Magic Wands: November 20, 2009

-Hedo Turkoglu was nearly a Phoenix Sun instead of an Orlando Magic.

-Orlando has put in its application to host the 2012 All Star Game and as the Orlando Sentinel reports, it might cost them $1.5 million to prepare the city.

-An Ohio State study finds that expecting less from your team helps you get more enjoyment out of them.

-Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini has an open invitation for LeBron James to try out and help the Browns.

-No words can describe Kirk Hinrich singing "Love, lift us up where we belong." So video will have to do.

-In New Orleans' never-ending quest to have the ugliest jerseys in basketball, they unveil their new Mardi Gras alternates. Oh boy.

-Larry Bird talks with Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe about the little interesting tidbits in his new book, When the Game Was Ours, co-written with Magic Johnson and Jackie MacMullan.

-Yahoo! Sports reported Tracy McGrady got into a heated, emotional discussion with Rockets coach Rick Adelman about when the team is planning to bring him back. McGrady -- as hard as it is to believe -- was in uniform for warmups before Wednesday night's game and is trying to force the issue and prove he is ready to play. Where was this passion and drive in 2004?

-Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times writes about the play that's all the rage in the NBA -- the pick and roll.

What They're Saying: Rockets vs. Magic

-No one doubts Mickael Pietrus has played very well since missing a good portion of last season with injuries. But the thing you may not know, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes, is Pietrus is still hurting from that wrist injury he suffered in Detroit last year.

-Stan Van Gundy will be jumbling lineups throughout the preseason so expect a new starting five tonight against the Rockets. Also, Matt Barnes' full-court heave.

-Chuck Hayes of the Houston Rockets is in an odd position, Jonathan Feigan of the Houston Chronicle writes. He is a 6-foot-6 center with limited offensive abilities, yet the glue that holds the rag-tag bunch of Rockets together.

-Trevor Ariza has been struggling with his shot entering his return to the Amway Arena -- not sure how I should feel about him as a Magic fan anymore. Also, Shane Battier is still working his way back from a pulled hamstring. Don't expect to see him tonight.

-Rocket Buzz asks if Aaron Brooks is the team's future at point guard.

The Temporary Incapacitation of Parity

The last two weeks have been interesting in the NBA, to say the least. Richard Jefferson to the Spurs. Shaquille O'Neal to the Cavaliers. Vince Carter to the Magic. Ron Artest to the Lakers. Trevor Ariza to the Rockets. Hedo Turkoglu to the Blazers. Or to the Raptors, not sure yet.

To say the least, no one could have foreseen even just one of these moves two-and-a-half weeks ago. Or the way they seemed to follow each other one after the other.

It seems like the teams that are going after a title are sititng at a poker table watching others in front of them bet the house for a championship next year and then having to raise the ante one more just to stay on top.

With the NBA in the economic state it is in, teams are cutting salary as quickly as possible. That has meant the teams willing to spend the money can have pretty much any player on a losing team. This has created a mercenary-type atmosphere in the NBA. The superstars of the lower half of the league are like hired guns who can be bouth for pennies on the dollar.

Don't tell me Phoenix got anything of value on the court for Shaquille O'Neal. Don't tell me Courtney Lee (as much as Magic fans love him), Tony Battie and Rafer Alston add up to the potential output of Vince Carter.

More than at any point, it is clear four or five teams are going for the title while the others are happy to fill out an 82-game season and survive financially until next season.

This is going to turn out to be unhealthy for the NBA. The divide between the winners and losers in the league is growing. No longer can you just lump the Clippers and the Grizzlies in the hopeless pile at the beginning of the year. More teams will join them this year.

And really, if you want to get serious, depending on how new players mesh, next year's title will be won by Cleveland, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio, Orlando or Boston.

They are simply the only ones willing to spend the money to win a title and no one else is. They are going after players with no regard for the salary cap because others are too afraid of it.

Parity is going to be dead in the NBA this year.

The Magic, Spurs, Cavs, Lakers and Celtics will have far and away the most wins in the league. You could see all five around 60 and the next best team in the mid-40s. No team except these five have made serious moves to improve themselves.

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).

Instances of The Curse: The Free Throws that Haunt Sir Nick

n 1997 the history of professional basketball was changed inexplicably.

It was that summer when Shaquille O'Neal left the Magic Kingdom in Orlando and leaped across the nation to the Magic Kingdom of Disneyland. It was that summer that the Los Angeles Lakers became a championship contender while the Orlando Magic were left to pick up the pieces.

It was that summer that the Curse of the Big Aristotle was born.

Ever since Orlando won that fateful Draft Lottery in 1992, the team's history would forever be tied with O'Neal's. He led the Magic to their first and only NBA Finals three years later (where they were swept by the defending champion Rockets).

