As you may have noticed, Getty removed the pictures which depicted the new uniforms for the Magic, Timberwolves, and Kings from its website. Apologies if you didn't manage to catch them in time.

Onto the news...

• Beyond the Arc, a Grizzlies-centered blog, refutes a recent internet report from an NBA website which stated the Grizzlies and Magic were discussing a trade involving Memphis shipping Javaris Crittenton to Orlando for the rights to Fran Vazquez. Those discussions never took place, according to the Grizzlies' owner, Michael Heisley. If they had, I'd worry for Mr. Heisley's sanity. (HT: Ball Don't Lie)
• In a fairly meaningless Olympic tune-up, Team USA defeated Team Turkey (which played without Hedo Turkoglu or Mehmet Okur), 114-82. Dwight Howard had 14 points (7-of-8 FG) and a game-high 8 boards. Here's the boxscore.
• Orlando Magic Blog examined the players the Magic have lost this summer and raises a good question: who's going to absorb their minutes? Jameer Nelson, Mickael Pietrus, and Anthony Johnson better eat their Wheaties this year, that's for darn sure. Courtney Lee, too.
• After some intensive number-cruncing, The Arbitrarian has created the Model-Estimated Value (MEV), a statistic which seeks to accurately account for each player's value based on his box-score statistics. It's like John Hollinger's PER and Dave Barri's Wins Produced insofar as it sums-up a player's production in a single number. Anyway, this metric rates Dwight Howard as the sixth-most productive player in the league last season, trailing LeBron James, Chris Paul, Amare Stoudemire, Kobe Bryant, and Allen Iverson.

Otherwise, it's quiet on the Magic front. We're still waiting for them to acquire a third point guard and to unveil their new uniforms.

Yesterday, virtually every major basketblog linked to this YouTube video, a modification of the trailer for The Dark Knight in which Kobe Bryant plays Batman and Kevin Garnett plays the Joker. The timing of this video seems strange to me because I started working on this Batman-themed post for this site's Diversions section earlier this week. So, here it is: selected NBA teams compared to Batman villains.

The Detroit Pistons are Two-Face

Billups photo by Michael Conroy, the Associated Press; Two-Face action figure by DC Direct; Wallace photo by M. Spencer Green, the Associated Press

One of comics' most tragic villains, Two-Face was once a celebrated district attorney named Harvey Dent. When crime boss Sal Maroni threw acid on Dent during a trial, it scarred Dent's visage and psyche. Now a man divided between good and evil, and flips his trademark scarred coin to determine how he'll behave. The Pistons have a similar balance in their personalities: they have Chauncey Billups, team captain and winner of the NBA's citizenship award, on the "good" side and Rasheed Wallace, owner of the league's most notorious temper, on the "bad" side (although he does good things, too). And, like Dent, they have two distinct attitudes toward their craft. When they're motivated, they're one of the league's best teams; when not motivated, they lose to the Knicks by nearly 30 points. Their frustrating inconsistency mirrors Two-Face's refusal to seek treatment for himself, despite Bruce Wayne's repeated offers of support.

The Los Angeles Lakers are The Joker

Bryant photo by Ric Francis, the Associated Press; Joker art by Doug Mahnke, DC Comics

Ignore the fact that the Lakers and the Joker share a favorite color (purple, although the Lakers have a different name for it), and the fact that the silver screen's original Joker sits courtside at Lakers games: the similarities between the Lakers and the Joker are uncanny. Both entities are icons in their respective idioms, the Lakers for their dynasties and the Joker for being so damned entertaining for so long (he first appeared in 1940). Both entities are of the "love to hate" variety. And both entities enjoy toying with their victims before they strike. The Joker kills whomever he wants whenever he feels like it, and does so with glee just as the Lakers (and Kobe Bryant in particular - scroll down to the paragraph that begins with the words, "Consider that Denver") are similarly inclined to relish their kills victories.

And if Kobe Bryant himself is the Joker, then Sasha Vujacic (far right) is Harley Quinn.

The Phoenix Suns are The Penguin

O'Neal photo by Ross D. Franklin, the Associated Press; Penguin art by Simone Bianchi, DC Comics

[Insert Shaquille O'Neal fat joke here].

The Suns, before they acquired O'Neal, were one of the league's most entertaining teams because they relied on coach Mike D'Antoni's fast-paced, "Seven Seconds or Less" offense. And, for most of his criminal life, the Penguin employed trademark trickery of his own: weaponized umbrellas and trained birds. When the Suns realized they wouldn't win a title playing that style, they traded their biggest trick (Shawn Marion, a do-it-all forward) for a more traditional player (O'Neal, a low-post center). Similarly, the Penguin abandoned his gadgets when he saw the opportunity to become wealthy a more traditional way: through organized crime. He cast aside his umbrellas and birds and opened the Iceberg Lounge, a "legitimate," high-class nightclub in which he publicly gladhands Gotham City's well-to-do while privately engages in shady dealings with mobsters.

