MAGIC: All-Time Transactions

MAGIC: All-Time Transactions

Another time-waster: every transaction in the history of the Magic. From the original expansion draft to the suspension of Francis is right here.

I had forgotten that they traded Matt Harping for Andrew DeClercq. That was the same day they traded Ben Wallace & Chucky Atkins and renounced the rights to Chauncey Billups.

A Tough February Ahead

A Tough February Ahead

Overall Record entering February: 18-24 (.429); Home: 12-10 (.545); Road: 6-14 (.300) 10th in East

Nov: 7-7 (.500)
Dec: 5-8 (.384)
Jan: 6-9 (.400)
Feb: 14 games, 6 home & 8 road

Splits:
cumulative win percentage of Feb opponents: .514,
cumulative record on home/road courts of Feb opponents: .520.
Magic record this year against Feb opponents: 7-11 (.389)
4 games against division leaders
8 games against winning teams
10 games against teams with winning home or road records.

The month includes a nasty 8 games from 2/6 to 2/22 where the Magic will not be favored to win. A 7-7 month would be a spectacular accomplishment.

Wed 1 L.A. Clippers 7:00pm 25-16, 9-9 road team 1-0 vs. Magic this season. Mobley returns, does Francis pout or stick it to his friend? Last game Clippers outscored Magic 50-30 in 2nd & 3rd periods without Brand who is now healthy. Jameer back?

Fri 3 @ Atlanta 7:00pm 11-31, 3-17 road 0-0 vs Magic this season. Started 0-9 had a 4-10 January. Ty Lue at PG. Definite win expected. Al Harrington expected to be a top free agent this summer.

Sat 4 Boston 7:00pm 18-26, 4-17 road, Magic 1-0 vs. Boston this season. Doc Rivers returns to TDW. Boston 2-0 after trading for Wally. Lots of rumors Pierce may still be traded. Should expect a win.

Mon 6 @ Washington 7:00pm 20-22, 12-9 hm, Magic lead series 2-1 (0-1 on road) Figure Grant Hill shows up around this time, perhaps Cato as well.

Wed 8 @ Milwaukee 8:00pm 23-20, 13-9 hm, series 1-1

Fri 10 Detroit 7:00pm 37-5, 17-3 rd, Detroit 1-0

Sun 12 @ Boston 6:00pm 18-26, 14-9 home.

Tue 14 @ Miami 7:30pm 27-18, 14-6 home, Magic lead 1-0

Wed 15 Miami 7:00pm 13-12 road record. Home & Home vs. Miami. Shaq has been famous for not trying hard during his birthday month. Wonder if Riley can change that.

Sun 19 NBA All-Star Game in Houston -- hope Francis catches his flight out of Houston.

Tue 21 @ Cleveland 7:00pm 25-17, 16-15 home, Cleveland leads 2-0. Wild guess here that Drew Gooden & Damon Jones will be in an absolute funk due to trade deadline. Larry Hughes probably still out.

Wed 22 @ New Jersey 7:30pm 22-20, 12-6 at home, NJ leads 2-0. 2nd game of back to back on the road.

Thu 23 NBA TRADE DEADLINE – Cato gone?

Fri 24 Seattle 7:00pm 18-25, 8-13 road, Seattle 1-0 vs. Magic Should be a win.

Sun 26 Houston 3:30pm 15-28, 11-13 rd, Magic 1-0 vs. Houston. Should be a win.

Tue 28 @ L.A. Lakers 10:30pm 23-20, 12-8 home, Lakers 1-0 vs. Magic.

A puzzling, inexplicable loss for Magic

The 76ers, without Allen Iverson and having played Saturday night, come into Orlando and end the Magic's 7 game home winning streak 89-81. Chris Webber with 18 pts and John Salmons with 17 led Philly. Francis had another outstanding all-around game with his first triple double of the season with 22 pts, 10 rebs and 10 assists; and all the other starters for the Magic scored in double figures.

The Magic outscored Philly 65-63 from the field on 43.1% shooting, compared to 45.6% for the 76ers, but were outscored from the FT line 26-16. These last 2 games, the Magic have stopped being aggressive offensively and have not been drawing many fouls. The Sixers also did a much better job taking care of the ball, committing only 10 TOs while the Magic committed 17. The Magic did outrebound the Sixers 40-37. It was another woeful effort by the Magic bench, as they were outscored 19-7. Dooling, Garrity, and Diener combined to shoot just 3 of 13.

It's becoming apparent the Magic really miss Jameer Nelson, who would have been a huge spark off the bench these last 2 games, and GHill. It was unrealistic to expect Turkoglu to continue to play out of his mind like he was, as he has come back down to earth these last 2 games. Magic are now 2 games behind Washington for the final playoff spot.

Philly comes to Orlando without Iverson

Due to a sprained ankle suffered against the Magic on Thursday, star guard Allen Iverson will miss his second straight game for Philly tonight against the Magic. However, the Sixers did well without A.I. Saturday night, easily beating the Knicks 91-76, moving their record to 22-21. The 76ers are 39-58 in Iverson's career when he misses a game.

Journeyman Kevin Ollie started in Iverson's place and had 6 pts and 5 assists. Several other players also stepped up as Chris Webber had 21 pts 10 rebs; John Salmons nearly had a triple double with 18 pts 9 rebs and 7 assists. Andre Iguodala had 16 pts and Kyle Korver added 12 pts off the bench.

The Magic, who at the midpoint of the season are 18-23, have a great chance to extend their home winning streak to 8 games, as they have not lost at TDW since a 104-88 setback to the Lakers on Dec. 23rd. They should have beaten the Knicks Friday night, but a slow start, too many TOs and poor bench play doomed the Magic. If those 3 things are corrected tonight, the Magic should cruise to victory, as they are favored by 7 pts, but they cannot take Philly for granted simply because they will be without Iverson. It's not known at this time if Jameer Nelson will be able to play after missing the previous 4 Magic games.

Dennis Scott on his favorite all-time Magic player

ProBasketballNews.com - The thinking fan's basketball Web site

Frantic Magic comeback comes up just short

It was just too much to ask the Magic to come back from a huge 21 pt deficit at the half. Despite a great effort by Francis, who scored a season-high 36 pts, the Magic's 5 game winning streak came to an end 97-94. The Magic committed 22 TOs (and only 15 assists), which led to 23 NY pts. A bad effort from the bench tonight, outscored by the Knicks bench 45-16. After scoring a combined 42 pts last night, Garrity and Dooling combined to score just 11 pts on 4 of 17 shooting. Dooling, in particular, had a horrible game scoring 6 pts on 2 of 12 FG shooting (1 of 7 from 3 pt) along with 6 TOs and just 1 assist. If the bench played better, the Magic win this game.

The Magic outscored the Knicks 70-66 from the floor, outshooting them 43.1% to 42.1%, but were outscored from the FT line 31 to 24, as the Knicks attempted 44 FTs while the Magic attempted just 29. Howard really struggled offensively, shooting just 3 of 9 (10 pts) in 41 minutes. Turkoglu also struggled, shooting just 4 of 10 but still scored 16 pts.

Though it was a game the Magic should have won, this is only 1 loss, and Washington also lost to the Bulls Friday so the Magic are still only a game behind the Wizards for the last playoff spot, though the Bulls are now a half game ahead of the Magic now. The Magic need to be encouraged by Francis's great performance, correct all the errors they made against the Knicks, and come back ready to rock and start a new winning streak Sunday against the 76ers.

Magic go for 6 wins in a row at NY

The Magic, at 18-22, coming off a great OT win against Philly, go to Madison Square Garden tonight to face the Knicks, who, at 13-27, are trying to avoid their 7th loss in a row. The Magic are getting no respect from the oddsmakers, as they are 4 pt underdogs going into the game, but have had a great amount of success against NY the last two years. They've won 6 of their last 7 against NY and 3 in a row at MSG. Here's the key to the game: in two wins against the Knicks this year, the Magic have gone to the FT line 73 times! In this 5 game winning streak, the Magic have done an excellent job of drawing fouls and getting to the FT line, so look for that trend to continue tonight. Also, the Knicks are leading the league in TOs committed, averaging 17.4 per game. The Magic have to keep Stephon Marbury under control, as he's averaging 19 pts and 7 assists. He's coming off a sprained shoulder, so he won't be a hundred percent but will play. Jamaal Crawford (14.7 pts), Channing Frye (14.2 pts), and Eddy Curry (14.7 pts 6.6 rebs) are also averaging in double figures. At TDW on Dec. 28th, in a 10 pt Magic win, Curry had a huge game, with 29 pts and 9 rebounds before having to leave with an injury. Battie, with help from Howard, will have to play solid defense in the low post to prevent another monster game by Curry. Can the Magic add to their winning streak after a tough OT win last night? It's going to take another good team effort and the guys will have to step up like they've been doing... Go Magic!

