Magic Wands: October 30, 2009

-Um, so the rims have changed a little. Curious about what that could mean. And, yes, the black throwbacks are making a triumphant return!

-Looks like the injury bug has been making its way around the NBA this preseason. Magic, relatively unscathed -- except for Rashard Lewis' 10-game suspension.

-Rap world, meet JJ Redick. JJ Redick... good luck.

-And so the selling of the Amway Center begins...

-Dwight Howard, not as dominant around the basket as you think according to John Nichols writing for 3rd Quarter Collapse.

-If you are like me and live outside of Orlando, you probably did not get the Orlando Magic preview section in The Orlando Sentinel. Good thing it is online.

-Orlando is going to be involved in the U.S. bid for the 2018/2022 World Cup. Please sign the petition.

-Think you are athletic? Try a Russian athletic test like the Minnesota Lynx's Renee Montgomery did.

-Here are all the court designs for this year, if you were curious.

-Dwight Howard flew his one millionth follower on Twitter to Wednesday night's game against the 76ers. If I unfollow him and re-follow him, do I get a free trip too?

-ESPN Page 2 takes a different look at NBA logos. Twice!

I am probably nitpicking a little bit here, but pictures of Amway Arena that I have seen our old banners look... different. You have probably seen me tweeting that the Eastern Conference banner was clearly changed (the player's names no longer frame the banner). But this photo from The Orlando Sentinel made me think all the banners had been replaced. I am kind of angry about this. Are you? Discuss.

Orlando Magic and the Year of High Expectations

To say expectations are high in the Magic Kingdom is an understatement.

Dwight Howard said entering the season how sparse the crowds were his rookie season and how the team's play has transformed the town. Superman said at one point this summer how he wants the Magic to be the way the world learns about Orlando the city and not just the airport you go to get to Disney.

Those are some lofty goals. Whether those are accomplished who knows? But one thing the team can definitely control is what happens on the court. And on the court only one result will do after reaching the team's second Finals and first in 14 years.

But even with that lofty goal, uncertainty still remains. Typically when a championship is in sight it seems pretty sure that at least the Conference Finals will be reached. But with Orlando some uncertainty remains.

Part of that is the improvement from Boston and Cleveland -- who both looked a little slow and unathletic in their matchup last night. Those two teams reloaded in certain ways to test the Magic but we will not know anything until they play in May.

But unlike those two teams, Orlando made significant changes to its core. Gone are Hedo Turkoglu and Courtney Lee. In are Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass.

There will be at least two new starters in tonight's opening day lineup and there is five new guys in the 10-man rotation that Stan Van Gundy is expected to use. That is a lot of change and change is not always good.

That is the big question facing the Magic. How do you integrate Vince Carter into the offense and, more importantly, into the defense?

Carter has the skills to add a lot to the offense. He is a scorer plain and simple -- something Orlando has not had since Tracy McGrady was traded. When things break down, he will create and score. As he proved in the preseason he can also space the floor well with his shooting.

He has a reputation that precedes him for sure. And that worries me more on the defensive end. Van Gundy has gotten Rashard Lewis and Turkoglu to play top-level defense with the promise of Howard to bail them out behind him and it worked.

The Magic had one of the top defenses in the league last year and that more than anything piloted them to the NBA Finals. He will have to get Vince to buy in for anything to be successful.

More than anything else, each of Orlando's moves seemed to improve the team. Whereas Boston and Cleveland seemed to make moves to respond and make a splash, Orlando added quality role players to supplement its starters.

Brandon Bass is a tough-nosed player who will do the dirty work and help Howard on the boards against the more physical teams like the Celtics. Not only that, but he has a more than consistent mid-range game that will keep opponents honest and allow Howard room to work.

Ryan Anderson is a clone of Rashard Lewis in his shooting ability and has some toughness and ability to work inside. Matt Barnes is a tough defender who can also drain the 3-pointer and,, as we have learned in the preseason, do a little bit of everything.

These acquisitions should help the Magic off the bench -- an area they struggled in for much of last season.

But the starters are nothing to laugh at either.

The expectations for Howard do not need to be mentioned. Everyone is expecting the soon-to-be 24 year old to continue his offensive improvement. He is already the top defender in the league around the basket and a deterrent at the rim.

And realistically Jameer Nelson is returning from missing half of last season. He was a shell of his former self in the NBA Finals last year. He is an efficient facilitator in the offense and knows when to attack and when to get everyone else involved. He made an All Star leap last year and while it might be expected that he takes a step bakc, it would not surprise if he kept up at that level.