His departure left a gaping 7-foot-1, 300-plus pound hole in Orlando's front line. The Magic were forced to watch from the sidelines as the Lakers won title after title while they slipped into mediocrity and irrelevancy.

It was at this moment the Curse of the Big Aristotle began. This is an instance of the Curse at work:

Nick Anderson stepped to the line in the late stages of Game One of the 1995 NBA Finals. It was the dream season for a young franchise.

It was Year Six of the grand Orlando basketball experiment -- the team's second postseason appearance -- and the team had reached the pinnacle of the NBA. These young guns had no clue what they were getting themselves into.

Shaquille O'Neal was the next big thing. Penny Hardaway was probably still better known for the Chris Rock puppet he walked around with. Horace Grant was all about the goggles. Brian Hill was still a venerable young coach. Dennis Scott was (Dennis Scott, among other things) O'Neal's one-man rapping posse.

And Nick Anderson was, well, he was the link to the franchise's young past. The first draft pick in team history. He was the role player every great team needed. He defended. He hit 3-pointers.

But under the bright lights, the team faced adversity. Orlando lost a 12-point lead and led by three as time ran down in Game One.

Anderson toed the line. He was a 70.4 percent shooter from the foul line. Not great, but not horrible either. It would be impossible to think he could miss two foul shots in a row. Right?

He missed the two shots. For reference after missing the first two free throws, to get back to his average Anderson would make his next five (that would be 71 percent from the line). There is no way he could miss four in a row.

After grabbing the rebound on his second miss, Anderson was fouled and went back to the line. Anderson clanked the next two. Again for reference, to get back to 70 percent he would have to hit his next ten free throws. Pretty impossible to miss four in a row.

He did and it left the door open. A door Kenny Smith made sure he led the Houston Rockets through. The rest, as they say, is history.

Hakeem Olajuwon tipped in the go-ahead bucket in overtime with 0.2 seconds left and gave the Rockets the Game One win. The Magic never recovered and were easily swept out of the NBA Finals.

It was widely assumed Orlando would return to the Finals soon. O'Neal was the next big thing. Hardaway was the next medium thing. And the team had a bright future.

Then Michael Jordan happened. And Orlando never got its chance. Soon O'Neal left for Los Angeles (where he won three titles). And so the Curse began to be cast.

Anderson was never the same. He never shot above 70 percent from the foul line the rest of his career and shot a paltry 40.4 percent in 1996-97. He never was the same.

Despite this, Anderson is -- and should be -- remembered for the great things he did as Orlando's first player. His steal on Michael Jordan in the Conference Semifinals is the greatest play in team history.

Keys to the Series: Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Lakers

1) Impose your style: the big matchup everyone is talking about in advance of the NBA Finals is how Orlando is going to contain Pau Gasol with Rashard Lewis in the post and conversely how Gasol is going to keep track of Lewis on the perimeter. It is a very interesting matchup between two all stars and one that will likely determine each individual game.

The simple answer is that whichever team makes the other adjust will win.

Dwight Howard has done a great job against the Lakers this season. Why? Both times he got Andrew Bynum in foul trouble in the first quarter and more or less knocked him out of the game. Bynum's stat line against Orlando says it all: 8.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 22.5 minutes per game in the two meetings this year. Plus he shot seven of 17 from the floor.

Bynum is not having the greatest postseason either. So if Howard can knock him out of the game because of foul trouble, it forces Gasol (who is a better post defender than Bynum and a much smarter and more seasoned player) to cover Howard and forces Lamar Odom into the game.

This could be good or bad, depending on the type of game Odom is having. But Lewis will have a difficult time shooting over Gasol on offense -- luckily he has taken to driving to the hoop more -- and defending him in the post. Gasol is quicker and smarter than Glen Davis or Anderson Varejao and will not be as easy to take advantage of as those two.

Thus it is even more important to get a more favorable matchup for him and force the Lakers to play the Magic's style. If Orlando lets Los Angeles keep two posts in the game, it makes it easier for them to double Howard, to pack the paint against drives and to force Orlando into becoming a jump shooting team.

2) Use the LeBron defense as the Kobe defense: easier said then done and LeBron James did have an incredible series until he ran out of gas in Game Six. But the same principal applies.

Orlando must make Kobe Bryant a scorer. He is not going to get to the hole as much as James and he is a much better shooter. Orlando survived two big Bryant games this season and earned the sweep. Bryant averaged 34.5 points and 7.0 assists per game in the two meetings. More importantly, the Magic forced him to take 27.0 shots per game to get those points. He has to become a volume shooter in this series for the Magic to win.

Don't think Kobe will make it easy for the Magic to do. He now has plenty of video of the team's strategy to guard James at his disposal and he will find some little weakness in Orlando's defense. It will be extremely difficult to copy the defensive performance the team did against the Cavaliers. Plus the Lakers have a better supporting cast surrounding their superstar.