Winning Streak Statistics

5 wins and a seemingly different team since Francis returned from his 2 game suspension. I downloaded and combined the box scores from the last five games and compared them against season averages. Here's what stands out.

Hedo 5 games: 41 mpg, 22.2 pts, 6.0 reb, 3.2 asst. suddenly he is underpaid. In 9 minutes more per game he is scoring 8.4 ppg more, 2 more rebounds and an extra assist.

Dwight 5 games: 39.4 mpg, 18.4 ppg, 13.4 reb. 3 ppg higher than season average and .8 more rebounds. Compare to Tim Duncan's 2nd year averages (he was 23) of 21.7 and 11.4

Steve-O 5 games: 37 minutes, 13.8 pts, 8 assists, 6.8 rebounds. Those are great numbers. During the win streak his minutes are normal, his scoring is down 2 pts a game while assists and rebounds are up 2 per game.

Backup Center/PF: There isn't one! 0 minutes from Cato/Kasun in 5 games, Garrity is doing well but plays the perimeter and Morris has played 13 minutes during the streak.

Pat G 5 games: 19 mpg, 10 ppg -- 4 mpg more, and playing much better. ppg almost double his average this year. 30 minutes vs. Philly.

Diener 5 games: 13.4 mpg, 4 ppg, 1.6 asst, 2 rpg. Has played in a total of 12 games this year including the last 5. With Dooling back Diener is getting a consistent 6 mpg off the bench.

Dooling last 2 games: 30 mpg, 14 ppg, 1.5 apg, 3 rpg in 2 huge wins.

Jameer 1st 2 games of streak: 33.5 mpg, 15.5 ppg, 5.5 apg, 3 rpg to help start the streak.

3 key guys with Hedo putting up big numbers, Dwight's continuous steady improvement and Francis with his head in the game. 2 steady role players in Stevenson & Battie. Plus the sudden emergence of a bench that has stretched from only Nelson/Garrity to add Dooling & Diener.

Questions:

1. Does Hedo continue to start and play 40 mpg if Hill decides to return?
2. Can Howard average 20+ ppg and 14 rpg next year?
3. Can Francis permanently keep his head in the game, or do you have to trade him while he is playing well?
4. Is Kasun injured or simply can't play NBA basketball? He's the only player to not leave the bench during the streak?
   

Magic stave off 76ers in OT for 5th straight win

Despite tremendous games from the Sixers' Allen Iverson (38 pts 15 assists) and Chris Webber (32 pts 11 rebs), the Magic hold on for an impressive 119-115 OT win. The Magic shot a superb 58.9% from the field compared to 48.9% by Philly. Another good job by the Magic drawing fouls, as they went to the FT line 41 times (only making 26, however, for 63.4%). The 76ers went to the FT line only 27 times, but made 22 (81.5%). 6 players in double figures for the Magic, led once again by Hedo, who had 25 pts on 9 of 15 shooting. Good game by all the starters, except maybe Stevenson who had just 7 pts and 4 rebs in 30 minutes. Great job off the bench by Garrity (24 pts) and Dooling (18 pts), who combined for 42 pts on 15 of 24 shooting. The Sixer bench combined for only 19 pts (Korver had a miserable night, shooting only 1 of 8). Garrity shot 5 of 7 from the 3 pt line for the Magic. Maybe this will quiet all the Garrity haters out there for at least a game. He is valuable to the success of this team. Francis did a great job passing the ball with 15 assists, and the team wound up with 27 assists, compared to 16 TOs. It is a really good sign that so many players are stepping up each game for the Magic during this 5 game winning streak. When Nelson and GHill return, that will make the Magic that much more deeper. Things are really looking up for all us long-suffering Magic fans... keep it going Magic...we're right there in the playoff chase!

Peter Kerasotis

A few more good articles from Peter Kerasotis on the Magic:

Magic merit a 'real' owner

Fans still back Francis

RealGM: O'Neal Out At Least Eight Weeks

Jermaine O'Neal Out At Least Eight Weeks

Current 7th seed Indiana (3 games ahead of Orlando) has lost Jermaine O'Neal for 8 weeks with a torn groin.

Florida Today on Francis

Peter Kerasotis Florida Today on the Magic trading Steve Francis.

"This is not quite another lost season for Orlando. After all, Dwight Howard got another year of development and Jameer Nelson has emerged as the guy the Magic should play at point guard. The organization is also one year closer to ridding itself of Grant Hill's contract. It's a young team, and there are some good pieces to build on.

Steve Francis isn't one of those pieces.

If the Magic play this right, they can still salvage the Steve Francis trade with another trade. They can still get something of value from him.

It's all about learning from your mistakes."

I'm not sure it seems right. I go away for a week and the Magic go on a compelling 4 game win streak and my first post back is linking to a somewhat negative story.

The Magic are currently a hard team to follow on the road as they get no national attention whatsoever. Besides not being able to watch them, you can't even read about them. Even the big win against Phoenix only earned a two sentence blurb in USA Today. It's so bad that Chris Bosh may make the All-Star team while Howard will be playing in the Rookie-Sophmore game. That's sad.

Magic try for fifth in a row at Philly

The Magic have a tough game ahead of them tonight, facing a 76er team that is looking for its 4th win in a row, and whose overall record is 21-20. Of course, Allen Iverson is the key to this Sixer team, and he's having his best year scoringwise, averaging 33.5 pts per game on 45.5% shooting. Chris Webber is having a very good year also, averaging 19.3 pts and 10 rebounds. 2 other players average in double figures, Andre Iguodala (12.0 pts) and Kyle Korver (11.7 pts). Korver is one of the best 3 pt shooters in the league, shooting nearly 45% from the 3 pt line. Here's the key stat: The Sixers are averaging 101.3 pts per game (third in the NBA), but they are allowing 102.2 pts per game defensively, third-most in the league. The Magic, who have been playing well offensively, need to take advantage of the Philly defense and continue to hit the open shot and continue to drive to the basket in an effort to draw fouls. A big FT advantage over Sacramento and Phoenix was a key factor in those Magic wins. According to the Sentinel, Coach Hill said Francis will begin the game guarding Iverson, with Stevenson and Dooling helping out later. Remember last February when Iverson embarrassed the Magic by scoring 60 pts? Jameer Nelson will continue to sit out with his sprained foot. If the Magic continue to play well offensively and continue to stress defense, this is a winnable game against a Phiily team that is playing well.

Magic stop Suns for 4th win in a row

A fantastic defensive effort by the Magic in the final 4:48 of the 4th quarter led the way in an impressive 111-102 win against a quality Phoenix team. The Magic allowed only 1 FG during that time. Looking at the stats of the game, the Magic did another good job drawing fouls, as they outscored Phoenix 24-10 from the foul line. As Matt mentioned in an earlier post, the Magic shot a sizzling 54.7% from the field, compared to 46.1% for Phoenix. Whoever thought the Magic would outshoot the Suns? Another great game by the starters, led by Turkoglu's 30 pts. He's averaged 25 pts a game his last 3 games, really stepping up in GHill's absence. Another solid game from Howard, 22 pts and 12 rebs. Nice effort by the bench also, scoring 27 pts, led by Keyon Dooling, who scored 10 pts, and Pat Garrity, who scored 9 pts in only 6 minutes in the first half. 5 Magic players scored in double figures, compared to 4 players for Phoenix. Great team effort by the Magic... keep it up!

The Phoenix Suns comes to TDW

The Phoenix Suns comes in for the only visit to Orlando. The two teams will play again in Phoenix on March 3. The Suns are coming off a loss to Seattle that was decided in extra periods, an exciting 152-149 game. The Suns made 18 3-pointers, but ironically, it was Ray Allen's 30-footer at the buzzer that caused the double overtime loss. This is the start of a season-high six-game road trip for the Suns, and they sure are eager to start it on a positive note.

