fast eds blog-orlando magic ramblings

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2008-02-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

test

DARK DAYS TO COME?

2006-10-07T15:30:00.001-07:00

Brian Hills recent comment about Tony Battie starting and Darko coming off the bench and having to earn his playing time is downright stupid. Battie is a fine role player who should be coming off the bench. Hasn't Darko shown enough from last season, and his excellent international play this summer to warrant a starting spot on this team until and unless he shows otherwise? All players want to start, and for those who think it doesn't matter as long as he gets his minutes, they're wrong. The more minutes he plays with the starters will make life that much easier for both him and the other four players. Let's hope we don't fall that much behind the rest of the conference waiting for the coach to come to his senses!

DARK DAYS TO COME?

2006-10-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

Even Steven?

2006-07-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

With respect to the Magics' decision to let Deshawn move on and sign back Keith Bogans, Otis Smith has picked up an equal talent at a much better price. This was a smart move in my opinion.

HOORAY FOR JJ !

2006-06-29T06:02:00.000-07:00

In my humble opinion, there were four potentially great picks in last nights N.B.A. draft. The fact that the Magic were able to snare one of them, JJ Reddick, at pick #11, makes last night a success in my mind. The other players that stood out to me were Tyrus Thomas, Adam Morrison, and Rudy Gay. Of course, this whole draft was pretty much a crap shoot and who knows for sure? I don't know much about Augustine, or the guy from Israel, and I guess one could make a case that we could have taken someone like Pittsnogle or Washington in the second round, but I believe the Magic made the right choice with JJ.

THE BIG FOUR

2006-03-19T05:45:00.000-08:00

In my humble opinion, and after silently watching this team since the trades, I feel the Magic have four players to build around. Dwight, Darko, Jameer and Carlos. Everyone else should be replaced as circumstances permit. Like just about everyone, I love the Darko deal, but i'm not convinced that Steve needed to be moved for Pennys' contract. The cap room is nice, but I think we could have done better by waiting till the summer.

INSULTED, PARANOID? AND PI$$ED OFF!

2006-01-04T03:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, after returning to work from the holidays, I noticed the latest issue of Magic magazine in my stacked up pile of mail. After getting thru the more pressing stuff, I picked up the mag and came accross their new"what's on the web" column on pg. 20. Three items piqued my curiosity, computer display settings, rss feed, and message boards and chat rooms. Computer display settings said that if your computer is set at 800x600 pixels you may not be seeing some elements of our site! It went on to suggest changing it to 1024x768. O.k., no problem. The rss feed described as orlandomagic.com's new rss feed (http://www.nba.com/magic/rss.xml) can be typed into your rss reader or directly brought over to your desktop via my yahoo or similar means for the latest Magic updates. O.k., not bad. I've actually had this for some time, although I 've found their updating to lag somewhat. I thought their message boards and chat rooms entry would be most interesting. Actually, when I went to the site I didn't see any message boards or chat rooms link to click on (maybe my pixels are off or it's under construction or something) but I did come accross what appears to be a new blog section (I don't go to the Magics' own site that often, so if it's been there, I must have missed it) recommending a bunch of Magic related blogs that I've never heard of, and probably for good reason. What upsets me is there was no mention of my blog, Magic Ramblings, ( I know for a fact that they are aware of its' existence ) and even if you think that's petty and conceited, they fail to acknowledge other long standing and respected efforts such as Magic Fan and Believing In Magic, as well as some others that I may be forgetting. If you want to see what is being touted,go to http://www.orlandomagic.com. Anyway, that's why I'm insulted. Last time, I re-mentioned that the Magic's P.R. department has someone scan the Magic related fan forums, message boards, and blogs to get the essence of the feelings out in cyber-space. I suggested that even though we had won a few games in a row, I as well as many other forum readers felt that the team shouldn't get too caried away, and that some roster changes still needed to me made to make our team a serious playoff contender. I said keep the pressure on Dave/Otis to get something done. It was pointed out to me that the P.R. guy was probably an un-paid intern.Probably right. I'm probably being paranoid but my Magic account executive hasn't come by my seat to say hello the last couple of home games. We are pretty friendly and he was supposed to be at my company Christmas party. He didn't show up and hasn't called me. This is somewhat unusual. I hope he's o.k. I may want to put my season ticket up for sale ( great first row seat,downstairs,reasonably inexpensive,great bang for the $) or I may feel differently tomorrow. I don't really know. I do know one thing though. If the Magic web site does follow thru with fan forums, message boards or chat rooms (assuming it isn't there already) I wouldn't expect to see any links over to what the team most probably considers the "nuisance", albeit legitimate sites such as ezekielbear, Magic Real G.M. forum, Magic Pride forum, and never to Magic Fan, Believing In Magic, and certainly never to Magic Ramblings!