But despite the better supporting cast, Kobe is still the one that makes the team go. If Orlando can force him to be a volume shooter than it makes it less likely that he will be passing to his teammates.

Again, this strategy may or may not work if Bryant is both shooting the ball at an efficient rate AND the Lakers are running their offense through Gasol in the low post.

Orlando has to do a good enough job in the first couple games to force Bryant to become a volume shooter and hurt his team by taking away its offensive fluidity.

3) Don't be satisfied: I was too young to remember too much from the 1995 NBA Finals (I was what six?). But reading retrospectives on the team and analysis from that time period and it is clear Orlando was happy just to reach the Finals. Beating the Pacers was an accomplishment and the season was a success.

The Houston Rockets, on the other hand, were an experienced title team and expected to win another championship.

Sounds eerily familiar.

I will not lie. Making the NBA Finals is a tremendous accomplishment for this team and this franchise. I would consider this season a success whether Orlando wins or loses this series.

But opportunities like this do not come around often -- as the 1995 team learned when Michael Jordan returned, led his Bulls team to a NBA record 72 wins and an NBA championship. Shaquille O'Neal left and the rest is history.

The team cannot be satisfied with just reaching this point (even if some fans are... look at those season ticket sales after Saturday's game). It has to consider this a once in a lifetime opportunity and something not to be squandered. After all, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett are both waiting in the wings salivating over the opportunities next year provides.

The Magic's window will be open for a while, but you cannot play like it is when you are in the Finals. This is the only opportunity that matters.

Orlando cannot get discouraged after a loss in this series (especially if it is in Game One) and has to continue to fight and claw on each possession.

Stan Van Gundy has done a great job inspiring this team and they always seem to find a way to eke out wins. I have said this numerous times, but this is the sign of a great team. I have complete faith the Magic will not be satisfied and will adjust to anything the Lakers throw at them.

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 24, 2009

-When fouling the jump shooter is a good thing, according to David Thorpe.

-The first Arena Football League team has folded in the wake of the season's cancellation. Hopefully the Predators survive the canceled season.

-In the words of Captain Barbossa: "Our hope is restored!" As John Hollinger and TrueHoop points out with his nifty numbers that winning game one does not guarantee you anything in the playoffs.

-Good news for next year, maybe. According to The Orlando Sentinel's Hal Boedeker, Orlando's game one ratings were significantly better than last year's game one rating. No more NBATV after this year?

-For all those that Twitter, the Magic now have a Twackle. I think that is a collection of Twitter accounts. But now you can be friends with Stuff, and who does not want that?

-DwightTV (click on DwightTV) presents highlights of the Defensive Player of the Year and some karaoke.

-Sad to see an all-time great go out this way. But Dikembe Mutombo knew his career was over as laid on the floor at the Rose Garden on Tuesday. TrueHoop has a nice tribute to the man and the player. And Mutombo still goes out on top.

-Whit Whatson, twitter pioneer.

-Chris Bosh is a Toronto Raptor now, but could he be in the Magic's future in 2010? His name is getting bounced around, but I do not see this as realistic. Jessica Reuter of the Bleacher Report says it is financially feasible and talks like this season is already a failure.

-What is the deal with the NBATV doubleheader Tuesday night? I thought the NBA wanted all their games to be seen. I guess not, Magic-Sixers will be 7:30 p.m. ET on NBATV followed by Blazers-Rockets Game 5 at 10 p.m. ET. Enjoy your expanded cable packages everyone.

-The Painted Area notes the high quality of offense in the NBA right now... at least for the last few years.

Houston Rockets 93, Orlando Magic 83

It is always a good sign when you tune into a game in the middle of the fourth quarter, your team trails by almost 10 points and you think to yourself: "OK, we are fine. This game is still within reach."

Recent history has shown the Magic are certainly capable of coming back from pretty medium-sized deficits against good teams on the road. Their trip to Houston had its bumps, but the game was certainly within reach.

That extra gear never came Tuesday.

Houston took advantage of a struggling Orlando offense and were never really threatened in the final seven minutes of the game on its way to a 93-83 win. The loss puts the Magic one game behind the Celtics for the second spot in the playoffs with five games remaining for both teams.

When you live by the three, you will also die by the three. And sometimes the Magic simply do not have enough muscle inside to make up for a poor shooting effort from beyond the arc. Simply nothing was clicking tonight for Orlando.

The Magic were 10 of 28 from beyond the arc, and Yao Ming effectively held Dwight Howard to 13 points and 10 rebounds. Howard shot just five of 11 from the floor, continuing his struggles against his all star counterpart from the Western Conference.

It simply was not the Magic's night.

Magic acquire Rafer Alston

The biggest deal at the NBA's trade deadline? Orlando my have solved its point guard problem.