Steve Nash, the reining MVP, is playing like one. He is leading NBA in assists and had 16 assists in that loss. Shawn Marion, although playing mainly out of position in Power Forward, is the third leading rebounder in NBA right behind Howard and Wallace. He was the leading scorer for the Suns at 37 points in that game.

The Orlando Magic is shorthanded again since they do not have the services of Hill, Nelson, Outlaw and Cato. They, however, welcome the return of Keyon Dooling. Magic gutted out a win against Sacramento Kings on Saturday, and they are riding on a 6-game winning streak at home. Once again, the Magic will rely on their defense to contain Steve Nash. Look for Francis, Stevenson and Dooling to take turns on slowing down the MVP. Marion‘s quickness may cause problems for Howard, but he should not be able to dominate the boards in the presence of Howard. Magic cannot allow Kurt Thomas or role players like Raja Bell to hurt them.

Dwight Howard featured in last week's SI

Hope you all got a chance to catch the very complimentary article about Dwight Howard in the Jan. 23rd issue of Sports Illustrated. Entitled "Class of the Glass", the article discussed rebounding and how it's becoming a lost art compared to 30 and 40 years ago. Among the things said about Howard: "He is a prime candidate (to average 15 rebounds a game); he has the requisite mix of instinct, desire, and athleticism. He doesn't foul out often, isn't an offensive liability, and is well-conditioned." Dwight says, "I think I can average 15 (rebounds), it could happen next year." This is well-deserved praise for Howard, and if John Weisbrod did only one good thing during his short tenure as GM, it was the drafting of Howard over Emeka Okefor.

Magic prevail in ugly OT win

Despite missing Jameer Nelson, who was a late scratch due to a sprained foot, despite getting outscored 69-58 from the field and shooting 33.7% from the field (including 0 for 12 on 3 pt FG attempts), and despite getting just 2 pts from the bench, the Magic extend their winning streak to 3 games, beating Sacramento 83-78 in OT. Good FT shooting won this game for the Magic, as they shot 80.6% from the line on 25 of 31 shooting. Meantime, the Kings only went to the FT line 11 times, making 9. A 16 pt. difference at the FT line in favor of the Magic was the difference in this one. The Magic also out-rebounded the Kings 53-49, and had 14 TOs to the Kings 17. The starters had to carry the Magic in this game, as all the starters made solid contributions in at least 1 or 2 statistical areas. Say what you will about Francis shooting only 4 of 20, but he was clutch in the OT and in making free throws. Even though the bench scored only 2 pts (by Diener), Diener had 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal in only 18 minutes of play. Matt, good call on predicting that Coach Hill would use Terence Morris against the Kings, but he only had a rebound and didn't score in 3 minutes of play. Overall, the Magic did a solid defensive job on Sacramento, holding Bibby and Peja Stojakovic to a combined 31 pts, after Bibby scored 42 last Sunday against the Magic. And the Magic proved they could win without one of their best players and scorers in Jameer Nelson. An ugly win, but nonetheless a win!

The Sacramento Kings come to TDW tonight

Sacramento brings a 3 game winning streak into Orlando tonight, as the Magic try to get even from last Sunday's loss in Sacramento. Mike Bibby has averaged nearly 34 pts per game during their 3 game winning streak, and torched the Magic for 42 pts last Sunday. Peja Stojakovic is back from a bulging disc injury, and scored 13 pts the last game against the Lakers. He has averaged almost 23 pts a game in 12 career games against the Magic, so the Magic will have to try and hold him down as well as Bibby. Sacramento has beaten the Magic 5 of the last 6 meetings. Coach Hill has indicated that the starting lineup will vary from game to game depending on matchups with the other team, so we'll see what lineup he uses tonight. The bench needs to continue their good play as of late. Like Omar said, the more the Magic use Diener, the more comfortable he seems.

Magic make it 2 in a row

The Magic finally break an 8 game road losing streak, beating the injury-riddled Bobcats 104-93. Another good team effort by the Magic, with 5 players in double figures. Great job by the bench, with Turkoglu, Diener, and Garrity combining for 45 pts and 13 rebs on 7 of 12 3 pt shooting and 12 of 14 FTs. Garrity has had 2 decent games in a row... a rarity for him this season. Another decent, all-around game by Francis in his first start after the suspension. Even though Nelson had a sub-par game scoring wise, he did have 6 assists and only 2 TOs. Howard dominated like he should have against the small Charlotte line-up... 19 pts and 21 rebs. The Magic also had 24 assists, which indicates continued good ball movement. The 15 TOs didn't really pose a problem, as the Magic played well in just about every other area. Can the Magic make it 3 in a row Saturday night against Sacramento? What starting lineup will Coach Hill use? Stay tuned!

Charlotte Bobcats

ORLANDO MAGIC @ CHARLOTTE BOBCATS, Jan. 20: Orlando is 3-3 all-time vs. Charlotte (3-1 at home, 0-2 on the road) during regular season action, including 2-0 this season... The Bobcats recorded the first win in franchise history over the Magic on Nov. 6, 2004 (111-100)...

Charlotte is 11-28, 7-11 at home currently on 5 game losing streak. Orlando is 4-13 on the road. ESPN ranking 28th for Charlotte, 27th for Magic.

Bobcats use up to 10 players 20 minutes or more in its rotation. In its last game with the Pacers they played 9 with Ely & Voshkuhl out with ankle sprains. Okafor twisted an ankle after returning from 8 game layoff.

This should be a winnable game for the Magic, even with Hill, Dooling & Cato out.

Stats For Mr. Simmons: NBA number crunching for ESPN's The Sports Guy from 82games.com

NBA Blown Leads/Comebacks

The guys at 82games.com offer up research on clutch time 4th quarter/OT game performance.

Through Janurary 12 the Magic have only won 2 games when they have trailed in the 4th. 9% of the games they have trailed in results in a win. Magic are worst in the league, followed by Houston and Charlotte at 15% and Atlanta at 17%. The best at coming back and winning are Detroit 58%, Dallas 44%, and Cleveland/Milwaukee/Phoenix 40%.

The worst teams in the league at blowing 4th quarter leads and losing are Atlanta 53%, Charlotte 48%, Doc Rivers 39%. Magic blow leads and lose games 32%.

Best are the Nets who have yet to blow a lead, followed by Pistons/Spurs 10%, Memphis 12%.

If you read the whole thing, they continue to do an analysis of offense and defense performance in the last 5 minutes and OT of games that are within 5 points. Orlando gives up 121 points per 100 possessions (25th in the league) and scores 108 points per 100 possessions (20th)

I'm led to believe this is reflective of the six and a half man rotation we have seen for most of the year. And should improve a bit if Hill, Cato & Dooling can start to contribute.

Magic Say Francis won't be traded

Sports

Otis says Francis won't be traded because no on is interested in paying him $48.7 million. Teams call about 1. Howard, 2. Nelson, 3. Turk. Otis won't trade any of them.

Hill has now had 2 cortisone shots in his abdomen for pain and hopes extended rest will solve the problem.

Cato landed on Augmons foot "grotesquely rolling his ankle over."

True Hoop

True Hoop

Our blog has received its first link from TrueHoop.com today. We seem to be one of the few (or only) Magic blogs that are active.

Reinventing The Wheel

So,i was at the game last night,and i made some mental notes of things i saw in person that need to be done on a regular basis,to be a winning/championship team! (1) Everytime down the floor it seems as if the magic "reinvent the wheel" which means "they find a different way to score",thats a bad thing! There's no offensive consistency with this team,if you look at other NBA ball clubs that have winning records,they usually run an offensive set that would be known as their bread and butter,what would be the magic's bread and butter,posting up dwight every now and then,well thats not an offensive set,thats sitting back and watching another player go one on one,thats the only consistency that we have and thats pathetic,b/c half the time we cant even get dwight the ball,it seems like sometimes we have ball movement,but others we dont,everytime down the floor someone else wants to shot,thats not good coaching! (2) We probably have the weakest perimeter in the league,as long as deshawn and turk are starters,we wont have a bench,who are their back-ups with grant out,augmon,outlaw,morris,they get no minutes as it is,so were in bad shape,diener & francis who share the back-up point guard spot right now,were the only one's to give a contribution,we need to draft young wing players,and the get them all on the same page offensively,so we're not consistently reinventing the wheel!