Don't Be Fooled

2005-12-28T15:35:00.000-08:00

I have been very quiet over the last ten days or so due to the flu, the holidays, and the teams disinterested performances against a variety of opponents. Instead of bloging my disapproval of the Magics' state of affairs, I have been monitering your thoughts as well as the opinions of other Magic fans on a variety of fan forums. Obviously, the overall consensus has been that the make up of the team as presently constituted, is not good enough to make a serious run at the post season, which is what playing these regular season games is all about. Numerous trade scenerios have been proposed,some with a lot of consideration and merit. Last night, as you all know, we beat a pretty good team by a wide margin. Was this game an abberition, or does it signal the beginning of a brighter future? My take on this is that last night we beat a better team. That's it. Nothing has actually changed. Don't be fooled by this event.The Magic need to make some personnel moves to actually have a shot at making the playoffs. You all already have a pretty good idea of what needs to be done. Keep the ranting and raving going if you actually want to see this team make any constructive moves.As I believe I mentioned some time ago, there is someone in the Magic's P.R. department that actually scans the Magic fans sites to take the pulse of our sentiments regarding the team. We need to keep a fire under Dave and Otis' butts if we're ever going to see the type of truly competitive team that Magic fans deserve

WE WIN, WE LOSE, WE IMPRESS!

2005-12-17T07:21:00.000-08:00

After beating the Knicks at M.S.G., and loosing in o.t. in Dallas, it is apparent that Grant Hills' return to the Magic makes us a much improved, more cohesive team. As the other players get more comfortable playing with him, and vise versa, we should become a more competitive and dangerous unit. If we can add one or two more necessary pieces before the trading deadline, we just might have enough to truly become a force to be reckoned with in the eastern conference. It should be interesting to watch what we do now, and how the rest of the season unfolds.

TRADE BAIT

2005-12-11T10:25:00.000-08:00

After watching and digesting last nights victory against Denver, I am beginning to picture the present and future core of this team in two different ways. I think we could go with Steve at point, Deshawn at the shooting guard spot and Dwight at pf/center. The second scenerio would have Jameer at point, Deshawn at shooting guard, and Dwight at pf/center. I have not mentioned Grant Hill because I'm trying to speculate on our future. If we went in the first direction, Nelson, Hill, and Cato could be our trading pieces. If we choose the latter, Francis, Hill, and Cato would become available. You guys are very good at speculating on different trade options, so what do you think we could do if we made either set of players available on the trade market?

THIS TIME IT'S PARGO!

2005-12-08T06:48:00.000-08:00

A seldom used Chicago Bulls player, Jannero Pargo,was instrumental in doing us in at home last night, 102-93. This is not the first time a relatively unknown,unused player has gone off like Kobe against us, nor will it be the last. After winning four in a row, we have now lost five straight. Does anyone besides me think it's time we did a reasonable assesment of our situation? Yes, I know that Grant is almost ready to return, and that will surely improve matters.Even so, it seems to me there are a number of matters that need to be addressed. What about our redundancy and overload at the guard position? What about our need for more athletisism at the swing position? What about center? Cato hardly looks like someone trying to prove something in his contract year. Is Kasun the answer? Should Dwight be moved there, and if so, what about power forward? What about Travis? Is there room for both him and Jameer on this squad? Is Fran really a dead issue? These are just a few burning questions I have, and I'm sure you can come up with more. What do you think?

MAGIC KICKED BY SPURS

2005-12-06T06:48:00.000-08:00

The Spurs beat us 110-85 last night at our house. The final score looks much worse than the game actually was. We were even at half time, and despite Duncan taking the game over in the third quarter, we managed to cut the lead they built down to 7 points before we finally caved in. Pretty much a case of being out maned by a better team. I very much liked the efforts of Deshaun,Jameer and Travis, who all gave outstanding efforts in a losing cause.

WHEN A GUY NAMED DAN.............

2005-12-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

The Bucks beat the Magic by 20 points last night. On a positive note, it was good to get to see Travis play a little last night. If only he and Jameer were a little bigger, what a dynamic backcourt these two guys would give us. On the negative note, when a guy named Dan whatever it is can walk thru your defense and pretty much score at will, it exposes a major problem with that defense. As far as I can see, the only guy playing good defense is Deshawn Stevenson. Contrary to what you would expect from looking at our defense ranking #2 in the league before last nights game, it is looking more and more like that distinction is based a lot more on our use the whole clock up offense rather than good defense. If you have any additional interest in this topic, please go back about half a dozen posts or so to "time to stop pretending" and look that over.

