Black and Blue's Orlando Magic Blog

2007-10-24T23:03:00.000-04:00

NOW REDIRECTING YOU TO

THE HOWEVA FILES!

NEW SITE! The Howeva Files!

2007-10-24T11:12:00.000-04:00

Let the trumpets blare as there is a HUGE, magnificent announcement!

Black and Blue's Orlando Magic Blog is merging with the New Basketball Humor Site "THE HOWEVA FILES"!

AS OF TOMORROW, OCTOBER 25, IF YOU GO TO THIS SITE IT WILL REDIRECT YOU TO THE NEW ONE.

PLEASE UPDATE YOUR BOOKMARKS TO http://www.thehowevafiles.blogspot.com/

There will still be plenty, and I mean PLENTY of great Orlando Magic news and half-assed commentary, but supplementing it will be great stuff about other teams in the NBA. To top it off, the new site is going to be updated with new posts far more frequently. Huzzah!

That's about it...So check it out, and let's continue to make sweet music about Stan Van Gundy's moustache, JJ Redick's DUI, and the Mobley-Francis love trist together!

Injury Update: You Have Got To Be F***'in Kidding Me

2007-10-23T16:15:00.000-04:00

Updating my previous post, this comes from Florida Today:

ORLANDO -- A day after the Orlando Magic finally got their full squad back on the court together the injury bug struck again on Tuesday. Rashard Lewis tried to practice Tuesday, but once again pulled up lame on his sore right ankle.
Shooting guard J.J. Redick had to sit out because of lingering pain in the right hand that he broke prior to training camp. And point guard Jameer Nelson was unable to practice because of a stomach virus.
On the positive side, Trevor Ariza and Keyon Dooling – who missed all three of the games the Magic played while in China – not only practiced Tuesday, but Van Gundy said they were two of the best players in drills. Ariza had been out with tendinitis in his foot, while Dooling had been bothered by pain in his groin and hip.

Just goes to show you can't be too quick to click your heels. Rashard, get it together. You are looking like one of the crash test dummies out there.

Injuries Sminjuries!/Redick Needs A Nap/Fox Sports Likee Magic

2007-10-23T13:18:00.000-04:00

Magic management is saying one thing today:

"Zippity-doo-dah! Zippity-yay! My oh my what a wonderful day!"

The reason is that yesterday the injury gang of Trevor Ariza, Keyon Dooling, and high priced free agent Rashard Lewis returned to the practice floor yesterday! Stan Van Gundy said, "Rashard didn’t look real comfortable on (his sore ankle), but he got the whole practice in,’’ which is akin to "Rashard was playing like he had glass slippers on." Either way, it's spectacular news heading into the last preseason game of the regular season.

The countdown has begun for Pat Garrity to kill one of these guys to get their playing time.

Meanwhile, JJ Redick has begun playing the blame game, saying that the flight was the reason for his shooting woes overseas. While most people will say this is a load of crap, I will actually side with Redick since I have trouble sleeping in planes or buses. I only seem to be able to get a good night's sleep at yo momma's house. Ohhhhh!

To further prove that the news surrounding the Magic of late has been of the super happy variety, Fox Sports is picking the Magic to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The article actually says things like:

Indeed, Keith Bogans is the only starter who could conceivably be called a
stopper. He's a rough and ready performer who would be more effective on a
better-balanced squad.

-And doesn't even mention anything about Trevor Ariza. Garrity getting props and Bogans being mentioned as a key cog in the Magic attack? Look for those flying pigs any day people.

Tomorrow will come the official announcement of the NEW SITE, so you're not going to want to miss it!

I sound like a commercial...sigh, my worst fears are now realized.

Bogans The Starting SG?/Garrity Resurgance/Injuries Linger

2007-10-22T10:47:00.000-04:00

First off: New website announcement is still a little ways off since we still need to get our ducks in a row. Should be soon though!

For now, some old news to start the week off: Bogans looks to have won the starting shooting guard spot...for now. The complete implosion by JJ Redick, offensively and defensively, on the China reshaped the starting lineup and now it is Bogans' job to lose.

Wow, for all of that "Who will start at shooting guard? Ariza or Redick?" preseason talk, Keith Bogans came out of nowhere and snatched the spot! While Redick has more potential that Bogans (will the word "potential" ever be the same after Darko?), Stan Van Gundy seems to be a fan of playing without mistakes.

-That last comment makes the next one even weirder, but Pat Garrity just might have a shot at the starting lineup. Stan has been impressed with what he has seen from Garrity, and that leaves the door open with injuries to players like Rashard Lewis, Trevor Ariza, and Keyon Dooling. Garrity does seem to have recovered his three point shot, but I'm still skeptical. The use of my short term memory is thanks for that. I give it 10 days before we learn Garrity is pumped on HGH.

These topics are nice, but what Magic fans are REALLY talking about today are the aforementioned injuries to Lewis, Ariza and Dooling. Lewis' ankle keeps swelling up, Ariza said he heard a "pop" (which in injury terms is the deathblow, although I think he was overestimating it), and Dooling's injury sounds serious although it has been vague enough to lead me to believe he is actually decapitated.

Rashard's injury could be okay if he resumes practice today, so more news on that later. For now, I have to run to see a concert for the performer Kenna. If you haven't heard of him, check out his music. He's one of the few singers I actually can stomach!

Exciting News Coming/Yahoo Predicts Magic Will Win Southeast

2007-10-19T13:48:00.001-04:00

Sorry in advance for the short entry today, but I am extensively with some cohorts on a new website that promises to rock your socks off. More news on that later.

For now, Yahoo is predicting the Magic will win the Southeast. That love we were looking for all these years is allllllllmost here. Now we just have to win, which shouldn't be too hard right? Right?

Good lord I hope Rashard's legs hold up.

Have a great weekend everyone and hopefully by the next entry I'll have exciting news to share.

A (Belated) Magic-Cavs Full Game Recap/Magic Beat China!

2007-10-17T12:28:00.000-04:00

Note: This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but as you know Blogger crapped out on everyone yesterday. Here it is in belated fashion:

--------------------

Well, it's official: It's easier to watch the Magic when they play in China then when they play in Orlando.

I just got done watching the DVRed record of the Magic-Cavs game, and I saw some big pluses and minuses. While our team did great, looking like a better overall team than the Cavs, it was a shame not to see Marcin Gortat on the international stage. The only time I saw him, someone was yelling at him to move down on the bench (literally.)

Let's go through the game position by position, shall we?

-First off, at PG Jameer Nelson is a COMPLETELY different player. Sweet sassy mo-lassy. Even though the stat sheet doesn't necessarily reflect it, he was the best player on the floor by far besides Dwight. He was driving through the lane, making amazing passes, and reminding our sluggish squad to run the floor. The Cavs could only foul to contain him. Hello, contract.

On the flipside, Carlos Arroyo looked like something Ira Newble shat out (apologies to the religious online Arroyo cult). He slowed the game down, he shot low percentage shots, and just looked rather lax on offense and defense. When Arroyo left the floor, the team seemed to come alive.

-At SG, yes Redick had a bad shooting game, but he also seemed rather lost on defense too. He seemed best suited to be 'the guy who passes to Dwight', a role that many handicapped people could easily do. He wasn't good and he wasn't bad, he was just absent the whole game.

Keith Bogans also had a so-so night, but he gets an "A" for effort in my book. He was hustling for rebounds, running the floor, and seemed like a man on a mission. The only thing that really killed his stock was that he was 3-8 for three pointers (not including 2 that he missed that were just inside the line). I know, I know, that is a good percentage, but when you take into account that every single shot of his was WIDE open, you can understand how difficult it was to watch that many shots clank off of the rim. Stan's system really allows for wide open threes, a great sign.

-At SF, Turkoglu...my whipping boy...actually didn't play terrible. He made his shots and wasn't trying to force anything. What he DID play like was an 80 year old man. When he touched the ball, I had to make sure my DVR wasn't in slow-mo mode. He is only like 28, so he shouldn't be looking like that. No wonder Stan Van Gundy thought he looked sluggish in other games. I think doctors need to re-examine our boy Turk to make sure he doesn't have some advanced aging thing...seriously.

The other tall white guy to play SF was Pat Garrity. Early in the game Hubie Brown was talking about how working with Stan Van Gundy could revitalize Garrity's career. Pat took this as his cue to suck...hard. Everytime the ball touched his hands, it was up for grabs and I'm convinced that one of his relatives must work for the NBA to have his statsheet only say 1 turnover. He held onto the ball like it was a red-hot piece of lava.

-I really didn't get a chance to see poetry man Foyle or James Augustine much since they were in for so short a period (usually playing during lackluster Lebron highlights...damn you ESPN), but they seemed okay. Foyle played well all around and Augustine rebounded a good amount, despite not shooting well. Augustine will most likely make the team and contribute here and there when they are being outrebounded.

-Which leaves us with Howard. I will give Patrick Ewing a pat on the back right now because he looks like a monster out there. Last year you could say he was a big guy with a lot of potential and a limited game. Well, this game he was just unstoppable everywhere (except his lone jumpshot, which still didn't look too bad). His free throws have improved too, making the Cavs actually regret it when they fouled him as opposed to using it as strategy. I can not express how impressed I was with him this game. Mark my words, this year is going to be his coming out party and Kevin Garnett would even say "Ooo-wee!" if he saw how D12 played today.

For coaching, Stan could constantly be heard from the bench "RUN! GO!", especially whenever Arroyo was anywhere near the ball and watching it bounce like a yo-yo. His lone time that he was onscreen calling a play, he yelled, "O-C! O-C!" as loud as he could. He then proceeded to say, "UM, MY MISTAKE...I MEAN'T 3-5! THIRTY-FIVE!" I chuckled at this right up until the play unfolded into a spectacular alley-oop dunk for Dwight.

That's our Stan for you: Laugh at him one moment and then shake your head at how good a coach he is the next.

Overall, a promising game. While it is easy to say the team did well despite Lewis, Ariza, and Dooling being out, the Cavs were also without unsigned players Pavlovic and Varejao so they were a little short on talent too. I am sure Stan will have a lot to say about how slow the team looked out there, but they did just take a super long flight so it is understandable.

Time to get some Lo Mein to celebrate the win.

---------------------

Update: The Magic, after a slow start, are killing the Chinese National Team in their game today. Stan seemed to play some of the people he thought were lackluster yesterday, and there were mostly positive results: Carlos Arroyo redeemed himself after a poop game to go for 25 points and 7 assists and James Augustine (of all people) lit up for 14 points and 7 rebounds. Turkoglu had 17 points and Marcin Gortat had 8. On the flipside, JJ Redick's achilles heel remains the western hemisphere as he was 2-9, after an 0-6 start. For the boxscore, because yahoo hates Chinese people, go here:

http://www.nba.com/games/20071018/ORLCHN/boxscore.html

One Of The Best Magic Posts Ever/PJ and Webber Still Possibilities?

2007-10-16T12:21:00.000-04:00

Very few things in this world make me laugh out loud: The movie "Killer Klowns From Outer Space", Joe Namath trying to kiss Suzy Kolber, and the complete and utter annihilation of collar-poppers...yup that's about it.

But every so often I see something that just makes me lose it. On the Orlando Magic message boards, poster Thisistheyear wrote the following:

Chris Sheridan reports:

Los Angeles Lakes owner Jerry Buss has displayed an open mind to the idea of a
trade for their perennial superstar. Rob Pelinka, Bryant's agent, has stated that Bryant has expressed interest in a few teams thus far, the Dallas Mavericks, the Phoenix Suns, and the Chicago Bulls. Surprisingly, however, Bryant has told his agent that the East "intrigues" him, presumably two teams, the Chicago Bulls and the Orlando Magic."He says that the thought of playing alongside Dwight Howard has intrigued him." Pelinka said, a void that has been missing from the Lakers team since Shaquille O'neal's departure. "The idea of a trade, however, is of course still far too premature".

sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=Roundtable-Kobe

What followed were more than a few people commenting on the good/bad aspects of Kobe Bryant coming to Orlando. With Kobe's trade demands as of late, it was only natural.

Of course, when you click on the link, you get quite a different insight into the matter altogether. That is what made me laugh. Click it!

This began a big conversation revolving around how little links are actually looked at on sites. Someone else posted that Steve Nash was actually involved in the discussion. You really can't argue with journalism like that. I think that water I was drinking actually came out of my nose when I saw that last link.

Kudos to Thisistheyear and the gang at Magiczone for reminding readers to actually take the time to look at links. For people like myself who constantly post them, it is nice to have one or more people actually check them out from time to time.

In other (actual news) news, John Denton is reporting that PJ Brown and Chris Webber could actually be options still for Orlando. This isn't much of a surprise as the Magic are mysteriously leaving a roster spot open going into the season, coupled with their hopes to get an injury exception (aka money) from Tony Battie's injury.

With today just devolving into madness, I leave you with a quote from the underrated show "How I Met Your Mother" from last night:

Ted: "The fact that you slept with her. Ugh, I just couldn't get it out of my head, like that damn Chumbawumba song."

Marshall: "Oh, which Chumbawumba song?"

Magic Rock The Three-Ball/Guys Injured/China Time!

2007-10-15T11:59:00.000-04:00

First off, I had to read the score from the Miami-Magic game twice: 102-69.

Granted, the Heat were without Wade and Shaq, but they will be without those two for a while at least to start the season anyways. Granted, the Bobcats blew them apart the next night, but the Bobcats are improved and the Magic beat them too. Bottom line is that it was a great win and even Pat "The Punching Bag" Garrity played well...which occurs only once a year (he might have used up his good game).

There is a lot to be optimistic about with the Magic, although 3 players (not including swiss cheese rotator cuff) are injured: Lewis has a sprained ankle and won't play Wednesday, Ariza has an inflammation in tendon in left foot and won't play at all this week, and Dooling has some bizarre groin/pubic bone area pain and will play Saturday at the earliest. This isn't too big as these guys would probably play if it were the regular season, but Ariza and Dooling have to realize that their potential starting jobs are slipping between their fingers with the emergences of Redick and Nelson. There's no such thing as job security in the NBA.

The biggest difference between last year and this year's Magic squad appears to be the emergence of the trey. The team has been throwing up anything beyond the line and for the most part they have been going in. JJ Redick has been shooting lights out from that range, and Hedo has been doing decently as well after being given a free pass to shoot from there as much as he wants. To me, this is a wonderful thing to see as the Magic seemed afraid to attempt three pointers in Brian Hill's fascist gameplan, despite the fact that the team was largely full of a bunch of long range guys. If Dwight Howard can refine his passing with Ewing's help, this team could be unstoppable from 3 point land.

Wow, who would have thought I could write that last sentence...including Hedo Turkoglu no less?!...you gotta love Stan Van Gundy.

On a side note, Yahoo Sports' NBA headline is a piece on Darko Milicic starting over again. The pressure the media put on Orlando for not resigning him seems to have subsided a bit as every NBA preview I've seen has his stint in Orlando as average at best. Worth 10 mill? Puh-lease.

This week, the team travels to China to play a few games. I set up my DVR to record the 8am game on Wednesday, although word is that Lebron might not be playing (he probably hurt his shoulder signing autographs). It will be a fun experience for our young guys, but an even better experience for Stan Van Gundy's stomach as there is so much to eat: Egg rolls, Lo Mein, Small Chinese children...the list goes on.

For the Dolphins fans of the blog, here is my short Monday Morning Dolphins Review:

They suck. Cleo Lemon is not the answer. Put John Beck in at QB after the Patriots game next week. That is all.

2007-08 NBA Pooptacular Preview: PACIFIC DIVISION

2007-10-12T12:06:00.000-04:00

Tonight Stan Van Gundy and the evil known as "He Whom We Do Not Name" (Pat Riley) square off for the first of many grudge matches this season. With such an interesting story line, it's amazing that the NBA is not televising this game nationally...and instead televising the games in China at 8am in the morning. David Stern will truly never rest until the entire globe is under the control of his synthetic balls.

Today we continue the season preview, going from the Atlantic to the Pacific:

PREDICTED PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS:

1) Phoenix Suns

Wondering if Phoenix will win this division is like wondering if the sun will rise (an unintentional pun there with the whole "sun" thing...God, I hate unintentional puns). Barring the explosion of the team flight or a season-long suspension for gambling, this team ALREADY has this division won and the season hasn't even started yet. The real question is whether they have the testicular fortitude to win it all finally. Every single person in the world is saying yes, but I am a little more skeptical...The team expected to win it all seems to never do it in the NBA.

2) Golden State Warriors

Golden State and the Lakers had the same record last year, but I am giving the edge to the Warriors this season. Why? To be honest it has very little to do with their solid draft and amazing playoff run last year and everything to do with my complete hatred of the Lakers. There, I said it. Baron Davis could be decapitated and I would still pick them here because (like the Patriots in football) no one wants to be that douche that predicts good things for the Lakers. On a side note, what an amazing turnaround for a team with a futuristic FTD florist guy logo. That just goes to show what wonders getting rid of Mike Dunleavy can do for you.

3) LA Lakers

It was reported recently that Jerry Buss has said he wouldn't mind trading Kobe. Everyone is on his back about it, but I will be the one person to say, "Jolly good show, old man." While talented, Kobe Bryant is just a damn child whose self-centered posturing does not translate into a winning team. He was obviously a different person during those championships, and you can see the timeline of when he transitioned from "hot-headed talent" to "complete dickhead" with the mass exodus of talent from the Lakers organization (Shaq, Rick Fox, Gary Payton, etal) If you want to shut your ears and sing to yourself while I write about how awful of a person he is, you can do so, but at least pick up Phil Jackson's book and leaf through it. While Jackson has quietly pushed a lot of his commentary to the side to work with Jerry Buss' daughter again, you can't ignore the things he wrote about how arrogant and crappy a person like Kobe was to work with. (Steps down off of soapbox)

4) Sacramento Kings

The Maloofs have worked wonders with this team. -And by "work wonders" I mean "driven this organization straight into the ground". The once-proud Kings are a collection of scrap metal from when they were good, with the exception of Kevin Martin. While their fans and stadium are still some of the best in the country, I don't know how many more years they can abide by a rapidly declining "Kermit The Frog Voice" Mike Bibby. It has been a few years without incident, so this may be the year that Ron Artest finally snaps and just disembowels another player. At least that will be worth watching.

5) LA Clippers

This franchise is back to its old crummy ways after seeming so promising for a while. I maintain that the bandwagon jumping by Lakers fans onto this team when they were good was one of the most shameless things I have ever seen (Jack Nicholson wearing a Clippers jersey? Are you kidding me?) Although they got Al Thornton in the draft, which was a pretty good move, they are playing Corey Maggette, Sam Cassell, and Cuttino "Steve Francis' Love Monkey" Mobley. Toss in the fact that Elton Brand (The executive producer of the Christian Bale movie "Rescue Dawn", no joke) and Shaun Livingston are crippled and you have the makings of a loooooong year. No bandwagoners for a while on the Clipper ship.

There you have it. Hopefully SVG and the boys in blue kick the crap out of Riles' boys. Updates will be added as they come up and otherwise have a good weekend everyone.

Preseason Game 2: Magic Obliterate Bobcats

2007-10-11T13:35:00.000-04:00

Bobcats = Hunted and killed.

Before the game last night I said to several people that this could be a preview of the opening night starting lineup, with Foyle and Redick in the lineup and Hedo on the bench.

Well, if the events that transpired were any indication, it would appear I was correct. Last night the Magic blew apart the Bobcats like Gallagher smashing a watermelon onstage with a mallet.

The final score read 123-99, a decisive 24 point win, but the score didn't do justice to the complete onslaught the Magic brought on. For the second straight game, JJ Redick played a TON on minutes and the team shot a whopping .641 from the field. Even video games have preventative measures against teams shooting that well as to not seem too unrealistic.

The stories of the game were almost all positive:

-Mr. Fohawk (right) Redick once again proved he deserves the starting role for now with a ton of minutes, decent defense on Jason Richardson, and shooting a wonderful 5-8 from three point land.

-The Foyle-Howard combo was incredible, totaling 24 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 blocks in less than 30 minutes of time. Foyle opened things up for Howard, who suddenly had the freedom to exploit the defense with a (surprisingly!) offensive presence next to him.

-Jameer Nelson had 12 assists and 2 turnovers, something that was unthinkable all of last year. It seems he finally got it through his liliputian head that he needs to dish the rock if he wants an extension. He has looked amazing the past two games. I say give him 2 more games like this and Otis' wallet will open sooner than Sharon Stone's legs.

-Rebounding concerns? This was the second straight game the Magic outrebounded the competition SUBSTANTIALLY. Fast break/effort concerns? The Magic blew apart the Bobcats in fast break points. Dwight Howard's turnovers a concern? He only had one. Really this game was almost perfect.

...almost perfect.

The lone shitstain on the night was Rashard Lewis getting injured for the second consecutive night. This time it was caused by him landing awkwardly on his ankle, causing a sprain that should keep him sidelined the next few games. It is imperative the Magic get Lewis involved so the offense can gel so these injuries are annoying as hell. It also goes without saying that such a highly paid player is now 0-2 for finishing games because of injuries. With that kind of money, you want someone who can be your go-to player at the end of a game and the Magic don't appear to have that right now.

All in all, a great night for the Magic and a wonderful output by both starters and reserves. If the trends continue after these two games, we appear to have found something special in JJ, Foyle, and a reborn Jameer Nelson. Glasslegs Rashard better heal up soon or he is looking at even more Grant Hill comparisons than there already are out there. Best of all, we got our first glimpse of Stan Van Gundy basketball the way it is supposed to be played and it was pretty incredible.

The magic is in the moustache.

2007-08 NBA Pooptacular Preview: ATLANTIC DIVISION

2007-10-10T12:51:00.000-04:00

Tonight the Magic play the Bobcats, a team that is also looking to make a splash in the Southeast Division with their acquisition of Jason Richardson. It will be fun to see Trevor Ariza play Gerald Wallace, a player most fans compare Ariza to. Similarly, Hedo will be playing against Sleepy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

More talk of the preseason game tomorrow. I have internet, which means I am feeling mighty and can once again continue the website's preview of the NBA season. Today we look at the ATLANTIC DIVISION, a division known for its big name players, Isiah Thomas sexual assualt/horrible father claims, and briny salt-water scent.

PREDICTED ATLANTIC DIVISION STANDINGS:

1) New Jersey Nets

I know, you just re-read my pick to win the division. Most people think this team is on the downswing due to their age like the Heat, but I am in the minority that sees them winning the division this year. Vince Carter had a crappy playoffs, but that doesn't erase the fact that he was (when he actually tried) fairly good last year. Throw in a rejuvenated Jason Kidd, who has his awful wife off of his back and a medal with Team USA, and Nenad Kristic returning and you have a solid core. Richard Jefferson being fully recovered from a season-long injury is just icing on the cake. To top it all off, these guys know each other and have something to prove after being written off this year. I would be lying if I didn't find Sly The Fox to be one of the greatest mascots ever (and Mini-Sly, his midget counterpart...yes, really there is a midget working for the Nets).

2) Boston Celtics

It's hard not to pick the Celtics with the addition of Ray Allen and Garnett, but if the majority of sportwriters took off their rose-tinted glasses for a second they would see that there are three primary scorers that have to mesh and almost no talent surrounding them. Behind the publicity smiles and friendly handshakes you KNOW that each of the three is thinking to themselves, "I'm going to be the primary scorer...these two just don't know it yet." In a weakened Eastern Conference, don't be surprised if Boston gets into the playoffs, but I do not see them being the best team all of a sudden because they have 3 legitimate players on an NBA team. Pencil them in as a 5-8 seed and watch an injury to one of the three slow them down late in the season. Next year is when teams should worry about these guys.

3) Toronto Raptors

Colangelo is a genius for revamping this fallen franchise, but it will take a lot to get them to equal the win total from last year. The Raptors took advantage of a lot of games against a weakened Nets team, a crummy Celtics team, a hopeless Knicks team, and...well...the Sixers. Almost all of the teams (sorry Sixers) have substantially improved this season and the Raptors are no longer a team that opposing teams sleep on. While Bosh is a bona-fide star, and has officially replaced Dwight Howard as the guy who doesn't get nearly enough credit, the pieces surrounding him are not strong enough for a serious title run. Unless Bargnani improves a ton, something that could happen in the wild NBA, this team looks likely to suffer a setback.

4) New York Knicks

Living in New York, you'd think David Stern's favorite team had already won the championship when they got convicted sex offender and bells palsy sufferer Zach Randolph on their team. Anyone with half a brain knows that while they will probably improve with added confidence, this team is still on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Stephon Marbury is maybe the least fit person to lead an NBA team, including that guy Corky from Life Goes On, and the rest of the team looks like a who's who of underperformers for other teams in Crawford and Curry. David Lee is incredibly talented, and now he is relegated to the bench with the acquisition of Zebo (A guy who has much more trouble passing out of double teams than he does of ringing on the doorbell of everyone in his new neighborhood to tell them of his past). Mark my words, after a quick start this team will have trouble making the playoffs and will spend their offseason watch lottery balls drop.