More than anything this team is hungry. They had to watch the Lakers celebrate a title on their home court -- an embarassment if you ask me. Not only that, they have had every national pundit pretty much write them off again as some fluke or beneficiary of luck. It is hard to believe, but this team is flying under the radar among the title contenders.

I think the stars are aligned for Orlando to make a repeat trip to the Finals and face Los Angeles (Lakers). I see the Magic having some trouble in a series with the Celtics, but ultimately their depth and relentless offensive pressure will wear on any team in a seven-game series.

Orlando went out and fixed one of its major deficiencies in signing Brandon Bass. I think he becomes key in a series with Boston or Los Angeles as the second tough guy to throw at some of the bigger front lines.

It is tough to predict all the way out to June and I think a Magic-Lakers series is a tight one (and not a tight five games, I believe a tight six or seven games). But like in that series, I have to go with my heart.

The expectations are a championship. And I firmly believe this is the year Orlando wins the title.

Magic Wands: October 23, 2009

-Craig Smith tries to be Dwight Howard.

-Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times takes a look back at the development of the 3-point shot and how the Orlando Magic are at the forefront of the 3-point revolution.

-Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus named Marcin Gortat the second best prospect in the NBA, behind Philadelphia's Marreese Speights. Not sure what a prospect means, but Gortat might be pushing for minutes someway some how.

-Tell me if you have heard this one... "a coach, a referee and a Rabbi walk onto a basketball court" (from Newsday).

-And so the previews begin! Here is ESPN's panel of experts' thoughts on the Magic this year. And here is Sporting News weighing in.

-Word is the referees are on their way back. ESPN and NBA.com say so.

-A recruiting promise from UCF to Marcus Jordan, son of one Michael, is getting the Knights in some hot water with adidas.

-I am sorry, I can't not post this video of a video game Zaza Pachulia.

What They're Saying: Lakers vs. Magic Game Five

-IF Phil Jackson wins his 10th NBA title, Henry Abbott wonders if he might be willing to hand the reigns to superstar Kobe Bryant much like Red Auerbach handed the reigns to Bill Russell.

-A reflective mood at Saturday practices as Jackson approaches breaking Auerbach's title mark. The Magic? Hedo Tukoglu looks at the 3-1 deficit as a chance to show Orlando's character once again.

-Sunday might be the last time Orlando sees Hedo Turkoglu or Marcin Gortat in a Magic uniform. It is simply an issue of dollars and cents. For Turkoglu, it is going to take some interesting cap maneuvering and maybe some back breaking. Apparently, Orlando is willing to pay the luxury tax to keep him.

-Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times is very convinced Kobe Bryant will be a Laker for a long, long time.

-Orlando can rain on Los Angeles' parade in more than one way. Even if the Lakers win, they may not get their victory lap around Staples Center.

-Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse writes sitting on the bench has been the toughest thing for Anthony Johnson to do. The journeyman has earned his way to the Finals, but has not seen a minute of action so far.

-It has been a wild ride for Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher since they both entered the league together in 1996. They were both at the top earlier this decade and have had to claw their way back.

-Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel also does not want this ride to end. The Magic's success has meant a lot to the city and legitimated the large investment the area put into the team with the new arena.

-George Diaz of The Orlando Sentinel guarantees a Game Five victory for the Magic. Why? The loosey-goosey, jovial mood at practices. This team has played well under adversity this postseason.

-Orlando is confident there will be a ring ceremony at Amway Arena next season, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. That is certainly the attitude the Magic will need to complete the improbable 3-1 comeback.

-Mark Jackson tells the Orlando Sentinel that the Magic did not lose Game Four because of experience. The Lakers executed and made the plays they needed to do win -- a very proactive analysis of the game. Los Angeles' cast of characters seem to have that destiny feeling around them. But then again, so did Cleveland.

-Otis Smith said dealing Trevor Ariza was a very difficult decision. He simply did not fit in with Orlando's new makeup and, as Kyle Hightower of The Orlando Sentinel reports, has fit in perfectly for Los Angeles after the team's failure to beat Boston last year.

-David Thorpe of Scouts Inc. says experience helped the Lakers stay calm in the closing moments of Game Four (not hampered Orlando). He says the Magic did a lot of things right, but their attitude is the most important heading into Game Five.

-Anthony Johnson continues to work hard, knowing full well he probably will not play in Game Five, writes Andrea Adelson of The Orlando Sentinel.

-Turnovers have been key for the Magic all series long. Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel says Orlando's turnovers are up to 15.0 per game this series.

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.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Cavaliers Game One

-Bleacher Report's Jared Wright gives five reasons why Cleveland will win the series. And Brandon Ribak gives his reasons why Orlando will win.

-Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily lists three reasons why he thinks Orlando can defeat Cleveland.

-Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie asks five questions entering the Eastern Conference Finals.

-Matt Watson of NBA FanHouse, Cavs in four really? You said it yourself, Orlando seems to bug Cleveland more than any other team. You have to figure the Magic will push the Cavaliers even a little bit. I guess that is why they call it a FANhouse. It is full of goo-goo-eyed LeBron lovers who do not actually know anything about basketball.

-Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse says this series will determine which team got the better No. 1 pick. LeBron was taken No. 1 the year before Dwight Howard and the two have skyrocketed to the top of the NBA.

-The Cavaliers are learning their lessons from three tough games against the Magic this season, Kyle Hightower of The Orlando Sentinel reports.

-Courtney Lee will make his triumphant return to the starting lineup for Game One, according to The Orlando Sentinel. Once again, great job in the last series JJ Redick.

-A bunch of interesting side plots in this series. Including the matchup between father, Magic assistant coach Brendan Malone, and son, Cavaliers assistant coach Mike Malone. Also, former Orlando head man Chris Jent is an assistant with Cleveland.

-Remember when Dwight Howard said Orlando would win a title at the beginning of the season a few years ago? Well, the Magic are on the doorstep. And don't think they will let this opportunity slip. You never know when you will get back to this point.

-Cleveland fans know suffering, Kyle Hightower writes for The Orlando Sentinel.
Blogger: The Curse of the Big Aristotle - Edit Post "What They're Saying: Magic vs. Cavaliers Game One"
-Playoff basketball has brought the communities of Cleveland and Orlando closer together. Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel tells a great story of what Magic basketball has done for one area family.

-Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily highlights how the Magic might cover LeBron James this series.

-Eight keys to winning the series from erivera7 of 3rd Quarter Collapse. Much more detailed than my three keys, but we highlight many of the same things.

-It may not mean anything, but Ben Q Rock of 3rd Quarter Collapse reveals that Rafer Alston loves playing against the Cavaliers.

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.

Magic Wands: December 19, 2008

-Dwight Howard spreads a little joy to the Florida Hospital. A really good story and the kind of stories everyone is starving to hear by John Denton of The Florida Today.

-A fellow Orlando sports franchise is fighting for its survival. The Orlando Sentinel had a pretty thorough report of the situation Sunday. Go Predators! Save the Arena Football League! And it didn't take long for the word to get out that the Predators will not be playing this season. It is tough to come back after taking a year off. The Orlando Sentinel has the story.

-A lot of coaches have been fired so far this season (including former Magic man Reggie Theus from Sacramneto). But one thing the NBA does not have problems with that other sports leagues do is black coaches. Race should not play a role in these decisions, but many qualified coaches are not getting jobs in football. Race may or may not matter. In the hiring of new Auburn football coach Gene Chizik, outspoken NBA great Charles Barkley thinks it did. You can't argue in the record of Buffalo coach Turner Gill (who is black), but you can't argue with the connections and history the school has with Chizik either.

-The trade rumors are continuing to bound around the Magic as they look to improve for the rest of the season. We have all heard the Chucky Atkins rumors with Denver (although I haven't put them on this site). But now Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel reports Orlando might be willing to part with Duke alumnus JJ Redick to re-acquire Duke alumnus Grant Hill. That could be a good move... doubt Phoenix would go for it.

-Never too early for a mock draft from ESPN's Chad Ford!

-The economic downturn is affecting everyone. Here is how the Magic have handled it from Kyle Hightower of The Orlando Sentinel.

-Funny thing happened at the Magic game Thursday night. Rashard Lewis hit a shot in the corner. I could not see where it was from where I was sitting, but the referees ruled it a two pointer. Then one of the officials motioned to the other official with a circling motion with one of his hands (like he was telling the clock to run). The other official then motioned to the scorer's table. Next timeout, the three referees review where Lewis was on the court. It turned out it was a 3-pointer. This is a case of replay working. I was against referees reviewing the spot of a shot when it was announced because I feared it would interrupt game flow like it does in college. But this actually worked.

-The Simpsons has a rare moment of insight (at least for recent times). The blog Bend it Like Bennett tells the story.

-Dennis Hans writes a great essay on HoopsHype about Dwight Howard's shooting stroke, especially free throws. I always thought his problem was he kind of stops at the top and then shoots, losing the power from his free throw. Uniformed motion is my pet peeve on free throws. But Hans says it has more to do with how he holds his wrist and when he snaps it.