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.