5) Philly 76ers

I feel like in describing this team I am sitting across from a woman at a dinner table and breaking up with her:

Me: Listen, thanks for meeting with me tonight. We have to talk.

76ers: Uh oh. What is that supposed to mean?

Me: Look, I was thinking you would improve yourself this summer. You know, find those missing pieces in your life. This hasn't been the case as you seem content the way you are. The bottom line is that you've let yourself go.

76ers: I'm FINE the way I am. I have Andre Miller, Kyle Korver, Andre Iguo-

Me: Stop it, just stop it okay? It's a sign of how bad things have gotten when you list Kyle Korver as one of your best traits. This is just going nowhere quickly and you have to admit that to yourself.

76ers: We got Thaddeus Young in the draft! We traded for Reggie Evans! He likes to punch people in the balls!

Me: Do you hear yourself? I can't fathom how you actually believe the words coming out of your mouth (Gets up to leave, throws napkin on the table)

76ers: Don't leave. "Strength is derived from unity!"

Me: Know what? That is a shitty team slogan...this is over. Have a nice season.

76ers: (Sobbing) I should have never signed Chris Webber...

Hawks-Magic Review...Eh, It Was So-So

2007-10-09T14:36:00.000-04:00

The game last night had its high and low points. Most notably, Dwight Howard's play was the undisputed high point. The guy had 30 points, 11 rebounds and a bunch of blocks, and just simply dominated. Patrick Ewing's influence seems to be worth every cent at this juncture with Dwight actually not sucking at the free throw line and attempting (hold your breath) relatively outside shots. Ewing can take Howard to all of the strip clubs he wants if he gets that sort of production out of him. Clifford Ray, a super-popular Howard coach who was let go during the awful Brian Hill regime, might have just become an afterthought.

Another great performance was that of resident Magic poet Adonal Foyle. Easter Island Head had 11 points and looked extremely solid in a short amount of playing time. It seems like that pickup is making Otis Smith look smarter and smarter by the second.

-Oops, wait a second. Hold that last thought.

Rashard Lewis, the BIGGEST Magic splash this offseason was mediocre at shooting and left the game with leg cramps. My biggest concern with Lewis is him holding up playing at power forward for a full season, and this game was not very reassuring. Every Magic fan was ready to commit suicide by way of homemade guillotine when they read on yahoo/heard on the radio that Lewis was injured in the game. Thankfully it was not a big blow, but scary nontheless. Lewis said that he had a lot of jitters and was trying to hard, which is fine so long as he can calm down and become the Ozzie to Dwight Howard's Harriet.

Most Magic fans' (myself included) favorite part of the game was actually Stan Van Gundy's Jim Mora-esque post game quotes. Instead of doing the quiet, nonchalant press conference that Brian Hill and his mannequin-like predecessor did, Stan seemed to tear the team a new one. He called a few players out, most notably my least favorite Magic player Hedo Turkoglu on his lack of effort (Stan referred to it as 'seeming tired'). You can tell that Stan actually gives a damn about making the team better and has a real concrete plan on how to do so. He has become one of my favorite parts of the team, and not just for the dick jokes.

As for the battle at shooting guard, JJ Redick looked decent out there and Ariza somewhat picked up where he left off (A ton of rebounds and an absolutely AWFUL shooting performance). Stan Van Gundy said Keith Bogans looked crappy out there so he gave the others a shot, which is a good thing. After one game, it would appear that Redick has the inside track simply due to how many minutes he played, which was the most on the team. We'll continue to monitor this as it still is anyone's spot to win (-including myself. I am not ruling that out.)

We saw a good amount of James Augustine, who didn't completely suck as he shot at a high percentage. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Marcin Gortat, who seems more raw but also more apt to run with his high energy level. The chances of both making the team is good unless we can bring in a Chris Webber or another player to help down low. The Magic clobbered the Hawks in post points, obviously mostly due to Howard's god-like abilities. You can almost hear the over-anxious Magic fans saying to themselves, "I'm totally taking Howard first in fantasy basketball this year! No one will see it coming!" These same people will be the ones saying in a huff at the season's midpoint, "Why did I quit the fantasy league? Who wants to play a stupid game where free throw percentage is so important anyways!" Their faces when they say this will resemble that of Keyon Dooling's in the photo above.

In my opinion, this game was a pretty rough first one for a team undergoing what is looking like a major facelift. There were positives and negatives, but I have a feeling that things will really start to click once the team can get its minds around Van Gundy's gameplan. His gameplan MUST be good if he didn't even play Pat Garrity in the first game, right?

I'm already looking forward to the next game, and hopefully the team can rebound (both literally and figuratively). Until then, you stay classy...planet earth.

The Preseason Cometh! Magic vs Hawks!

2007-10-08T17:20:00.000-04:00

Pardon the belatedness of this post, but the internet is garbage. On the upside, I should only have to wait until Wednesday for the high speed cable to be put in. I feel like I'm on a deserted island until then.

Let's turn to the subject at hand: Rarely does a game featuring Sheldon Williams generate any sort of interest, but this is the first game of the preseason! The Magic take on the Hawks and we finally get to check out some of the new players Orlando will roll out.

Here is a quick guide to what could be the starting lineups:

Probable Lineups:

Orlando:

C- Dwight Howard: We get to see our man-child grow another year. Sigh...they grow so fast!

PF- Rashard Lewis: 8 billion dollar contracts and hype motivate people...right?

SF- Hedo Turkoglu: Flip a coin and let's see if he is red hot or ice cold tonight!

SG- Keith Bogans: Flex position should see a lot of changes, but Bogans has been working hard.

PG- Jameer Nelson: Want that extension? How bad? (Dangles it above his head)

Atlanta:

C- Al Horford: Time to earn your stripes, rook. You get to play an All-Star in your first game.

PF- Josh Smith: Looks like the monster from Young Frankenstein, but super talented.

SF- Marvin Williams: Alright, he may never reach the lofty expectations, but he's improving.

SG- Joe Johnson: The guy everyone will be looking at for scoring on the Hawks this season.

PG- Speedy Claxton: Shifty guard who really has bizarre/wonderful team photo headshots.

Key Thingamajigs To Watch:

-JJ Redick's defense is the only thing keeping him out of being a starter. Will that improve, or will he just be one crappy DUI mugshot?

-How will the combo of Dwight and Rashard (Or Dwashard for short) work in an actual game situation?

-Who the F will rebound besides Dwight?

-Will Carlos Arroyo or Keyon Dooling actually challenge for the starting PG spot? Jameer's agent might kill them with a shovel.

-Hopefully all of our guys stay healthy, we see some promise out of our young guys (Gortat, Auggie), and some insight into who deserves that SG spot.

Go Magic!

2007-08 NBA Pooptacular Preview: CENTRAL DIVISION

2007-10-05T12:40:00.001-04:00

I'm excited for the Magic's first preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks like a schoolgirl who just found her first crisp 2 dollar bill under her pillow from the toothfairy.

Alright, that analogy died about halfway through writing it.

Still, the season is quickly approaching and that means it is time to continue the NBA Pooptacular Season Preview! This time, we'll be focusing on Lebron's Central Division.

First, just to go through the daily Magic news, JJ Redick is apparently doing well with his defense. He better be, because Stan Van Gundy's hope for a defensive-minded guard make Trevor Ariza the favorite. I really hope that the D in DUI stands for "defense" so that JJ can play his way into the rotation. While my preference is still Ariza, I do worry about how much his shot has improved. We have a guy in JJ who is an amazing shooter and sucks and defense and another player in Ariza who is the exact opposite. I say we build a machine to combine them and call it a day. I'll leave that task up to you guys.

PREDICTED CENTRAL DIVISION STANDINGS:

1) Chicago Bulls

Everyone and their mother is picking Cleveland to win this division, but those same people make their picks by looking at last year's standings. F' em, I say! Chicago is my pick to have the best record in the East because their promising young talent finally is clicking together. Gordon is good (albeit a bit streaky), but Deng is really the cool cat of the bunch with the all-star future. I kinda think that he looks like Hellboy with his exaggerated brow and wide smile. Anyone else? No? Well, alright then.

2)Detroit Pistons

Detroit will never die, and since they are SOOOOO boring to watch I am going to silently hope for a big injury to one of their players. Perhaps Tayshaun Prince actually eats something for the first time in 10 years and it makes his insides explode? Maybe Rip Hamilton gets mistaken for Jason from Friday the 13th, or some other mask-wearer, and gets gunned down by the police? I don't know, but if someone would please break up this boring dynasty I would be very happy.

3)Cleveland Cavaliers

This is one team that I think will experience a major downswing in wins. Lebron is amazing, but his supporting cast really overachieved last year and will come back to earth. Toss in the fact that Sideshow Bob (Varejao) could still leave and you have a possible recipe for disaster. This team and the Heat will be the subject of "biggest dissapointment" in multiple annoying Steven A. Smith segments on ESPN. Ugh...I'm dreading them already.

4)Milwakee Bucks

Just how old IS Yi? A lot of people think he is actually in his mid-20s or older, but I will go even higher than that and say he is immortal. Why? Who else could have the power to refuse individual workouts against other players before the draft, post up a CHAIR for scouts, and still get drafted so high? I'm telling you that he is magical.
Besides Yi, this team is actually deceptively strong at a lot of positions, and they are a team that I am picking with an outside shot of making the playoffs. Redd, Mo Williams, Charlie Bell, Yi, Bogut...they have some firepower that could actually do something if it gels. The only thing that could ruin it is the soul-crushing crappiness of their team name.

5)Indiana Pacers

Speaking of crappy team names, the Indiana Pacers always struck me as a team with a minor league baseball name and logo. Unfortunately they are stuck with both since they've been around for so long and there really is nothing else you can use as a logo with such a bizarre ambiguous car name (maybe borrow that ugly horse with the muffler engines the Pistons had a while back?). This franchise and the Lakers have been my two least favorites over the year, so it's somewhat comforting to see them really struggling. Toss in the fact that they cut my boy Jasiki-VISCIOUS (I'm Lithuanian), have an upset Jermaine O'Neal, and little else and you have a team going down the standings at a quick...pace! Oh, what a delightful pun!

More previews next week and updates will be posted as they happen. Have a great weekend everyone!

Magic Maybe Not Even Looking At Webber Or PJ?/Schmitz Says Magic Good With SVG/Random Stuff

2007-10-04T16:42:00.000-04:00

The fun thing about not having internet and going off of others' wireless networks? You are completely at the mercy of other people having their computers on! Fun, fun times are had by all as the blank webpage reads "Connection to the internet is not possible" all day. To make it even more enjoyable, Time Warner said they are unable to install television/internet in my new place until next Wednesday.

There is almost too much joy to handle!

Ah well, we'll keep today short because it's obviously already evening and nothing big seems to have come out today regarding the Magic. The only notable things came in HoopsWorld and Brian Schmitz's blog.

Hoopsworld is saying that the Magic likely won't pursue PJ Brown (no idea why) or Chris Webber (probably for the best). Hoopsworld has been wrong in the past, so I wouldn't take this as gospel but I would get read for a season with a whooooooole lotta FOYLE!

In Schmitz's blog, he says that the Magic having Stan Van Gundy instead of Donovan will pay off better for the team in the end. And...well...that's basically the article in a nutshell. I said the same thing about 4 months ago but I don't have a fancy moustache (which I will admit discredits me a bit).

With nothing really else to report, we will turn to some quick tidbits from my demented head:

-It's taking FOREVER to unpack in the new apartment, but there is a silver lining with this new place: The people who lived here beforehand left all of their outdoor furniture, which is super sweet because there is a table, grill, and other great stuff. If they try to come back for it I'm going to lie and say it all fell off of the terrace and smashed to smithereens...and then simultaneously combusted. Then I will feign an inability to understand English.

-I just got the Athlon Sports NBA Preview guide and it has some interesting things I didn't know: The Ft. Myers Miracle, the Orlando area minor league baseball team, had "Billy Donovan Night" after he left the Magic in the lurch. They gave out free waffles to be ironic, and offered all fans the chance to leave and get their money back if they could convince the attorney they had at the stadium (no joke). Only one guy left.

The guide also said Zach Randolph took off three games last year for bereavement over his girlfriend's cousin, who died 5 days earlier. On the third of his 3 games he missed, people spotted him at a strip club where he left without paying his $106 tab. Gotta love Zebo.

-Cam Cameron is simultaneously making this the funniest and worst season of Miami Dolphins football I have ever seen. So far, Ted Ginn hasn't started yet and seems like a waste. For those keeping count, the three players taken before AND after him are all starters for their teams.

-Before I left my old apartment to move I got on this weird kick where all I was watching was Survivorman and Man vs. Wild on the Discovery Channel. I have to say given the choice between the two, Survivorman is more authentic, but Man vs. Wild is SO much more entertaining in a silly Gordon Ramsey-esque way. I enjoy watching the guy eat live scorpions and describing what it tastes like in detail. Now THAT'S entertainment!

More tomorrow if God wills the internet to be cooperative.

Back and Bloggin'

2007-10-03T12:42:00.000-04:00

I have online access again so the blogging will reconvene!

...Well, "online access" meaning that I totally don't have access at all, but opted to hop on to someone else's wireless network for a second. I should wear an eyepatch while I commit this unspeakable work of evil piracy. -Either that or do other pirate things like drink rum until I start to think manatees are hot and imagine them as mermaids. See, it's not all glamour, Pirates of the Carribean fans.

Back to the subject at hand, a decent amount of info came out while I was killing myself with moving boxes.

First of all, as many of you heard Chris Webber's agent expects the Magic to inquire about his client. This sparked the usual internet frenzy of people wondering if Webber would come to the team that originally drafted him and traded his rights for Penny Hardaway. Practically hours after this came out, Webber came out and said the only team he could see himself playing for was the Detroit Pistons. You could hear the sound of Webber's agent smacking his forehead thousands of miles away, as an indication of interest in only one team is a negotiating no-no.

Personally, I would be fine if Webber didn't come to Orlando. He wants a good amount of money and his legs are completely shot. On top of that, he doesn't seem to understand that his best days are behind him and that he doesn't command as much respect or clout as other players. If he wound up on our team, no doubt it would be a great pickup and would help, but it is also equally risky to pick up a player with injury concerns who is cocky (sleeping with Tyra Banks during her heyday will do that to you, so I don't fault him. While this is the case, sleeping with her now would be like doing it with one of the aformentioned manatees).

Let's see what else happened? Hmmm....Ah yes, Adonal Foyle said that he is looking forward to being the dirty player on the team, the "guy in the trenches". He goes on to say he would take on the centers in the league, allowing Howard to abuse power forwards. In the article it says that Stan Van Gundy also is surprised at how good Foyle is offensively.

I never thought I would say this, but Adonal Foyle's inclusion on the Magic is somehow proving to be as important as the Rashard Lewis signing. He was a super valuable safety net when Battie got injured, and sounds really eager to go out and murder some other teams wearing the Magic colors. I also am really encouraged to hear he has a mean streak since I thought last year's Magic (especially Dwight) were so soft out there that at times I thought they were trying to do ballet instead of basketball. FYI: Carlos Arroyo would look awful in a tutu, but surprisingly it would be an improvement for Pat Garrity.

In other news, Stan Van Gundy has come into training camp with the hard-nosed approach that only two people on the team are guarenteed starting spots: Howard and Lewis. Other people like Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu will have to fight to get into the starting lineup. Since I saw those two as our biggest underperformers last season, I took this news with a smile. You could almost see the situation develop like this:

Stan: Hey, Hedo. Get into the starting lineup in this practice.

Hedo: Oh, I don't know coach. I think that weird phantom sickness of mine is acting up again...cough...cough...I better sit this one out (eats a handful of grapes).

Stan: Fine with me. Don't let the splinters hurt your ass when you're sitting on the bench this season.

Hedo: (Drops grapes) Wait, did I say sickness? I meant to say "Boy, I feel great." Let's play some basketball, heh heh...

It's time to have a good evaluator of talent come in and assess what our team has, and Stan Van Gundy is looking like the right man for the job. Personally, and I know I'm in the minority here, I'd like to see Hedo coming off of the bench, Ariza starting, and JJ Redick spot-starting against players that won't kill him when he is playing defense. Hedo has quite a track record for making it into the starting lineup despite his inconsistency, so we'll see how it shakes out. Stan says that right now Dooling has the advantage at point guard, since he actually speaks to his teammates when playing.

And lastly, Polish tall guy and Across the Universe fan Marcin Gortat admitted that he is a bit overwhelmed in the Magic practices. This is no surprise as playing against Dwight is the equivalent of trying to catch a greased pig (or so the hicks say). More interesting and funny are Gortat's comments on America:

Gortat said he's also had to make a transition culturally. He did find a Polish restaurant near his home, but he's had to get used to "people being so nice to me." "I've had to learn to be more friendly and not so aggressive," he said with a chuckle. "American people are really nice. Everybody says to me, 'Hey, what's up?' And, 'have a nice day.' That doesn't happen much in Poland and you can forget about that happening in Germany.

"Gortat recounted a story of going to a local movie theater recently and being floored by a random act of kindness. When the attendant asked how he was doing, Gortat ranted that he had a lousy day at practice and that he was tired. The attendant offered to super-size his popcorn and soda at medium prices.

My goodness can we PLEASE make this into a movie? The idea of Marcin Gortat clotheslining and headbutting people on the street and then shrugging and saying "Sorry, that's the way we say thank you in Poland" is just too appealing. Toss in a scene where Gortat is sobbing about practice only to have his spirits lifted immeasurably by a super-sized popcorn and you have comedy gold. I say we get Vince Vaughn to shave his head, hop on stilts, and play this role right now!

Glad to have internet back, albeit temporarily. Keep on checkin' in for updates and I'll see you on the flipside.

Moving Day(s)!

2007-09-30T22:46:00.001-04:00

Yes, your old friend Black and Blue is moving on Monday. I am heading to the Central Park West part of New York City from the Upper East Side of NYC. For those of you readers who have no friggin' clue what the hell I'm talking about because you don't know Manhattan (and for those of you Native Americans who are still smarting over losing the island for a handful of trinkets), Central Park West is retardedly gorgeous and a ruffian like myself really has no business being lucky enough to live there. Me living there is the equivalent of that scene in the Beastie Boys' "Fight for your right to party" video when the snobs are having a nice party and they come in by kicking the door down. -but, you know, with more gold chains.

For you see, if New York were a menu, Central Park West would be the lobster with 14k gold claws. If New York were a high school, CPW would be the cheerleader who every guy wanted to get with and did modeling/amateur porn on the side. If New York were rather insignificant injuries, CPW would be the rotator cuff injury requiring season ending surgery and leaving your team with a huge friggin' hole at the Power Forward position. -you know, figuratively.

Long story short, like Ron Burgandy, I...don't know how to put this....but....it's kind of a big deal.

In fact, friends and family have been trying to figure out what could be wrong with this new place, it's so nice and is in my price range. Most are betting that it is ghosts, but there is a good chance that it's just in the same building as Stephon Marbury or something (aka fucked).

One thing I promise you readers is that although I am moving to a nice area, I will NOT become a collar-popping asshole. If you have been unlucky, like me (I have been SUPER unlucky going to college in Connecticut) you have come into contact with one of these monstrosities. They look down on poorer people. They dress in pastel colored pink, neon orange, and plaid pants. They most likely drone on about their yacht, and have bizarre parted haircuts. They use "Summer" as a verb (such as "I summer on Nantucket") and have at least one biological relative named Muffy.

Yeah, that won't be me. I will be the guy controlling the collar-popping douchebag population though careful hunting and, if it is profitable enough, taxidermy.

Wow, this was a pretty long entry to essentially say there WON'T be an entry for a little while because my internet won't be shut on in the new place. Anyhoo, as soon as I get internet again this week I wil have much to say about the goings on in the NBA and with the Magic. For now, catch ya later.

B&B

2007-08 NBA Pooptacular Preview: Southeast Conference

2007-09-27T13:12:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: Ohhhhhhhhhh no. Being the jinx that I am, as soon as I posted that the Magic would win the Southeast it comes out that Tony Battie has a torn rotator cuff!

All I can say is: "Stan and Otis, you mentioned that you wanted to play "small ball" with Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis. It would appear your chance has come."

All we, as Magic fans, can hope for is getting Chris Webber for cheap or trading for someone like Kirilenko (doubtful).

------------------------------------------------

SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE PREVIEW

Since tomorrow is going to be a bit nuts for me, and since the NBA is only a month away, I thought it seemed like a good time to kick off the big NBA season preview! Where else would I start, but the Magic's own Southeast division.

Before I start, I should point out that according to Brian Schmitz's Orlando Magic blog, the Sporting News has come out with its NBA preview. As many of you already know, the Sporting News is one of the few publications I put a lot of stock in. Their writers usually are accomplished, and they aren't awful homers like Bill Simmons or...well...me. I was greatly looking forward to seeing how they rated the offseason moves and how the teams would stack up this upcoming season.

Well, let's cut the suspense short: They see the Magic as the second best team in the Southeast conference, after the Wizards. The Heat ranked a close third behind us with the Bobcats and Hawks following up. Even the crap publications seem to have the same thing.

This got me thinking about how our team stacked up in the grand scheme of things in the Southeast (otherwise known as the 'wait...the Hawks and Bobcats are in the division?' division). Here is how I see it goin' down:

PREDICTED SOUTHEAST DIVISION STANDINGS:

1) Orlando Magic

Yes, yes, yes. Call me a homer. Call me blind. Call me anything you would like, but the fact of the matter is that the Magic (with their hiring of Stan Van Gundy and signings of Rashard Lewis, Adonal Foyle, and Marcin Gortat) have improved the makeup of their team more than any other team in the Southeast this offseason. On top of that, they don't have age concerns and their outgoing players were either chronically injured (Hill) or backups (Darko) last season. Not too shabby. Last year only 4 games seperated the top team in the division from the 3rd best team, so such improvement to the roster and coaching of the team is significant. Toss in the fact that the offensive system is changing to suit the younger players better, Grant Hill being gone allows the team can achieve continuity and familiarity on offense (without having to worry if he is healthy), and the lofty expectations and you have a team that will narrowly edge out the competition this season. Now I will retire to my castle before you storm it with pitchforks.

2)Washington Wizards

They say to predict the future you look to the past. Well, if that's any indication then the Wizards will be sitting atop the division. This team was surging last year behind Gilbert Arenas and only came back to earth when he got injured. The problem is that the team sat on their hands this offseason while other teams in their divisions made a splash in the market. Gilbert and company will still be a force to be reckoned with, but with Arenas getting his body back in shape following a season-ending injury, the big man situation looking increasingly iffy, and a franchise biting its fingernails to hope Agent Zero returns next season this is by no means an invincible team. Don't get me wrong, they will be really good, make the playoffs, and contend early...but I see them waning as their season progresses and other improved teams like Boston, Orlando, and Charlotte start to gel. This one will come down to the wire between the Wiz and Magic.

3)Miami Heat*

This prediction could still change drastically because the Heat are scrambling to make a move before training camp opens. I threw a Barry Bonds asterisk on it because depending on who they get they could jump up the standings. For now, they are what they are, in Popeye terms: A team build around Dwayne Wade, with a nursing home of players around him. I maintain that this is one of the more fun teams to watch simply because of Antoine "Black Brando" Walker. Antoine's inability to dribble, shoot, and (at times) clutch the ball into his hands without throwing it wildly out of bounds is one of my favorite things about the NBA. He is like the Charlie Brown of the league, and it is only a matter of time before D.Wade and Shaq hold him down and beat him with soap like that guy in Full Metal Jacket.

4)Charlotte Bobcats

This franchise could win multiple championships, reinvent the NBA, become "America's team" and I will STILL laugh about how silly their logo and colors are. -And I'm a Marlins fan! This team improved significantly with the acquisition of Jason Richardson and seem to be pointed in the right direction under Michael Jordan (I know, I can't believe I typed that either). They still have a ways to go since they finished 16 games under .500 last year, but no doubt they will be poised to play giant-killer to lot of teams expecting last years' Bobcats. Sam Vincent could sleep through all of the games and they still would probably improve their record by 7 games. I salute Vincent for being this year's "guy who is going to be at the right place at the right time" with Doc Rivers following closely behind.

5)Atlanta Hawks

Josh Smith and Joe Johnson might as well be on a deserted island. -At least on a deserted island they could get some help from coconuts. This franchise absolutely loves drafting Power Forwards, and although getting Al Horford in this past year's draft was a smart move, it showed the world that Atlanta regrets getting Sheldon Williams the year before. Acie Law is still probably going to need time to get up to speed, so this team is almost certainly going to be relegated to the lottery again. On the bright side, they got shiny new uniforms which (despite what people say) are more often than not good for team morale. The logo, on the other hand, is crummy and they should just change it to the secondary logo that looks like a cardinal.

That's it for now. More NBA preview fun in the weeks to come. Tomorrow is going to be something of an extended weekend for me, so no new posts until Monday. I'll update if anything major happens (KEEP THAT BROKEN HAND HEALTHY, REDICK!).

Have a great weekend everyone.

JJ Redick's Brother Gives Me A New Slogan Idea

2007-09-26T12:02:00.000-04:00

Last summer was pretty tough on JJ Redick as he had a bunch of back problems right as he was making the difficult transition to the NBA.