What does the Public Want?

Orlando Sentinel’s writer Tim Povtak has written an article that starts with empty seats in TDW in Magic’s game with Wizards, and ends with optimistic stats on how the bleeding has stopped. The problem is the first and second part of the article don’t connect, as though they have been written by two writers. Here is the link to see it for yourself:

Tim Potvak

The public wants a winning team, plain and simple. The public does not care much about how you do it, but when you have a winning team on the court they will pay for the ticket. They don’t care about the puny minds and large egos, and how they go about running their daily affairs. Have a winning team on the court, and run your affairs any way you want. They don’t care whether or not Bob Vander Weide lives in Orlando or coach Hill is on top of his profession or Steve Francis is right or wrong or how much the ownership is under so far. Give them a winning team and you can live in Mars, have my grandfather on crutches for the coach and send Francis to exile in planet Pluto.

That is why the mass e-mail could not fill the empty seats, and why Bob Vander Weide's interview drew more resentment than sypmathy, if Sentinel's blog is any indication of what average fan thinks. Give them a winning team, and they will come. Only if all other elements in play were so easy to fix.

Magic get back on winning track

What a great second half played by the Magic, outscoring the Wizards 62-47. Looking at the numbers from the box score, it was a really well-balanced, team effort by the Magic tonight. 4 of the 5 starters scored in double figures, while Orlando's bench outscored Washington's bench 32-20. The Magic did a good job of drawing fouls, as they went to the free throw line 37 times, making 28. They outscored the Wizards from the field 78-67, which was important because the Wizards did an outstanding job drawing fouls, going to the FT line 41 times and making 31. Good job defensively also on Gilbert Arenas, who shot only 5 of 20. The Magic had 23 team assists, an indication of good ball movement. Francis did well coming off the bench, having a good all-around game, despite shooting only 2 of 7. He had 8 rebs, 7 assists and a steal, with only 3 TOs in 31 minutes, which is quite an improvement over his recent play. Will Francis mind coming off the bench as long as he plays over 30 minutes a game and the team wins? I don't blame Coach Hill wanting to enjoy this win for a day, and then worry after that about the starting lineup for the next game. The Magic really needed this win.

Sporting News - Trend spotting in the NBA

Sporting News - View topic - Trend spotting in the NBA

TRENDING UP:

Dwight Howard: It's been said that when God closes a door, he opens a window. That draft you feel is a window swinging wide open for the Magic's 20 year-old prodigy, who has averaged 19 points and 16 rebounds in the two games since Stevie Franchise got indefinitely suspended by coach Brian Hill for refusing to re-enter a game. Orlando is now Howard's team; expect his scoring average to rise by as many as five points with the one of the league's worst ball hogs riding the pine.

-Michael Deuser, Sporting News

Magic Love Steve

The Magic have sent out an e-mail to their eMagic list expressing their love for Steve-O and hoping you will vote him onto the All-Star team.

For larger picture click image

Orlando Magic Team Stats

ESPN.com: Orlando Magic Team Stats

A few stats,

Magic Minutes Ranking Magic have had 6 guys to rely on so far this season.
1. Howard 1268
2. Stevenson 1193
3. Francis 1095
4. Turkoglu 1041
5. Nelson 976
6. Battie 898
7. Garrity 470
8. Hill 375
9. Cato 288
10. Morris 172
11. Outlaw 164
12. Augmon 153
13. Kasun 128
14. Dooling 124
15. Diener 110

Top 6 in minutes have the most total points
Total Points (3219 total, 3340 opponents)
1. Howard 516
2. Nelson 480
2. Francis 480
4. Turkoglu 429
5. Stevenson 412
6. Battie 267
7. Hill 185
8. Garrity 139

Same top six are leading rebounders
Rebounds (1422 total, 1313 opponents)
1. Howard 435
2. Battie 202
3. Turkoglu 131
4. Francis 129
5. Stevenson 109
6. Nelson 104 Yes, Nelson has outrebounded Cato.
7. Cato 63

Hill breaks into top 6 in assists
Assists (613 total, 696 opponents)
1. Francis 156
2. Nelson 152
3. Stevenson 78
4. Turkoglu 69
5. Howard 46
6. Hill 29

Blocks (149 total, 165 opponents) No Nelson, but then he's only somewhere between 6' & 5'10"
1. Howard 53
2. Battie 28
3. Turkoglu 11
4. Cato 10
5. Francis

Same 6 in steals
Steals (237 total, 261 opponents)
1. Nelson 41
2. Francis 38
3. Howard 31
4. Stevenson 29
5. Turkoglu 28
6. Battie 18

Turnovers (523 total, 452 opponents)
1. Francis 102
2. Nelson 86
3. Howard 82

Wizards come to TDW on a 4 game win streak

Jordan Hopes Team Can 'Stay Hungry'

Wizards allow 100.1 points per game. Have won 4 straight including on the road vs. Philly. They are now 7-11 on the road. Orlando is 9-9 at home.

Arenas is having an all-pro type year.

Washington is currently the 8th seed, 3.5 games ahead of the Magic. Current race for the 8th seed listed below. All teams are sub .500

Philadelphia +.5
Washington
Chicago -2.5
Boston -3.5
Orlando -3.5
New York -4
Toronto -5
Charlotte -7
Atlanta -7

Francis May not Start

Francis may not start? If there is any chance in rehabbing Steve, and probably put a happy face on Magic’s season, a decision of not starting Francis may ruin it altogether. You may, as well put him on the trading block. The quotes from coach Hill do not specify the starting point guard issue; just that he is not decided on the starting lineup. However, Tim Povtak of Sentinel reports that: “Magic Coach Brian Hill said he was undecided about Francis regaining his starting role immediately, hinting that second-year point guard Jameer Nelson may be replacing him.” Povtak does not inculde a direct qoute from the coach.

I thought first that coach Hill was tinkering with the starting lineup going small with Jameer and Steve as guards and moving Deshawn to small forward if Grant is not able to go. Looking at the WAS’s backcourt of Arenas and Buttler, that does not seem to be an option.

Please air your views on this issue. Big Figure, please enlighten us with your analysis of tonight’s match.

SportsGuy: Losing Isiah

ESPN.com: Page 2

I apologize. It's got nothing to do with the Magic, but it's a funny article about Isiah Thomas wanting to fight an ESPN columnist. Proof that there are worse run franchises out there.

Vander Weide Speaks out

In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Bob Vander Weide speaks out on a whole host of issues. Following are some highlights:

1. On Steve Francis’s suspension he said: “We wanted Stevie here when we made the trade. We still want Stevie. It was one incident. It had to do with rules on the court and how we apply those to everyone on the team. It's behind us. We've dealt with it appropriately. Stevie will be fine.” As for Francis’s trade possibilities he said: “If you're asking whether GMs are talking, well, that stuff happens. We traded to get Stevie here. Obviously, some of the other pieces haven't come together like we've wanted, but I think Stevie will be with us for a good, long time.” It is interesting that he addressed Francis in an intimate way by calling him “Stevie”. Let’s see how sincere he is when a good trade possibility presents itself.
2. On the issue of Tracy McGrady’s trade, he said: “Once he told us he wanted to move on, we already had the experience of having another superstar going to another place and getting no value back. We weren't going to do that again. So we sold him as well as we could." That is open to speculation. I am sure T-Mac has something to say about it.
   