A QUICK MESSAGE TO DWIGHT

2005-12-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

Hey Dwight: Stop worrying so much about your offense, and just concentrate on defense, rebounding and shot blocking.Whatever offensive capabilities you are destined to acquire in the N.B.A. will evolve over time. You have the potential right now to lead this league in both rebounding and shot blocking, as well as becoming a formidable overall defensive player. Don't worry about scoring a lot of points, or becoming an heir apparent to K.G. Think more in terms of Bill Russell or Ben Wallace. The sooner you develop this mindset and take away the pressure of contributing more to your team on offense, the happier and better off both you and the Magic will be,

SOME GOOD STUFF

2005-11-30T05:57:00.000-08:00

O.K., so the boys lost to the Bulls last night 85-76. So what? Four games in five nights isn't easy. They were fine until a 20-3 Bulls run sapped their energy and enthusiasm. No big deal. Everyone loses eventually. I'm feeling much better about our team lately. Winning some games helped out, but I think I'm adjusting and accepting what our reality actually is. The Orlando Magic braintrust has decided, either rightly or wrongly, that they've spent sufficient time and money on upgrading personnel, and that the present group is talented enough to make a serious playoff run. Only time and patience will tell. Brian Hill was given this group and told to WIN. I've come to realize that under these circumstances, he's doing a masterful job. I suspect that if given his "druthers", coach Hill, who is from my generation, would probably prefer coaching and watching a more open and artful game. But given the cards he was dealt, and I mean that in a good way, this style of play does assure us of being competitive in most games. Hell, were five hundred without G.Hill. Not too shabby. The future doesn't look all that bad now, given what i've come to accept. If we were going to make something happen, it probably would have happened already. So be it. Let's move on and have a good season. P.S.------ the backcourt should be Steve and G.Hill, Hedo is the perfect 6th man and Jameer should continue coming off the bench. Let Catos' contract expire or move him. Keep Dwight in the 4 spot, Let Tony continue playing the 3 until something better comes along. Start Kasun at center a.s.a.p., either we have something there or we don't. It's time to find out!

MAGIC WIN AGAIN 87-83

2005-11-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

In our first win in Boston in a long time, the Magic bested the Celtics 87-83, and started their current road trip with their fourth straight victory. Steve Francis led our gang with 19 points in a reasonably competitive game that wasn't decided until the last seconds of the game. All in all, a road victory against a team that had beaten us seven straight times in their house, is quite impressive.

UGLY WIN BETTER THAN PRETTY LOSS

2005-11-27T06:32:00.000-08:00

In what amounted to a schoolyard pickup basketball game we chilled the Heat 80-77 last night at T.D. To say this game wasn't pretty, would be ba gross understatement. For apprximately 47 out of 48 minutes, we led them by somewhere between 7 ti 12 points, in a game with no rythem, cohesiveness or much excitement. For most of the contest around twenty or so Heat fans in section 108r were able to dictate much of the sound effects with their pathetic yet effective "lets go Heat" chants in front of a mostly unenthused home crowd. Then, in the latter stages of the 4th quarter, the Heat made the customary "run" at us and the game got more exciting. Keep in mind that for most of the game, no matter how poorly we played, Miami played worse and did everyting they could to giftwrap the game for us. Even the vaulted mr. Wade played like mr. Roberts, or Tyron Lue take your choice. Thankfully,it all worked out for us in the end, as we held off their charge with nifty foul shooting, good defense, hustle, and a good break. Even the fans (considerably short of a sell out crowd-I don't know why) rose up and delivered some boisterous approval at the end of the game. Also, one of the Magic assistant coaches pointed out to our mascot Stuff where that group of Heat fans were sitting and he went over there and squirted them with that "goo" he carries around. Alls well that ends well, right? Of course, right! I only wish the teams would get back to playing a more open exciting style of play.

TURKEYS' HEDO DELIVERS

2005-11-24T08:28:00.000-08:00

In a fitting pre-Holiday performance, the man nicknamed "Turk" from Turkey helped the Magic defrock the Wizards 91-83 at T.D. last night Hedo scored 23 points to lead a very balanced scoring attack. So, how does a team with Steve out, and Dwight being pretty much a non factor, partially due to foul trouble,manage to basically dominate a superior team? Simple.......everyone stepped up their effort. In a game that saw excellent ball movement and decision making, Tony,Jameer,Deshawn and Keyon all scored in double figures. Instead of caving in as the game wound down, they all stepped it up and then let the clock help to put the Wiz away. Their squad was obviously tired from a difficult game last night. A combination of this factor and some pretty good defense from Deshawn and Keyon on Gilbert Arenas, helped make Gilberts 19 points a non issue. No one had an answer for Jamison who hit for 25 points but the fact is we did everything that was necessary to prevail. Watching their effort from courtside, I was very proud of their inspired play. While I've been quick to critisise some things this season (mostly Mgmt.) I can't say enough good things about last nights effort. Maybe playing without Srevie, and for all practical purposes, Dwight, will turn out to be a blessing in disguise for this team.

TIME TO STOP PRETENDING !