Now, just when JJ Redick thought he might have a summer that wasn't full of drama, September rolled around.

In addition to having to heal up his broken hand, JJ Redick's former girlfriend is now pressing charges against his brother, David Redick. Vanessa Lopez, a woman who I guess dated Redick during his wild, swinging days at Duke, said that David Redick called her repeatedly and said, "You will be sought after, and you should be scared."

I am not one to advocate this sort of behavior. I had a girl stalk me at one point, and let me tell you it was exactly the opposite of awesome. David Redick sounds like he is something of a loser if this is true, which is no surprise since the younger brother who has to eternally live in his brother's shadow usually winds up messed up (I think about 90% of prisons are just chock full of these guys).

That said, I have to say that David Redick's comments completely blow the Orlando Magic's slogan for the upcoming season out of the water.

While "The Time Is Now: Be Bold, Be Blue" has a certain level of swagger and charm to it, you really won't see many people reacting to it. The closest they will come is probably a cracked-out Eddie Griffin Ricky Davis saying, "Yo, so this year the Magic think their time is now, or some crap. Whatever." Also, the whole "Be bold" thing is used by nearly every advertising campaign, including pots containing bananas and human excrement apparently (left).

I think that the Magic should adopt David Redick's slogan. In fact, I am making that the official slogan of the 2007-08 Magic henceforth on this website:

"The 2007-08 Orlando Magic: You will be sought after, and you should be scared."

BAM! How much punch does that pack? Ricky Davis just dropped his blunt and shat himself. I think if we had more of ballsy, intimidating slogan like that people would start to actually acknowledge this forgotten franchise. Even if we stunk, the sportswriters would have a field day with it and the team would get publicity.

I know it would never happen, but I can still dream.

-More than that, I can use the slogan on this website...where dreams become a reality. (cue tinkerbell flying over your computer and flashing you).

Anyone can feel free to use the above image as a signature pic on their message board profile...actually you guys can use pretty much anything on my blog for your own personal use, because I really am too lazy to care about such things.

NBA Season Coming Soon...Time For NBA.Com To Actually Write Stuff

2007-09-25T11:14:00.001-04:00

The NBA season is a little over a month away, and now that the hype surrounding the beginning of the NFL season has died a bit, writers are starting to slowly and quietly turn their attention to basketball.

To hop off topic for a second, I have to briefly talk about the fact that the NFL has COMPLETELY taken the "America's pasttime" title from baseball. These days it is actually a bit hard to find a person who lists baseball as their favorite sport, and if you do find someone they will inevitably be a Yankees or Red Sox fan (or another one of the 5 teams who actually have the money to compete), and thus they are insufferable. As a Marlins fan, I have enjoyed watching my team win two world series in my lifetime, but also maintain my dignity and overly manly demeanor. I can chop trees down with my mind and once tied Chuck Norris in ping pong.

Anyhoo, getting back on topic...NBA hype is one of the best parts of the fall. As soon as you start seeing orange jack-o-lanterns, you can count on seeing similarly-shaped orange basketballs. Once you see the leaves changing, you know you will soon hear Bill Walton's bizarre goofy voice yelling "Throw it DOWN, big man!" and hawking NBA league pass with the horrifically bad actor Richard Jefferson (Stephon Marbury might be the best actor in the NBA simply because he is legally insane. Sorry to break it to you, Ray Allen).

One such example of the public mindset slowwwwwly starting to look at the NBA is that NBA.com has published previews of all of their NBA teams, including their look at the Orlando Magic. The article says a lot of stuff we already know, but have some input into the team's most interesting camp battle:

The team will also look for big things this year from Trevor Ariza and J.J.
Redick, who will rotate at the shooting guard position...

Trevor Ariza and J.J. Redick should see a boost in minutes this year and
will likely rotate as the starter at shooting guard. Ariza and Redick will be
fighting for about 40 minutes between the two of them at the position, with the
starter seeing about 20-25 minutes and the backup getting about 15-20 as well.
Ariza can play some forward due to his size, so he should find some extra
minutes there when the team wants to go small and run.

The article goes on to state that they see Ariza as the starting shooting guard over Redick, and Battie ultimately starting at PF over Hedo Turkoglu. As I've written in the past, these are my picks at the position so good to see things leaning in that direction.

NBA.com also had interviews with all of the Magic players, including Torrell Martin, Kevin Kruger, and Bo Outlaw, about their offseasons. Since it was NBA.com, they were largely the typical fluff questions like "Did you go on vacation?" and "Do you like your new coach?", but some people had interesting things to say:

Q: What did you do for your off-season workouts?
Trevor Ariza: "Shooting, shooting, and more shooting."

Q: How is the hand?
JJ Redick: "The hand is good. I am still doing rehab and getting it ready
for camp, but I'm resting it now so I will be ready come training camp."

Q: What did you do for your off-season workouts?
Tony Battie: "I did a lot. I changed my diet and slimmed down a little bit.
I lost some weight and did a lot of conditioning. I did abdominal workouts and
some core training. I worked hard this summer because I want to prolong my
career. Keeping my knees and legs strong is going to play a big role in
that."

So come this season, we should expect a healthy Redick, a more lean Battie, and Ariza to have a better jump shot to complement his athleticism. Not bad.

I'll be sure to post more news as it comes in, and hopefully we get some more team previews. With every preview and interview there is something learned, and for now there aren't any red flags going up.

I leave you with this: Is this really the best photo NBA.com could get of James Augustine? My guess is yes.

The World Wants To Know!...Should We Give Jameer The Extension?

2007-09-24T10:41:00.000-04:00

Well, Jameer Nelson is doing what most free agents do: Indicating his interest to stay with his current team.

Jameer said yesterday that he wants to stay with the Magic, and that he is happy with his role here. This would have been all well and good if the inevitable free agent speak didn't pop out afterwards, with him proclaiming that "business is business". I have yet to hear a classier way of saying "Show me the moneyyyyy!" The bottom line is that Nelson wants to be paid like a starting point guard who is also the leader for his team. -The problem is that last year Nelson wasn't exactly stellar in either of those roles, finishing the year with lackluster stats and presiding over a team implosion.

Some players use adversity to their advantage, and Nelson has indicated that the much-publicized death of his father will allow him to have a career year. While this is a neat prospect, one thing that keeps drumming in the back of my mind is the fact that many scouts saw Nelson in college as a player who didn't have much potential for growth and would be a career backup. Right now those scouts are lighting up cigars with how right their assessments seemed to be (Note: I have no idea if scouts live a very plush life, following kid basketball players around, so cigars might be a stretch. Maybe they smoke something more spartan like rolled up newspaper...)

The problem with Nelson's contract negotiations lie in the fact that the Magic still can't properly evaluate his value to the team. There is going to be a new offensive system in place, as well as a second scorer to (hopefully) take the scoring burden off of Nelson's shoulders. In addition, Nelson was up and down all season long and the team has to decide if he is the leader who can be counted on to take the final shot or just a backup who happens to start on a team.

Personally, after last season I am pretty skeptical. I was not a huge fan out of what I saw with Nelson, especially when I watched him play live. He has a penchant for driving to the basket without an idea of what his options are around him. This causes him to drive into the lane and run right back out again, passing wildly for someone to bail him out. It got so bad last year, that my friends and I named the move I described above "The Nelson". Many Magic-Nets games were punctuated with gaggles of cheers, "He's doing The Nelson! He's doing it! Wow, look at Dwight Howard roll his eyes!"

For this reason I hope Otis Smith sticks to his guns and actually sees how Jameer does this upcoming season before giving him an extension and indicating to the team that he will be a vital cog in our future plans. There are just too many question marks to jump the gun in my opinion.

Also, if Nelson winds up snubbing a future offer from us it won't be such huge news. -Not like he went back to coach Florida or anything...

Do We Try To Get THE SCARECROW?!

2007-09-21T11:13:00.000-04:00

Many of you know him by a common nickname: AK-47.

I know him by a slightly different name: The Scarecrow.

Yes, ladies and gents, with the NBA season only about a month away there are are still rumors of big name players moving. This time, the subject of these rumors is Andrei Kirilenko. Apparently, Kirilenko has been running off at the mouth about how much he wants out of Utah, saying he will take a pay cut and play for a horrible team if need be. This lit up basically every fan in the NBA with the hopes that their team could add him to their roster.

Magic fans were no exception. Faster than you could say, "Hey, let's trade for Shawn Marion!" trades were being batted around that could land Andrei in Orlando. While many people looking on will say "this is nuts...no way Utah trades AK-47 for nothing", the Magic actually could be contenders for his services should Otis Smith deem it so. The Magic have a lot of expiring deals to dangle, more than most teams can match, and they also have one thing that Utah covets: JJ Redick.

It is no secret that Utah would have taken Redick in the draft had Orlando not gotten there first. Sloan is a sucker for white guys, gobbling up players like Stockton and Hornacek like they were candy (white m&ms perhaps). Also, the Magic could conceivably throw Turkoglu into a deal or, should Utah want a big man, Tony Battie. On TOP of this, Utah needs some cash to toss around to resign Deron Williams...so there actually would be someone who wants Pat Garrity's expiring deal.

I thought I would never write that last sentence, but there it is.

In return, the Magic would get a player who could really compliment Dwight well and give the team a well rounded presence at PF. Replacing Darko with Kirilenko would be like replacing a dirty diaper with a new one, but with more hair gel. Some say the Magic are one piece away from being a top team in the East, and this would have to be that opportunity.

That being said, there are MANY knocks against Kirilenko. He is injured a lot. He is rail thin so he gets knocked around by more physical players. He is coming off of a year that can only be described as 'a disaster and a half'. He seems to be a bit emotionally unstable, having cried in one interview last year and now by badmouthing his team. There are a lot of things to consider, but ultimately he would be a major upgrade at our PF position over anyone who has been there alongside Dwight.

Going back to that whole 'nickname' thing I mentioned at the beginning of the article, I truly enjoy calling Andrei "The Scarecrow". When I first saw him play, I blurted out "Who is THAT?!" to a party of onlookers watching the game. My friends told me that the guy's name was Kirilenko, and that he was some super skinny shooter from Russia. Seeing as how my favorite character from Batman has always been The Scarecrow, I was amazed to find this perfect casting choice in front of me. "He's thin. His chin is pointy. He is pretty damn creepy looking...Goodness gracious this guy is perfect for the role of Scarecrow from Batman!" To this day, whenever anyone mentions the movie Batman Begins, I shake my head that they went with the casting choice of Cillian Murphy over Kirilenko. What a shame.

Whether the Magic get The Scarecrow or choose to stick with their current team, I like their chances this year. Hopefully Otis inquires about his availability because it could really benefit the team.

Fantasy Basketball Time!/Sportswriters Like Magic?

2007-09-20T11:58:00.000-04:00

Fantasy basketball is here! Yahoo officially opened up the floodgates to yet another season of tears, cheers, and jeers.

While I usually choke in the playoffs in fantasy football (damn injuries), and really couldn't give a crap about fantasy baseball (I love the Marlins...so you can understand my disinterest), I usually either win or come in second in all of my fantasy basketball leagues. I'd like to brag that it is superior intelligence or some other load of crap that helps me win, but it really just comes down to one thing in the regular season: paying attention to injuries. With so many games over a season, players are constantly in and out of the lineup. If you actally take the 2 seconds to check the status of your players, you'll probably wind up in the playoffs. It sounds boneheaded, but it's just that simple. Once you get into the playoffs, it's all about having players on your team that play a LOT of games in that given week.

There, my secret is out of the bag. I have easily just ushered in a decade of losing seasons now that those people in my leagues have read that.

Ah well, win or lose it is just great. My friends and I have already created a fantasy basketball league for this upcoming season. As many of you know, picking a good team name is always the hardest and most fun part. I decided to stay topical and name it "Adonal Foyle's Poetry", with my smack talk being one of his poems:

"I miss the cocks that shout out loud. Arise, arise you wretched sloth."

I sense good things for this team.

In other news, it looks like the sports analysts are actually starting to like the Magic now that the NBA season nears. "Ball Junkie" on the Orlando Magic Message Boards presented us with the news that David Thorpe on ESPN likes our chances:

MagicDonJuan ( Mia,FL): Long time Orlando fan living in Miami...How strong
do you think Orlando will be, and do you think we have have done enough to give
us a chance at taking the Southeast division and finishing in the top 4....

David Thorpe: Pretty strong, mostly due to SVG. Yes, and yes. But it won't
be easy. The east is deep and lots of parity. Health will be a major factor.

And Ball Junkie also points out that John Hollinger, the guy who has been bashing the Magic all summer long after they acquired Rashard Lewis, had good things to say for once on Chad Ford's Daily Dish. Chad asked which team had improved the most after all of the summer moves and Hollinger actually said the Orlando Magic. He went on to say Orlando was young, had a lot of players coming into their prime, and that Adonal Foyle is really gonna help the team win. More than anything, Hollinger seems to really like Stan Van Gundy and thinks his defensive-minded approach will help the team succeed.

This turnaround doesn't really surprise me. Although a lot of teams did get better in the Eastern Conference, it is STILL the EAST and any team can really win it. The Cavs won it last year and every sportswriter had written them off as a team that was too one-dimensional to go anywhere. The Magic fortified their team in a few positions and got a really great coach, so ignoring that wouldn't be logical. On top of this, it would appear that the initial hatred over Rashard Lewis' hefty contract has subsided and people are actually starting to objectively scrutize the roster. While the team's lineup isn't perfect, it certainly is full of players that are capable of becoming something special if coached correctly.

Hopefully the good vibes continue. Orlando doesn't get as much press as other teams, so I fully expect the NBA season previews to be pretty harsh on them due to a lack of homework. As long as the team's players and organization have their chins up and stay optimistic, it should be clear sailing to the playoffs.

Magic Promotions Announced

2007-09-19T14:13:00.000-04:00

The Magic released their list of giveaways and theme nights for next season. Topping the list of neat giveaways is a figure of Dwight Howard doing the sticker dunk from last season's All Star game and a Trevor Ariza autograph night. Rounding out the bottom of the list is a "Stuff Soap Dispenser". I love our demented-looking mascot as much as anyone, but this is just a horrible idea. Adults are the only people really to get excited by the prospect of a soap dispenser, and most of them would not want a Stuff one in their home. As for kids, they like Stuff the Magic Dragon, but it is not such a fun thing to play with a soap dispenser. Couple in the fact that this "toy" will cause little kids to chug soap and you have a bona fide failure (or success, if the Orlando Magic organization's objective is to murder children).

If I had to pick one night to attend, it would have to be the game on March 15th. This, dear readers, is "Gospel Night/Bahamas Night". I have NO idea how in the world they are going to marry these two things into one night, but it most definitely will be worth checking out. Maybe a rastafarian Jesus mascot? Perhaps a gospel choir dressed only in bathing suits? -Or maybe they go the safe route and will let you in for free if you have a crucifix and can sing the 4 opening lines of Bob Marley's "Get up, stand up" (I know Bob Marley is Jamaican, but this is nothing but a technicality to Magic brass). Either way, whomever approved the schedule with that on it had something in mind and it's killing me to find out.

The Three Choices For The Final Magic Roster Spot

2007-09-18T12:53:00.000-04:00

Bo Outlaw will not die. He is like a cockroach after a nuclear holocaust, fighting for every last breath to keep his species alive.

Okay, that metaphor was sort of a long shot, but you get the hint.

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting today that the Magic have finalized their three to bring to camp to fight for the last roster spot: Torrell Martin from Winthrop (we already knew about him from hearing his name yesterday...I guess he ISN'T signed after all), Kevin Kruger from UNLV, and Bo "The Cockroach" Outlaw.

This crew isn't exactly buzz-worthy, considering the fact that many fans were holding out hope that the Magic would get someone to sign another veteran deal at the 11th hour. For those of us who are sane, it is a miracle we found one servicable person to sign for peanuts (Adonal Foyle), so asking for more is asking a little too much.

As for this crew, obviously one would have to think that Bo Outlaw has the edge going in. He has proven himself to be a player who hustles constantly and can provide a spark off of the bench. On top of that, he is a crowd favorite and was on the team last year...always bonuses. The fact that the Magic need veteran leadership if they hope to go deep in the playoffs spells an even greater case for Outlaw.

Kevin Kruger (right) is a Travis Diener-esque player, short and looking like he is 12. With Dooling, Arroyo, and Nelson shoring up the PG spot, I don't know if my heart can take another Diener player sitting on the bench...it's just too sad. With the way the Magic treated Travis Diener, I'd say most would be surprised if Kruger is given a serious look. You never know though...maybe it was just Brian Hill who hated Diener and Otis will overcompensate for that loss with Kruger.

I can't read that last sentence with a straight face. Long story short: Kruger needs the camp of his life to make the team.

As much as I like Bo Outlaw, if you want my pick for that last roster spot I wouldn't mind Torrell Martin stepping in there. Martin would give us another (longshot) option at SG, and did decently well in the summer league. Furthermore, if you read any interviews out there with him, he sounds like a guy who REEEEEALLY wants to succeed. Couple that with a mean streak (he said that if you had to compare him to any current NBA player, everyone says Lattrell Spreewell...uh oh), and you have a guy who could really carve himself a niche in the league. It would be nice to see a guy come out of the woodwork and surprise us, and Martin could be just that guy.

Overall, I guess we will just have to wait and see. While there will be many fans clamouring for their pick for that last roster spot, our options are not bad. Hopefully the team will make the right choice.

More Threats To Venues By Evil Empire/Foyle Is A Poet!/New Shooting Coach

2007-09-17T10:50:00.000-04:00

The quest for the Orlando venues is looking more and more annoying. In addition to Darth Rosen's campaign to get voters to overturn the council vote, a Supreme Court ruling might potentially force the Performing Arts Center to go to a vote. This is all highlighted in an enlightening and well written article by Orlando Sentinel writers. This whole situation sucks and really is not worth discussing in length on a Monday...Mondays suck enough as it is. If there are any updates I will be sure to write about them, but its best to sweep this one under the rug until we've all had our coffee.

On to happier news, Adonal Foyle has a website! In it Adonal writes about how excited he is to play for the Magic, and talks in depth about how the Magic were one of the first teams to call him when he got news that he would be available. The fact that the site is called "Foyle's Corner" and has a bunch of different non-NBA related sections is amazing. Check out the latest entry in "Poetry Corner":

"I miss the cocks that shout out loud
Arise, arise you wretched sloth.
The day has dawned and passeth by
Dragging night's drape across the cloud.
I miss the beach, the sand that's pure.
The water that makes the land secure.
Its reef, a quilt with blinding hews,
Adorns the painted mystic view.
I miss the pain I ever hate
Whips and ropes, my haunting fate.
One does not only love the good,
But grows in disdain, misunderstood.
I miss the face of those trusted few.
Whose love was but a weakness too.
Home, illusion of bucolic paradise,
The rosy dew, and stinging lies."

JJ Redick, previous Orlando Magic Poetry Poster Child, just shat his pants.

The prospect of a running blog by Ole Easter Island Head is a great one, as Gilbert Arenas' blog is a source of constant entertainment and having something similar, but Magic themed, would appeal to fans. Waiiiiiiiit a second......(just realized that I just described my OWN website).

And in more sane news, Orlando appears to have a new shooting coach. It would appear that literally every person on the planet has a website, because I actually confirmed it by finding the Official Site of Coach Charles Richardson. Don't be fooled, this site is actually not much more than an online resume, but still nice to check out his credentials. Only when Charles Richardson adds a poetry corner will his site TRULY score big.

Magic Marion? Get Real/Harris Deal Could Impact Nelson Negotiations

2007-09-14T12:54:00.000-04:00

Update: JJ Redick just announced he broke his hand, but should be ready for training camp. My blog entry yesterday about being thankful the Magic were healthy was just too perfectly timed. A week from now I predict doctors will determine that Redick's entire body is in fact composed of breakable glass and bits of puppy chow.
-------------------------------------
Update: The Magic have just signed a SG named Torrell Martin from Winthrop College. Camp fodder? SG insurance? I guess training camp will tell his tale. For now we just gotta wait and wonder how the millions upon millions of Wintrop basketball fans will carry on without him.
-------------------------------------
Wow, when will this NBA offseason end? The end of October can't come quickly enough, especially since the Magic seem to be set with their roster and as a result there is no news.

Yes, I said that the Magic roster appears for the most part set, mostly for those Magic fans who have been discussing possible trades for Shawn Marion. This stems from the rumors that the Suns need contract relief to avoid the luxury tax, they appear frustrated with Marion's ego, and have been talking to the Jazz about a swap with him for Kirilenko. Magic fans, ever the eager party to discuss any deal involving Pat Garrity's contract, have hopped on to this news and are speculating about whether the Magic can somehow package their expiring deals and Hedo Turkoglu. For these fans, I have a few words of caution:

Watch out for the rainbow waterfalls and don't let the pixie dust that's in the air get in your eyes while you are running wildly through your fantasy land.

Shawn Marion on the Magic would instantly give the team an enormous boost and propel them to one of the top teams in the East. The problem is that we don't have enough to give Phoenix in return and the Suns would be hard-pressed to make any substantial changes to a team that came so close to winning it all last year. For those of you still clinging to this hope, realize that the luxury tax isn't as big a deal as most make it out to be (the Knicks have been over it since the year 1930), and Steve Kerr...the man who has gone out of his way to criticize the talent on the Magic roster for years and years (and looks sorta like he could be Jon Gruden's brother)...is the GM of the Suns. These components spell the fate of this rumor: D-O-O-M-E-D.

Something else being discussed that has way more validity is the status of Jameer Nelson's contract extension, or lack therof. As poster "reddog4720" astutely pointed out on the RealGM message board, Devin Harris signed an extension with the Mavericks that was 5years for 44Mil. Since Jameer is seemingly a better offensive player and leader than Harris(although DEFINITEY not a better defensive player), he would require a bump up from this to appease his contract wishes. That most likely won't be in the Magic's plans right now, so it would appear the Magic will take the gamble (that they lost with Darko) that Nelson will play this season and still be within their price range next summer.

I am all for waiting on paying Nelson. While I wanted our team to sew up Darko long term last summer, with Nelson I am much more nonchalant. In Darko's case, you could always say, "How many young, experienced big men are there in the league with his type of potential?" The answer would inevitably be, "Not many". In Jameer's case, if you ask "How many short, dribble-happy point guards with bad defensive skills, who have leadership qualities, are there in the league?" I would say there are tons. The bottom line is that Jameer Nelson's play last season didn't offer anything near assurance that he would get an extension. Heck, some could argue he didn't even earn his salary last season.

It sounds as if the Magic and Nelson's agent were a ways apart from reaching an agreement on an extension. Devin Harris' contract just pushed them further apart. Every year there is one contract that is pretty stupid and pushes the remaining unsigned players to get all testy. In past offseasons it was Nene's deal, and this year for point guards it might be the Harris deal. Either way, we are better off waiting to see how Nelson does.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Oden Done For Season With Knee Injury/Magic...Stay Healthy

2007-09-13T14:12:00.001-04:00

There is no Magic news today, but that wouldn't matter anyways as the top story in the NBA is a doozy: Top draft pick Greg Oden is expected to be lost for the season after exploratory knee surgery. Just when you thought the Blazers had really turned it around this happens. While sportswriters and commentators around the country will be bemoaning this as if Oden died, it truly IS a blow to a franchise that had high hopes for this season. During the NBA draft, I watched as the Blazers picked Oden and had visions of Tim Duncan going to the Spurs as that one key missing piece. For those of you who don't think that the Blazers were one step away from something special, take a look at this roster:

C-Oden, Przybilla
PF-Aldridge, Channing Frye

SF-Martell Webster, Travis Outlaw

SG-Brandon Roy, James Jones

PG-Steve Blake, Sergio Rodriguez

The reason I listed both the starters and backups is that this is a deceptively deep team. Przybilla, Frye, and Outlaw could be starters on many teams in the league, and the combo of young talent in Oden, Aldridge, and Roy could mature into a dynasty.

I'm not saying that this won't take place in time, but Oden's injury takes him largely out of development and meshing with his team for a season. With the grind of the NBA, especially on big men, a good career might last 12 seasons. That may sound like a lot of years, but considering the fact that those seasons constitute someone's entire career, losing 1/12th of them in a flash is agony. In the grander scheme of things, knee injuries are the equivalent of a warning label in the NBA and the Blazers now have to hope and pray this problem doesn't come back. For those who watched Chris Webber's apocalyptic fall from superstar to 'almost useless', you know what toll a bad injury can take over the long term.

With Grant Hill off of the Magic's roster, I find myself happy that I am unable to draw a comparison between the injury woes of the Blazers and the current Magic squad. For now, all of Orlando's players are healthy going into the year (not including Jameer Nelson's mental health after the sudden loss of his father). JJ Redick's back seems to be okay, Hedo's phantom flu thing doesn't appear to be around anymore, and Mario Kasun's presence won't cause fans to injure themselves (most notably by clawing their eyes out when he gets his 4th foul in 2 minutes). If you are reading this, I suggest you take the time out of your busy day to knock on some wood in the hopes that Dwight Howard stays healthy. If he is out for any extended period of time, the Magic are doomed with a capital D. No pressure, Dwight!

