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).

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.

Magic Wands: December 26, 2008

-Guess the European life wasn't working for one NBA emigrant. Chad Ford of ESPN reported last Friday that Nenad Krstic (a European, no less) is going to be returning to the states.

-Shaquille O'Neal is on the verge of history. And if John Hollinger is right, Dwight Howard might be too.

-Despite a 20-6 record, Orlando is still struggling to gain national respect. The win against San Antonio and a national TV appearance yesterday against New Orleans might do that. But Marc Stein tells Marc Kestecher that the Magic are not quite elite yet (go to box seven). He should circle January 19 on his calendar. But Brian Schmitz reports in The Orlando Sentinel that the lack of notoriety suits the Magic fine.

-Ready for a switcheroo? Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that ESPN will send NBA play-by-play team of Mike Breen, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy to Durham, N.C., for the Duke-Davidson game Jan. 7. Who will be calling the Heat-Nuggets game after it? Why it will be none other than college basketball analysts Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale. It should be awesome, baby.

-ESPN First Take talks to JJ Redick about Tyler Hansbrough possibly breaking his scoring record in the ACC. Hansbrough just set the school record for points in a career.

-Courtney Lee is finally getting noticed by David Thorpe in his Rookie Rankings (No. 14 now!). He is averaging 5.7 points per game on 48 percent shooting. But what he has done recently is play efficiently. He has had some good games and is playing really well off the bench. Finally the Magic make a good pick in the middle of the first round.

-It is the season of giving. And DeShawn Stevenson is giving up his starting streak for the holidays.

-Golden State Warriors blog Golden State of Mind needs to relax after his team got beat down by the Magic on Monday. Blake Griffin will look really good Warrior blue.

-Had a bad year as a sports fan (hard to imagine with the Magic's success and the Rays right down the road)? No you haven't. Hats off to Seattle fans. They are the best.

-Karma sure is fun. Steve Francis has finally landed where it all began. That is right, Houston has traded Stevie Franchise back to the Memphis Grizzlies for a draft pick. Time to pull out the Steve Francis Vancouver Grizzlies draft night card that I have lying in a box somewhere.

-Dwight Howard will defend his slam dunk championship in Phoenix this February. And you get to choose one of his opponents.

Cuttino Mobley, a heart condition?

J.A. Adande of ESPN.com is reporting that the recent trade between the Knicks and the Clippers is being held up because former Magic guard Cuttino Mobley has an apparent heard condition.

The report is saying that the Knicks raised concerns over his heart condition and are sending him to a specialist. It goes on to say that Mobley had the heart condition his entire career but it was never seen as a major issue. With Eddy Curry on their team though, don't blame the Knicks for double checking.

Mobley had a good half season in Orlando in 2004-05 season before he was traded to Sacramento for Doug Christie (trading an apparent heart case for a head case... I kid, I kid). He was a great 3-point shooter and a solid defender, making the trade somewhat of a head-scratcher.

In any case, it had a huge affect on superstar Steve Francis (writing those words , seems hilarious to me now). Francis and Mobley were good friends and Francis' play suffered significantly since the trade.

All the best to Mobley. I hope to see him in a Knicks (or Clippers) uniform later this season.

UPDATE: today the trade went through. Mobley and Tim Thomas were traded to New York for Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins.

Orlando Magic on Election Day

Make sure you go out and vote today. Florida is a pretty important state, so make your vote count (more than others, at least).

Nov. 6, 1992: the Magic did not play their first game of the season until after Bill Clinton's victory over incumbent George H. W. Bush. But Orlando did make a premier of its own. Rookie Shaquille O'Neal scored 12 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.

But it was Nick Anderson showing why he was the Magic's elder statesmen as he dropped a career-high 42 points, including 19 in the fourth quarter, to lead Orlando to a 113-110 win over the Heat.

Nov. 1, 1996: the Magic were not as lucky (OK, luck had nothing to do with it) as incumbent Clinton in their first game of the season in 1996. Playing the Washington Bullets without Dennis Scott, Gerald Wilkins' game-tying 3-pointer was ruled a two when the referees determined Wilkins' foot was on the line and Orlando fell short 96-92 to the Bullets.

Clinton survived the Magic's loss and won re-election.

Nov. 6, 2000: no recount was needed at the Orlando Arena as the Magic raced past the Supersonics with a 110-99 victory. Still looking for its identity after signing Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill, who was out with an injury (figures), during the summer, some key role players had big games.

John Amaechi (from England, so he could not vote the next day) scored 20 points as did Darrell Armstrong.

We all know what happened the next day in Florida.

Nov. 3, 2004: Steve Francis got to the hoop and made a lay-up as time expired to give the Magic a thrilling 93-92 opening-game victory over the Bucks. Dwight Howard finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in his first NBA game.

George W. Bush pulled a Francis as he narrowly defeated John Kerry for re-election the day before.

Nov. 3, 2008: one day before Barack Obama and John McCain squared off in the general election. The Magic built to 15-point leads against the Chicago Bulls. Obama's hometown team climbed back both times and nearly tied the game. But somehow Orlando held on 96-93 thanks to 22 points and 15 boards from Howard.

Who will win today's election? Think of this:

In the above games, the Magic went 4-1. What does that mean for Obama and McCain, absolutely nothing! But it is interesting to note Orlando was home for each one of the above games. I guess you have to keep your voters in Florida.