3. He said all the right things about not blaming Grant Hill for the predicament that the team is in. Obviously he has a very high praise for Grant.
4. In answering the question on whether or not the organization has gone cheap on some of the recent in-house hiring, he was evasive and not convincing, at least not in my opinion.
5. On the fiasco of drafting Fran Vasquez, his answer shows the path that the organization has taken, and is still on. In my view, it is wiser to disown it and move on, but he didn’t.
6. In answering to the question on whether or not Brian Hill is the right fit, he said: “Absolutely, with no hesitation. Brian Hill is doing a remarkable job. Just look at the script. Dooling is hurt. Grant is hurt. We've got a young roster. Brian is doing everything he can to move this team forward. We back him 100 percent. He is the right guy for a lot of years here.” Back to “Brian Hill is our coach” policy. That puts the sincerity of his comments on “Stevie” in serious doubt.
7. On the issue of the team staying in town, he said: “In my heart and focus, we'll be in Orlando for the next 30 years. We're working with the mayors on a better Orlando. We're working on projects to enhance the community. We're not leading the charge, but we're supporting the process. I don't want to be anywhere else. My family doesn't want to be anywhere else. It got a little tough for four or five years. We want to bring championships to Orlando. I believe that every day I wake up. We are a very capable ownership team. We've never been cheap. We don't have a timeline established on the arena issue.” As hard as he tried, in my view, nothing came from the heart. He called the Orlando Magic a “product” which exactly explains the manner by which they have treated the franchise.
8. When interviewer asked him a direct question: “Right now, if you don't get a new arena, are you leaving?” he answered: “No. It's a process. We may need to take three or four cracks at it, but we're working with the community to see what's best for Orlando.” I believe the question and the answer were set up all by design. I would never believe for a second that they will do what is best for Orlando, if that happens to be in contrast to their own interests.

Francis Returns

As per Orlando Sentinel, Magic has lifted Francis's suspension, and he will return to practice tomorrow getting ready to play on Wednesday.

Magic Survey

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE ORLANDO MAGIC

On the road again in snowy NYC and it's great to see new posts here.

The Magic claim they are giving away up to 500 pairs of free tickets for filling out their survey.

In why I no longer go to the games I answered:

Not a fan of the current roster.
Not a fan of the old TDW.

Where do I Stand? II

In response to some new issues that were raised and the questions about what the options are, I thought it is best to write a sequel to Where do I stand?

I agree that the fans who change their skins depending on the success, or lack thereof, of the team are not true fans. Fans like many of us here would stay with the team even if the team moves to a different town. The last straw for me would be when the team becomes too boring to bear, at which time I may not watch every game, but regardless follow the results. That, however, is not the point. Average fans wish to see their team winning, and when that does not happen they tend to turn their attention to other venues for entertainment. The important factor in bringing up the matter of declining fan base is the economic impact on a franchise that has shown monetary losses for many years.

I don’t pretend that I have all the answers, and that’s why we are exchanging ideas to explore the options thorough the collective wisdom of people who post on this blog. The following is an outline of my views:

1. The construction of a new arena is an important matter, especially for the current ownership to motivate them to invest in very essentials of success (details may be found in a collection of earlier postings on this blog by many posters, either as a new post or in comments). The problem is that the best (and most practical) way to fund the construction is through public funding, and as has been evident in many surveys, the public is not for it. That dynamics may change if the team starts winning on the basketball court.
2. The preferred scenario, in my opinion, is for the current ownership to sell the franchise. The new ownership may be willing to fund the construction of the new arena (something the current one is not) and stay beyond the pale of immediate profit, thus investing in the essentials of success.

Any of these two categories may branch into sub-categories, some of which may overlap between the two. Regardless of how one looks at the issues on the table, we should win and win now if we could. Winning is that magical remedy to many ills, and a huge factor in changing the dynamics of the elements that are in play.

More views on Francis

I had said a while back that I felf Steve Francis needed to be the ONLY star on a team in order for him to be content. He claims he has matured since the birth of his daughter. Whatever his problem is, I hope he figures it out quck.
I don't take much stock in what other newspapers have to say, but this is some interesting reading on how others view the Magic.

http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_3403610

http://www.nypost.com/sports/61573.htm

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/basketball/13631314.htm

How Long Until You Give The Keys To The Kids

C'mon guys lets be real,this team isnt one that i would bet on in the playoffs,so are the playoffs that important? I mean i hate losing just like anyone else,but the fact is,Keyon,Jameer ,travis,deshawn,dwight and mario represents our youth,6 guys thats it! Grant and Tony are hard working vets you can keep around b/c of various positive reasons,which brings your total to 8! You need scoring punch off the bench so you can keep hedo also,thats 9,so six guys dont make the cut,francis,augmon,morris,outlaw,garrity,cato!I mean b/c of the age of (hill,augmon,outlaw,garrity,battie,cato,francis) these guys,who aint getting any younger,at some point were gonna have to turn the keys over to youth,wouldnt right now during team turmoil,be a great time to do so?In the summer grant's contract comes off the books,plus jameer and dwight would have been running the team for more than half the season,why not build the team around them,trade steve for draft picks and not just to make a trade,and give the keys to the kids!

Whit Watson on Francis

I despise to write something that is a total qoute from somebody else. But in this case I have no choice but to qoute the whole statement by Whit Watson on the latest posting on his blog since the rest of the article is irrelevant to our interests:

"Wondering why the Orlando Magic continue to put up with Steve Francis, despite his bizarre funk of the last month? The answer is found in the first line of his bio on his NBA.com web page:"In 2003-04, [Francis] joined Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Grant Hill as the only players in NBA history to average 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in each of their first five seasons."Francis can play this game, that's why. Go back and read that again: The Big O, Magic, and the pre-injury Grant Hill. Francis is a member of one of the most elite fraternities in the history of pro basketball. He can play. Say what you will about John Weisbrod -- he knew a gamer when he saw one. The trick for Brian Hill is to figure out how to get inside Steve-O's head.There are two, and only two, motivating factors for NBA stars today -- money and minutes. Steve-O is signed up for $16 million-plus over the next couple of seasons, so remove money from the equation. What's left is minutes. By taking away his playing time, Coach Hill has drawn a line in the sand: "You want to play, you play our way." This may well prove to be Brian Hill's defining moment in his second go-round as Magic head coach. I've already stated it on this site, and I will not back down now -- the Magic are a playoff team in the East, because the East is terrible. If the Magic can get to Francis via this suspension, the rest is gravy. But I admit, it's a big "if.""

I am not sure that coach Hill can force Francis to play his way by taking his minutes away without risking resistance on his end. But he can definietly communicate with Francis to bring him to his side, only if knows how, and that is a big "if".

Kings vs. Magic

Sports - Kings up next - sacbee.com: "Status: The Magic has its own issues. Two key starters, guards Steve Francis and Keyon Dooling, have been suspended. Francis refused to re-enter a game late and was sent home, and Dooling got into an on-court tussle with Ray Allen of Seattle on Friday, then had to be restrained by security later when he wanted to start up again. All told, Orlando has lost six of seven games and is 0-3 on this Western Conference swing. It didn't look that inspired in a 90-73 loss to the Clippers and didn't make near enough stops against Seattle (113-104) and Portland (113-108).

Trend: One man who always wants to compete is Jameer Nelson. The guard had a career-high 32 points at Seattle on Wednesday and had 19 points and 13 assists against Portland. Did we mention he's lightning quick, too? Hedo Turkoglu, the ex-Kings swingman, had a season-high 27 points Friday against Portland. And second-year forward Dwight Howard has star ability, with his rebounding and interior play.

Injury report: Grant Hill, sports hernia, day-to-day.

LINEUPS

Kings
10 Mike Bibby PG
23 Kevin Martin SG
16 Peja Stojakovic SF
9 Kenny Thomas PF
52 Brad Miller C

Magic
14 Jameer Nelson PG
9 DeShawn Stevenson SG
15 Hedo Turkoglu SF
12 Dwight Howard PF
4 Tony Battie C

Best matchup: Howard vs. Thomas - Thomas encounters one of the rising stars in the NBA, the first pick of the 2004 draft who has played like it, and he's still learning how to do all of this. Thomas is quick and explosive to the basket, and he can rebound, but consistency is key to his game. He wanted minutes, and he has them. Now the Kings need results.

ESPN Magic Columns

Magic made front page on ESPN's NBA page. Of course it wasn't for anything all to positive. They give their take on what the Magic may do, and the future of the team. Here's the link to the article titled Dark Magic.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime-060114-15

In a relating article on the same page they talk about how the Artest soap opera my shape how the Magic handle Francis. Here's that link.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=kreidler_mark&id=2291521

RealGM: Trade Checker

RealGM: Trade Checker

A true internet time waster. NBA Trade Checker from RealGM.