For now, let's just hope our guys stay healthy, and take some solace in the fact that playing Portland next season is no longer a (big) worry. Stan Van Gundy should now take this time to enclose his players in a soft, padded room with a sign outside saying, "Do Not Open Until 2007-8 Season". You can never be too safe.

How Will Ewing Do As Magic Big Man Coach?

2007-09-12T13:03:00.001-04:00

No real news to mention to mention today so I scanned the message boards for interesting discussion threads. There were the usual ones about who will be our starting shooting guard and who our overall starters should be, but one message board discussion stuck out at me on the Orlando Magic boards: How do you think Patrick Ewing will do as our big man coach?

This topic is actually more interesting than it sounds. While Ewing had a spectacular career as a pro for the Knicks, not much is really known about how good of a coach he is. Patrick Ewing was not asked back by the Rockets to work with Yao Ming, and much of the underlying sentiment was that he didn't help out Yao enough. For these people, I must defer to an article that is PROOF that Ewing is a good coach...the 2005 Sports Illustrated article "Dinner At Yaos". The article is Yao and Ewing sitting down to dinner, with Dikembe Mutombo there for the ride. This had to be one of the weirdest get-togethers in history. My favorite excerpt:

EWING: Hey, I may be 6'9", but I'm a bad 6'9". And what about you? When I first
met you, you told me you were from Zaire.
MUTOMBO: No, Congo. [Zaire was
renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997.]
EWING: How many languages
do you speak, seven?
MUTOMBO: I speak Ebonics now, so eight. Yao, do you
speak Ebonics? [Yao shrugs.]
Mutombo's cellphone rings. The ring tone is 50
Cent's In Da Club. He answers and starts speaking one of his eight languages --
not English.
EWING: Man, every time I go over to Dikembe's, he's on the
phone. [Ewing picks up his cellphone and starts mocking Mutombo.] 'Doobleedoo
doobloodoo doobleedoo. ...' I'm like, 'What the hell is he saying?'
The food
comes, and the three dig in.

There you have it. Priceless work with his big men right there.

OBVIOUSLY Ewing won't be a role model to Dwight off the court (at least I hope not). The Magic have "braced themselves for a headache" when they got Ewing because of his involvement in a strip club case. For those of you who have been waiting for the day to read about a sordid Patrick Ewing sexual encounter, there ya go. I also remember Ewing getting in trouble with Dan Aykroyd, of all people, at a strip club before so it sounds like he knows where his second home is.

On a side note, Dan Aykroyd lives on my block in New York. Not really sure why I felt the need to mention that, but he does.

Back to the reality of Ewing coaching Howard and the Magic, I think that he has the capability of actually doing a good job. Ewing's son has played pretty well in college ball, and he had a pretty well rounded game when he was in the league. He won't have the bizarre language barrier problems he had with Yao, and provides personal experience to a young squad who actually considers Adonal Foyle the veteran face of the team. The one thing I hope he doesn't bring with him is his penchant for hitting that spot between the backboard and the rim at crucial junctures of the playoffs. I remember watching games with my father, a Knicks fan, and seeing his head drop when Ewing would inevitably miss a make-or-break 2 footer with the game on the line. If Dwight does this even once, count on me to be the first to call for Ewing's head.

The bottom line? After tossing Clifford Ray out during the Brian Hill Apocalyptic saga, there aren't many spectacular names out there. Ray turned Howard into a star and completely revamped what was looking like a doomed career by Al Jefferson so there is no way Boston would part with him. At least in Ewing, there is a guy that the players know to shut up and listen to, and in the end that could provide dividends.

Evans Not Going To Be A "Magic". Foyle Power!

2007-09-11T11:31:00.000-04:00

As many Magic fans learned yesterday, there will DEFINITELY be no Reggie Evans for us.

Philadelphia and Denver have agreed on a deal expected to send reserve center Steven Hunter and second-year forward Bobby Jones to the Nuggets for forward Reggie Evans and the draft rights to Puerto Rican forward Ricky Sanchez. This is a fantastic move for Philidelphia as they get a two promising young players in return for basically nothing (sorry Steven Hunter fans). Speaking of Hunter, he still has three years left on his contract so while this move sheds money for Denver, it still isn't a dream deal for them.

Many Magic fans really don't know how to react to this news, because for a while the Magic were the team linked in a deal for Evans. On one hand, Evans would have given us a young, promising presence down low. On the other hand, Evans' inclusion after the team got Adonal Foyle and signed Marcin Gortat would have made for a crowded group of big men and an even more crowded salary situation in the future.

This brings us to the quandary Otis Smith must have faced: Do you go for the young, overpriced big man now, or do you hold on to the expiring contracts to either get help near the trade deadline or resign players next offseason? Otis went with option number 2, and while some people think this is "number 2" figuratively, it could spell more breathing room for the future of the team rather than gambling everything away right now.

The other hot button issue is where the heck did JR Smith factor in to all of this? Did Otis want him and the Nuggets refused to budge? Did the Nuggets require him in a trade and Otis said "Too much of a head case. No way"? Like how many licks it took to get to the center of a tootsie pop, "the world may never know". One thing we WILL know: JR Smith takes the goofiest player profile photos ever (right).

After the Foyle deal was taken care of, I think most fans thought the Magic's offseason deals were done with. The Evans deal loomed in the background, but several sources including Hoopshype and insiders on RealGM pronounced the deal dead. In my opinion, the reason the Foyle deal took so long was the Magic checking on the deal with Denver. Orlando held all of the cards, saying they didn't really need Evans as they had Foyle wanting to sign with them. When something in the Denver deal stunk, Otis gave them the middle finger and got the cheaper option in Foyle.

All in all, the fact that Denver signed Evans to a big deal recently and seemingly IMMEDIATELY regretted it enough to give him away for nearly nothing speaks volumes. I'm not in any way saying that Evans won't grow into a great player in the league, but those actions made it clear to the league that Denver was saying, "We messed up. This guy is nowhere near worth the amount of money he is being paid. We will do anything to get him off of our books." You can cite Denver's financial struggles all you want, but they had plenty of pieces they could have parted with and Evans was the man all along.

While I can brush off the Evans deal, I still was hoping we would be able to make a play for JR Smith. Many people say that JR is a "stupid" player that makes "stupid mistakes", but if he was good enough to start for a team like Denver last year I wouldn't have minded adding him. Orlando appears to have a different mindset though, wanting to test JJ Redick, Ariza, and Dooling at the SG spot to see who could be their starter of the future (if any of them). With Dooling and Ariza's contract up soon, better sooner than later to check on such a thing.

Well Magic fans, there you have it. All indications point to the team being done with their offseason tinkering. We even have a new slogan: “The Time is Now… Be BOLD. Be BLUE.” (This came out while I was on vacation). This slogan isn't too bad, in slogan terms. The worst, and my personal favorite, was the Knicks' "Experience the Unbelievable" from last year. That slogan just highlighted how fans reacted to every Isiah Thomas move: "Trevor Ariza and capspace for broken-down Steve Francis?....I think I am experiencing the unbelievable here..."

Orlando Trip Recap

2007-09-10T14:11:00.000-04:00

Back from the Orlando trip and I miss it already! My time there was wonderful, the weather was amazing, and overall it was just a spectacular time.

I'd write about everything chronologically, but everything just seems like a blur in retrospect. I think a more suitable format would be what was good and what was bad on the trip. Not much was bad, so I'm splitting hairs in that respect:

The Bad:

Jungle Jims - One of the first things I learned when I landed, to my dismay, was that Jungle Jims went out of business in Orlando! For those of you who remember, I wrote about Jungle Jims as part of my Orlando preview, saying that I wanted to once again conquer the Headhunter burger. Well, when I drove up to it there was nothing but a sad empty building. I learned later from some locals at the Marble Slab Creamery (one of the best scoops of ice cream I've ever had) that Jungle Jims closed down after new years. The place had not been doing well in terms of customers and needed repairs, so the privately-owned franchise called it quits. R.I.P, Jungle Jims. You'll always have a place in my heart.

Magic Kingdom- I'd hate to say it, but I was pretty dissapointed with the old park. I knew that it was for youngsters, but I was completely surprised how little of it was enjoyable to those over the age of 12. The people I was with disagreed, saying that it "was alright, but didn't suck", but I had higher expectations. The few rides that actually were good were Space Mountain, Snow White's Scary Ride (which scored points for being marketed as a kiddie ride, but was non-stop child-traumatizing witch cackling), and Pirates of the Caribbean. Other than that, it wasn't worth the price of admission.

The Disney Marketplace- This area, which included a Lego store, a Christmas Store, and several Disney stores was incredibly crowded and overpriced. I had enjoyed previous trips there, but this time everything they sold was rather shoddily made and expensive. I know that is a big generality for a place with many stores, but unless you are a lego fan or a chocolate lover (they have a Ghiradelli store there) I'd say you'll probably be disappointed and broke afterwards.

The Finding Nemo and Mexico Rides At Epcot- I single these two rides out since the rest of my time at Epcot was really quite enjoyable. I had never ridden the Mexico ride before, and the Finding Nemo ride was a new one for the park (at least since I had been there last). Wow, what a pair of crappy rides. The Finding Nemo ride was just an add-on to the aquarium at Epcot, but it was just a slow trip on a clam past a few television screens. I felt like I was sliding past the television section at Circuit City. The Mexico ride was even worse as it was composed of a seemingly nonsensical mish-mash of tv screens with Donald Duck and his mexican parrot and roadrunner friends. While this ride at least had little mannequins playing instruments, as you took a boat through the TV screens they all exploded with sound, which collaborated with the mexican music to make a dense cacophony of noise. Afterward, I said aloud that it was the worst ride in the history of man and I stand firm on that claim.

The Good

Bahama Breeze- With Jungle Jims out of commission, it was time to find a suitable replacement. That replacement came in the form of a restaurant by the name of Bahama Breeze. When I went there, inside was a trickling waterfall, live music featuring steel drum players, and an area where you could smoke cigars. On top of this, the food was spectacular (I recommend the almond-crusted Tilapia), and I highly recommend trying it out.

The Orlando Ale House- If Bahama Breeze was the new, shiny place, then "old reliable" would have to be the Orlando Ale House. I ate many of my meals there, which saved me tons of money on the trip. Some of you might thumb your nose at the food they have there since it is largely bar food, but the lobster they have there is some of the best I had tried in a while. Where else can you find $1 margaritas and lunch specials that were about $4? Insanity! The Orlando Ale House consistently surprised and delighted me and those I was with with how much it offered to the customer.

The Mall at Milennia- This mall really is amazing and I had a great time there. In the midst of a bajillion outlet malls, the Mall at Milennia stays competitive with high end stores and new facilities throughout such as fountains and LCD screens. Since I am furnishing a new apartment, I spent much of my time in the Z-Gallerie store, but had plenty of time to walk around and loved many of the other stores as well.

Pleasure Island and Downtown Disney Area- One of the nights I spent in this area, and it was one of my favorite nights there. I danced at the clubs, I laughed at the comedy and adventurer's club, I shopped at the enormous Virgin Megastore, I ate at the always good House of Blues, and a ton of other things I barely remember under the influence of alcohol. The 21 bucks to get in is totally worth it.

The Hyatt Grand Cypress- This really was the best part of the entire trip. For those of you with limited cash, I even recommend taking a trip here just to spend a little time in the lobby. One of the most relaxing and wonderful places I have ever stayed, and truly the highlight of the trip.

There are plenty of other things to recount, but those will have to be saved for another time. Overall, I had a wonderful time and am already planning my next Orlando trip in my head. For those of you lucky enough to live there, slop on some sunscreen, walk outside, and admire the palm trees and beauty of the area. Once you realize how stupid you look, run inside and hope no one saw you, but still quietly realize how great a place you truly live in.

2007-08 Magic Cheerleaders Announced\Where's Jameer's Dad?\Why I Love Orlando: Trip Preview Part 4

2007-08-31T12:26:00.000-04:00

FURTHER UPDATE 9/1/07: A body believed to be Jameer Nelson's dad has been found by the police.
Jeez, not the greatest thing to report as I am about to board the plane, but it is still news nontheless. My heart goes out to Jameer and his family and hopefully everything works out. Orlando, here I come.
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UPDATE 9/1/07: Thanks to reader Jeremy Davis for an update that the search for Jameer Nelson's dad has been suspended. Hopefully more answers come out as to what happened.
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UPDATE: I will be on vacation the week of September 3-September 7th in sunny Orlando. Since I will have no internet access, the site will be on haitus for the week.

Also, I'd like to take this time to thank the readers for making this one of the top NBA team blog sites on the internet, numbers-wise. Even on slow days there have been over 300 viewers, and on good days over 1,000...which is definitely saying something since I had no idea there were even that many NBA fans who knew how to read, much less operate something as complex as a computer. According to the emails I've gotten, several readers are not even Magic fans, which is either a compliment or a way of saying that I need to mention the team name more.

My deepest and sincerest thanks to you all, and this site will only continue to grow over time.

...Grow worse and worse, that is.

-Black and Blue

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They have announced the latest additions to the Orlando Magic Cheerleading Team. More than half of the roster has been changed, with several of last year's favorites gone. Returning faces for next year include Kim M., Erin, Deanna, Danielle, Kim C, Kristina, Megan C, Kelly, and Christy. New faces include Heather, Meagan P., Sarah, Rachael, Mary, Brooke, Tara, Trinity, Shana, Lacey (pictured left).

Jane, a vet of the Cheerleading corps and winner of the Black and Blue 2007 Orlando Magic Cheerleading Tournament, is gone from next year's squad. So is April, a semifinalist.

Man, the times, they are a'changin'.

-And changin' in a WEIRD way. Leapfrogging off of the previous post about Eddie Griffin being hit by a train and Charles Oakley saying he wants to play for the Magic, the summer of weird news continues: Divers are searching for the body of Magic Point Guard Jameer Nelson's father:

Divers resumed searching the Delaware River on Friday for the father of Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson. Floyd "Pete" Nelson was reported missing from
his job at a tugboat repair shop about noon Thursday. Floyd Nelson was last seen
near the water, and officials said it was feared that he had fallen into the
river just south of the Commodore Barry Bridge. Mayor Wendell Butler said the
U.S. Coast Guard and divers searched the waters until dark Thursday and the
search resumed shortly after 8 a.m. Friday.

Goodness gracious that is awful. I really hope that there is a happy resolution to this news, but when divers get involved it rarely is. I can only hope Jameer's father is alive and somewhere with no cell phone reception.

Eesh, backing away slowly from that horrible news, let's take one final glance at the city of Orlando as I pack the last of my things up for my trip there.

One attraction that I would recommend in Orlando that I feel not many people give the time of day is Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf. I am not a big mini golf guy per se, but there is definitely something neat about playing 18 holes in caves and down waterfalls. Throughout the course, there are also signs which feature interesting tidbits about Blackbeard and Captain Kidd, the two most famous pirates. You get to play a game, learn, and take in the beautiful Orlando weather all at the same time. I still carry a token from Pirate's Cove for a free game in my wallet. I have had it for a very long time, and instead of using it I prefer to keep it as a reminder that Orlando will be there for me whenever I need a break. This comes in handy when I am waiting for the New York City subway for 40 minutes and I see rats running on the tracks.

Another great attraction is Pleasure Island. This one is substantially more popular than Pirate's Cove, but I still don't feel that it deserves its proper due. The place has dance clubs, comedy clubs, animatronic characters, restaurants, bars, shops, and celebrates the new year EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. Just scanning the information for Pleasure Island, all of this is only 20 bucks. That might sound steep to some of you out there, but as a guy who parties in New York, 20-30 bucks can be the cover here for only one club and once you get in you will be unable to move and will most likely pay another 15 bucks for one drink that will be served in a thimble. At Pleasure Island you have variety, and as an added bonus you can feel a bit mischievous based on the fact that you are most likely drunk and dirty dancing in what is a Disney park (with a porn movie name, might I add). There is something intensely gratifying about being drunk in a Disney souvenier shop, smiling at the smiling stuffed animals on the wall and critiquing whether Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty was a hotter character (of course it was Sleeping Beauty. Come on.)

Above all, perhaps the thing that makes me the happiest when I step off of the plane, announcing my arrival in Orlando, are the palm trees. To someone who grew up in the northeast, they still are completely alien and cool to me. In New York, the closest thing to a palm tree is a stoplight, and the coconuts from those (pigeons) taste considerably worse. I think many people who live in Florida take these beautiful trees for granted since they are around them all day. In a similar fashion, I take the time to make sure I take the maple, pine, and oak trees around me for granted.

Well, nothing left now but to hop on that plane and experience the wonder that is Orlando, Florida. This site will be on a one week break next week since I will not have internet access, but rest assured that I will have PLENTY to talk about on my arrival.

Have a great labor day weekend and week, everyone, and see you in the sunshine.

The Vampire Trade Will Not Go Away\ Why I Love Orlando: Trip Preview Part 3

2007-08-30T12:05:00.000-04:00

You know it is slow as far as news when the only notable thing is that Denver waived it's backup PG. Excitement central!!!!!!! Woooooo!!!!

Why is this even being discussed? Well, some people are hopping onto the idea that Denver waived Anthony Carter because it is a precursor to a possible trade involving the Magic. This trade, of course, is the expiring deals-for-Reggie-Evans-and-maybe-JR-Smith deal. This Reggie Evans deal shall be heretofore referred to as "the vampire" because no matter how many times a bullet is shot at it and it is deemed dead...it comes back to life. I have a feeling people will be talking about this deal in hushed tones right up until training camp and possibly after. What am I thinking? Our GRANDCHILDREN will be spending much of their days wondering if the trade will go through, searching for how Evans' stats would help our frontcourt while they zip around in their Jetsons-like hovercars.

Obviously, I am not optimistic about "the vampire trade" going through, and think that anyone who gets their hopes up for the deal to happen will wind up with two figurative giant puncture marks in their neck. In my opinion, Anthony Carter's cut most likely is just a way for the Nuggets to shed the a smidgen of the bajillions they have to unload to get under the cap.

This whole trade hoopla brings to mind something I've been contemplating lately: While the idea of getting Evans is certainly attractive, the idea of NOT getting him is also pretty darn good when you consider that we can use the money from the expiring deals next summer or (even better) trade them before the trade deadline for extra help at a problem of need before the playoffs. Either way, it's a win-win and the addition of Foyle gave us some much needed breathing room.

Continuing our week-long glance at the beautiful city of Orlando that I am visiting next week, we come upon something very important to my preview of the trip and this site as a whole: my history with the Magic in Orlando. While this blog is typically more objective and news-oriented, I'm using this week to get more personal with the readers to provide some insight into what makes this blue skull tick.

While I do not have sensational stories of hanging out with players, going to every game, or beating the crap out of Stuff The Magic Dragon, as many Orlando residents do, I have some pretty fond memories of the team. When the Magic first came into existence at the tail end of the 80s, I was really happy because my favorite city to visit finally had a team to support. The fact that I was enamoured with Epcot translated into even more interest when the team revealed it would have the Disney-esque name "The Magic". It was healthy amount of attention paid to a local city staple, but not too much to be considered a pansy team (like the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Sorry, Ducks fans, but any team that conjures images of what might be Emilio Estevez's 5th best movie is a hard sell).

One of my earliest memories of seeing the Magic in Orlando was for a game with my father during the heyday of Shaq and Penny. They were playing the Knicks, a team that was the primary competition back when the Magic were in the Atlantic division. I went into the game expecting a close game, and hoping the team would show me something special since it was my first time seeing them live. They did not dissapoint. The Magic utterly DESTROYED the Knicks, at one point actually leading by well over 40. We made friends with several Orlando residents in the stands, frequently high fiving them after big plays. The game's 4th quarter devolved into a slam dunk competition, with Nick Anderson and Shaq going bezerk. Subs like Joe Wolf (with the loudspeakers' trademark "Awoooooo!" wolf howl) came into the game as to not embarrass the Knicks too much.

-That is, until the loudspeaker guy made one crucial announcement, one that enshrined the Magic as the team I would follow for the rest my days on this planet:

"Just to remind fans, if the Magic happen to score over 130 points in a game, McDonalds has offered to give everyone in the stadium a free Big Mac."

The crowd went nuts. It was like the loudspeaker guy just announced that everyone had won a car. The score was something like 120-85 (like I said, it was a blowout) and there was less than a minute left. Almost on cue, the Magic inexplicably threw all of their starters on the floor. This game was about more than just winning now. With every possession that the Magic had in that final minute, they threw the ball out to Dennis Scott, who would jack up a three pointer. He wound up making three in a row, with only 1 point seperating the entire stadium from free food. With about 10 seconds left, Dennis Scott shot his 4th consecutive three pointer, and made it easily. The stadium erupted into a frenzy unlike anything I had ever seen, with music blaring and all of the screens announcing proudly "MAC ATTACK!", a clever pun on the popular "Shaq Attack" slogan. The players laughed and celebrated, the clock ran out, fans hugged and wept. It was a damn good day to be a Magic fan.

Afterwards, I remember going to "The Orlando Magic Fan-Attic", a hut that sold only Magic and Orlando Solar Bears (the perfectly-named minor league hockey team) merchandise. I bought as much as I could afford and left a proud man. Later, as I ate the free Big Mac I had won simply by choosing a good team, I reflected on how good life truly was and called it a day.

Now that the Orlando Magic have a new stadium deal in place (God-willing Darth Rosen doesn't bungle it all up), I can look forward to one day having a son and bringing him to a Magic game.

-And I'll be damned if we don't eat Big Macs afterwards.

Darth Rosen Sucks\ Why I Love Orlando: Trip Preview Part 2

2007-08-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to spend much time on it, because the last thing I want to do is bring publicity to his evil cause, but Darth Rosen is still going to great lengths to stop the Orlando venues from being built...including the new Orlando Magic arena. The latest news is that he is attempting to get several volunteers (or 'Stormtroopers') to knock on people's doors to sign a petition to overturn the stadium vote. He would have about 6 months to collect 31,000 signatures, which is possible especially if some of the signatures aren't verified properly (aka they just toss names down to get the last thousand or so).

This guy is a selfish jackass who just wants more of the city's money to go into his own pocket. If you see one of his Stormtroopers at your door, do one of the following:

1) Shut the door in their face.

2) Smile, invite the person in, pour them some lemonade, ask to see the other signed petitions, and then promptly urinate on the papers.

Of course, do the second step at your own risk. There is a chance you could get urine on your rug, so make sure you weigh the pros and cons of such a move.

With that out of the way, let's look at some things that are far more cheerful:

First of all, the Orlando Magic shop is having a big sale on replica jerseys. Every player, including Rashard Lewis, is only 20 bucks. I am quite happy with my Dwight Howard jersey, but thought it would be good news for you guys out there who have been waiting for a sale to get one. Now is your chance to ditch that homemade one that has the drawn-on number in crayon.

Let's continue part 2 of the Orlando trip preview. It would be impossible to talk about Orlando, in my opinion, without at least spending time talking about my favorite of the theme parks: Epcot. Now I know there are a lot of people that feel the park is outdated and prefer the new feel of MGM or the traditional feel of Magic Kingdom. I am not one of those folks. Another person who shared my preference in regards to which theme park was his favorite? Walt Disney.

Walt Disney's father was a worker on the Chicago World's fair around the turn of the century and took young Walt to see the grounds. The World's fair was composed of several large buildings, each representing a different facet of society (the Agriculture building, the Humanities building, etc) and in the middle of the park was a big lagoon with an island on it. Seeing Epcot is like seeing how a man like Walt Disney would want a park to look like, almost as an homage to his father. Walt wanted to mimic the world's fair by creating a "City of Tomorrow", where all of the newest technologies in the world could be showcased (Innovations, located at the front of the park) as well as many of its natural wonders (i.e. the Living Seas Aquarium, the different countries). When Walt Disney died, everyone knew this project was closest to his heart. At right is a photo of him in front of an early conceptual drawing.

Personally, I love the park because of its diversity. You know at MGM, Universal, and Islands Of Adventure that everything is going to be movie-themed. You know at Magic Kingdom that everything is designed to look like a fairy tale. At Epcot, you have a bizarre mix of seemingly random stuff. It's like someone just said "Let's take all of the cool stuff that wouldn't fit in the other parks and toss it in this one!" You have many countries to walk through, sampling each culture like an appetizer sampler at a bar. You have an Aquarium, Science building, and Technology expo to learn. You have new rides that are there for thrill seekers (Soarin' and the Test Track)...it really has it all. -And for you degenerates out there, yes you CAN drink beer there! The German pavilion has some darn good beer to help you make it through the hot days.

My favorite ride, simply because of tradition, is the Norway ride "The Maelstrom". Anything that combines Vikings, Trolls, and a log flume is a recipe for a good time. Even at a young age, I remember asking my parents "Is Norway REALLY so boring that they have to throw Trolls into the ride to make it interesting?" I was too young to realize the excitement and magic that only windmills and fjords can bring.