While Jameer Nelson underwent surgery on his shoulder by famed surgeon Dr. James Andrew of Birmingham, Ala., Orlando acquired point guard Rafer Alston from Houston in a three-team deal. The Magic gave up Brian Cook, Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks and a first round pick.

But considering where it appeared this season was going, it all seems worth it for security at the point.

It has been clear since Nelson's injury that Anthony Johnson is just not meant to be a starting point guard. He does not have the ability to knife his way through defenses like Nelson could and he has been exposed. Not that he isa bad player, but his talents better suit him for a role off the bench.

Alston has been a reliable starter for a playoff team for the past two seasons.

More importantly, I really think he fits the Magic well. He is a great 3-point shooter and can attack the basket -- something he did often in his And1 days as "Skip to My Lou". Also not a horrible defender either.

This was a necessary deal for the Magic to reach their goals in the playoffs, namely get out of the first round.

I expect Alston to integrate into the team very quickly and be a key contributor down the stretch. This is not to say that Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu are not going to have to step up their games. Alston is not going to produce at the level Nelson was. But this trade insures the Magic have a starting point guard for the rest of this season.

The big topic of discussion this trade deadline has been how teams have cut costs. This was not a cost-cutting move for sure. Alston has another year left on his deal. But he should still figure to contribute next season.

I am beginning to think that Turkoglu will not opt out of his contract in fear that he cannot get as much as he would make. But this trade hampers Orlando's efforts to re-sign him. It will be interesting to see how this plays out this summer.

History Revisited: Mac attack -- or lack thereof

In the summer of 2004, Orlando was at a crossroads.

A new GM was in office and looked to shape up a moribund, mediocre 21-61 squad. With the No. 1 pick in the draft, he issued his star player an ultimatum. Join us or be shipped out.

It was clear even before the Magic picked up that lucky ping pong ball that the superstar wanted out unless his team could become a winner immediately. He thought Emeka Okafor would be that answer, not Dwight Howard.

Fault Jon Weisbrod for a lot of things. But he had bravery to tell an established superstar, "Let's go in a different direction. You are not part of our plans." Yes, he messed up the Steve Francis deal and left the city as a failure for numerous other missteps.

But five years later, look at where Orlando and Houston stand.

Howard has blossomed into the best big man in the league and the Magic are one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Rockets have knocked on the door and have always looked like they could be very good. Then they fail to get out of the first round. McGrady still has not tasted playoff success.

Now T-Mac is out for the rest of the year in need of microfracture surgery on his left knee. McGrady has struggled with injuries in the past five years.

It is clear McGrady thought he was going to be the winner of his journey out of Orlando. It is clear now that the Magic were right to rebuild.

Magic Wands: December 12, 2008

-Supersonicsoul has an interesting look at NBATV ratings. Orlando is not doing so hot (sorry, I have not been home to eat up NBATV in the odd hours of the afternoon). But the league is still as popular as ever.

-According to one scout who talked to Marc Stein on the Weekend Dime:

"I think Orlando is the best team in the NBA that's not being talked about. Everyone loves Portland right now, so everyone talks about them. Orlando is racking up the road wins again, and they're going to be a legit player in the Eastern Conference if they can get that No. 3 or [No.] 2 seed and avoid Boston in the second round. I know people say they have no bench, but once you get to the playoffs you only play seven or eight guys anyway.

"Look at what they do have: Rashard [Lewis] and Hedo [Turkoglu] to spread the floor and one of the few legit big guys out there [in Dwight Howard], even though he's not a great scorer. And Jameer Nelson … his problem is that he's making $8 million instead of $6 million. If he was making $6 million, everyone would think he's a bargain. In the playoffs, I thought the kid was pretty good."

Tell me something I don't know.

-Darko Milicic makes his run for Superman after picking up a foul against Houston on Monday. Better video here.

-Remember when I complained about Tuesday's basketball lineup on ESPN. Marc Stein calms me down in the Daily Dime. Plus, Stan Van Gundy deserves all the credit for the win at Portland (scroll to the bottom).

-Avid Trail Blazer fan Henry Abbott tries to explain why Brandon Roy made the wrong decisions down the stretch Tuesday. Here's a hint: Keith Bogans is good at defense.

-Chicago Bulls assistant coach Pete Myers gets the first crack at playing President-Elect Barack Obama, the Chicago Tribune reports.

-According to a Truehoop reader, residents of Shanghai want resident Yao Ming to play more like Dwight Howard. We will take that as a compliment and a vote for Howard as the best center in the league.

-Early returns from All Star ballotting have Dwight Howard leading the way. Not for centers, but for EVERYONE.

-Former Magic man Cuttino Mobley is going to officially retire because of a heart condition.

-Dwight Howard tells Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel that he will be competing in the slam dunk contest this year. And he has something BIG planned for it.