2005-11-20T08:18:00.000-08:00

No blog entry today. Tired of basically writing the same thing over and over. What ever happened to "we must protect this house". When a team like homeless Hornets can come into your place and beat you, something is wrong. When a player like David West can torch our so called improved defense for 34 points, something is wrong. With our new offensive statergy geared to more controlled play, thus using more clock and keeping the scoring down, how come the Cavs and especially the Hornets, seem to be scoring almost at will? It's time to face up to the fact that we're not what we pretend to be. We need more firepower on offense just to keep up with the mediocore teams. Can anyone truly say they like what they're seeing? Last season at this time there was a whole lot more to be optimistic about. The team had a winning record, we were a scoring machine, our defense was the same as it is now,but so what!Optimism was running rampant. Then along went Cutino, and along came the so called defensive specialists, Mr.& mrs. Christie. Nuff said. Season over! Call me an un-true fan or whatever you want to, but I am willing to admit that I'm not especially looking forward to watching this team as presently constituted for another 70 or so games. Fast Ed.

THE BAD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

2005-11-18T19:17:00.000-08:00

The Cavs blew by the Magic tonight at their place 102-84. I can't think of one good thing to say about our boys' performance. There wasn't any good. They seemed to be playing at 78 r.p.m. while we were moving at 33 1/3. It was a sad performance, especially in one of our extremely rare appearances on national television. This is our equivalent of Monday Night Football! It was bad.....real bad. It was so ugly that I wanted to fast forward to the Rockets-Pistons game, if only it was possible. ESPN will probably want to re-book us again, about when Shaq buys the team and installs himself as player-coach, G.M., and halftime entertainer. Some people will say if you can't say anything good, say nothing at all. I say we are probably at least 2 or 3 players away from being a consistantly competitive team in what has become a much more competitive division. That's not to say that we won't be better with Grant back, because we will. But if we have any designs on playing on a par with the more talented teams, we will need to be prepared to make some moves.

WHAT THE MAGIC NEED TO DO

2005-11-18T06:45:00.000-08:00

If our management has any intention of getting the Magic to the "promised land" and for now lets simply call that a viable playoff slot, they need to do some of the following. Dwight needs a compatable big man to grow and mature with. It doesn't matter to me whether the Magic call him power forward or center, to properly compliment him we need to get younger and more athletic in the front court. Cato is not our future. Mario is seven feet of question mark. Hedo is suited to come off the bench, and will be doing so as soon as Grant returns. Grant will help of course, but as good as he may still be, we would be foolish to count heavily on him for the future. Tony is a solid guy coming off the bench, but that's it. Stacey should have retired a couple of years ago. Anyway, we appear to have the necessary pieces in the back court, a combo of vets ( stevie ) and younger athletes ( Deshawn, Keyon, Jameer, Travis ). The front court needs work. Dwight and the "beloved" Fran might have been interesting. Dwight and Sean May could have worked. Dwight and Granger would have been fine. Nene's injury will surely heal. How about the two of them maturing together? Maybe a Dwight and Carlos B. combo ( out for a month ) might be something to look at? D-12 and Darius would not be terrible. In any case, an upgrade up front needs to happen if we want to get to the next level.

FROM COURTSIDE 4

2005-11-16T06:21:00.000-08:00

The Magic beat the Bobcats 85-77 last night at T.D. Waterhouse. It was a game that saw numerous momentum switches and therefore, frequent lead changes. The contest remained fairly close until we were able to assert our overall superority in the fourth quarter. D-12 led the way with 21 points and 20 rebounds, his second really outstanding effort in a row. Jameer Nelson was the sparkplug in the fourth period, pouring in 13 points. Tony Battie had a nice effort, going off for a small double-double. Stevie and Deshawn also managed double figures. All in all, a nice little victory against this expansion team which has played us well. For the Cats, Keith Bogans played well, especially in the first half. Emeka was pretty much a non factor, as he got into foul trouble early and didn't recover. I liked what I saw of Shaun May. He knows how to use his girth for getting in the proper position, and obviously would have been a wiser pick for us in the draft. So far this season we've beaten the inferior teams and lost to better teams personnel wise. This has been the case, both home and away. There have been no surprise results so far, and as a knowledgable fan, knowing the personnel on our team and the teams we've played to date, wouldn't our predictions have matched our record? It all makes sense so far.

