3QC is J.J.'s website. I just write on it.
File photo by Thearon Henderson, Getty Images

Remember when I linked to Mavs Moneyball's comprehensive rundown of the Jason Kidd trade? Well, I'm trying my hand at similarly covering J.J. Redick's season. 3QC user Brutalfacts wrote in this comment that he's "sick and tired of JJ, JJ talk, JJ speculation, discussion of JJ's future, JJ's whining about his 'role' and at this point just about everything JJ related." Sorry, Brutalfacts.

Note that some of the links in the 3QC stories below may have rotted. John Denton's forum automatically deletes threads after a certain amount of time has elapsed; ditto with the Orlando Sentinel's stories.

And without further ado...

• 9 July 2007: In his first-ever Summer League game, J.J. Redick scores 30 points on 7-of-18 shooting.
• 23 Oct 2007: The Magic pick up the third- and fourth-year options on Redick's contract.
• 28 Nov 2007 - 2 Dec 2007 - Over a three-game stretch during which the Magic go 2-1, Redick scores 27 points (10-of-15 FGs) in 41 minutes:
  • 28 Nov: Orlando Magic 110, Seattle SuperSonics 94
  • 30 Nov: Phoenix Suns 110, Orlando Magic 106
  • 3 Dec: Orlando Magic 104, Los Angeles Lakers 97
• 5 Jan 2008 - John Denton thinks Golden State Warriors may be interested in trading for J.J. and either Carlos Arroyo or Keyon Dooling.
• 9 Jan 2008 - Magic General Manager Otis Smith tells the Orlando Sentinel he's gotten some calls inquiring about the availability Redick in possible trades.
• 29 Jan 2008 - Smith says he won't trade J.J.
• 7 Feb 2008 - Denton gets a rare glimpse into Magic practice and reports that J.J. Redick was incredible, scoring 14 of his team's 16 points during one scrimmage.
• 29 Feb 2008 - Tim Povtak reports Redick will go back to the end of the bench, despite playing 16 minutes in a loss at Philadelphia.
• 4 Mar 2008 - Povtak reports J.J. may get to play 'significant minutes' in that night's game against the Raptors due to injuries to Keyon Dooling and Keith Bogans.
• 4 Mar 2008 - After the Magic's 102-87 victory over the Raptors, Redick, who did not play, tells Jon Hirozawa of Central Florida News 13 that he doesn't expect to be in Orlando very long.
• 5 Mar 2008 - Redick writes on his blog that he won't answer any more questions about playing time.

So, what do you guys think about J.J.? Does he deserve a spot in the rotation? Does he have a future with this team? Did Otis Smith make a mistake in drafting him? Make yourself heard in the comments.

• Don't read too deeply into J.J. Redick's extended playing time Wednesday against Philadelphia. Tim Povtak writes in today's Magic Beat that Redick will likely return to the end of the bench:

  "It was not any grand plan. We were just searching," said Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy, when asked about Redick's rare appearance. "The guys who had been playing weren't playing great anyway, so then you give somebody else a chance. You give some minutes to J.J."

  I'm disappointed, but not surprised. Towards the end of Sunday's blowout win over the Kings, some fans in attendance began clamoring for Van Gundy to play J.J., most notably while Dwight Howard split a pair of free throws to give the Magic a 101-81 lead. Van Gundy pointed toward the Magic bench, and up sprang Pat Garrity, Adonal Foyle, and Maurice Evans, set to check in on the next stoppage in play. After seeing that Redick was not one of the players set to enter the game, a few fans booed Van Gundy. Less than a minute of game-time later, Keith Bogans drilled a three-pointer from the right corner and looked back at the Magic bench, as if to say, "Don't take me out, coach!" Rashard Lewis fouled Shelden Williams on the Kings' next possession, and it was only after that timeout that Van Gundy subbed Redick in for Bogans. I'm not sure what changed his mind, but it initially appeared as though Stan the Man would be content with keeping his unhappy, talented, hardworking shooting guard on the bench in a 20-point blowout victory. And I thought Brian Hill's rotation was tough to crack.

• In the same Magic Beat article, Povtak quotes Van Gundy on Jameer Nelson:

  "Jameer is our guy [....] We're going to stick with him."

  Sounds good to me, although he's going to need to score more than 7.5 points per game -- as is his average over his last four games -- to justify the contract extension he signed before tipoff opening night.

• Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo!'s Ball Don't Lie has a transcript of the Magic's most recent "players-only" meeting. I had no idea that Dwight Howard was a Dora the Explorer aficionado, but it makes sense.
• SLAM's Michael Tillery chatted with Rashard Lewis briefly after the Magic's loss to the 76ers Wednesday night. The comments section is also worth reading.
• If Keyon Dooling can't play on Saturday, Carlos Arroyo will get his minutes as the Magic's backup point guard. It'll be Latin Night at Amway Arena, so he's sure to get a rousing ovation when if he checks in. I hope Stan finds some time for him, even if Dooling is healthy
• If you want to find an NBA player having a meal, your best bet is the Cheesecake Factory, says TrueHoop's Henry Abbott. P.F. Chang's is also a popular restaurant among the professional ballplaying fraternity. The Winter Park Village, as Central Florida residents are well aware, boasts both a Cheesecake Factory and a P.F. Chang's. I've never seen a Magic player at the Cheesecake Factory, but a friend once told me he saw Tracy McGrady at The Loop when McGrady played for the Magic.
• Must-see TV tonight as the Utah Jazz visit the New Orleans Hornets. Tipoff's at 8:00 PM on ESPN. Watch the duel between Chris Paul and Deron Williams, the league's best young point guards, and try not to weep when Paul throws filthy passes like this one to Tyson Chandler in transition. If the Magic had a guy like that, we'd be unstoppable.

From Tim Povtak's recap of last night's embarrassing 101-89 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers:

"We just didn't bring it tonight," said point guard Jameer Nelson.

That just about does it. For good measure, let's go to Yahoo!'s Kelly Dwyer:

The Magic came out completely unprepared to compete against a 76ers team that they clearly thought was beneath them, and allowed the Sixer shooters to throw in 33 first quarter points. By the time Orlando started caring defensively, the shots stopped falling. Orlando was +7 in the second half, but all that did was make this blowout appear closer than it was.

Let's look at some numbers:

• 1: Magic players to shoot better than 50% from the field. Keith Bogans was 5-of-7. Congratulations, Keith.
• 52: Combined points from the 76ers' starting backcourt of Andre Miller and Willie Green.
• 2: Combined points from the Magic's starting backcourt of Jameer Nelson and Maurice Evans.
• 20: Magic turnovers this evening, the most since a 96-93 victory over Boston last month.

I understand these "letdown games" happen to everyone -- Hell, even the Pistons lost to the Knicks earlier this year -- but they shouldn't happen to us as often as they do. Remember versus Atlanta? Versus Memphis? How about at Charlotte?

Shameful. As Mike From Illinois points out at Orlando Magic Blog, the Magic finished February with a 2-4 record against teams currently above .500. And we're supposed to make it out of the second first round how, exactly?

	vs.
25-32		37-22
Wachovia Center
7:00 PM
FSN Florida
Probable starters:
Andre Miller	PG	Jameer Nelson
Willie Green	SG	Maurice Evans
Andre Iguodala	SF	Hedo Turkoglu
Thaddeus Young	PF	Rashard Lewis
Samuel Dalembert	C	Dwight Howard

I'm really sick of playing Philadelphia. We've played the 76ers twice already this month, including one game just five days ago. Tim Povtak noted the 76ers' inability to win if their opponent scores more than 100 points. They're just 1-19 when that happens this season. Philadelphia just isn't equipped to outgun anybody, especially since trading three-point assassin Kyle Korver to Utah. Surprisingly, the 76ers do have an above-average defense; they rank eighth in the league in defensive efficiency.

Hopefully, Jameer Nelson will get back on track tonight. He's scored 10 points in 50 minutes over the last two games, shooting just 3-of-16 in that span. In the first game against Philadelphia this season, which marked the first time he played in his hometown since his father's unexpected death, Jameer played only 7 minutes. He was probably rattled a bit. Let's see if he's recovered enough. Luckily, we have Keyon Dooling available to back him up. He's en fuego lately and clearly our best bench player.

The tip is at 7:00. Go Magic.

UPDATE: Happy 24th birthday, James Augustine!

UPDATE 2: The Philadelphia Daily News reports that Samuel Dalembert may be unable to play for the 76ers tonight due to some nagging injuries. Calvin Booth may start in his place. Don't laugh, though; Booth did a commendable job guarding Dwight the other night, and he's a veteran type who can draw offensive fouls. (HT: Hardwood Paroxysm.)