Magic Wands: January 16, 2009

-One of the best announcers on TV is taking a leave of absence. Charles Barkley is one of the most entertaining guys on television and his chemistry with Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith on TNT make it one of the most entertaining shows in the NBA. Barkley is always honest. He does not care who he offends. And he knows when an issue is important and needs a deeper discussion. It is unfortunate that his shortcomings have kept him from doing something really good in the world. Here is hoping the best for Barkley.

-Dwight Howard is in the running for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Award. And why not pretend Courtney Lee is in the running for Rookie of the Year. But anyone thinking about Jameer Nelson for Most Improved Player? ESPN is.

-J.A. Adande wonders in Monday's Daily Dime (box 2) where Shaquille O'Neal will have his jersey retired. Apparently the unhealthy break up he left in Los Angeles is not guaranteeing that No. 34 goes up in the rafters. But it seems a pretty safe bet O'Neal's No. 32 will be hanging at the Amway Arena after he retires. I would wait after Darrell's No. 10 is up there though to do it.

-John Hollinger is going to be the pioneer. He is the first member of the national media willing to admit the Magic are title contenders. His numbers cannot lie. He gives the Magic around 20 percent of a chance to win a title now.

-The hit parade keeps coming. After Orlando's impressive performance in Sacramento, Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel reports that Bill Walton believes the Magic are a front-runner for the title. Bianchi himself wrote a column on how it is time for fans to start truly believing in this team (I am trying, but I am not there yet). Orlando has not had this notoriety since the mid-90s. And they still have a long way to go.

-David Aldridge reports on NBA.com that Yao Ming wants the injury-riddled Tracy McGrady out of Houston. So maybe that deal wasn't so bad after all. The Magic certainly look better than the Rockets.

-So what does Dwight Howard have in store for us in Phoenix? Supposedly it has something to do with a different superhero (those Superman shirts were real nice on Christmas I have to say). Henry Abbott of TrueHoop has some ideas for whoever joins Howard, Nate Robinson and Rudy Gay in the dunk contest.

-Brian Schmitz muses about the plan this summer if Hedo Turkoglu skips town. Turkoglu is a free agent this summer and Orlando has a lot of money already wrapped up (not including roster improvements through free agency). This might be the last chance the Magic have with its current setup to get to the Finals. But it seems like both the Magic and Turkoglu want to get a deal done to keep him in the Magic Kingdom.