FROM COURTSIDE 3

2005-11-14T06:25:00.000-08:00

The Magic lost to the Cavs in o.t. last night 108-100, in what this writer thinks may turn out to be their best game of the season so far.How can a loss be that good? Here is what I saw from "courtside" last night. Both teams played reasonably well in the first quarter,which ended with the Cavs up by a couple of points in what has become a typical low scoring quarter. Both teams played pretty much the same way in the second period, except our guys became sloppy and commited something like 11 turnovers. At about the five minute mark I remember thinking that it would be a very long night and we would be lucky to score 35 points by halftime. When the "dust" cleared at halftime, we were down by seventeen points and our chances of winning this game were somewhere between slim and forget about it. So what did we do differently in the second half to overcome this deficit and actually take a 3 point lead with only seconds left in the game? We started running more which opened up our "princeton" style offense and enabled us to get back into this game! An additional benefit was what appeared to be the metamorphisis of Dwight Howard. I have never seen Dwight play a better game of basketball than he did in the second half last night. It's not that he scored 21 points, it's the way he scored them! Sure,he had his usual couple of power dunks, but he also scored with short range jumpers, baby hooks, both left and right handed, and some very nifty off the glass moves to the basket. The close to sell out crowed really enjoyed and got into this team as soon as the tempo picked up. It reminded me of the way it felt to be there before we brought the Christies to town last season. In any case, even though I felt Stevies' final shot in regulation time was ill advised, and the Cavs regained the momentum in o.t.,this loss could become a watershed type situation if we learn something from it. I, like you, hate loosing, but saw enough good things happen in the second half to remain optomistic.

RANDOM RAMBLINGS

2005-11-11T06:03:00.000-08:00

Brian Hills' grind it out offense should continue to be successful against the weaker teams, the stronger teams won't have many problems countering it. It will be interesting to see how Keyon and Grant will fit into this style when they get back. Steve is showing everyone that he wants to be a smarter player and will do whatever is asked of him. It's been pretty obvious that we are more successful when he's playing off his natural instincts. The coaching staff needs to spend as much time as necessary with Dwight working on his short to moderate range shooting, low post moves and foul shooting if they want him to be all that he can be. Hanging out by the basket and trying to dunk all the time can only get you so far in this league unless your name is Shaq. No proof yet, but I believe picking up Dooling.who may return on Sunday shoul turn out to be one of the Magics' better aquisitions. Keyon came cheaply by todays' standards and will amp up both the offense and defense. Getting Bo back was another good move. His positive attitude and non stop hustle is infectious. Everyone is anticipating Cato having a good year since he's in his final year of his contract, but we all may be wrong. Even if he puts up decent numbers this year, would the Magic want to offer him the necessary six to nine million to re -sign him next season? I can't see that happening! The future is D-12 and whoever we choose to play alongside him. We should be looking to unload this expiring contract for a younger player that can be groomed along with Dwight. I truly believe that Pat Garrity and Stacey Augmon (when and if he returns) have outlived their usefullness to this team and we should be looking to improve at these spots. Other teams fearing pat's deadly 3 point shooting and thus spreading out their defense is way overhyped. Plasticmans'moves to the basket and vaulted defensive skills are a memory, not a fact.

TWO IN A ROW

2005-11-10T05:54:00.000-08:00

High fives for our guys all the way around. Winning last night against the Hornets 88-83, we won our second game in a row on consecutive nights, at the other guys house. Very nice job. Stevie, again playing with a little less restraint, yet within "guidelines", threw in 24 points. Dwight also seemed to be a little more comfortable, and contributed another double/double. Our new offense is designed to keep the scoring down, and the Magic in position to still be around at games end with an opportunity to win. From an entertainment prospective, watching the first forty five minutes of these forty eight minute games is boring as hell. It's certainly a whole lot better for the team and the fans when you win this type of contest. Go Magic!

HOORAY

2005-11-09T05:24:00.000-08:00

Winning on your opponents home court is always a good thing.The Magic crushed the Houston Rockets 76-74 at their house last night. Psycologically speaking, getting their first win should ease things and hopefully loosen our guys up. Kudos to Stevie who scored 27 points in a homecoming performance that was a little more like the Steve Francis the fans have come to expect. Jameer Nelsons' 10 points in the fourth quarter was also a highlight. On the flip side, watching these two teams play their lousy "princeton" type offences is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Both squads shot 37% from the field. of course, T-mac and G-hill would have made it a little better game to watch. For Houstons' sake I hope they're not paying Yao Ming by the inch because he rebounded like a guy about the size of Jameer Nelson. Anyway, that's their problem. The Magic chatrooms are buzzing with speculation on players like Carlos Boozer and even K.G. becoming available. As previously mentioned, D. Miles, T. Ratliff, And an injured Nene are also out there. While this stuff is fun to speculate on, it seldom has much chance of actually happening. Even so, I call on our front office to explore any and all scenerios that could make us a better team. This is and must always be their main objective.