If I had to rank the parks in order of preference, they would be as follows:

1) Epcot

2) Universal Islands Of Adventure

3) MGM Studios

4) Universal

5) Magic Kingdom

6) (Insert the rest of the parks here)

965) Disney's Animal Kingdom

Disney's Animal Kingdom just wasn't my cup of tea. Granted, I am spoiled when it comes to zoos and aquariums because I live near the Central Park Zoo and have visted the New Orleans Aquarium (two of the best in the country), but this just isn't worth the price of admission. Commercials will promote the Himilayas ride and the Dinosaur ride, and that is no surprise because those both are really the only notable things worth traveling to the park for. Other than those two things, all you are left with are a gigantic zoo with many animals that look obviously annoyed by the Florida heat.

I am also not very high on the parks I have in the "other parks" section. Sea World, Gator Land, the millions of water parks I consider the "generic theme parks" in that you can see the exact same thing on a smaller scale elsewhere in America. Just my opinion, though, as I know a lot of people love these places.

That's it for now. If you have any comments on your favorite park shoot me an email or leave a comment!

Why I Love Orlando: Trip Preview Part 1

2007-08-28T11:56:00.000-04:00

Yet another day of nothing in the news NBA-wise and things are seeming dead for the rest of the week, so let's focus our attention on something much more important...well, to me at least:

Next week, starting this Sunday, I am going to be doing my annual Orlando visit for vacation. This is one of my favorite events all year and since many of you readers are from Orlando (or are at least familiar with it since you like the damn team!), I'm going to be writing a bit about the great city that I call my second home.

As usual, when I looked at the weather for next week, every single day says "Scattered Thunderstorms". During this season in Florida, it must be the easiest job in the world to predict the weather. In fact, it looks like the weatherman just copy and pasted this text over every day:

"Scattered thunderstorms possible. Highs in the low 90s and lows in the mid 70s."

Wow. Now THAT'S a way to ensure you predict the weather correctly. Someone actually gets a lot of money to say, "Weather for the next 10 days? I got ya covered. It may, ya know, rain or it may not rain...who knows?...and the temperature? Well, it will probably be somewhere within this 20 degree range."

It seems like this time of year the same thing happens every day: It will be nice in the morning, have a shower in the afternoon, and then clear up around the evening. I'm sure Orlando residents will say otherwise as it can't be that way EVERY day, but when I visit it seems to be a daily occurance (cue it raining toads the entire time I am there).

Even if it does rain the whole time, at least I will be going to my favorite place in the entire world, the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando. This place has been like another home to me since I was young, with me spending almost every summer there. The inside of the lobby is full of trees and is amazing, the pool (which resembles a cave) is spectacular, and the hotel has all of those little gecko things running around which is quite fun. If any readers here have stayed there or even work there, shoot me an email to say hi since it is one of my favorite places in the world. I am rarely so corny about staying somewhere, but the Orlando Hyatt occupies a special place in my heart.

Staying at the Grand Cypress and having such a fun time in Orlando is precisely the reason I bucked the convention and chose to have all Florida teams as my favorites (Magic, Dolphins, and Marlins). While I am sure many of you Orlando folks follow the Buccaneers, please understand that as a kid growing up in New Jersey I had to choose between the Dolphins and Bucs since Orlando didn't have a football team. It was a pretty tough choice, considering the fact that the Dolphins were a perennial playoff team, had a hall of fame QB, the league's only undefeated season...and the Bucs had creamsicle colored jerseys, were dreadful, and had a logo with perhaps once of the most flambouyantly un-manly guys in the history of man (he had a big foppish hat and a knife in his mouth). The Bucs wound up as the team that won the Super Bowl in my lifetime between the two, but I still think that my life turned out easier because I didn't like the team with that logo. My favorite part is that the Buccaneer in the logo has one eye shut, almost as if he is saying without words "I can't even look at myself in the mirror, I look THAT ridiculous".

As for what I will be doing in Orlando, I would be remiss if I didn't of course say I will hit up Epcot, probably wind up at Jimmy Buffet's on the Universal walk, go to the Orlando Ale House regularly, hit up the Cheesecake Factory at the Mall at Millenia...whoa...I just realize all of those places serve drinks. Not intentional, but not a bad thing either!

The first night there, one of my greatest feats will once again be tested. No it is not hoisting barbells over my head or beating someone in a test of wills...It involves me against a burger. Back in 2005, I somehow completed the "Headhunter Challenge" and to this day I still have no idea how. There is something called "The Headhunter Burger" at Jungle Jim's Restaurant (another place that serves drinks), and it is a monstrosity. I'll let the menu do the talking for me:

"Few have been able to finish this belt-busting burger bounty! Care to join them? Just clean your plate (that's everything but the paper and toothpick) and the next one's on us on your next visit to Jungle Jim's. A monsterous full-pound of 100% Certified Angus Beef TM, grilled ham, two lean bacon strips, cheddar and jack cheese, iceburg lettuce, tomatoes, dills, Safari Sauce 1000, topped with two olives and -- just to make it tougher on you -- a full-pound mound of world-famous fries."

That is an actual drawing on the menu of what the burger looks like. It is a pound of meat and a pound of fries, not to mention the combined extra weight of the 3 buns and all of that extra stuff. I think my arteries just exploded simply by reading that description. I am an in-shape guy, so my stomach should be nowhere near capable of actually holding that much food, but somehow I did before. Probably the most terrifying aspect of this whole ordeal: If you actually somehow eat this whole burger (and fries...doesn't count unless you do that too), you know what you win? That's right- ANOTHER HEADHUNTER for free the next time you come in! Somewhere there is a tombstone that reads "One Headhunter too many...someone eat my free one."

If I am unable to once again defeat the Headhunter, I really will not be ashamed as I will probably live at least a week longer in the end.

That's it for now. I'll be sure to write tomorrow on more plans for the upcoming trip. If any of you have any more suggestions on fun things to do in Orlando, leave a comment or send an email

Black And Blue's NFL Preview (Hey, that rhymes!)

2007-08-27T13:17:00.001-04:00

Typically when I look at the Monday morning news there is a lot of interesting stuff to talk about. After all, there ought to be three days worth of news stories with Saturday and Sunday to report on.

Not the case this morning.

In fact, not only was there nothing going on with the Magic, but there is virtually zilch going on in the NBA as a whole. I can't really spend an entire entry talking about rumors like how Pietrus might go to the Heat, or that Reggie Miller isn't going to play this upcoming season to no one's surprise. That's just boring. I just made myself bored even writing those things.

So with a break from NBA as a whole, let's look at what the rest of the nation is focusing on: the NFL. While I write about the Orlando Magic and the NBA on a consistent basis for this blog and other sites, I have a deep affinity for the NFL. The Miami Dolphins were my favorite football team since I was little, and I feel a certain kinship with other Dolphins fans. I think it has to do with surviving through life while liking a team with those colors. If you can live through grade school while wearing a jacket that is aqua and neon orange and features a happy looking dolphin on it then you should be proud of yourself. Most people get the crap beaten out of them for even SAYING the word "Aqua".

Fun Fact: The Dolphins organization most likely put the sun around the dolphin in the logo to give bullies a handy-dandy target for which to punch. My heart goes out to those young Dolphins fans out there.

Being a big fan of the Dolphins, I view this upcoming season as an interesting one for a few reasons:

-They were really, really bad last season.
-The Dolphins have absolutely no offensive line.

-Their new starting QB was knocked out last season with a horrific concussion and was awful afterwards.

-Their defense, while still good, is aging rapidly and time is running out.

-Their new kicker, Jay Feeley, was once mocked on SNL for how bad he is.
-Their running back, Ronnie Brown, is being bashed for how ineffective he has been this preseason.

-The team passed on popular QB Brady Quinn in the NFL draft, instead taking WR Ted Ginn. Let's ask Dolphins Coach Cam Cameron how that went.

Still, I am actually thinking they will have a better record than before. With gimpy Daunte Culpepper, Joey Harrington, and the traitorous Nick Saban, they really were doomed from the start last year. With a new coach and some new optimism, things are sure to turn around. Right? RIIIIGHT?!

Sigh. Ah well. Let's take a look at how I see the NFL shaking up this season:

Black and Blue's 2007-08 NFL predictions:

AFC East

Patriots: 14-2

Jets: 8-8
Dolphins: 8-8

Bills: 6-10

AFC North

Bengals: 10-6
Steelers: 10-6*

Ravens: 9-7*

Browns: 4-12

AFC South

Colts: 11-5
Jaguars: 8-8

Titans: 8-8

Texans: 5-11

AFC West

Chargers: 13-3
Broncos: 10-6*
Chiefs: 7-9

Raiders: 5-11

NFC East

Cowboys: 10-6

Eagles: 9-7*

Giants: 9-7
Redskins: 5-11

NFC North

Bears: 12-4
Packers: 6-10
Lions: 6-10

Vikings: 5-11

NFC South

Saints: 11-5

Panthers: 9-7*

Bucs: 5-11

Falcons: 2-14

NFC West

Rams: 9-7

Seahawks: 9-7*

49ers: 8-8

Cardinals: 5-11

*Wild Card Teams: AFC- Steelers, Broncos, Ravens. NFC- Seahawks, Panthers, Eagles

Super Bowl: Patriots vs. Saints

Super Bowl Winner: Saints

While Tom Brady and the Pats might have thought they bought themselves a superbowl this offseason, they will have a tough battle against a team that is looking better and better as time goes on. If I HAD to pick a team to win it all this year, i would say the Patriots...but as a self-respecting person I just can't do it so with that in mind I think the Saints will win it all this year.

Jameer Nelson Assembles Team/Alexander Johnson Hoopla

2007-08-24T12:29:00.000-04:00

For the second straight year, Jameer Nelson got the team together to help bond and prepare for the season ahead, all on his own dime. Some of the fun things they are doing include practicing together, doing yoga together (seriously), getting lectures from sleep coaches (also, seriously), and going to Atlantic City. That last part is one of the reasons I am quite glad that Artest, JR Smith, Charles Oakley and other malcontents didn't wind up on the team during this past free agency period, because you know a headline akin to this would have come out:

"Magic player loses 21 million in Atlantic City, shoots dealer, crashes SUV into freight train"

I've been to Atlantic City and lost money and it is tough to stomach. I can't imagine playing with the sheer amount of money NBA players have, so I hope all goes well. For some reason I envision all of the players gambling in the casino while Carlos Arroyo is repeatedly turned away for looking under 21.

With the news of a second get together, Jameer once again bolsters his rep with the team. After this past season he was hardly in a position to demand an extension, but leadership moves like this help send a sense of community and friendship. Otis' decision on whether to cave to Nelson's extension demands now rather than later just got a whole lot harder.

Other good news mentioned in the article involves Rashard Lewis getting some time at Jameer's Summer Bonanza (I will be pissed if it is called anything else). Lewis will need to make a big first impression on his new team, and if Nelson leaves next offseason hopefully Lewis will step in to be the new leader.

In other news, Alexander Johnson has signed with the Miami Heat. For those of you who don't know him, AJ was a big time college player and went to FSU. Many, and I mean MANY, Magic fans wanted us to get him...which of course means that the increasingly evil Heat had to get involved. They tried to get Rashard Lewis and nearly every other player the Magic were looking at this offseason, so when word got out that AJ was a possibility for the Magic you know what happened. Johnson is seen by many as a promising young prospect, and many Magic fans are questioning why we got Adonal Foyle over Johnson. To these people I say you never know what is going on behind the curtain. Johnson may have had his heart set on the city of Miami, or maybe he just wanted to learn under Shaq. Either way, to say our team made the wrong choice in getting Foyle would basically disregard all of the things that are unsaid in this signing. I, for one, think that Foyle was the smart choice. We have enough young people to develop in Gortat and Howard, and needed a mature and experienced presence for our big men. Overall, while Johnson might have the brighter future, Foyle definitely helps our team a million times more right now.

Otis Smith Confirms Foyle And Gortat Are Signed/Mascots Are Evil

2007-08-23T12:27:00.000-04:00

Otis Smith finally dropped the curtain and admitted that the Magic had signed Adonal Foyle. Initially, yesterday all he would say is "We are going in that direction", but today he came out and gave the reasons behind the move:

"I like him because he's a good on-ball defender and he gives us somebody with some girth," Smith said. "We have a lot of tall guys, but no one with any real girth. He's a big defender who can help us."

I am not one to critique the words chosen by others, but there had to be some better way to describe Foyle than by referring repeatedly to his "girth". That's just not right. Even if it wasn't a tongue-in-cheek mention of his private parts, it still would be calling him fat.

On top of this, Otis just has the description all wrong. Looking at Adonal Foyle, we all by now have come to grips with the fact that the best way to describe him is as an Easter Island Head on a basketball player's body. Right is a photo of Adonal Foyle, looking rather stoic after learning the Magic will sign him.

In other news, the team has officially announced that they have signed Marcin Gortat. We already knew this, but the team probably held on to this information until they signed someone else so they could save face with the media thinking Gortat was their answer at backup C. We now can relax and realize Foyle is our primary backup, with Gortat lower on the depth chart.

Speaking of Gortat, I will tell him exactly what I yell at most people on the streets: "BEWARE OF MASCOTS!" After seeing a particularly grizzly wrestling match between the Washington Wizards mascot, Sly the New Jersey Nets Mascot, and former WWE star Mick Foley during a halftime show at Continental Airlines Arena last year (yes, that actually happened), I know that mascots cannot be trusted and probably should be hunted for sport. I'm sure it will come out that Michael Vick had an underground mascot fighting ring, but this at least is justifiable.

Doubt the unspeakable evil that are mascots? Take a look at this video of Marcin Gortat trying to dunk during a halftime show over a pile of mascots and you will see the trouble they can cause!

After watching that clip, you probably thought what I thought: "Wow...we just signed this guy? I hope NOT DOING THAT was a clause in his contract somewhere."

Either way, welcome to the team Adonal and Marcin. Let's hope we can make a few more good moves before the season.

ADONAL FOYLE IS A...MAGIC!

2007-08-22T16:31:00.000-04:00

Well, it's official. Welcome Adonal!

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-bk-foyle082207,0,2019944.story

R.I.P Eddie Griffin/Oakley Likes The Magic?/Skinner In Consideration

2007-08-22T11:16:00.001-04:00

There's been some weird news lately.

It's not every day that you open the paper and read "NBA player killed by freight train", as was the case with Eddie Griffin last night. Sadly, I have to say that amongst all of the NBA players, I envisioned Griffin leading the shortest life after that bizarre 'masturbation in his car' incident that happened last year. A FREIGHT TRAIN though? That is quite a dramatic way to go out. It might simultaneously be the most manly and most pathetic way to die, which is saying something. On the bright side, Eddie Griffin will have the coolest story in heaven of how he died. I envision a lot of conversations going like this:

Angel 1: "I died of bubonic plague"

Angel 2: "That's cool, but not as cool as dying by falling off of a cliff."

Eddie Griffin: "I died by drunkedly driving my car into a moving freight train, in an explosive orgy of fire. They had to use dental records to even know it was me."

(A beat)

Angel 1: "So, uh, who wants to play backgammon?"

The other puzzling news centers around Michael Jordan sidekick and wooden tree lookalike Charles Oakley saying that he wants to play for the Magic. Luckily Otis is saying hell no to this already simply because the combo of Ewing and Oakley on a team would lead to...well...something that Eddie Griffin would watch in his car. Oakley counteracts this criticism by saying his bad boy ways can be used for good, such as adding a mean streak to young Dwight Howard. I'm sure that's what management wants, to make christian poster boy Dwight Howard a bruiser who gets technical fouls and cusses out fans.

That same article had some good things to say though. Namely, that the Magic are attempting to add either Adonal Foyle (which we already knew) or Brian Skinner. This made me happy because Skinner was the one name out there I was shocked to see we hadn't contacted. He is more than capable of putting up good numbers as a backup and probably would be cheap. If we get either guy, I would consider the departure of Darko aptly dealt with.

Darth Rosen Strikes Back/ Who Is The Choice At Shooting Guard?

2007-08-21T11:11:00.000-04:00

"Darth Rosen" is back...

Like a true villain, Harris Rosen does not know the word defeat. He is acting like Skeet Ulrich, sitting up to attack after the heroes in the movie Scream say "Careful, in these movies the villain always comes back for one last scare." We just have to hope that the people of Orlando are the ones delivering that final blow to keep him out of a sequel.

This is all referring to the news that came out yesterday, detailing that Harris Rosen will try to get a referendum to prevent the construction of one or more of the venues passed in the big Orlando venues bill recently. The full description of what he is attempting to do was posted on the Orlando Sentinel website in a blog.

I would really like to add some insightful commentary into this whole mess, but I really just look at it and shake my head. Everyone hates a sore loser, and that is what Rosen is being right now. Hopefully this plan doesn't succeed and I'm going to cross my fingers that the money these delays cause are not substantial.

To switch gears to something happier, the debate all summer has been raging as to who should be the Orlando Magic's starting shooting guard. It would appear we have a bunch of candidates, but none of them really stick out and make you say "wow".

Unless I am mistaken, the potential starting SGs that we have are JJ Redick, Keyon Dooling, Trevor Ariza, Keith Bogans, and Hedo Turkoglu.

-Turk is a marginal pick even as a candidate simply because his ball handling skills are atrocious and he is pretty big for a SG. Chances are that he will start or split time at SF. I would prefer him at backup SF although the crazy possibility exists that he might see time starting at PF due to our lack of quality big men.

-Keith Bogans had a very up and down year last year and would be a tough choice over fan favorites like Redick and Ariza. He is decent at defense, but does not contribute enough on the other end of the floor to warrant starting night in and night out.

-Trevor Ariza is undoubtedly one of the most athletic members of the team and can help defensively. On the other hand, he is not one of the most gifted outside shooters so him and Nelson could form a driving duo that clogs up the middle.

-JJ Redick is the guy most fans want to start (so says over 50% of an online vote held by the Orlando Sentinel). He played well in spurts last year and is already considered one of the best shooters in the league from his reputation in college. His offensive talents are unquestioned, but his defense was a major knock coming out of school.

Taking this all into consideration, and having flip-flopped all summer about it, I believe I have my choice:

Trevor Ariza.

(Covers head to shield from garbage Redick fans throw)

Don't get me wrong, I really like JJ Redick. He has been working really hard to get more playing time this season and performed more than admirably in the summer league. The one thing I worry about is how his game mimics that of Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis, both of whom will already be on the floor. All three are largely outside shooters who can't play defense, rebound little, and see themselves as scoring options. The sheer amount of low percentage shots on the floor at one time puts a chill down my spine. If Redick can somehow prove himself to be a quality assist, defense, and rebound guy then he definitely would gel well in the starting lineup (I'm holding out hope), but for now it might be wise to go with someone with different things to offer than Rashard and Lewis.

Personally, I think Ariza's game really would compliment the other players on the team. If you look at the lineup of Nelson, Turk, and Rashard, the things that scream out to you are the fact that the team doesn't play defense well, doesn't rebound, and lacks athleticism to a certain degree (Rashard is the exception here). Those attributes are exactly what Ariza brings to the table, and if the Magic DO decide to play Rashard at PF then another rebounding option is a must out there. On top of this, Ariza is a free agent next offseason and will undoubtedly try to go elsewhere if we don't give him a shot to start. It is worth seeing whether he can be our long term solution at SG before we invest a lot of money in him or let him go.

Magic management has a tough choice to make between these two, but in my opinion either way they go it will translate well in terms of ticket sales. Why? Redick is obviously a huge draw because of his name (the media will make a big deal about him starting) and Ariza will create a buzz with his highlight reel dunks and moves.

Of course, this entire conversation will be pointless if the rumors are true and JR Smith is added to the team, but we can wait until that day comes. For now, I would be happy with either JJ or Trevor being out there, but just can see it working better with Trevor.

Foyle To Be Signed By Week's End?

2007-08-20T14:38:00.000-04:00

A few sources are reporting that Adonal Foyle might be in a Magic uniform by the end of the week. These sources are the radio station 740 the team, as well as a few message board posters around the internet who claim they have insider information. Word is that the thing holding up the trade is the Magic wanting a one year contract while Foyle wants two.

Seeing as how the options within the Magic's price range this summer are limited to:

1) Adonal Foyle

2) Players that shouldn't even be in the league at this point (I'm looking at you Khandi-man)

and

3) A ball of lint

- I am happy at the prospect of Foyle potentially coming aboard. He provides our team with a veteran presence down low, and best of all he looks sorta like those statues with the big brows that reside on Easter Island.

Gaining Foyle would mean that we would replace our big man rotation of Howard, Milicic, Battie, and Outlaw with Howard, Foyle, Battie, and Gortat. I am still holding out hope that a deal can be reached for Reggie Evans to further solify that bunch.

Speaking of the Evans trade, I did not include Garrity in that list of big men above since the Magic have been trying to include him in a variety of trade scenarios. The Orlando Sentinel said that it's likely he will play this season in Orlando, but I'm thinking that there are enough teams that want expiring deals to work something out. -Call it the wild optimist in me.

Hopefully we'll hear something soon. Otis Smith should be returning from his vacation any day now so hopefully he gets on the phone and makes something happen.

JANE WINS THE 2007 ORLANDO MAGIC CHEERLEADING TOURNAMENT!

2007-08-17T12:45:00.000-04:00

The votes are in and the winner of the 2007 Orlando Magic Cheerleading Tournament is none other than...JANE!

The voting went 13-12 this past evening in favor of Jane, with her winning the overall week's vote 46-44.

Jane received quite a bit of fan support, with many members of the Orlando Magic Website Forum pushing for her, and many fans naming her as their favorite right at the beginning of the competition. NYCMagicfan from MagicMadness.net made the bold prediction that Jane would win right from the get-go, and displayed photos of her to show his support to other members of the site down the stretch:

Now that the competition is over and I no longer have to be impartial, I can say that Jane, Megan and Deanna were my picks to win from the start. It was nice to see one of my choices win.

The long road to the Cheerleading Tournament Championship comes at an interesting time for the Magic cheerleaders. They have their annual auditions less than 24 hours from now, so the pressure is once again on squarely on their shoulders. Good luck to them all.

So once again, congrats to all of the cheerleaders who took part in this tournament. Most of all, thanks to all of the fans of the website who took the time to vote, email your preferences, and checked in to see the results. This certainly made the summer a lot more interesting and helped get the website to reach new heights of readership. The Orlando Magic Cheerleading Tournament will be a fixture that the site will undoubtedly bring back next year.

Have a great weekend and congrats to Jane!

Not Much News/Cheerleader Tournament Week-Long Championship FINAL DAY OF VOTING!

2007-08-16T15:04:00.001-04:00

Erin narrowly edged Jane 16-15 in voting yesterday in what is proving to be a clash of the titans for supremecy in the Orlando Magic Cheerleading Tournament. That brings the overall voting total to 33-32 in favor of Jane for the week. Can't get much closer than that. With a tear springing to my eye, I realize this is the last day of voting for the 2007 Orlando Magic Tournament. With only one vote seperating the competitors, your vote counts more than ever (I want to punch myself because I sound like Ryan Seacrest). Get to it!

Besides Reggie Miller pooping on the Magic fanbase on the radio last night, saying we were a prime example of an unspectacular team he wouldn't come back for (Jerk), there wasn't much news between yesterday and today. This shouldn't surprise anyone as Otis Smith is going on vaction with his family and the article in the Sentinel yesterday said that the Magic plan to relax and let the chips fall where they will.

In an update on the possible Evans/JR Smith trade, Hoopsworld.com said:

Reggie Evans: The Denver Nuggets are not trading Reggie Evans for Pat Garrity and/or Keyon Dooling – the Magic may want Reggie Evans for that package, but informed Nuggets sources say if the team really put Reggie on the market, they could get more than Garrity’s ending deal and Dooling for Evans. The Nuggets have some depth in the front court so this is not the first call they have had about parting with a big man. The Nuggets still want to add some shooting, but trading big for small is not in the plan at this point.

This is far from gospel as Hoopsworld has been wrong in the past, but given the pieces that are being traded here I still think that the whole idea of Garrity for Evans sounds rather hopeful on our end. I am still hoping to hell that Evans can be had for something as simple as Garrity's contract to get the Nuggets under the cap, but I am not holding my breath.

With little to discuss today, it's time for our LAST DAY OF VOTING! Who do you want to crown champion of the Orlando Magic Cheerleading Tournament? Erin or Jane?

Good luck to Erin and Jane and may the best gal win!

More Insight To Magic Rumors/Cheerleader Tournament Week-Long Championship Day 3

2007-08-15T10:36:00.000-04:00

First off, Jane rebounded in a big way last night with voters giving her a 10-7 edge over Erin. This makes the totals 18-16 in favor of Jane for the week with only two more days to vote!

In Magic news, our friend John Denton had some insight into what the heck the Magic are actually doing this summer in an article that came out today. Turns out that the Magic want to wait on bringing Adonal Foyle and see what else they can accomplish...which seems to be a wise decision. The biggest news to come out of the article is that the team IS indeed interested in bringing Reggie Evans and are in preliminary talks with the Nuggets. The Nuggets also, to no one's surprise, would include George Karl's favorite player JR Smith:

One rumored trade could feature the Magic sending Keyon Dooling and Pat Garrity
to Denver for Evans and enigmatic shooting guard J.R. Smith. The Magic would
have to throw in another low-salaried player to make the deal work. Both Dooling
and Garrity have expiring contracts, something that would be appealing to the
Nuggets.