I checked a few trades out that work with the salary cap:

Francis for Wally Szczerbiak & Trenton Hassell
Francis for Artest & Jonathan Bender
Francis for Paul Pierce
Francis & Battie for Kevin Garnett
Francis for Zaza & Al Harrington
Francis for Lorenzen Wright & Mike Miller
Francis & Garrity for Jason Williams, Antoine Walker & Mike Doleac

Magic's Survey

I conducted a survey on Orlando Magic covering a broad range of topics related to the franchise. The sample group used is a rather small one (although not by statistical standards) to allow a quick survey. Due to the size of the sample group, I intended to go with a ±5 margin of error. However, since the socio-economic balance of the group may allow a ±3 margin of error, I elected to go with an overall average of ±4 for the study. The survey was conducted via e-mail to which the recent e-mail of Magic's president/CEO was attached. The following covers some interesting results:

1) A large majority of the sample group (78%) support the construction of a new arena, but only a small percentage (26%) support using public funds for such project.

2) A larger percentage (43%) blame coach Hill for the recent incident with Francis as compared to 39% who blame Francis for it. That is still within the margin of error.

3) Although a large percentage (64%) agree with Francis’s suspension, only a small percentage (29%) believes that he should be traded.

4) Only 21% (1 out of 5) have a positive view of the current ownership of the Magic.

5) As for the possibility of the team remaining in town, a larger percentage has a positive view (47% to 44%). However, that remains within the margin of error.

You will find the full results as follows. As I was not able to import a nested table from either Excel or Word, I had to settle for a straight table hoping that in final posting it would still look decent.

Do you agree with building a new basketball arena? Yes 78% No 11% Not Sure 11%
Do you support using public funds to build the arena? Yes 26% No 59% Not Sure 15%
Do you blame Francis for recent incident? Yes 39% No 46% Not Sure 15%
Do you blame coach Hill for the incident? Yes 43% No 16% Not Sure 41%
Do you think Francis's suspension was right? Yes 64% No 18% Not Sure 16%
Do you think Francis should be traded? Yes 29% No 59% Not Sure 12%
Do you have a positive view of Magic's ownership? Yes 21% No 61% Not Sure 18%
Do you agree with Magic's damage control e-mail? Yes 32% No 58% Not Sure 10%
Do you think the team will remain in town? Yes 47% No 44% Not Sure 9%

date: Jan 13 - 14, 2006
Sample: 120, Responses received 104
Margin of Error: ± 4
Sample group is balanced based on socio-economic factors.

The growth of Nelson

ESPN.com: Jameer Nelson Player Card

Jameer Nelson Growth Chart
Category	NOV	DEC	JAN
Minutes	23.1	28.8	33.3
Points	9.9	12.2	22.5
Assists	2.9	4.1	6
Rebounds	2.6	3.1	3.3
Turnovers	2.1	2.3	3.7

January numbers through the Seattle game.

Portland game numbers:
Nelson: 43 minutes, 19 points, 13 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 turnovers.

Downside is 19 points took 20 shots, but still 13 assists is a big improvement for Nelson.

Team total for assists was 22.

I didn't see the game but Turkoglu can't create his own shot and he had 27 points on 18 shots.

On the real downside, Cato had 4 points and 1 rebound in 23 minutes. He was outrebounded by Bo Outlaw who played 3 minutes.

Garrity line: 3 minutes 0,0,0 with 1 turnover and 1 foul.

Howard had his usual solid game.

Dooling 5 games, Allen 3

Dooling suspended for five games for fighting - OrlandoSentinel.com: Orlando Magic

Change of Scenery

ESPN.com is conducting a survey on other than Artest which NBA player needs a change of scenery between Steve Francis, Lamar Odom, Paul Pierce and Jalen Rose. As of 3:16PM on 01/13/06 the result was:

Francis: 39%
Pierce: 38%
Rose: 14%
Odom: 11%

State of the Magic

Everyone here knows I am deeply pessimistic about the Magic organization to the point of being vitriolic. But I am at a loss to post much about the latest organization meltdown. It just seems to be unfair -- like picking scabs off a corpse.

Nothing seems more clear to me now than this. 24 months from now everyone will be gone except Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and Bob Van der Weide. Brian Hill -- gone. Twardzik & Smith -- gone. Grant Hill -- not resigned. Francis -- traded at 20 cents on the dollar. Expired contracts -- all gone to different teams. The only other guy who may be here is Stevenson, but he can opt out this year and go elsewhere too.

This is a disaster.

Rich Devos: Please, I am begging you. Hire a President of Basketball Operations. It's time to rebuild again. Find a President to come in and clean house and put together an organization with a solid GM, Scouting Department, and Head Coach with a pedigree. A president who knows what he is doing. Someone with a plan on how to win 50 games no later than 2007-2008. Someone who will live and work in Orlando.

And please, do it now. Don't wait.

Who knew Doc couldn't coach?

Orlando fans, that's who!

ESPN.com: Page 2 : What's up, Doc?

MAGIC: Steve Francis Suspended

Oh my.
MAGIC: Steve Francis Suspended

When does the Communication Start?

Another loss to a struggling team without their top scorer makes it hard to believe that the coach has any influence on the players. After an embarrassing loss in LA, one may think that the coach would prepare the team to come out with vengence. That did not happen to be the case. In fact, the team was flat and listless until the fight between Dooling and Allen started. With Allen gone, it was expected that the Magic will play on an even keel with Sonics, but the Magic could stop no one. One of the main charactristics of a good coach is the art of communicating with the players in a manner that makes them to respond to his commands. It seems to me that the line of communication has broken down between coach Hill and many of the players who are playing in an autonomous state of mind. I do not intend to go into more details, but I think it is time to focus our attention to the coaching issues with the Magic. Let us have an exchange and see where it leads us.

Ugly Loss at Clippers

I thought in this post Orlando Magic Blog: Upcoming Schedule that the Clips game wasn't winnable, but didn't count on it not being competitive with Brand out. That's ugly. Makes me wonder when Steve-O starts skipping practices again.

Maybe there's a silver lining. It could be the loss was so bad that they bounce back against Seattle. But Seattle has been playing a bit better with the other Hill coaching them. If they lose tonight then the game on the 13th with the Trailblazers becomes a must win.

Arena or no Arena? That is the Question

The arena issue is a controversial one that I see has attracted many opposing views. WeRDevos wrote: "Towns build arenas to either attract a new franchise, or to keep an attractive franchise". My problem is with the latter part of the comment. The question is why attracting a new franchise (probably an expansion one) is better than keeping an established one if there is any possibility of losing it? That is still an optimistically framed question based on the assumption that getting a new franchise is an easily achievable objective.

The local business community in Orlando began the pursuit of a NBA expansion franchise in 1986 and was granted the franchise in 1987. The Orlando Arena (or better known as Orena) was then constructed by the City of Orlando at a cost of $102 million of which $98 million was provided by the city. It took almost 3 years and many great efforts by community leaders to bring this franchise to operation in January of 1989. The Arena is old comparing to many modern arenas built, and needs to be either renovated or replaced. It is obvious that at some point of time the issue of keeping the Magic in town comes down to resolving the arena matter. The problem is that the current ownership is not helping their case by winning on the basketball court.

There are many positive arguments on the economic impacts of a pro-sport franchise in terms of creating new businesses and job opportunities, as well as new tax revenues to a metro community. However, most independent studies have shown such impacts are overemphasized. These studies, however, admit that there are unquantifiable variables on a pro-sport franchise that could not be measured thoroughly. One element that has been mentioned is the "Quality of Life" factor. An extensive study by two prominent economists suggests that the quality of life improvement may make such public contributions not such a bad idea.

For more see: http://www.kc.frb.org/publicat/econrev/PDF/1q01rapp.pdf#search=

I acknowledge Matt's narrative in outlining the different approaches to building a new arena. I recalled that I had recently read about UCF's attempt to build an arena all through private funding, and then remembered if was in one of Whit Watson's writings on his blog. In short, UCF funds the construction by collecting money on 2,000 dorm rooms, two parking garages and 89,000 square feet of space for retailers. If "dorms" are replaced by "condos" & retail, dining, and other attractions are inserted in the project, UCF's model looks like a starter for a new Orena in downtown Orlando.