MAGIC LOSE AGAIN

2005-11-05T18:59:00.000-08:00

Just got done watching our guys lose to the Wiz 87-79. Considering the fact that this was a back to back and an away game to boot, I thought we did well just to be competitive for most of the game. I won't dwell on the poor shooting percentage, but do want to make my observations ( which many of you should be seeing by now ) known. Stevie is trying to play more within himself, and doing a nice job. Unfortunatly, the old Stevie who played with warrior instincts and reckless abandon was a big part of our prior success. Also, with this slowed down offense, Dwights shortcomings ( somewhat understandable at this point ) have become a lot more visable. Lets face facts. This kid will develop into a very good N.B.A. big at some point down the road, but at this point he has no back to the basket game or anything resembling an accurate jumpshot. If dunking was illegal, his offense would be non existant. Don't get me wrong, this is a great kid with a definite future, but all of the previous comparisons with K.G. and Amare are rediculous. A fairer comparison would be his progress vs. Okafor. I see Dwight as shouldering the burden placed on him by a front office that made a very bad draft day decision, and then felt no need to try to make upgrades in personnel. When you finish the prior season out of playoff contention, how do you justify standing pat? All of the teams that finished in front of us last season decided to try and upgrade their squads! The current Magic front office is fortunate that the fans here are generally a pretty docile group. Our former G.M. , even though he helped allianate Tracy and brought the abominable Christies to town, at least was a balsey guy who didn't take any crap and wasn't afraid to make a bold move when necessary. This team needs some upgrading or it's going to be a very long season. Dave and Otis, are you out there somewhere?

FROM COURTSIDE 2

2005-11-05T06:01:00.000-08:00

The boys lost to the Griz last night 94-85. We played hard, Brian coached well, but same result, we lose. Steve is under control and playing a smarter game. DeShawn is looking pretty good and Dwight can dunk the ball. That's pretty much what we have going for us at the moment. We can make a case that the lack of 3 point shooting was the cause of our demise last night. Wednesday night it was lack of points in the paint. Tonight, if we lose to the Wizards in what amounts to a back to back away game, the excuse for loosing would be obvious.The way I see it, we are simply losing to better teams. When we get Grant, Keyon and Mario back we will be better and probably start winning some games like last nights. The better teams,and there are lots of them, will be a different story. Team management has told us that we have made more than enough personnel moves to be competitive and that it's time to let this group develop and gel. I feel that we are 2 or 3 personnel moves short of being a good team. I hope they're right!

FROM COURTSIDE

2005-11-03T06:26:00.000-08:00

Our first game is now history. Final score Pacers 90, Magic 78. My friend Curt kept updating me with copies of the official scorers report so I could inundate you with everyones statistics, shooting percentages, etc. but it the end it really isn't necessary. It will surfice to say the Magic didn't really have any "high" scorers or rebounders. We hung around with the Pacers for most of the evening, but couldn't make a serious run at them.The Pacers were there to be had, we just weren't able to do it. Simple as that. The one statistic that does tell the story is points in the paint. Pacers 38, Magic 22 (calculated midway thru the 4th quarter). De shaun and Hedo looked pretty good. Stevie appeared to play under a little more control, and Tony Battie looked o.k. Dwight looked good on one series and bad on the next one. Our boy is still learning the ropes. Jameer provided a little spurt in the 4th quarter. Cato and Garrity showed very little. Bo was a great value p/u for our team, same great hustle as always. Anyway, in the end I still feel we are going to have to try and make a bold move or two if we want to stay competitive with the other teams.

OPENING NIGHT

2005-10-31T16:55:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night I will be at T.D. Waterhouse center for the opening night festivities. I am going to try to be very optimistic and supportive of our Magic team, even though I am highly skeptical of our chances this season. Many of our opponents have made great strides in improving their teams, while we have basically decided to pretty much take our chances with the players that finished last season. Couple that fact with our screwed up first round draft selection,and you get a recipe for a mediocre season. I'm still hopeful that we can pick up a power forward to grow with Dwight. We also need to clarify our guard rotation. I will let you know my thoughts after we take on a very good team in the Pacers.

DO IT NOW!

2005-10-30T12:20:00.000-08:00

A recent report had us turning down a deal for Jamaal Magloire for Hedo and an unconditional #1 next year. Even though I have called for Orlando to explore dealing for him as well as Nene, Miles and Ratliff, the above deal would have been a hard deal to swallow, but one I would have countered on. It would have been nice to set our frontcourt for years to come. Anyway, the Bucks hit paydirt on that one. Lets go after Nene Hillario with as much zest and cunning as we can muster. He playing alongside Dwight would be the next best thing to hope for. With a move like this, we can exorcise the ghost of Fran Vasquez, and stop counting so much on Grant, who is an extremely nice guy and a very good player when healthy, but certainly not the FUTURE of our team.

1 DOWN- 3 TO GO

2005-10-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Within hours of my last post,the Bucks picked up Jamaal Magloire.That still leaves Nene, Theo, and Darius still to be had.The Magic could have realy used Magloire last night against the Heat.Next pick should be Nene, who would look quite good playing alongside Dwight, but I wonder if our management team has the kahunas to pull off such a bold,aggressive move. Hey guys, if last nights game is any indication of what this season is going to look like [ And I believe it may very well be] we need to make a move N-O-W!