If the Magic were able to pull this off, Otis would have improved the team exponentially. We'd have a quality PF and someone who could actually start at SG. I wanted the Magic to grab JR Smith when he was sitting around, but the Nuggets were one of a few teams to actually persue him. Then you have Evans, a 27 year old defensive minded big man who (although he has a bloated contract) could contribute in a big way if given substantial playing time. If we can also somehow unload Garrity in the process...wow, this trade would be something special.

Let's not count our chickens though. This IS the Magic we're talking about, and we don't know if the Nuggets want picks in return yet. The article goes on to say that the Magic are in no hurry and that if a trade were to take place it would be weeks away. This accompanies the news that Otis Smith is going on vacation. I am all for vacations, but this team's management has an odd way of taking them at crucial times (remember the uber-long vacation at the start of the coaching search? Eesh). Hopefully Otis Smith has his cell phone on him and the Nuggets on speed dial while he is hanging out by the pool.

Right now, sounds as if he wants to take his time (and being the master of PR that Otis is, he takes a cheap shot at the idea of adding Adonal Foyle):

Smith said any addition the Magic make via a trade or in free agency could go
right down to the days before training camp opens on Sept. 29.
"What's the
hurry? You have to ask yourself, 'Who are we hurrying for?' " Smith said. "What
guy out there right now won't be there later in September? Foyle is a prime
example. We don't want to fill up our roster and have no room to do anything
else down the road. We're going to be patient and if something makes sense,
we'll do it."

Sigh. This would accompany the Rashard deal as one of the biggest moves of the summer, so the relaxed attitude worries me. I'm sure the Magic are playing hardball here, but they really need to get this deal done if it's actually on the table.

In other news, it is Day 3 of determining the winner of the Cheerleading Tournament. With Jane's big night, now it is up to Erin fans need to get up off of their sofas and get voting.

Once again, who do you prefer? Erin or Jane?

Good luck to Erin and Jane, and OTIS! GET EVANS AND SMITH HERE!!!!!

Foyle'd Again!/Cheerleader Tournament Week-Long Championship Day 2

2007-08-14T12:42:00.000-04:00

The search for the big man table scraps of the league just got more interesting today.

Shortly after the Warriors announced they had bought out the contract of Adonal Foyle, the Orlando Sentinel and various other sources began saying that the Magic were interested in signing him for the veteran minimum. Most Magic fans remember Foyle being the guy our team wanted a few years ago but was snatched up by the Warriors, leaving us to sign Hedo Turkoglu. As much as I think we can do better than Turk, fate definitely stepped in there and saved us from signing Foyle to a huge contract.

The first thing that came to mind when I heard the Magic were interested was that Otis and Dave Twardzik (the man who drafted Foyle) had obvoius ties to the big man and knew they could probably convince him to play here for cheap. Next came reports that Foyle has a house in Florida and wouldn't mind playing here. Right now it sounds like it is between Orlando and Boston for Foyle's services, but I would give the edge to Orlando.

This leaves us with the question: Is Foyle a good fit in Orlando? Well, yes and no.

On one hand he is a good backup center, which we need desperately. He blocks extremely well (Foyle is the Warriors all-time leader), and is a good defensive presence. He would come cheap, which it seems Webber and Brown are increasingly unwilling to do. He wants to play here, something that has become a major factor after Darko and Donovan made it obvious other things were driving them towards their decisions to go elsewhere. Above all, Foyle is someone that could provide a veteran presence to a low post squad that is full of fresh faces.

On the other hand, Foyle has underperformed since he was drafted, and was relegated to the bench in Nellie's system. His ridiculous contracts aside, he has shown that he just can't contribute on a consistent basis offensively. Perhaps most troubling is that he fact that Foyle has a tough time in uptempo offenses, which is exactly what the Magic hope to install this season.

That being said, most Magic fans (including myself) would welcome Foyle's addition to the team. Paying the veteran's minimum and getting anyone of value would be a great move on Otis' part. We would have a dependable low post backup that would help what looks to be an unspectacular defensive team. The fact that the Celtics are interested should tip off most teams that getting Foyle for cheap is a wise decision. Don't get me wrong, Foyle is farrrrrr from a good player, but if the price is low it is completely worth the gamble.

Would I be happy with Foyle if we traded with the Warriors for him? Hell no.

Am I happy with getting him cheap while the Warriors basically pay his contract for this upcoming season? Sure. I mean, just LOOK at how many funny photos I found of him in about 5 minutes time!

We'll keep our eyes open on whether we can ink Foyle to a deal and address a major area of concern. I still am holding out hope that we can do that rumored trade for Reggie Evans.

In other news, it is Day 2 of determining the winner of the Cheerleading Tournament. So far, it is a super close race with Erin leading 9 votes to 8. Jane fans need to get up off of their sofas and get voting.

Once again, who do you prefer? Erin or Jane?

This is a weeklong competition, so votes will be compiled all week and tallied daily. Good luck to Erin and Jane.

Jane Moves On To The Championship (Barely)/Weekend News Stuff/ Cheerleader Tournament Week-Long Championship

2007-08-13T09:47:00.001-04:00

Wow...that is a long title for a blog.

First of all, congrats to Jane for beating Kristina by the slimmest of margins! At the time of this post, the score was 15-14 in favor of Jane and that is good enough for victory (especially coming off of the heels of that tie). Jane moves on to face Erin in the Championship to determine the favorite Orlando Magic Cheerleader on the internet. On a side note it is interesting that April and Kristina, the two semi-finalists that came super close to advancing to the championship, are the two cheerleaders on the top of the EB Sports Forum. Perhaps Erin and Jane will need to take over that helm since they have proven to be the fan favorites?

Not much of note happened this weekend. In the Magic rumor mill, there are still plenty of people talking about a potential trade that would land the Magic "Chris Kaman nut-grabber" Reggie Evans in exchange for Pat Garrity's expiring contract. As I said in a previous post, I am wary about trade rumors involving Garrity. So many Magic fans want his contract off of the books that his name has appeared in more trade rumors than anyone, despite his complete lack of usefulness to a team (besides his expiring deal). If this trade picks up steam and is reported by a notable news source, you can bet it will be featured here more often. For now, seems like it should be taken with a grain of salt.

In less interesting news, the Orlando Sentinel ran a piece today about how Alex Martins was the guy behind the scenes who got the stadium deal done. This is considered 'less interesting' by me simply because Martins wasn't really behind the scenes. He spoke at the county council vote, was in the Orlando Sentinel nearly every day in some capacity in the days before the county council meeting, and even had county council commissioner (say that three times fast) Mildred Fernandez say he was so eloquent she hopes he doesn't run for her job.

More interesting (by far) is that McFarlane toys will release a Dwight Howard figure, slated for release this winter. Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry are also going to be in the line. Hmmm....which of those names doesn't fit? I can't imagine kids yelling at their parents in a frenzied mode to get a Jason Terry figure before it sells out. I can already see myself wading through hundreds of Jason Terrys to see if there is a Dwight Howard figure left.

Other than that, not much going on.

As mentioned in Friday's post, this week the site will be having a week-long competition to name the winner of the Orlando Magic Cheerleader Tournament. You can click on the images of the finalists for more photos.

Without further ado, who do you want as the winner of the Cheerleading Tournament? Erin or Jane?

Once again, this is a weeklong competition, so votes will be compiled all week and tallied daily. Good luck to Erin and Jane.

Erin Moves On To Finals!/Gortat Signs(?)/Pick The Best Magic Cheerleader: SEMIFINALS, Part 2: Jane vs. Kristina

2007-08-10T10:01:00.000-04:00

The one day playoff paid off as Erin had a decisive day 2 win and moves on to the Orlando Magic Cheerleading Tournament Championship! Huzzah! She will face either Jane or Kristina to determine who the world proclaims as the top Orlando Magic Cheerleader.

We'll get back to this in a second, but for now let us address a few things in the NBA:

First of all, word is that Marcin Gortat has finally signed with the Magic. This is yet to be confirmed by the Orlando Sentinel, but is in a few overseas publications with quotes from Gortat about how happy he was to sign. There are already several people doing humorous mock-ups of Gortat, since European big men are a nonstop source of entertainment (When Darko came into the league, it was like a national holiday of funny internet images and references to 'frosted tips'). My personal favorite was a Borat-inspired image posted by "TheDarkSide" on the Orlando Magic website forum:

I can already tell that this is going to be a fun ride with him on our team.

In other news, Penny Hardaway joined the Miami Heat yesterday, teaming up with Shaq once again. My opinion on Penny Hardaway has never waivered since he left our team: I can't stand him. Once my favorite player on the Magic, I felt like Otis Smith at a Donovan conference the day he left our team because I had so many knife marks in my back. Penny demanded out of our franchise during the Brian Hill era, talked crap about the Magic, and left a heap of fans' hopes dashed in his wake. I was more than happy when we received the rights to Penny's contract recently and waived him to show how far our team had come since he besmirched it years ago.

Now Penny has joined the team that has emerged as our arch rivals, AND he is teaming up with Shaq for an all-Magic screwing team of sorts. The difference between the two is that Shaq has at least has said wonderful things about the Orlando community and plans to retire here. There is a reason Scott Skiles had an appreciation day at an Orlando game before Penny.

Enough sour grapes though. It's Friday! That means the Orlando Magic Cheerleading Tournament continues on! This matchup is between Jane and Kristina to see who will face Erin in the Championship. Remember to click on the images below for more photos!

Special Note: Next week this site will be having an all-week long vote to determine the Champion of the Orlando Magic Cheerleading Tournament. The vote will appear on the bottom of each day's entry, and votes will be tallied and the winner will be announced on Friday.

For now, we have to see who will be in that competition. Who Do You Prefer? Jane or Kristina?

Have a great weekend everyone!

It's A TIE! The Voting Continues!

2007-08-09T11:15:00.000-04:00

WHOA!

I have grown used to checking out the votes in the Cheerleading Tournament the morning after posting and seeing one competitor blowing the other out of the water. You can understand my surprise then when I looked at the blog several times today and the score was a TIE!

After a quick scan of the news to ensure that I wouldn't miss anything big (there is squat in the news department) I realized we would have to make this a two day competition to determine a winner. Since things were tied on the first day, it is only fair to give a little more time and refresh the vote.

So for all the marbles, who do you prefer? April or Erin?

Pick The Best Magic Cheerleader: SEMIFINALS, Part 1: April vs. Erin

2007-08-08T14:10:00.000-04:00

It all comes down to this...well, and the next vote, and then the next vote...but you get the picture.

Nothing new in the news, so we come upon the semifinals of the Orlando Magic Cheerleading Tournament, where one of these two cheerleaders have a date with the finals. This comes at a very good time since new Magic Cheerleader auditions for the upcoming season happen in 10 days (so says the Orlando Magic website).

20 started and right now only 4 remain. It is between April, Erin, Jane, and Kristina.

There have been several shockers along the way. -Namely, I was surprised that Deanna and Megan were ousted as early as they were. It is a shame that Erin and Kristina aren't matched up since it would be very interesting to see who would win a "bent over, leaning on a piece of furniture pose". Maybe we will revisit that after this competition is done.

As is the case with more important votes, please do your homework and choose wisely. I strongly encourage you to click on the photos of the contestants to view more photos and aid in your decision.

Without further ado, to determine who goes to the championship....

Who do you prefer? April or Erin?

Please leave the reasons behind your choices in the comments section and good luck to our challengers!

Garrity Rumors = Nothin' New Today

2007-08-07T17:18:00.000-04:00

Usually I am far better at updating earlier but sometimes life gets in the way.

Luckily, seems as if there is nothing too exciting in the news today. Jermaine O'Neal is claiming and then NOT claiming he wants a trade, people are getting in trouble with the law, and other non-stories litter the newspaper.

One little nugget that has risen up is a claim from a completely unconfirmed source that the Magic are in talks with the Nuggets to receive Reggie Evans for Pat Garrity. I take this with a grain of salt for two reasons:

1) Getting Reggie Evans for Pat Garrity is highway robbery, regardless of how much salary the Nuggets need to shed.

2) Magic fans have a penchant for running with trade ideas that involve Pat Garrity since they want him gone so badly. This trade idea was from a non-Magic fan, but it still doesn't change the fact that Garrity's stock is somewhere between Enron and Hell right now.

3) The ink is practically still dry on the deal that Evans signed with the Nuggets. Did he really make THAT bad of an impression to warrant expulsion so soon?

Seems pretty far fetched, but at least it is something to talk about on a slow day (and daydreams of a team without Garrity are always welcome). Reggie Evans is a guy with a lot of years left on his contract and decent numbers. Evans averages 7 rebounds in roughly 17 minutes of play, and when he gets significant minutes he rebounds even better.

Right now all we can do is sit in the sun, relax, and see if anything...ANYTHING...comes to fluition in Magic free agency land.

We can also ask a few 'what ifs':

-If the Magic got Reggie Evans, would the Magic fanbase rally around Otis Smith and proclaim him a genius?

-If the Magic got Reggie Evans, would he be a definitive starter on our team?

-If the Magic got Reggie Evans, would Pat Garrity fans across Orlando go bezerk and riot through the town?

The answer to these questions is no, but the change that the trade would make to the foundation of our team would be a profound one. We would have a solid backup/spot starter to anchor our bigs who has wayyyy more to offer than any of the other options out there commanding the vet minimum (sorry Brian Skinner, even you). Also, at 27 he still hasn't entered his prime and can develop his game even more.

Alright, that was fun.

Time to shake this rumor off (shake, shake, shake) and get back to reality.

Brian Skinner, you still wanna play for us? Pretty please?

Kristina Moves On To Final Four/Turk-O-Glue Thoughts

2007-08-06T11:17:00.000-04:00

First of all, we look to one of the closest finishes in the Cheerleading Tournament to date:

Kristina barely edged Lisa and Megan (viewed by many to be the favorite) to move into the Final Four in the Orlando Magic Cheerleading Tournament! Last night the score was completely tied, and it was anyone's guess who would win with all competitors having the same exact amount of votes. This morning, fans of Kristina hit the voting booth and helped her edge the others.

That leaves the final four as April, Erin, Jane, and Kristina.

Very little in the way of Magic news today. Only item that could be considered "new" is the growing belief that both Chris Webber and PJ Brown, the two names mentioned as Otis Smith's low-priced answers at power forward, likely will be headed elsewhere as they want more $ than the Magic have. I called this earlier, so it's not a really big shock. I still think we would be very well off with Brian Skinner (pictured left) if we can afford him.

Looking in the ol' mailbag, I got a GREAT email from reader "BbaLLincUbaN3". Apparently on the Orlando Magic website, they are selling a product none of us should live without: Turk-o-glue! Yes, it is glue in the shape of every fan's favorite goteed European. This might be the best product on the Magic website since it is complete with a lazy eye and what looks like lipstick.

The discounted price from 10 bucks to roughly 4 speaks volumes on Turk's play last year. The glue should be advertised as such:

-Glue will cause you to come down with phantom sicknesses!

-Glue will be streaky!

-Glue will piss off Dwight Howard with it's ability to knock basketballs out of bounds!

Talking about good ol' Turk reminded me of something: Let's see how the Magic are doing on the 6-item checklist I made for them at the beginning of the offseason, June 11th:

--------------------------------

Magic should hire Stan Van Gundy: a

Magic should resign Darko: r

Magic should get Rashard Lewis: a

Magic should trade Hedo Turkoglu: r

Magic should bring over Marcin Gortat to play: a

Magic should get Howard a big man coach and let Diener play more (even if it's elsewhere): a

--------------------------------

4 out of 6 is not that bad, although it is a bit rough that the Magic swung and missed on resigning Darko. Since he had loftier contract demands than the front office and Magic fans anticipated, he became the sacrifice to get Rashard. I am not one to cry over spilled milk though, and we still have time to amend that hole in our lineup.

The other item that we 'failed' on, in my opinion, is the potential trading of Hedo Turk-o-glue. I say 'failed' in quotes simply because we still have time to trade him before the regular season starts. Otis Smith recently said that the team has no plans to trade Hedo, that there are several teams that have called for his services, and that the team is content in playing with a slew of SFs on the floor at the same time. I think anyone with a close enough eye into the situation knows that these three statements simply aren't true.

It is good for team morale and P.R. to say that the team wants to keep Hedo, but I personally think the Magic would trade him in a heartbeat if they got anything close to a fair offer. I do not doubt the Magic have gotten an offer or two for him, but these proposals were probably horrifically lopsided and/or included a player in the deal that the Magic did not want to part with. I do NOT think that the Magic have been beseiged with offers for Hedo, despite what Otis Smith says. This is simply a tactic to try to drive up the asking price for him.

As for being happy with a lineup chock full of SFs, this is debatable. Normally I would say that playing without multiple post presences is a risky proposition, but in today's NBA a team can find success with a bunch of shooters and slashers and this would fit into a more run-and-gun style like the Magic hope to achieve. That being said, I do not think that Hedo Turkoglu is the person the Magic really want to fill that role. Hedo had a phantom sickness all of last year, is mistake prone, and is Mr. Streaky when it comes to his shooting. You have to believe that the Magic would LOVE to get a player like Artest or Abdur-Rahim in exchange for Hedo, but with Hedo's play last year his stock just isn't high enough for a transaction.

If the Magic could do it, I would try to trade Hedo and some of our expiring contracts (Garrity, Dooling) for Artest or Abdur-Rahim. The unfortunate thing is that the Kings not only are likely the only possible trade partner for Hedo, but also that they would probably never make that deal simply because the Maloofs and the Kings brass are too egotystical. In making this trade, the Kings would have to concede that:

-Getting Artest or Abdur-Rahim was a mistake

-They should have never let Hedo leave the organization.

-By taking on expiring deals, they are essentially in a rebuilding mode.

I can't see the Kings being willing to admit any of those things to season ticket holders. That leaves us stuck with Hedo and playing with a court of small forwards, a situation that looks more and more like a given.

There is still time in the free agency period though, and I will hold out hope that a deal for Hedo can be struck. If we retain him, there are worse things in the world than playing a tall sharpshooter...but plugging some of our other needs still should be a priority.

Pick The Best Magic Cheerleader: Round 2, Part 4: Kristina vs Lisa vs Megan

2007-08-03T17:07:00.000-04:00

Nothing new today in the world of professional competitive men's basketball, so looks like time to continue the mayhem that is the Orlando Magic Cheerleading competition!

We are finishing up Round 2, and are down to our last semi-finalist in the competition. The winner of this competition will join April, Erin, and Jane in the uber-competitive Final Four.

Here is how things currently stand:

As always, please leave the reasons behind your decisions in the comments section. Have a great weekend everyone!

Jane Moves On/The Mothman Prophecies/NBA Schedule Is Out/Chin Up, People

2007-08-02T10:29:00.000-04:00

Wow, a lot to talk about today, kiddies.

First off, congrats to fan favorite Jane on making it to the Final Four in the Orlando Magic Cheerleading Tournament. She beat out Kasey by almost triple the amount of votes, and appears to be a fan favorite moving forward.

Secondly, my hearts go out to the people in the bridge collapse in Minnesota. -Not only those who died, but also those who were injured both mentally and physically. I know that if that happened to me I would be unable to go over a bridge for at least a few years and would be forced to take the ferry everywhere. This would be humiliating as there really is no cool way to say, "I'm just going to hop on the ferry. Catch you later." It even sounds like 'fairy' when people with certain accents say it.

Many readers who emailed me yesterday had the comment that the whole bridge situation felt "like something seen in a movie." This comment seems to appear every time there is a disaster nowadays, and seems reserved for these occasions. You never hear someone say "The way that guy stapled that paper...it was like something out of a movie."

I too felt like it seemed like something in a movie...actually, I had SEEN the movie...it's a 2002 movie called "The Mothman Prophecies" and stars Richard Gere and Laura Linney. At the end there is a bridge collapse that is done pretty well, although the rest of the movie sucks for the most part. --There is a reason no one is comparing this recent event to The Mothman Prophecies, and methinks the movie's popularity might have something to do with it (well, that and the Richard Gere hamster jokes)

On an altogether unrelated note...smooth transition there...the NBA has updated its site with the upcoming NBA schedule. I would post a link, but the NBA had it up for a second and took it down the very next. In that short time span I already circled a date on my calendar: November 16th: Orlando @ New Jersey. Since I live in New York City, I hop on a bus and go to New Jersey where I can see a better team play than the Knicks, AND get cheap $15 seats. For this game I might even spring for the expensive $25 seats (somewhere a Knicks fan just wept over his insanely expensive season tickets).

Should I be as excited as I am about seeing the new-look Magic this upcoming season? Damn right I should. This brings me to another topic I really have been feeling passionate about this summer which is the fan and media misinterpretation of the Magic's offseason (please excuse the retread of this topic for readers of MagicMadness.us):

I think a lot of people everywhere are overreacting and hopping on the hype machines the media is creating in regards to the Magic. Every year the experts seem to only value teams based on the big names on them and last year's records, while they undervalue talented teams with who have young players and are progressing.

We sign Rashard Lewis, a fantastic player who numbers-wise is one of the best in the league, but the contract happens to be too high because frankly we have more money than anyone else and don't mind blowing it to ensure we get him. His contract doesn't somehow erase the good player that he is (as Stein points out). The media was against the money we paid him because they think he doesn't deserve it right now, and this is true. What they are ignoring is that he is a player just entering his prime and coming off of the best year of his career. We still haven't seen his ceiling. People thought we completely overpaid TMac when we got him too because he was an unknown.

Also, we get a far better coach, and let a backup PF and a SG that only occasionally played leave...and and all of a sudden we're in danger of making the playoffs in people's minds? That seems silly. Darko's upside eclipsed the rather pedestrian play he exhibited much of last year, and Grant Hill's value is being even MORE overblown. He barely played for us, taking off back-to-back game nights, and when he did play...(bracing himself for the backlash)...he wasn't a 'leader' for our team as people are claiming. He was completely absent when our team was splintering apart internally both under the Brian Hill and Steve Francis eras (I consider Steve Francis our team's coach during the Johnny Davis era).

Enough about the Magic. How about the other teams?

-Miami got no one of substance this offseason (Smush? Please.) and are looking worse the older they get.

-Washington got no one new this offseason and their big men are looking really bad after starting strong last year.

-Cleveland is in serious, serious trouble of losing either Varejao or Gooden and will likely add no one.

-New Jersey's hopes rest on Richard Jefferson's balky ankles and Kristic returning from injury. They also lost their insurance policies in Mikki Moore and an underrated Eddie House.

The Magic aren't perfect, but that can be said about every NBA team out there. With the additions of Rashard and SVG, our team is simply better than it was before and there is still time to address further needs. We didn't get KG and Ray Allen this offseason, but we DID improve a team that was in contention right up until the end to steal the Southeast Division title.

That has to count for something, so chin up guys.

Pick The Best Magic Cheerleader: Round 2, Part 3: Jane vs Kasey

2007-08-01T11:09:00.000-04:00

Nothing new in the world of basketball today, especially when it comes to the Magic. Seems as if GM Otis Smith is following up his declaration that the Magic would play it cool this summer until a veteran big man falls into their lap. I would say to call up Brian Skinner and get this whole thing over with, but then again it might be smart to wait with free agent movement still happening and people getting cut. If Boston can wait on KG, then we can wait on someone to become available too.

-And to those people who are debating whether we should trade for Kobe, my opinion is helllllll no. We were lucky to exile one baby in Steve Francis and don't really need another, talented as he may be.

No news means it is time for the Orlando Magic Cheerleader Tournament to reconvene! Huzzah! Here is where we stand, firmly entrenched in the 2nd round:

In the final four there are only two spots available and 5 cheerleaders vying for them, so things are bound to get interesting. This week's competition is between Jane and Kasey. We must ask the eternal question:

Which Orlando Magic Cheerleader do you prefer?

Please put the reason behind your choice in the comments section if you wish, and best of luck to both of these title contenders.

UPDATE: The Magic website appears to be experiencing technical difficulties today. If this continues for a prolonged period of time, we might need to make this a two-day competition for when it gets up and running again.

2nd UPDATE: Magic site is up and running so this competition will stay at one day.

How Does The East Stack Up?

2007-07-31T11:30:00.000-04:00

In the wake of the KG deal madness, every fan of a team in the East seems to be asking themselves the same question: Where does our team stack up now?

It's pretty a difficult question to answer as it's really anyone's guess how well KG will mesh with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. It truly is amazing how Danny Ainge pulled off this deal and revamped his team with so many blockbuster deals getting turned down in the NBA. If KG and his monster contract can be traded, then anyone can be. Kobe must be thinking this as he sucks his thumb and wets his diaper.

So where do the Magic stand in the east next season? That is completely open to interpretation, and I am open to your opinions, but for now (with an emphasis on for now, since there is much more time left in free agency...take note ESPN writer John Hollinger...) here is my ranking of the East next season:

1)Detroit

2)Chicago

3)Boston
4)Orlando

5)Miami

6)Washington

7)Cleveland

8)New Jersey

Detroit, Chicago, and Boston at the top of the list...did we just flash back to 1990?