For more see:
http://whitwatson.sunsportstv.com/2005/11/under-construction-forever.html

In any event, too much time and effort has been put in bringing about the Orlando Magic to let it go without trying. It is up to the business community leaders with the help of elected city and county officials to see to it that the Magic is not lost. I underscore the importance of leadership. We cannot allow the moguls of hotels' industry dictate the trend of development only in the direction of constructing more convention facilities to serve their immediate interests.

Chicago Mercury News

What they're saying about the Magic in Chicago:

KRT Wire | 01/08/2006 | No secret, Bulls must deal a guard: "DOUBLE DRIBBLES

Grant Hill is out again, this time with a groin strain. With him raising the possibility of retirement when his contract expires after next season, several people around the league are saying the going-nowhere Magic should deal Hill and start rebuilding around Dwight Howard. That would include trying to move Steve Francis, who has seemed particularly disinterested of late. Hill said he wants to stay in Orlando, but with virtually no playoff success in his career, you'd think he'd like one shot at a playoff run with a good team. . . ."

Trade Talk

The NBA trade deadline is February 23, 44 days away. Lots of talk will take place between now and then about upgrading rosters for playoff runs, dumping salaries to rebuild in the summer, or in the case of less desirable locations, dumping expiring contracts for players with long term deals.

Now the fun starts just as the Magic enter a period where their hopes of the playoffs will either become realistic or not. Unhappy campers in the NBA include: Artest (insane), Garnett (single best player in the NBA), Paul Pierce (great player), Earl Watson (good backup PG), Ben Gordon (Bulls say no), Drew Gooden (looking for team 4!), Vitaly Potapenko and the old half of the Knicks roster.

Looking at the Magic:

Expiring Contracts (7 guys, at least 5 and probably 6 won't be with team next season):
Kelvin Cato $8.64 million. 6-11 C with no motivation. Clearly not in Magic's future plans but may be hard to get another team to take him without giving up picks or other value.

Tony Battie $5.2 million. 6-11 lightweight C. Try's hard, but undersized for a starting C. Probably not in Magic's long term plans.

Pat Garrity $3.2 million. Needs to go to a team featuring slashing guards that can pass out to the open man on the perimeter, or a Walton type center who can hit the open man. His game is now completely reduced to standing on the perimeter waiting to get the ball and shoot. The Magic are not a premier passing team so he has no game here. He will get another job somewhere. There is a secret NBA rule that requires a good looking white man at the end of the bench.

Bo Outlaw $1.139 million. Little known fact. He wasn't actually signed by the basketball operations people but instead by the corporate relations people. Fans love him and love to get their pictures taken with him before games. Unfortunately he can't play the game anymore.

Stacey Augmon $1.139 million. Once a world class defender, now just a world class a-hole. Nice job by Hockey-Guy signing this cretin to 2 years.

Mario Kasun $641K. 7'1" and lots of tatoos. Supposed to have a future, but the Magic are keeping it a secret. Restricted free agent. Good second half usually gets these kind of guys the max exception contract which would cause the Magic to likely lose him. Bad second half likely means the Magic don't want him. Go figure, it probably makes him likely trade bait.

Travis Diener $398K 2nd Rnd Pick, restricted free agent after contract expires. Hasn't set the world on fire, so the Magic can resign him if they want in the summer. But hey, he's another one of those white guys that looks good on the end of the bench.

Player Option (potential summer loss)

DeShawn Stevenson $2.75 million, $3.0 million player option next year. Straight to NBA from highschool and only now coming into his own as a defensive minded starter. Good role player on a team of scorers. At 24 he could potentially get a five year offer if he turns down the option.

Big Contracts

Steve-o Magic owe him $48.5 million after this year. That's a lot of cabbage for a ball hogging PG or too-short SG. And everyone here thinks his t-shirt going on sale is not significant...

Grant. $16.9 million next year. Oh my. Came into the league as the "next Jordan" who was going keep Detroit at the top of the league standings after a brillian career at Duke. He did neither and some folks started calling him soft, but he sure sold a lot of Sprite and looked good doing it. After 14 playoff games in six years at Detroit we know the rest of the story. He must have pissed off some voodoo doctor on the way to the Hall of Fame.

Young Bait

Jameer Magic own him for a min of 2 more years. Is he really 6' tall? National Player of the Year in college. Needs to learn to pass the ball at the NBA level. If he does, he'll be great. If he won't then his value won't go much higher than it already is.

Howard -- go ahead trade him. Then burn down TDW and wave as the team heads off to KC or some other tumbleweed town.

Leftovers -- 2 easily replaceable role type players

Tur-ko-glu I'm pretty sure we had this guy once before when he was going by the name "Giricek" But who can tell.

Dooling -- Hey, Magic drafted him and got rid of him once already so whose to say it won't happen again. Kind of like the coach.

Spanish Guy -- They say he's having a great season. And my man Otis still swears they did the right thing and wouldn't change what they did even if they knew what was going to happen. He's available for the 2009-2010 season (unless he sees his shadow again.)

MAGIC: Glass Half Full

Here's my question. Has there ever been a professional sports team that fills its official web site with angry, sarcastic, posts from the locals to the extent the Magic do? Not counting hiring a coach you've already fired once, this is an amazing example of a self-defeating philosophy. Do they just not understand this at Magic headquarters, or are they laughing at us?

An example:

MAGIC: Glass Half Full: "Can the media PLEASE STOP saying we are a good defensive team or have made improvements? We haven't....how else do you explain 63% shooting for the Toronto Raptors. Our scoring defense has been increasing constantly since the beginning of the season. PLEASE make this experiment stop! Let's see...last season under Johnny Davis we started well 13-6 then shook up the team by trading a huge part of it....then it was all downhill, we couldn't win with either the remaining players or the coach...apparently it was the coach because he was fired....well we have a new coach who still can't win with this group...so it would appear we need to get some new players. I don't think Hill is a great coach, but I don't think any coach would have much success with our squad. It's maddening to see the one pro sports team in your town suck. In other towns it's not as bad because there are other sports teams to make up for a bad one...but I'm sick and tired of excuses and inaction from the Magic...MAKE A TRADE...DO SOMETHING "

Stevie Franchise Shirt on Sale

Does the Magic Fanatic Store know something we don't know? Stevie Franchise shirts are on sale, 40% off. Is this a closeout sale?


Franchise T-Shirt Product

Upcoming Schedule

ESPN.com: Orlando Magic Clubhouse

Current record 13-18 9-9 home, 4-9 road.

Upcoming 11 4 at home, 7 on the road. 8 could be winnable, 3 would clearly be upsets.

A+ if they win more than 8
A for 8 wins
B for 6-7
C for 4-5 wins
D for 2-3 wins
F(ire Hill) for less than 2 wins.

10 @ Clippers -- Maggette out, Cutino scoring around 30 a game. Elton Brand having a career year. Clippers are 10-5 at home.

11 @ Sonics -- they suck after 50+ wins last year, but this is a back to back for the Magic. Sonics are 8-9 at home.

13 @ Trailblazers -- Marc Stein's ESPN power rankings have them 29th. Should be a win for the Magic. Bad news if they lose. Portland 6-10 at home.

15 @ Kings -- I'd love to go to a game there. It's THE place to be in Sacramento. But the Kings are off this year. Could be a win but easy to see them losing this one. Sacramento 9-11 at home.

18 Washington at home. Bullets, sorry Wizards, are 5-11 on the road.

20 @ Charlotte. 6-9 at home but they tend to beat the Magic there. Emaka may be hurt. ESPN power ranking of 30.

21 Sacramento at home. Kings currently 4-8 on the road without the cowbells.

24 Phoenix at home -- When is Amare back? 9-5 on the road. If I'm in town I'll go to this one to see Nash play. I love good passing.

26 @Philadelphia 76ers 10-5 at home. Iverson playing out of his mind.

27 @New York -- another back to back on the road. Knicks are up to 7-8 at home now with an 8 man rotation of mostly kids.

29 Philadelphia at home. 76ers 6-12 on the road.

Ralph Nader answers your questions about stadium costs

League of Fans

I don't care for Nader, in fact I'd probably run him over with a Corvair if I had the chance, but the above link is to his PIRG relating to public financing of stadiums. (I'm sure in Ralph's world that sports stadiums are a waste of valuable resources that could be allocated to the poor, or attorney's but I'm too lazy to read the whole thing.)