Magic should make move now

2005-10-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

With Grant Hill looking very tenuous and the ultimate inevibility of moving the growing [ 7'-270 lb.] Dwight Howard to the center position where his style of play is better suited, why not make a move now? Kelvin Cato is in his contract year and will probably have a pretty good season, but does anyone really think the Magic are going to invest somewhere between 7 to 9 million a year to re-sign him? With mario around and improving, no way Jose! Word on the street has it that Nene, Jamaal Magloire, Darius Miles and Theo Ratliff could all be available via trade. Why not shoot for a stud like one of the above to insert at power forward and move D-12 over now! We probably are going to be shooting for a 6th thru 8th Eastern conference playoff spot this season anyway, so why not plan for the future right now? If the Magic were to become a little more creative, they could have a legitimate shot at doing this by moving Catos' expiring contract and throwing in a Garrity and or a draft pick. If we would stike a deal like this now, we could have the pleasure of watching someone like Nene, or D.Miles developing along with Dwight!

A win is a win

2005-10-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Magic Squeeked by Memphis last night 67-65, in a horrendous shooting exhibition by both teams. Pat Garrity hit the game winner with time running out on the game clock. Not much else needs to be said, other than sometimes you win ugly and sometimes you lose ugly. Winning is better.

Magic win by five- missing five

2005-10-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

Our guys bested the Hawks last night 100-95. Dwight scored 18 points in the first half in a very nice effort. That's the good news. Currently there are at least five players who are nursing assorted injuries, and it's unclear when they will return to action. Grant Hill, Deshawn Stevenson, Mario Kasun, Steve Francis and Hedo are all hurting. That's the flip side and with the season opener looming on Nov.2nd, lets hope these guys will be back and ready to contribute.

Right place- Right time

2005-10-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

As I predicted in an earlier post, small forward Terrance Morris has made the opening night roster of the Magic. Morris was in the fortunate position of playing well at the right time, and will be good replacement for Stacey Augmon, who is recuperating from surgery. With any luck, he should prove to be a younger,more dynamic and less costly alternative to a player who is well past his prime.

One and one

2005-10-20T05:55:00.000-07:00

O.k. So the Magic lost to the Heat in Miami, and defeated Macabbi Tel Aviv at home. Does that tell us anything? Well, our boys have looked pretty competitive thus far in the pre-season. Defensive intensity and overall hustle seems to be improving too. Brian Hill appears to have them heading in the right direction. Dwight has made progress, Stevenson looks more directed, Keyon has looked good, and Bo and the bench guys are playing well. I just wish the team had decided to draft a Granger, May, or Warrick instead of wasting it on Fran. For instance, picking Granger or Warrick might have allowed a shift of Dwight to the center position where I believe he will eventually will feel most comfortable. As good as he seems to be becoming, I just feel his more natural spot to be at center, like Amare in Phoenix. Having said that, I still like what i'm seeing so far, and i'm starting to get excited about the start of the season.

Next Two Games

2005-10-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

Tonights' game against the Heat will have the star power but tomorrow nights game against Maccabi Tel Aviv is more significant. Both the Magic and the Heat are using the pre-season games the right way by getting their players in game shape, working on execution, and evaluating the players. Wins and losses in pre-season don't mean squat. The Israeli team is a horse of another color and may provide the Magic with the best overall test. International teams play a different style of basketball, concentrating more on defense and basic fundamentals than most N.B.A. teams do. This test should be important because for the Magic to have success this year they will need to play better defense and be more fundamentally sound. Winning the game means a whole lot to the Israeli team, and will give the fans a good indicator on where we stand.

MAGIC SWAT HORNETS

2005-10-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

The Magic beat the Hornets 101-93 last night in Tampa. D-12 led the scoring with 19 points. Jameer,keyon,Hedo,Stevenson & Bo also made significant contributions. As alluded to in my last post, Bo has shown enough for the Magic to keep him for at least this season. Two on the bubble at this stage are Boom Boom & T. Morris. It will be interesting to see how we hold up against Miami next week.

MAGIC WAIVE TWO

2005-10-15T06:02:00.000-07:00

The Magic made their first two training camp cuts by waiving Felipe Lopez and Matt Freije. Neither player had much of a chance to make the final squad.Deiner and Bo look solid and should stick. All of the other training camp pick-ups are in jeapordy with Boom-Boom and Terrance Morris the final players to keep an eye on.

A LOSS IN HOUSTON

2005-10-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

The Houston Rockets beat us last night 84-80. Back to back away games,even in pre season are tough. Keyon Doolings play at the point should give coach Hill the ability of starting either Keyon at point guard and Steve-o at shooting guard, or Stevie at the point with Stevenson at the 2 spot. Loosing to the Rockets,a team with superior personnel, at their home arena,by four points is nothing to be ashamed of. This game also gave the coach the opportunity to look at some of the newer guys. Other than Dooling, no one distinguished themselves. The main problem so far would seem to be a lack of concentration at the free throw line.