Some of my reasoning behind my madness, again all opinions:

1)Detroit at the end of the day is still the most fundamentally talented team. They now have an even bigger chip on their shoulder after last years' playoffs.

2)Chicago will only get better in time as their young pieces develop, and they should make a run at the top spot. I expect Tyrus Thomas to bust out.

3)With the KG deal, Boston clearly threw themselves at the top of the conference. Toronto and New Jersey could challenge, but it will be an uphill battle.

4)Yes, you read that correctly. I think that (provided we get another backup big man) the Magic have the pieces to win the Southeast. This isn't based on homerism, but instead based on the simple fact that Miami is aging poorly, Washington is still trying to unload its big men, and with all of the teams so close in record last season the Magic have done more than either of those two teams by far to improve themselves this offseason. Charlotte is still a little ways away from contention, but could surprise next season with a respectable record.

5)As mentioned, Miami is aging poorly and their offseason deals to get younger were pretty crappy at best (Smush Parker). With Payton and Shaq being spot starters and teams learning how to practically triple-team Wade, this team's record will only go down.

6)Washington is sort of a 'mini-Boston', as they boast 3 power players in Arenas, Jamison, and Butler, but they are still very thin down low. I expect this team to stay competitive, but their team isn't any better roster-wise than it was last season.

7)Cleveland is poised to take a fall in my opinion, as Gooden is more than likely out so they can sign Varejao and Pavlovic. This team is a prime candidate for the post-finals loss funk.

8)This was a very tough call between New Jersey and Toronto, but I went with New Jersey because the return of Nenad Kristic should more than offset the loss of Mikki Moore and they have more to prove after a season of injuries and a dismal playoffs showing. If they fail, expect the team to be blown up mid-season.

Notable exemptions:

Toronto - The league has had a year to figure them out, Morris Peterson's stong bench play is gone, and despite their record they looked very shaky at times last season. Their eyes will be on New Jersey all season because in my opinion only one will sneak in.

Charlotte - Getting Jason Richardson and resigning Gerald Wallace made this past offseason a good one, and I can see Charlotte raising some eyebrows this season. They are a very young team though and are still a season away from the playoffs, but I think this season they could challenge for a .500 record.

New York - This team continues to play with optomism despite...well...themselves. Zach Randolph will no doubt help the team out, but I don't think he will mesh as well as most do. I will also go on record as saying Zebo will get in legal trouble at least once next season. In fact, why don't we just start getting ourselves mentally prepared now?:

There still is more time in free agency left, so plenty of time to see these rankings change.

Erin Moves On To The Final Four/KG To Boston? Crapola.

2007-07-30T10:16:00.001-04:00

First of all, congrats to Erin for moving on to the final four in the Orlando Magic Cheerleading Tournament! It was a tough matchup, but Erin squarely won as she captured about double the amount of votes as the next closest vote getter Deanna. She will go on to face April in the semis.

As for Magic news, the only thing really new today is Magic exec Alex Martins hinting at the possibility of an Orlando hockey team in the near future. I would bet this has a good chance of happening as I'd imagine there are more than a few owners around the country want to wash their hands of the losing-money league known as the NHL. I am a Devils fan since I grew up in New Jersey, but would be at a crossroads should this Orlando team come into existence. One thing that could swing my allegiance to Orlando: If the team names themselves something akin to the minor league hockey team the Orlando Solar Bears. Humor really wins out in the end, and I can see them going this direction. Maybe the Orlando Flamin-Goals?

I just got chills that name was so perfect.

Something that is NOT perfect is the rumor that Kevin Garnett might get sent to the Boston Celtics in the next 48 hours for a package including Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff's expiring contract, and Rajon Rondo. Also possibly included are Gerald Green and Sebastian Telfair. This would suck for many Eastern Conference teams in the short term as a trio of Paul Pierce, KG, and Ray Allen would return the tea party city to respectability again. Obviously Kevin McHale is just washing his hands of attempting to get anything of actual worth for KG, and is throwing his efforts behind eclipsing Isiah Thomas as the most inept GM of the past decade. Also, this trade would result in two things I hate probably more than anything else in this world:

1) Boston fans to suddenly come out of the woodwork and hop on the bandwagon as they are known to do (How many Patriots fans WERE there before Tom Brady? 3? 4?)

2) ESPN Columnist Bill Simmons to brag about how good his team is, but this time in basketball. Ugh.

Seeing as how the bags under Kevin McHale's eyes have effectively taken over his brain and are now telling him evil ways to mess up his team (McHale now looks like the Emporer from Star Wars now with a parted haircut), I see this trade going through. McHale would be even more popular in Boston beyond his playing time there because he would be essentially giving them a perennial title shot. This would make Orlando seem like a pretender instead of a contender as we'd be faced with the possibility of lining up Turkoglu on Ray Allen and JJ Redick on Paul Pierce with Howard and KG going at it. The matchup down low is a fair fight, but Turkoglu and JJ might look like swiss cheese in that fight.

The only bright side is that the Celtics would probably have to rebuild their team again in about 4 years since Pierce, KG, and Allen are currently 30, 31, and 32. The city of Boston would also have to pony up some money to put these around the stadium:

That is a small price to pay for that lineup though and Boston would instantly be a team that is feared.

Other than that, no real news in the world of basketball. The Heat signed Smush Parker to be their backup PG, which (despite Sentinel's account that Smush does well against the Magic) is a huge sigh of relief since the Heat were courting other, better players like Mo Williams. In addition, while it is old news it must be noted that the Magic are investigating getting PJ Brown or Chris Webber...but I seriously, seriously doubt they wind up in Orlando because those players are likely to either sign with a contender or go elsewhere for more money. I would put my money on a lower-tier player like Melvin Ely or at best Brian Skinner.

I hope I am wrong though and Otis works those negotiating skills on Webber and PJ. We seriously need help at PF.

The Day After The Vote/Pick The Best Magic Cheerleader: Round 2, Part 2: Cherie vs. Deanna vs. Erin

2007-07-27T10:31:00.000-04:00

I'd like to say I spent the entire night out partying and celebrating the vote going the Orlando Magic's way, but a few things deterred me from that:

-It was a Thursday and I had work the next day.

-It was midnight when the motion was passed, and that was pretty late to start partying.

-I live in New York City and since no one follows Orlando news here, pretty much everyone would think I was a madman if I was celebrating in the streets.

Still, I had a wonderful night's sleep thanks to the pleasant outcome of the vote so that is nice.

Thanks to everyone who had kind words to say about the blog yesterday. It was indeed rather tedious to follow the proceedings of the Arena proposal, but in the end the relatively large viewership (about 800 people) and outcome made it all worthwhile. Some of the nice comments by readers of the blog yesterday:

-"Thanks for all your hard work... I didn't have a lot of comp time today, so your blog is what kept me up to date."

-"Black and Blue, thank you for all you did. I really enjoyed everything."

-"Big props to B&B with a heck of a live blog to keep everyone up to date who weren't watching the live feed on TV or the internet."

-"I applaud your dedication, B+B"

Wow. Thanks a ton everyone.

On another note, out of all of the overjoyed quotes by Magic fans yesterday and today, one of them made me take notice. It was said by user dxwwf3 on MagicMadness.us:

Practically spent all day keeping up with this stuff and in the end it's
all worth it. Could this summer have possibly been any better for the Orlando
Magic?

Get the best NBA coach available? Check

Get the best Free Agent available? Check

Sign Dwight Howard to a large extension? Check

Get a new arena approved and assure the team will stay in Orlando? Check

Looking back on it, for all of the stuff that went bad with Darko, Billy Donovan, and our public relations image, this has been a fantastic summer for the team. I left last season a little downtrodden with the sweep by the Pistons, but the future does look bright for the team. We will have to be creative with signing people since we now have Dwight and Rashard's huge contracts, but luck seems to be on our side lately so I will wait until this free agency period plays out to make a decision on the overall success of this offseason. -It's looking pretty darn good so far though.

I know what you are thinking: "It's FRIDAY! Enough of this blah blah! Fridays are for the Cheerleading tournament!" Right you are. Let's take a look at where we are at in the 2nd round:

This week we are picking the best cheerleader of THREE to move on to face April in the Final Four. Since it is Round 2 you can now click on the cheerleaders' photos to check out more images of them to help in your decision.

Without any further ado, of the three, which Orlando Magic cheerleader do you prefer?

As always, please use the comments section for the reason behind your selection and have a good weekend!

Live Arena Vote Diary...Part 5: MAIN MOTION MANIA! THE MOTION PASSES!!!!!!!!

2007-07-26T22:58:00.000-04:00

I'm holding my breath right now.

Holy cow. People are voting right now on stuff. They are amendments and whatnot. What does this mean? No friggin clue, but so far it has very obviously been voting that is 5 united out of the 7, which is a very good thing to see.

We might see the end of this arena proposal before the end of our lives!

Just jinxed it....Tiffany Moore is pulling amendments out of her butt. She is in full on bitch mode, with her comments taking on a pretty forceful nature. She is getting shot down, which doesn't seem to help her much.

Amendments are coming and going. It's about 11:30, so I'll make the executive decision to not get into them. All that matters in the end is if this thing gets done.

With that in mind. IT'S MAIN MOTION TIME! GO MAGIC!

ratatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatata....

Moore is a bitch. She says she hates the idea.

Segal says he loves the idea. Go him.

The crucial swing Marcy vote! She says she has gone back and forth...holding my breath...She is going with us! Yes! Very nice speech from her about liking the community pulling together

All those in favor...the 5 say AYE!

All those opposed...2 asses say NAY!

WE DID IT! THE MAGIC ARE IN ORLANDO FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES!!!!!!

Remember on PTI on ESPN a year ago they said "Happy Trails to the Magic because it was a foregone conclusion that they were moving? Well...ahem...SCREW YOU, KANSAS CITY!!!!! YEEEEHAW!

Congrats everyone who is a Magic fan and everyone who is an Orlando resident. Truly a fantastic day in our history and I am so happy to have shared it with you all today. I am going to be visiting Orlando this summer and am fully prepared to fall in love with the city all over again.

God Bless You All And Good NIGHT!

Ummmm...okay. Live Arena Vote Diary, PART 4!

2007-07-26T22:21:00.001-04:00

So I left at 6:30...Got some dinner...Got some drinks...Saw the Christian Bale movie Rescue Dawn...commuted all the way from midtown to the upper east side...

And the Commissioners still haven't voted yet?

Even worse, I come back and there are still a ton of talking heads saying the same thing over and over again: "If this thing gets approved, I would like _____"

The judges probably need a shoehorn to scoop them out of those chairs at this point. Like astronauts, they probably went to the bathroom in their suits long ago and I'm about 70% sure that Fred Brummer cannibalized Tiffany Moore while I was gone. This is madness.

Madness?

THIS. IS. SPARTAAAA! -AND BY SPARTA, I MEAN THE NEVER ENDING ARENA VOTE!

Right now a guy is talking about how he had serious trouble getting his disabled wife to see Magic games because the facilities were so crummy. After a full day of talk, talk, talk, this guy's comments were the first ones that actually made me really think. He said the elevators were cramped and it was almost impossible to get her around. It's people like that that are the real ones that matter in the end.

And thus ends the public section of the day. Next up are the Commissioners talking about voting on the amendments.

Sigh.

Live Arena Vote Diary, PART 3!

2007-07-26T17:50:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: Soooooo...um, I thought that they were going to break when I signed off last. This is not the case.

Segal (the one I warned about last entry) asked the Orlando Convention Center folks what they thought of the venues and all hell broke loose. Apparently the Convention Center peeps are nervous of what the new arenas will do to the success of their establishment, and voiced it in a quite intelligent manner. This seemed to be somewhat of a negative mark, but wasn't really that big of a deal.

Well, next thing you know, Mr. Watson (Barney Gumble) comes running out and starts shouting that updating Amway Arena was priority 3d and that the other things that the Convention Center people are mentioning are around priority 19 for the Commission. After smiling over how coincidental and neat it was that updating the Magic's arena was priority 3d (Dennis Scott's old nickname), I was brought back to reality by Mr. Watson's yelling.

After such a nice, well-put presentation by everyone, Mr. Watson and his mustard yellow slides is in danger of screwing it all up.

-Wow. Like a beacon of light, Marcy (Teresa Jacobs) has said some really wonderful things about the excitement the venue would cause. We have her vote and then some.

Right now, barring a crazy showing by Mr. Segal, we have this thing won with 5 out of 7 votes.

Hey! They just FINALLY called for recess. Thank goodness! On a related note, I unfortunately am going to have to run to catch this movie. All the best and I will report later on tonight about the outcome of the vote.

GO MAGIC!

Live Arena Vote Diary, PART 2!

2007-07-26T15:32:00.000-04:00

Back for part two of the madness, which I'm realizing is becoming an increasingly grueling arena vote meeting. For some reason I really thought this would be a "Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma'am" type of vote...but these folks seem to need to draw this out despite the fact that they likely already have their minds made up.

Sounds fine to me. I like making fun of these sorts of things!

--------------------------------------------

-Next to speak in front of the commissioners is a guy who is there to talk about the effect for the Orlando downtown area. If you need a visual, this guy looks like a bald version of former Knicks star and current sportscaster Walt Clyde Frazier (I love how nearly every photo of Walt that I could find had him in a pimp hat or surrounded by supermodels. Some people just live blessed lives.) This guy speaks better than Tim Daly Guy, but his powerpoint graphics are just pathetic. For those of you unable to see them, many of them are colored puke green and have computer clipart of people with glasses looking intently at computers. Wow! Excitement central, Walt!

-Man, everyone is REALLY hammering home the "Green, Eco-Friendly" aspect of the facilities. Somewhere Al Gore just celebrated by lighting up a joint, turning on some Grateful Dead, and eating an entire cheese pizza by himself.

-Next to speak is a tired looking woman who says she is the chief financial director of the project. She admits that the finances of the project have been controversal, and does her best to communicate with her body language "If this project has cost overruns, which it probably will, I'll see you on the unemployment line!" She then gives shout outs to others that helped her on the project, effectively dispersing the blame if the whole plan turns to shit. Nicely done!

-My brain just turned off during the financial discussion section. Long story short, they are doing their best to limit the load on taxes.

-Teresa Jacobs is warming up after the presentations. She now seems quite eager about the whole thing. Huzzah! Go Marcy! With her newfound smile, I'm telling you that the image I am looking at right now looks EXACTLY like this:

-Bill Segal says he too is excited about the project, but keeps talking about his own life and experiences. We appear to have found the prima donna of the bunch!

-Mildred Fernandez is speaking (and sounding like a bizarre mix between a hispanic accent and the Minne-sooo-ta accent from "Fargo") and commending Mayor Buddy Hackett. You can just see the anger on Fred Brummer's face next to her as it becomes increasingly obvious the arena deal has legs. Is Brummer the Emporer to Harris Rosen's Darth Vader? Not sure, but I probably need to play some sports so I can live with myself after all of these nerdy analogies...

-The last bunch of slow, brain-numbing powerpoint slides are concluding (I hope). A woman with long black hair who is on the arena committee is getting attacked by Fred Brummer and her eyes are bugging out like crazy. She looks like this guy:

For those of you not familiar with that guy above, that is Glazastik (bug-eyed one) and you can read more about him here: http://englishrussia.com/?p=1060 Too funny!

-Mercifully, after a while the bug-eyed woman (who seemed the most incompetent of the presenters so far) steps down and a "Mr. Watson" steps up to speak for a bit. We are told he will be the last person to speak before a half hour break and the public gets to ask their questions. It is now obvious that I will probably not get to commentate on the vote as it happens because I have to catch a movie at 7:30. Wow, who would have thought this thing would have gone so long?!

-Whoa...Mr Watson has some AWFUL powerpoint skills. Plain mustard yellow background with blue font. When I woke up this morning, the last thing I thought I would be doing is critiquing powerpoint skills. Life has truly hit a new low on the excitement scale. As I type this, Mr. Watson tucks his shirt into his pants and continues. He is a very unkempt looking man with swept grey hair, sorta like Barney Gumble from the Simpsons in his older years. I am a New Yorker, so I have no idea if this guy is some corporate grunt or a billionaire integral to the case...all I can do is talk about his fashion sense. In the end, that is the most important thing.

Break time! With it nearing 6pm and me having to leave at 6:30 for the movie (which, by the way, is that Christian Bale movie), I just hope I can catch some of the public questions. The wild card now, in my opinion, is Segal since he appears to like the spotlight and could screw over a lot of people (and make a big name for himself in the local media) by changing his vote. Chances are I won't see the actual deciding vote at this point, but seeing that Marcy now appears to be on our side I will go out on a limb and say this one is in the bag. Thank heaven for Charles Schultz.

It's Live Arena Vote Diary Time! Complete Coverage PART 1

2007-07-26T11:50:00.000-04:00

Well, here we are...on the precipice of Orlando Magic history. Either this thing is going to go fantastically well or horribly wrong. -Votes are like that.

As many of you already know, we need 5 of 7 votes for this thing to pass through. Early word is that there are 2 commissioners of the 7 that are already pointing their thumbs down in this Roman Gladiator matchup: Fred Brummer and Tiffany Moore. Fred Brummer just hates the projects and wants them squashed while Tiffany Moore wants the proposal altered significantly before it goes through so there aren't any holes the commissioners have to clean up in the future.

Using the absolutely nonexistant prior knowledge that I have of these two commissioners, I will attemp to explain why they have sour grapes: They just have awful names.

Fred was probably teased a lot in school with a name that sounds so much like "bummer", and used that hatred to nix votes from the popular crowd. Can you imagine a little kid walking around during the heyday of "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" with people slapping him on the shoulder and saying, "You're name is Fred? Brummer, dude!" To make matters worse, the people making fun of him probably looked like this:

As for Tiffany Moore, I firmly believe that most people named "Tiffany" hate the 80s pop star of the same name. The fact that her last name is "Moore" only makes it worse. It's like having a name that demands more of the pop star, akin to other names like "Prince Marathon", "Madonna Please", and the increasingly popular "Seal Letmelistentomore". It's like that scene in "Office Space" where the guy named Michael Bolton is being asked if he likes the famous Michael Bolton's music. I see Tiffany Moore in a seat, uncomfortably saying to her eager friends "Yeah...I guess Tiffany's music is alright. A favorite song? I really don't have one."

In related news, the Tourism Development Council voted on the arena issue today, which is interesting because the council happens to have Darth Rosen as a member. Here is how it went:

The Tourist Development Council voted 7-1, with hotelier Harris Rosen the only
dissenter. Rosen typically uses his appointed position on the advisory board as
a platform to blast what he considers irresponsible spending. The outspoken
venues opponent was silent today, however.

That's because, if you read the blog entry yesterday, you know that the Magic effectively stuck a spiked barb up Darth Rosen's rectum with their actions yesterday. Score one for the good guys.

So things are looking pretty good so far for the vote. The last minute deals by the Magic have hopefully swung commissioners Stewart, Fernandez, and Segal onto commissioner Crotty's side. That gives us four. The deciding vote apparently will be Teresa Jacobs, whose picture above reminds me of someone. I'm trying to put my finger on it...

The good news for us is that Mildred Fernandez is likely to be on our side, and looks like Peppermint Patty.

Whoa! It's almost time already! Everyone cross their fingers, rub your lucky rabbit's foot, and for heaven's sake someone please tell me they slept with Teresa Jacobs to get her vote!

Um...

So I called it: The Sentinel's player sucks ass. I can't hear any audio and the video freezes after about 10 seconds.

Instead I am going over to the television station WESH2's streaming player, which appears to work a lot better. I loaded it into my VLC Media Player. Phew!

------------------

-The proceedings thus far are akin to something that looks like show an tell at the front of class. A bunch of older gentlemen and ladies are gathered listening to a bunch of youths talking about the venues with powerpoint presentations. Even the graphics in the powerpoint presentation look pretty old, like something out of the 80s. All of this is pretty silly looking, as everyone knows that these commissioners have already made up their minds. I hope no spitballs are thrown.

-They are showing the inside of the proposed new arena. Tons of natural light and space. Holy cow it looks gorgeous. The thing even has PLAYGROUNDS for kids inside of it! Too bad we got rid of Diener, as he would have loved playing on the monkey bars.

-I didn't know that the arena would be the first one in history to be certified as being eco-friendly and green. Looks like the Magic can make history for something other than 'most stars applied to a logo in an effeminite fashion'. Alex Martins, the guy we've been talking about for a little while now, put on a green hat to illustrate this. One of the commissioners (sounded like Tiffany Moore) burst out laughing at him. Your Orlando Magic: Giving chuckles during key arena proposals!

-Alex Martins looks like a slick salesman type, complete with gelled hair and content smirks. I wouldn't trust him if he weren't a Magic exec...heck, I still don't trust him. Stay away from my fiancee, Martins!

-Moore and Brummer are grilling Martins about the Magic. Martins is telling them that the Magic will be around during the life of the stadium. Don't these two read the newspaper?

-Mildred Fernandez commending Martins, with some flirty words about how good of a job he did (Did Martins sleep with her? Ewwww). Commissioner Bill Segal makes an appearance, looking like a more haggard Bill Gates, which I didn't even know was possible.

-Marcy, I mean Teresa Jacobs, still seems a bit guarded. I really worry about her vote.

-Linda Stewart says thanks to Martins. She seems like a nice mom type.

-Next to speak is...some dude who is wearing a green jacket to speak about the stadium going green...who looks EXACTLY like Tim Daly from "Wings". He is a guy talking about the citrus bowl and is showing pictures of some of Orlando's founding fathers. -Are we SURE that this isn't a show and tell presentation? If someone presents a house made of popsicle sticks I am turning it off...

-This Tim Daly guy sounds incredibly boring. After the relatively swagger-riffic presentation by Martins, this guy is killing the mojo in the room. "Tim Daly Guy" is definitely a meathead guy who got where he is on his looks. The commissioners just asked if he could stay into the evening hours to answer their questions. Ummmm...I have plans with friends tonight, so I might have to pick this up later on if it goes long.

Taking a quick break. Next: PART II!

Live Meeting Diary Of Arena Vote Later Today!

2007-07-26T11:39:00.001-04:00

Today during the Orlando Arena vote I will be publishing a live diary of the proceedings (if the Orlando Sentinel Streaming Video works).

Stay Tuned on what will be one of the biggest decisions in Orlando Magic history!

Magic Throw More Money Into The Community Fire To Try To Push Arena Proposal Through

2007-07-25T10:18:00.000-04:00

Sounds like the Orlando Magic read my blog yesterday, because first thing mentioned today in the Sentinel is that the Magic opened up the ol' tight wallets and pledged to burn at least 12.5 million on new gyms in the Orlando area. In addition, the Magic pledged the money necessary to make the new arena eco-friendly. This is somewhat in keeping with exec Alex Martins' words yesterday that the Magic weren't planning to directly toss more money into the arena...instead they threw it into the community and to the fringe costs of making the arena more efficient (and thus more cost-effective in the long term).

I am but a casual observer, but reading between the lines this plan seems to have three objectives:

1) First and foremost the Magic are trying to directly appeal to some of the County Council members' wishes. Mildred Fernandez and Commissioner Bill Segal wanted more money into the community, specifically with the aformentioned gyms. Commissioner Linda Stewart wanted assurances of an eco-friendly arena. Sounds like the Magic just bought themselves three crucial votes with their moves.

2) The Magic just stuck a spiked barb up the rectum of Darth Harris Rosen. How? Hotel Magnate (and repeat proposal killer) Darth Rosen was planning on screwing up this proposal by demanding that more money go into fighting crime in the area. This promise of gym centers is part of a plan to keep youths off of the streets and give them something to do with their time instead of, you know, killing each other. This is the equivalent of that scene in Return of the Jedi when Luke Skywalker chops off Darth Vader's hand and you just jump and yell, "Booyah! You're done!"

3) The Magic get off cheap. With the Magic proposing up front to give $50 million, they were well below the County Council's request of $100 million. Instead of meeting their demands by giving another 50 mill, they just gave an additional 12.5 mill and threw it directly towards the programs the council members were advocating.

It looks like the Magic are addressing the Council's demands creatively and intelligently, and with this additional promised money the weight is somewhat off of the Magic's shoulders for blame if the proposal gets shot down.

For those of you who prefer the bottom line: The Magic helped themselves the day before the big vote to see if they'd get a new arena. Sweet.

The Sentinel also ran a piece today in hopeful anticipation of the proposal being voted through on the success of teams that have new stadiums. Overall it was a long article just centered around the simple idea that teams do slightly better when in more up to date surroundings. Not much of a surprise there.

The one thing in the article I WAS surprised at was this:

Martins said the team currently loses about $20 million a year, but a new
building would help the Magic break even.

WOW! I had no idea it sucked so much to be an NBA owner. When a new arena deal that revitalizes a city helps you break even, you know you have it bad. -And the Magic are a relatively mid-range team when it comes to popularity! The Grizzlies and Hawks must lose enough money combined annually to feed every third world country. -or feed Rosie O'Donnell for an afternoon.