Most of them cost around $175 to $250 million. I believe the benevolent DeVos family has promised to kick in up to $10 million.

Florida deals:

Miami Heat
601 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33132-1801
Primary Owner: Micky Arison
tel (305) 358-9844 / fax (305) 789-5933

American Airlines Arena (Opened in 1999)

Total Cost:
$241.3 million

City Public Subsidy:
$142 million, 59% of total (hotel and rental car tax)

Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Tropicana Field, One Tropicana Drive, St. Petersburg, FL 33705
Primary Owners: Group led by Vincent J. Naimoli
tel (727) 825-3137 / fax (727) 825-3111

Tropicana Field (Opened in 1990)

Total Cost:
$85 million

City (St. Petersburg) Public Subsidy:
$85 million, 100% of total (hotel and motel tax, gate and concession tax, general fund)

Tropicana Field (Renovation completed 1998)

Total Cost of Renovation:
$65 million

City (St. Petersburg), State Public Subsidy:
$51 million, 78.5% of total (hotel and rental car tax, gate and concession tax, general fund)

Jacksonville Jaguars
One Alltel Stadium Place, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Primary Owner: J. Wayne Weaver
tel (904) 633-6000 / fax (904) 633-6050

Alltel Stadium (Opened in 1946, Renovated in 1995)

Total Cost of Renovation:
$135 million

City, State Public Subsidy:
$122 million, 90% of total (hotel and rental car tax, gate and concession tax, general fund)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1 Buccaneer Place, Tampa, FL 33607
Primary Owner: Malcolm I. Glazer
tel (813) 870-2700 / fax (813) 878-0813

Raymond James Stadium (Opened in 1998)

Total Cost:
$190 million

City Public Subsidy:
$190 million, 100% of total (sales tax)

Tampa Bay Lightning
Ice Palace Arena, 401 Channelside Dr., Tampa, FL 33602
Primary Owner: William Davidson
tel (813) 301-6600 / fax (813) 229-3350

St. Pete Times Forum (Opened in 1996)

Total Cost:
$139 million

City, County, State Public Subsidy:
$86 million, 62% of total (general fund)

John Denton @ Florida Today

Sometimes Florida Today does a nice job following the Magic. The Sentinel sometimes seems to miss too much.


Hill in a familiar position -- on the bench

Veteran guard out again -- this time with lower abdomen injury

Injury report.

Magic center Kelvin Cato and guard Keyon Dooling are also expected to return next week, possibly giving the Magic their full team for the first time all season.

Cato has missed the past five games with a bruised left shoulder, the same one he had surgery on this past summer. Dooling, Orlando's top free-agent signing last summer, has been out since Nov. 25 with a torn tendon in the bottom of his right foot.

Whit Watson's Predictions for 2006

Here is Whit Watson's predictions on the NBA for 2006:

"The Orlando Magic will reach the playoffs, aided by a nose dive from Indiana, Philadelphia, and/or Washington. Miami will make it as well, but won't get past the second round. Dwight Howard will not win Most Improved Player - they'll give that to Boris Diaw, Mehmet Okur, or Gilbert Arenas - but Howard will capture the NBA rebounding title, thanks in no small part to the inevitable Marcus Camby knee or shoulder injury. Chris Paul wins Rookie of the Year in a runaway. Flip Saunders wins Coach of the Year, but the Pistons lose to San Antonio in the NBA Finals. "

If you are interested to read the whole posting (the guy is intriguing) here is the link:

http://whitwatson.sunsportstv.com/2005/12/ring-it-in.html

Where do I Stand?

Orlando Magic, whether you love it or hate it, is the only pro-sport franchise in this town always acknowledged by Mickey Mouse. My stand is we have to do whatever it takes to keep the team in Orlando. There are two major problems facing this prospect:

1. Lack of a passionate devoted ownership that does not treat this franchise as just another business with the profitability placed ahead of all other considerations.
2. Lack of a modern serviceable arena as the home for the franchise to attract spectators and make it more profitable for the ownership, as there is nothing wrong with profitability while entertaining.

These two problems are interlinked in a complex manner details of which are beyond the patience of this narrative. The point to underscore, however, is that in order to keep the team in town, whether held by current ownership or a new owner, and in order to make construction of the new arena a reality, Magic has to be successful on the basketball court. The current ownership does not recognize such necessisity, thus is not prepared to make bold investments to realize the objective. These investments may require, amongst other considerations, the courage to overlook the salary cap issues for a year or two, and to invest on the essentials of success such as hiring a high profile coach and having a decent medical staff on the payroll.

The Ownership and the Management, which could not be separated, have made enormous mistakes in the last few years. The last string was the attempts of an arrogant GM with little or no experience in NBA to disassemble the team and ship out an All-Star guard whom could not be brought about to give his unconditional support to the GM.

As it stands, the fans with real attachment to the city are left with nothing but to hope and pray that the team would be successful. Such aspirations are dimming out due to team’s inconsistencies caused by injuries and the lack of a strong charismatic coach to whom the players would give in nights in and nights out. This trend is jeopardizing the prospect of the team remaining in town as the ownership may insist on the construction of a new arena (or move to wherever such concession is granted) for which the public support is non-existent given the uninspiring performance of the team.

HOOPSANALYST

HOOPSANALYST using their own math formula rates the top 100 players in the NBA through the first 1/3 of the season.

Top Magic Players
29. Howard
41. Francis
45. Hill

Top Former Magic Players
8. T-Mac
15. Shaq
16. Billups (never played but Magic owned him)
31. Maggette
49. Wallace (having a sub-par year)
57. Miller
69. Gooden (contract year)
79. Harpring

Orlando Magic Team Index - Basketball-Reference.com

Reference history on magic from basketball.reference.com through last years season.

Orlando Magic Team Index - Basketball-Reference.com

Charley Rosen on the Magic

Charley Rosen writes for FoxSports and is famous for having his nose up Phil Jackson's butt. Most of his writing is pretty negative about anyone (except of course Phil.)

FOXSports.com - NBA- Magic may not be playoff pretenders

Here's what the Magic need to do to battle their way into the playoffs:

Accelerate Howard's development by inventing an anti-Golden Pond pill. Force Cato to undergo electric shock therapy, or else ditch him and find another mean-eyed big. Put Battie on a mega-high fat-only diet. Stretch Francis on the rack so that he'll be long enough to be a legit two-guard. Cut the string that attaches the ball to Nelson's hands. Arrange for Kasun to undergo sensitivity training. And above all, keep Hill off of the operating table.

Thoughts on Magic future from CourtsideTimes.Net

CourtsideTimes.Net: "Orlando Magic: Where are the Magic going? Well, they have one of the stud young big men to build around in Dwight Howard (John Weisbrod’s one good decision) and a mish-mosh of players. Does Steve Francis fit into the team? Over a year has passed and we don’t really know. Does Grant Hill fit into the team? Probably not. At this point, the Magic’s future is Howard and possibly Jameer Nelson. The key question is whether to hang onto to the 28-year old Francis and see if he can stay at his peak while Howard grows or whether they should dump Francis in case he declines while his salary continues to rise (he’s due almost $50 million for the next three years after 2005-06).

According to Basketball-Reference, Francis’ top comps at age 27 were Ray Williams, Ron Boone, and Andre Miller. This is hardly a decisive list. Williams suffered injury and a quick decline and was essentially out of the NBA two years later. Boone hung around for a quite a while and Miller’s career has yet to be written as he’s only a year older than Francis. In Basketball Forecast, John Hollinger states that Francis’ top comp is Sam Cassell, which would obviously be a good indicator for Francis’ future as Cassell is still going strong at age 36. My inclination would be to deal Francis before he got too expensive because he is flawed as a point (6.5 apg to 3.8 topg for his career)–assuming you can get decent value."

Orlando Magic Blog First Post

Setting this up now in the thoughts of building a community based on the active group that participated in the Sentinel's comments section before it became moderated. If it is going to work, will need about a dozen or so passionate fans to become members with the ability to post and edit messages.   This blog will NOT be a singular voice but a community of both optimistic and pessimistic voices that want to discuss the Orlando Magic and the NBA  Anyone interested in becoming a member with the ability to post contact me at WeRDevos@gmail.com    

Update: welcome Tragic Fan, Mike-Believer-in-Magic & Matt.  Let the postings begin.