FIRST PRE-SEASON GAME

2005-10-12T06:27:00.000-07:00

The Magic won their opening pre-season game last night besting the Atlanta Hawks 104-93. Six players scored in double figures in a nice effort. The Hawks,one of the leagues worst teams, appear to be a little more dangerous with the addition of free agent Joe Johnson. All in all it is a nice way to start off. Look for our guys to have a much better test tonight against the Houston Rockets with T-Mac & Yao.

DRESS CODE NONSENSE

2005-10-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

Surely the N.B.A. must have more important things to do than institute and enforce their silly new dress code! During the numerous games I have either attended or watched on television, the players out of uniform that were anywhere near the bench always seem to be very well dressed. These guys make a lot of money and do not appear to be hesident to spend a good deal of it on their attire.

NEW SEASON OUTLOOK

2005-10-02T06:09:00.000-07:00

Kelvin Cato will be in his contract year and if he can stay reasonably healthy he should have a decent season. Grant Hill, baring any ankle problems, will be at least as good and possibly a little better than last season.Dwight Howard should and will be more assertive in getting his touches this year.He could blossom into a star this season.Stevie Francis will find a way to score his twenty to thirty points and will be pressed by coach hill to cut down his turnovers.The good will always far outweigh the bad with Steve as he is the Magic's true warrior on the court.The other Guard spot will be decided in training camp competition between Keyon Dooling and Jameer Nelson. The looser in this battle, along with deshawn Stevenson and Travis Deiner will make pretty good back ups.Hedo is an excellent sixth man off the bench.Looking down the bench is difficult at this time. Garrity,Battie,Kasun will probably stick. Bo has a decent chance to stick. The other guys,who knows?

FOUR NEWBIES & BO

2005-09-30T06:05:00.000-07:00

The magic have signed five players to fill out their training camp roster. The only two that would seem to have any chance of being around when the season begins are Bo outlaw or Terrance Morris. Although I would have liked to see them go after Songalia or even Laettner, somehow it does feel good to have Bo back. Nostalgia can make one feel a little better but it's not likely to translate into winning any additional games.

D-12 SEVENTH BEST N.B.A. CENTER?

2005-09-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

According to CBS sports who rank NBA players at their respective positions, our Dwight Howard would project to be the seventh best center in the league this season. They decided to rank him as a center, opposed to a power forward,becaause they anticipate he will spend significant time there. This is significant because the team so far has not picked up a talented enough big to accomodate the move. Does CBS sports know something that we don't know? In any case, the ranking means that if Dwight was to play center, they would rate him above twenty two other starting centers! Pretty significant for a player who hasn't played even one important minute in that position. Major props for mr. Howard even if he remains at his current spot.

CHECK THESE SITES OUT !

2005-09-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

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TO BE OR NOT TO BE AT T.D.?

2005-09-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

That is the question. Yesterday,the Magic had their open house at T.D. waterhouse center. There were autographs,free soft drinks, and some Magic players to chat with. All very nice. Of course the main goal was to sell tickets and there's nothing wrong with that. Do the Magic deserve your hard earned money based on the product they're selling? Have they made a valid attempt to upgrade the team this off season? Some of you [including myself] could probably make a case that the answer is "no". I for one have my season tickets and will faithfully attend the games. I will go because i'm a Magic fan and want to support my team. I intend to continue to write both the good and the bad about this team when warranted. What everyone in this town needs to realize is Orlando is very fortunate to have an n.b.a. team here. The Magic help to make us a major league city. If they were to leave because of poor fan support, it would truly be crime that this town didn't realize the importance of this fact. Lets do all we can to support our team!

MAGIC OLDIES BUT GOODIES?

2005-09-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

There is a piece in the magic real g.m. forums that has Otis Smith saying the team might sign Bo outlaw back. If this is true,i'm into nostalgia as much as the next guy, and Bo was certainly a fan favorite that gave 100%. But if we are looking to bring former players back home,lets raise our sites a little higher. Why not bring back shaq, tracy,chauncy,big ben,cuttino,cory magette etc.,etc.,etc. It's enough to make a grown man cry. Nostalgia is fine, but winning is much better! Lets look ahead for our answers. The future for this team is NOW!!!

2005-09-18T15:47:00.000-07:00

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!......IT WOULD APPEAR AS IF THE MAGIC ARE DONE WHEELING AND DEALING THIS OFF SEASON AND HAVE MADE SO MANY BLOCKBUSTER MOVES I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN.SERIOUSLY,THE ONLY MOVE MADE WAS AQUIRING KEYON DOOLING FROM THE HEAT. I BELIEVE THIS WILL TURN OUT WELL FOR THE MAGIC AS KEYON WILLBRING MUCH ENTHUSIASM AND ENERGY.IF ANY OTHER PLAYERS ARE BROUGHT IN IT WILL MOST LIKELYBE TO FILL IN THE TRAINING CAMP ROSTER AND SUCH PLAYERS WILL HAVE LITTLE OR NO CHANCE TO MAKE THE FINAL ROSTER.