my thoughts after each round.

And, yes, I know the Magic do not have a first round pick this season (given away in the Rafer Alston deal).

Pre-Tournament

There are a few players I would like to get in that I got a chance to watch in the conference tournaments first.

Hasheem Thabeet - I really like Thabeet. He is a big guy who can block shots. I compare him to a young Alonzo Mourning. His defense is way ahead of his offense and he has a lot of energy and a good frame (almost Dwight Howard-like). But I think he was really exposed in two games against Pittsburgh and in the Big East Tournament.

Thabeet is just not a physical guy. He does not do well with contact and he can be taken out of the game pretty easily. I think he needs another year in college to refine his game and get stronger -- he is still incredibly thin for a 7-foot-3 guy. But this is probably the best time for him to come out. He is projected as the No. 2 pick by NBADraft.net. He has slipped to No. 4 according to DraftExpress.com.

James Harden - the forward out of Arizona State has all the tools to be an NBA player. I don't think he has gotten the notoriety he truly deserves because he is playing for a low profile team. But this guy can contribute on the NBA level. The only issue with him is that he kind of disappears when he is not scoring.

That is the thing with college guys, they are used to dominating the scoring on their teams and they simply will not do that at the NBA level. He can score with the best of them when he wants to and has the physical tools to defend and be a good forward. We will see how it goes. I think he could have a breakout tournament for the Sun Devils. NBADraft.net has him going No. 3 in their current mock draft and he is No. 2 according to DraftExpress.

Demarr DeRozan - there are not a lot of great freshman to be coming to the NBA this year. But this guy could be a special one. In the Pac-10 Conference Tournament Finals against Arizona State, he simply took over at times and really pushed his team to the title. He did not finish the game, but he certainly got them started.

He is going to be an NBA player at some point. I don't think he should come out after his freshman year (but that is generally how I feel). He is currently projected by NBADraft.net as the No. 10 pick. He is No. 17 in DraftExpress' mock. So a wide range for this kid.

Otis Smith: Finally a competent GM

As the excitement from the Rafer Alston trade begins to die down (although it may not until the Magic lose and we realize that Alston will not get them as far as Jameer Nelson), I am still marveling at the deal that acquired him.

It was a pure stroke of genius (and good timing, apparently they phoned it in to the league right at the deadline) to dump two very poor players -- sorry Adonal Foyle -- and an unneeded first round pick for a player that could very well keep the team afloat and respectable among the Eastern Conference's elite this season.

Otis Smith deserves a lot of credit for the job he has done this season.

He had the foresight to take the risk of taking away Nelson's safety blankets -- Keyon Dooling and Carlos Arroyo -- offer him an extension and give him full control of the team. I was one of the many who were skeptical of this decision. But Nelson has flourished.

He had the genius to build Orlando's roster. Stan Van Gundy deserves a lot of the credit to get this tema playing at such a high level, but Smith has built this roster very smartly. They are an incredible group of guys that should grow in the next year or two into a title contender.

As much as you want to slam Smith for offering Rashard Lewis such a large contract, it has turned into a great deal for the team. Lewis has really helped give everyone the comfort to play at their very best.

Thinking about it, I can only really count three or four bad moves by Smith.

-The drafting of Fran Vazquez. And I still think this deal could turn around WHEN he come to the U.S.

-The drafting of JJ Redick. He has been good at spots, but with the 11th pick he was not a solid enough guy to take a flier on. He is a spot-duty, special situation player.

-The trade of Trevor Ariza. Again also debateable. Maurice Evans was a better now-decision. Ariza though has and can still develop into a much better Evans. The salary cap space from Evans' departure was spent on Mickael Pietrus and the jury might still be out on this decision.

-The signing of Billy Donovan as head coach. Luckily he got a second chance. But I can tell you, the Magic would not be sitting at 40 wins right now with him at the helm.

That is all I can think of. How many bad moves could you think of in Jon Gabriel's first three seasons? Or Jon Weisbrod's season and a half?

This is a tough job. Otis Smith has done it well. When teams were looking to shave salary, Smith decided he need to make a move to help his team win now. Yes, Alston's arrival has made it more difficult to resign Hedo Turkoglu (although I am getting the suspicion that he may not opt out with the current climate of the NBA) this summer.

But Smith has, again, had the right attitude for this team all along. It is all about winning titles. Orlando is in the best situation it has been in more than a decade.

I am intrigued what Smith will say in his State of the Magic address tomorrow afternoon.

Magic Wands: January 23, 2009

-All Star voting has closed by now. But Kobe Bryant (THE Kobe Bryant) believes Jameer Nelson is playing at an All Star level. He certainly has and he should be playing in Phoenix in February with Dwight Howard and maybe Rashard Lewis. The Magic will be well represented at the All Star game.

-Marc Stein talks to advance scouts around the NBA. While the national media is not willing to fall in love with the Magic and their title chances, the people who matter are. One scout calls Orlando the best team in the NBA right now.

-It is no secret that a lot of athletes voted for and are inspired by Barack Obama, who was inaugurated as President of the United States on Tuesday. It should be no surprise that so many athletes were going -- sometimes to extreme lengths -- to attend the inauguration. Among those in attendance? Tiger Woods and Dwight Howard.

-Feel like your middle school basketball player has college-level skills? So does the NCAA. It now can regulate coach's interactions with seventh graders, deciding that players as young as 11 or 12 are now prospects.

-Jerry Sloan agreed to a one-year extension with the Jazz. Think about that for a moment. He has coached the same team for 22 years and will coach them for one more. You get the feeling though that with only a one-year extension, Sloan sees his retirement coming.

-Jason Quick of The Oregonian reports that Rudy Fernandez will be joining Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson and Rudy Gay in the Slam Dunk Contest. Click here for the official release.

-They say when you are a Playmaker, you can bend the rules. At least that is what ESPN wanted you to believe until the NFL shut them up. Then again, when the President-Elect calls you for inauguration, coach changes practice for his superstar player.

-Brian Schmitz has a solid breakdown of the Magic season so far in Wednesday's Orlando Sentinel now that we have officially hit the midway point.

-Good new Orlando fans. ClearChannel may be returning 740 AM to sports radio. That would give the 20th largest media market two local sports radio stations. Bad news about the job cuts though.

-Stan Van Gundy sure is glad he is not coaching in college football, Mike Bianchi reports.