Updates will come as they happen, but for now we'll just wait patiently for the vote to happen at 2pm tomorrow to celebrate/mourn the fate of the Orlando Magic.

City Council Approves New Magic Arena Deal/County Council Is Next!

2007-07-24T10:07:00.000-04:00

One step closer: The Orlando City Council voted 6-1 yesterday to approve a $1.1 billion project for the new arena proposal. This is great news, but is not really surprising news as the city council has by and large been behind the project since the very beginning. Look how happy they all look yesterday. Not really much concern on their faces:

Also, looking at their faces it can be argued that if this were a movie, Buddy Dyer would be played by another famous Buddy...Buddy Hackett:

-Well, you know, if Buddy Hackett wasn't dead.

We already have Alan Alda playing "Darth" Harris Rosen. I like the fact that actors are practically casting themselves in these plum roles.

Back to the issue at hand, the voting is far from complete however. The city council vote was the easy part. Now the issue goes to the Orange County council, which is supposed to be harder to win over. That part will be the deciding factor as to whether this Buddy Hackett-Alan Alda blockbuster has a happy ending or a tragic one.

I read some things that set off warning alarms in my head that the vote might not go well. One major stumbling block is the fact that several county members want the Orlando Magic to put more of their own money towards the project. Some rumors have been surfacing that the Magic might toss more money in at the 11th hour to push the proposal through if there are conflicts related to it. Apparently the county council members had the same idea, and two of them had private meetings yesterday with Magic exec Alex Martins about the possibility of putting more money forward.

I think a lot of people are thinking that the Magic will eventually give up the extra cash, we'll get our stadium, and everything will be peachy. As with most headlines involving the Magic, nothing is ever that easy. This was the result of the private meetings yesterday:

But Martins turned away speculation that the NBA team might increase its
contribution of $50 million in upfront cash at the last minute to win
commissioners' support.The commission is expected to take up the issue at 2 p.m.
Thursday."We feel like we've conducted negotiations in good faith. . . . To say
we fully intended to get to the eleventh hour and make an additional
contribution is not a fair statement," Martins said. "Our goal this week is to
answer all the questions that commissioners have."

Two words sprang to mind when I read that: Uh oh.

If our team decides they want to play hardball, they could risk being the wedge in what is already a very difficult arena proposal to approve. If the Magic do come out as the party that screwed everything up, it would be yet another black mark on a summer that already has fans unsettled by the coaching and free agency calamities (Donovan's exit, Darko's ire, Grant Hill's middle finger to the Orlando fans, Rashard's gigantic contract, etc). The sad thing is that if the Magic are the stumbling block in the deal, it could be about 800 times worse than all of those aforementioned things because this is the only real event that has direct correlation to the fate of the team. The other botches were merely bad for the P.R. of the team, but this could actually force them into eventual relocation talks like the Marlins.

Sheesh. It's enough to make one's head spin. On the bright side we will know the results rather soon as the vote is to take place on Thursday. Up until that point, the Magic should do everything possible to woo those council members, including ponying up extra money in my opinion.

This vote is too important to lose.

April Moves On To The Final Four/Magic Arena Vote Nail Biting

2007-07-23T10:33:00.000-04:00

A big congrats to April for beating Candace to move on to the final four in the Magic Cheerleading Tournament. I actually thought April and Candace were rather evenly matched, so it was a surprise to see that April had almost doubled the amount of votes as her competitor. The next matchup will be 3 cheerleaders going against each other to see who faces April in the semis, so things are only going to get more interesting.

In Magic news, it was a rather uneventful weekend. -This isn't a big surprise as the venue votes are this week and constitute one of the most important moments in recent Orlando history. Even more important to the readers of this blog, these 7 committee members hold the Orlando Magic's fate in their hands. If 5 of 7 of them support the venues, we can look forward to telling our grandchildren about the championships that Dwight Howard won for the city and take them to a game before we get special wheelchair access to Space Mountain. If the venues get shot down, it isn't the end of the world but doesn't exactly bode well. For those of you impatient folks like me, it also would mean waiting on knowing whether the Magic will be Orlando's to keep.

I typically don't laugh out loud at articles, but I did at David Whitley's take on the situation in the Sentinel yesterday. Whitley provides a very good commentary, and surprisingly funny 'what ifs' if the deal doesn't get done.

It is kind of embarrassing to be so nervous over a vote when the team it is supporting is rather popular (and becoming moreso season by season). I am used to watching the efforts of the Florida Marlins to get a stadium laughed off, but the Magic actually sold out games last year and are gaining respectability in the league. Even the Sonics are somehow still in Seattle despite being bought by Oklahoma City investors, having a few awful seasons in a row, and routinely making the most moronic draft picks outside of the Hawks these past few seasons before they finally got Durant (the words on the bottom of the 2006 NBA draft screen still make me chuckle:

"With their first pick, Sonics select.....Saer Sene, C/PF.

Must Improve: Overall Basketball Skills"

-So how could our Magic be in the same conversation as these folks? Simple: Orlando is run from top to bottom by hotel and theme park magnates. It makes sense as those two things are the lifeblood of the city's economy, but those same things kill off any worthwhile unrelated project in the area. If Disney actually supported the Magic instead of distancing themselves, the Magic would probably have 80 stadium deals, including a seperate theme park devoted to improving Dwight Howard's free throw shooting. The trick for the Magic is to somehow convince the committee that these venues will mean more business for the theme parks and hotels. If David Stern has said that he will give Orlando an All Star weekend when they complete a new venue, you can bet that would shoot dollar signs into the eyes of the money men of Orlando. I know that I would make the trip down to see Vince Carter shoot off balance shots at the carnival games on the Universal Studios boardwalk.

Speaking of money men, it came out that someone tried to buy the Magic recently for 410 million dollars. Last year someone wanted to shell out over $100 million more than the club was worth to take control of the team. Rich Devos said no way, and I think we owe it to Rich that there even is an 'Orlando' next to the 'Magic' as a result. With so many non-NBA cities getting bigger and bigger cajones, there is a good chance that investor was from Kansas City, Vegas, Oklahoma City, Puerto Rico or somewhere else that is not in the state of Florida. The fact that this news is even coming out now is no doubt related to the Magic trying to tell the city of Orlando (with help from the newspapers) that they have been loyal and are asking for the same loyalty in return.

This venue talk is enough to get ones proverbial panties in a bunch. With the excitement leading up to the action, this no doubt will be a hot button issue in the days to come.

Pick The Best Magic Cheerleader: Round 2, Part 1: April vs. Candace

2007-07-20T12:56:00.000-04:00

No news today, as Otis Smith and company are probably just sitting by the pool drinking Pina Coladas, so that means we will begin the 2nd Round of the Magic Cheerleader Tournament! Also, it's a Friday, and we have a little tradition going.

You can just feel the excitement in the air...or maybe I'm just feeling the asbestos left over from the steam explosion in New York City.

Anyhoo, let's look at where we stand. We are down to the...not sweet sixteen...not elite eight...what the heck do they call the final ten? How about we just call them the "tubular ten", to borrow a phrase from the old Ninja Turtles cartoons:

No more easy choices here folks. April, Candace, Cherie, Deanna, Erin, Jane, Kasey, Kristina, Lisa, and Megan are all winners in their own right...but now we need to put some pretty faces on the chopping block and pick an overall winner.

A new feature with Round 2 is when you click on the photo of a Magic Dancer, it will direct you to that dancer's page on the Magic website for more photos to help make your decision easier! Woohoo!

The first matchup is between April and Candace. Which Magic Cheerleader do you prefer?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Stadium Vote One Week Away...What A Crazy Summer/Darth Rosen Trying To Stop Stadium Deal

2007-07-19T10:22:00.000-04:00

The Magic's stadium deal vote is exactly one week away, and for all the good times we've had lately with free agency and the coaching search, suddenly things are quite serious since the outcome of this vote will effectively decide the team's fate for the significant future.

The Orlando Sentinel wrote today about a bunch of ways the Magic can help to push the stadium deal through. The basic thought is that if the Magic throw more money into the project, it will get done. Commissioner Mildred Fernandez requested the Magic make a contribution of 100 million and the Magic have pledged 60-75 million, so they could up that figure if it is a major stumbling block.

Speaking of stumbling blocks, one major one is hotel magnate Harris Rosen...who will heretofore be named Darth Rosen. This guy has pull within the politics of Florida and is opposed to the stadium and convention center ideas entirely. Rosen would prefer the money be spent towards fighting crime in Orlando.

At first, I was a bit torn to be honest. Rudy Guliani completely revitalized New York with his anti-crime movements and made the city a really safe place to live and work for me. As a shameless lover of the Orlando area, I wouldn't mind seeing the area be safe for years to come.

-Then, about one-tenth of a second after having this thought, I came to my senses. Darth Rosen was not only trying to take my favorite sports team away from me, but he was also trying to destroy a deal that would usher Orlando into mention with the top cities in America. Let's face the facts: compared to Miami and other major cities, the city of Orlando is still small-time. Getting a stadium and convention center would suddenly propel Orlando into a place that people had a reason to visit beyond the tourist attractions. I personally believe that it is this pleasant idea of the expansion of Orlando that is thorn in Darth Rosen's side. Nowadays people spend most of their time and money at hotels and theme parks, and those two places see almost all of the money. If people have a reason to go elsewhere to hang out, that is a lot of money Rosen's hotels stand to lose on being 'the only place to go in town'. When one looks at it this way, the anti-crime movements seem shallow particularly when it should be mentioned that primarily the tourist areas (Darth Rosen's areas) would be the ones receiving the bulk of it.

If this wasn't enough of a reason to dislike Darth Rosen, consider THIS: For those of you who saw "The Aviator", Darth Rosen looks exactly like the villainous Alan Alda:

If that's not concrete reasoning, I don't know what is.

As far as the fate of the proposal, the obvious question comes to mind "what if the thing gets shot down?" Sentinel reporters Mark Schlueb and David Damron answered this for us:

"Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer's staff has been working on this proposal for two
years, and city officials have been negotiating the details with County Mayor
Rich Crotty's staff for the past year. The city has already spent $35.5 million
on land for the Orlando Magic arena and more than $1 million on consultants.
With that much time and money invested, don't expect Dyer, Crotty, the Magic or
arts patrons to give up if the vote doesn't go their way. They would likely go
back to the negotiating table, tweak the agreement and lobby commissioners
intensely until they line up the votes they need."

Even though that is somewhat comforting, as a guy who has been waiting for the Florida Marlins' stadium to get done for about 800 years I am still worried.

With the coaching search and free agency basically taken care of (the team is waiting in regards to making more free agency signings for the time being supposedly), it looks like this stadium stuff will hop in and take the drama spotlight. Hope things go well for the Orlando Magic.

Megan Wins To Finish Round 1/Gortat Signed!/Augustine Is Camp Fodder/Who Else Is There?

2007-07-18T10:05:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Megan for finishing out the first round of the Cheerleader competition in style with a decisive win over Sabrina. The candidates that are left to square off in round two look pretty fierce, and it's anyone's guess who will win. Check back for more of the competition as soon as there is a slow news day for the Magic.

Speaking of the Magic, they actually kinda sorta almost had a news story yesterday. Well, for Magic fans it was a news story, but for the rest of the world it was just a blip on the radar. The Sentinel is reporting that the Magic will indeed sign Marcin Gortat, as was speculated by Polish tabloids yesterday. This is following his stellar summer league showing and the much-publicized departure of Darko Milicic to the Grizzlies.

I am very happy with the move to get Gortat. My top reason, first and foremost, is that he looks like some sort of lizard with that long neck. Another reason is that we need serious help with depth at the PF and C positions, and with little money to spend this move just made sense. I think the agile-footed Gortat could thrive in Orlando, especially if we use an uptempo offense. The one thing I am worried about with him, as with every Euro big, is that he will be too raw offensively and get into foul trouble. This was the case with "Super" Mario Kasun and Darko when we first got him. Not-too-coincidentally, those two attributes are the things that scouts have said are the biggest knocks against Gortat. With his brand of hustle and penchant for blocking shots, it was impossible not to bring him over this year and I think the Magic will be quite happy they did.

The Magic also decided to keep James Augustine for training camp, but I believe that this is just a) insurance in case they can't land a big man free agent, and b) insurance in case someone gets hurt in training camp. Augustine had a few stinkers in the summer league and that typically doesn't equate into a roster spot.

On a side note: I'm not a fan of how Augustine traded in his shaved head and gotee look from college for his current, "Hi, class. I'm your new substitute teacher" look.

As for the remaining two roster spots (after Gortat signs), the Magic are looking for a veteran big man and there are some bargain basement options out there: Michael Olowokandi, Calvin Booth, Pat Burke, Kelvin Cato, Vitaly Potapenko, Brian Skinner, Iakovos Tsakalidis, Scot Pollard and Mike Sweetney. Out of those names, I could definitely live with Brian Skinner and Iakovos Tsakalidis, two decent former starters. Brian Skinner and Joe Smith actually formed a halfway decent tandem for the Bucks a few years back and word is that Skinner wouldn't mind playing for cheap. Preferably, I'd like to get a starting big man by the way of a trade with our expiring contracts and Hedo Turkoglu, but this seems unlikely:

"We're still short a big [man]," Smith said. "But I don't think you'll see
anything happen any time soon. It's wait-and-see time."

If you read between the lines, it's obvious that Otis just wants to see more of the Magic Cheerleading Tournament.

Lisa Beats Linda!/Pick The Best Magic Cheerleader: Round 1, Part 10: Megan vs Sabrina

2007-07-17T11:01:00.000-04:00

Wow, yet another day with absolutely no new Magic news.

Well...I wouldn't say NO news, but darn well near it. Some forum folks sent me a report from a Polish tabloid that is saying Marcin Gortat expects to sign with the Orlando Magic in the next 48 hours. I would be very happy if this happens, but won't really celebrate until there is further confirmation beyond a tabloid from Poland.

With no news, we go back to the Magic Cheerleader Tournament. Yesterday was one of our closer matches as Lisa edged Linda to move onto Round 2. After the series of lopsided competitions, it was nice to see a fairly split audience.

Lisa will face Kristina, as well as the winner of today's matchup

Today we move into the last matchup of the first round. Which Orlando Magic Cheerleader do you prefer? Megan or Sabrina?

Have a good day all, and pray for the validity of Polish tabloids!

Kristina Beats Kim M!/Pick The Best Magic Cheerleader: Round 1, Part 9: Linda vs Lisa

2007-07-16T11:56:00.000-04:00

First of all, congrats to Kristina for blowing away Kim M. in the Magic Cheerleader tournament voting over the weekend. The voting was actually at 3-3 at one point, before Kristina got something like 30 straight votes in her favor to win.

I scoured the internet for Magic news and there was zilch today. Fact is that there might be a little while before any breaking news comes out in the wake of the Magic signing Rashard Lewis. The Magic now have the difficult task of finding some way to get other players who can contribute for either the veteran's minimum or a trade. -Both are difficult propositions.

No news? Doesn't bother us! No news means the Cheerleader tournament continues. Here is where we stand right now:

Round 1 is winding down and Round 2 stands to be a fierce competition. Today's matchup is Linda vs. Lisa.

Which Orlando Magic Cheerleader do you prefer?

Little Stories Here And There/Pick The Best Magic Cheerleader: Round 1, Part 8: Kim M. vs Kristina

2007-07-13T13:27:00.001-04:00

It looks like I didn't miss much yesterday.

Dwight Howard signed an extension to make it official that him and Lewis are the faces of the franchise, but this is old news.

Otis Smith is using his weekend to go out and see Jameer Nelson's agent to see if an extension is possible for him, but this also is old news.

The one interesting thing to happen was that Otis Smith on ESPN radio said yesterday that 'unless something happens' the likely starting 5 next season would be as follows:

-----------------

PG: Jameer Nelson

SG: JJ Redick

SF: Hedo Turkoglu

PF: Rashard Lewis

C: Dwight Howard

----------------------

The thing that sticks out immediately is Rashard Lewis at Power Forward. Rashard is tall, but usually a lot of Power Forwards are bulky and can bang in the post. We will certainly have an advantage on offense, but on defense I shudder to think of Rashard guarding someone like Udonis Haslem or even Darko. It seems like it would be a mismatch and could possibly result in the injury of Lewis himself.

In addition, this lineup must be built for running and high scoring because the defensive capabilities just aren't there. Games will be 126-125 scoring affairs next year unless Van Gundy really works wonders (he IS a defensive-minded coach, so it's possible).

Rather than waste my breath here worrying about the lineup (I say wasting my breath because free agency just started. We could have a few trades before things are said and done), I think we should keep the Friday tradition going. Last time around Kasey clobbered Kim C. and advanced to face Jane:

This week it is another battle of the Ks as Kim M. goes against Kristina .

Which Magic Cheerleader do you prefer?

As always, leave your comments about your votes in the comments section. Have a great weekend everyone.

Darko To The Grizz/Diener and Outlaw Out

2007-07-12T10:15:00.000-04:00

Gotta make this short and sweet because today is a crazy busy day:

-Darko's going to the Grizzlies to team up with Pau Gasol. This doesn't really bother me since we already knew he was gone and he is out of the Eastern Conference. He will team up with Iavaroni who is a good big man coach, so if he doesn't blossom there he never will.

In other news, Diener and Outlaw apparently are out as members of the Magic. This undoubtedly has to do with having to renounce their contracts to make room to pay Rashard Lewis the sky and the moon. Outlaw never really made a huge impact on the game and fans with his second stay in Orlando, but I wish him all the best. Diener, on the other hand, was much beloved by fans (I feel like I'm writing a eulogy) and many are going to be sad to see him gone. Chants of "Doogie!" will no longer be heard at games. He had promise, but found himself in Brian Hill's doghouse inexplicably after performing well in spot duty. Sad, sad. Travis, we hardly knew ye.

Other than that, the team seems to be taking a collective breather after a crazy beginning to the free agency period. Hopefully we address the PF and SG spots soon.

Magic Press Conference Diary: Sign and Trade Happens/Interest in Turkoglu?

2007-07-11T13:03:00.000-04:00

Rashard Lewis' press conference with the Magic is on right now. Apparently Denton was right and the Magic sent a 2nd rounder to the Sonics to get Lewis a 6th year, and Darko's contract is officially renounced.

Here is the report on the Press Conference

-Rashard has a pretty fresh face. I knew that going in, but he has the look of an Abercrombie model. This will be interesting next to the horrific face of Hedo Turkoglu.

-Rashard talking about hanging out with Jameer and Dwight. He said they have similar personalities and he seems more excited than them (wonder why, Nelson is waiting on an extension and Dwight just saw this guy get the moon as far as salary goes).

-Rashard says that Dwight and him are going to "roll together"...this is interrupted by Otis Smith talking about wanting to win a championship for the 8,000th time. The smile is wiped off of Otis' face IMMEDIATELY when someone asks about what they are going to do with the rest of free agency. A lot of hemming and hawing with Otis until he says he is happy with the team. That's the safe answer, but I'm hoping that they will look some more.

-Otis says that Darko is officially an unrestricted free agent. Time to change that "Darko Demons" picture I've been using all this time.

-Stan Van Gundy pipes up and makes a joke. He seriously is the most charasmatic man in the room. He goes on to say that the best teams put a lot of different lineups on the floor. I think this is his way of saying "I am already stressed about who to put on the floor." Still, you can see in Stan's eyes that he is super happy to be here.

-Ooh tough question for Otis about getting ANYTHING for Darko. Otis said he was trying up until late last night and nothing came of it. He looks extremely sad....there is a pause...and that's the end of the press conference!

Wow, what a downer of an ending. That might have been the quickest press conference known to man. Not sure what the Magic are going to do for big man help but they definitely need to do something.

Speaking of doing something:

The Sacramento Kings contacted the Magic about the availability of Hedo Turkoglu "but so have 28 other teams," Magic GM Otis Smith said.
"They see what we've done in free agency and they wonder if Turk is available," Smith said. "I like Turk a lot and I don't see him going anywhere."

Yikes. Here's to hoping this free agency period isn't over with.

Sign And Trade Dead On Arrival?

2007-07-11T09:58:00.000-04:00

As is the case with news reporting by and large these days, the facts switch around every two seconds. This is why I fully expected to wake up this morning and see that the sign and trade deal for Rashard Lewis was dead.

Lo and behold the Sentinel this morning:

"Otis Smith said it appears a proposed sign-and-trade deal with Lewis' former team, the Seattle SuperSonics, is a no-go. The maneuver would have allowed the Magic to create cap space to perhaps re-sign Milicic and provide Lewis with a lucrative sixth year, but Smith contends Cornstein all but sabotaged the deal on his end with the Sonics."

Meanwhile John Denton is claiming that we ARE going to do a sign and trade, but it will only be for a 6th year for Lewis.

Between the two I would have to believe that the deal is dead. It wouldn't be beneficial to us to sign Rashard to that 6th year and lose stuff in the process. Signing Lewis outright hurts us in this free agency period because now all of our funds are basically used up and, outside of extending Jameer Nelson's contract, we can't do anything more. Some people are going to contend that we can trade Hedo Turkoglu, but I think if we do that we probably won't end up with equal value in return. An opening day lineup like this seems possible:

------

PG: Nelson, Dooling, Arroyo

SG: Redick, Ariza

SF: Lewis, Turkoglu

PF: Battie, Garrity, Augustine

C: Howard, Gortat

-------

Yes, that was a shudder you felt as you looked at our backup PF. It is what we are left with after two of our most recent first round drafts went towards getting Power Forwards who wound up leaving us in the dust (Franny and Darko). There always is the chance of a trade for our expiring contracts, so we still have hope. This is a shame too since Rashard Lewis' arrival will most likely be a bittersweet affair. I think he will elevate himself to one of the best with the pairing of Dwight Howard and he deserves better, but sometimes fate...well, she's a bitch.

ESPN Reporting the Magic and Sonics Agree On A Sign And Trade/New Updated Website Logo

2007-07-11T00:07:00.001-04:00

This photo at right is definitely what I would like to call wishful thinking.

ESPN is reporting that the Magic and Sonics have agreed on a sign and trade.

Lewis' agent, Tony Dutt, was at the camp Monday, finalizing the negotiations
with the Magic. Lewis is expected in town Wednesday, the first day that free
agents can sign contracts, to ink a six-year megadeal with the Magic.Orlando has
agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with the Seattle SuperSonics that will allow
Lewis to make $126.4 million over the next six seasons, according to NBA sources
who requested anonymity. The Magic will send back a second-round pick to the
Sonics.With the 2007-08 salary cap set Tuesday night at $56.63 million, Lewis'
first-year salary with the Magic will be $16.68 million -- the maximum allowable
for a player with nine years of NBA experience. From there, he'll get 10.5
percent annual raises. That will take the deal to a mind-boggling $25.2 million
for the 2012-13 season.

That is just a mind boggling contract, but if it gets us wins I am all for it. Not sure who the other players involved in the trade are, but I am hoping this mirrors the rumors of Lewis/Watson for Dooling/Arroyo/Garrity/2nd Rounder. It would be good to have some capspace to get another post player and Watson would be a great backup.

More news as it develops.

In the meantime, everyone please bask in the glory that is the new Black and Blue website logo! It was created by a loyal reader of the site, Nathan Rule, who took the pre-existing logo I created and beefed it up. With the readership growing exponentially as of late, Nathan's update is well timed and extremely appreciated. Thanks again to Nathan and to all you readers that are helping this site grow as quickly as it is.

Pack Your Bags, Victory Cigar. Darko Gone Officially Says Otis Smith/Magic Looking To Extend Nelson?

2007-07-10T19:36:00.000-04:00

Most of us figured it was the case, but Otis made it official with this sentence:

"We've moved on and Darko's moved on,"

Sounds as if we have seen the last of the human victory cigar. The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that the Magic are refocusing their efforts on getting an extension for Jameer Nelson and expect to SIGN Rashard Lewis on Wednesday. I say SIGN in big letters to emphasize that it appears no sign and trade is immenent and this would spell the end of the Magic's free agency (unless we can trade some pieces, which would be difficult).

Giving Jameer Nelson an extension appears to be a consolation move to the core, especially with how much his play was scrutinized last season. Don't get me wrong, I think he can bounce back...but I think it is safe to say many of us had higher hopes than landing one player this offseason and losing another.

I am not really upset at all about Darko leaving, and I'm not at all upset that we spent the first rounder on him (these things happen)...what I am a bit worried about though is our depth in the post positions. Right now we have Dwight Howard, Tony Battie and...nothing. Meanwhile we are loaded with guards and small forwards that are seemingly untradable. If we are unable to sign a big man, who will fill that void down low (insert 'Ron Jeremy filling the void' joke here)?

Day 4! Who Do You Want To Crown Champ?
	Erin
	Jane

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Day 3! Who Do You Want To Crown Champ?
	Erin
	Jane

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Day 2! Who Do You Want To Crown Champ?
	Erin
	Jane

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Who Do You Want To Crown Champion?
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Part Two! Who Do You Prefer?
	April
	Erin

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Who Do You Prefer?
	Kristina
	Lisa
	Megan

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Who Do You Prefer?
	Cherie
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