The San Antonio Spurs are Ra's al Ghul

Popovich photo by Getty Images; al Ghul art from Batman: The Animated Series

Ra's al Ghul -- whose name translates as "The Demon's Head" -- is arguably Batman's most formidable foe. A master strategist, he managed to kidnap Robin and deduce Batman's secret identity in his first-ever appearance just as the Spurs were immediately successful in winning 56 games during Tim Duncan's first season with them. And, like the Spurs, al Ghul may be misunderstood. He wants what most people want: a clean, healthy planet in which to live, just as the Spurs want only to win a title. But the means al Ghul uses to achieve his end (terrorism, genocide) are certainly villainous, just as the Spurs' tactics (flopping, cheap-shots) are questionable. Additionally, al Ghul is immortal: he has lived for centuries by periodically immersing himself in Lazarus Pits, which are the DC Universe's equivalent to fountains of youth. Similarly, the Spurs have remained competitive for the last decade, having the highest winning percentage of any team in all four major North American sports over that timeframe.

• Dwight Howard joined Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Chris Paul on the All-NBA First Team. Dwight was a Third-Teamer last year, so it's nice to see him make the leap. It's also nice to see that he finished ahead of Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix, who went nova after the Suns acquired Shaquille O'Neal. But Dwight dominated at center all year, and Amare dominated at power forward for half the year. Advantage: Dwight.
• Tim Povtak reports on Chauncey Billups' hamstring injury in the Orlando Sentinel. It sounds like it hasn't gotten better or worse, so there's still no indication if he'll play Saturday or not:

  "I'm sore. It's still sore," Billups said from the sideline Thursday. He walked slowly into Amway Arena with no energy in his step, but showing no signs of a limp. "I don't know (if he could play Saturday). I can't honest say either way at this point."

• John Denton has this perspective from the Pistons' trainer, Arnie Kander:

  "Most hamstring injuries that you are really fearful of are speed-related. They happen off fast movement. This was the slowest hamstring (injury) you're going to see," Kander said. "This was like a dancer who tries to do the splits and isn't ready for it. They get sore but they don't usually have any lasting effects. He's going to go through about 90 different treatments in the next couple of days and my goal is to get him ready for Saturday."

• Austin Kent of Hoops Addict says the Magic will only go as far as Dwight Howard takes them. He admits that this conclusion "isn't advanced neuroscience by any means," but the article is thoughtful and worth a look. (HT: EtB)
• Vegan Fish Tacos (yeah, I don't know either) has its latest mock NBA draft up. It has the Magic taking Jason Thompson, a center from Rider, with the 22nd pick. "If the Magic take a player who is not a big, their GM needs to be disembowled." (Another HT to EtB)
• Elie Seckbach, the embedded NBA correspondent, has a video interview with former Magic forward Trevor Ariza up at FanHouse. It's a nice interview, and features a cameo from Trevor's favorite Magic teammate (and one of my favorite players). Check it out, yo.
• Did I really just say that? I am so sorry.

Don't forget to weigh-in on the Fran Vazquez situation or on last night's big win over the Pistons. And wish Keyon Dooling a happy birthday, while you're at it. Have a good one, folks.

Hedo Turkoglu's most recent game-winning play for the Magic this season, a tough driving layup to beat the Raptors in Game Two.

Hedo Turkoglu is the NBA's Most Improved Player.

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reported the news earlier today. The Magic have called a news conference for tomorrow afternoon but haven't specified a reason. The award is indeed Hedo's, and deservedly so (no disrespect intended to Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo, or Andrew Bynum).

We outlined how awesome Turk is in this post last week, but let's go over some stats: Turk set career highs in points per game (19.5), rebounds per game (5.7), assists per game (5.0), minutes per game (36.9), field goal percentage (.456), and games played (82, and he started all of them). Regarding advanced metrics, Turk had a career-best in Player Efficiency Rating (17.8) and effective field goal percentage (.524). Additionally, he was one of four players to average 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists this season, joining Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Vince Carter. Yeah, and we laughed at him when he told the Sentinel in November he thought he could be an All-Star.

We'd like to congratulate Hedo for winning this coveted award, and thank him for playing so well for us this season. Hopefully, he'll celebrate the achievement by helping us dispatch the Raptors. It'd be a fitting way for us to advance in the playoffs.

File photo by Fernando Medina, NBAE/Getty Images

Let's praise Hedo Turkoglu.

The NBA named Turk the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for April; Kobe Bryant received the Western award. It's Turk's first-ever Player of the Month award, although he won Player of the Week twice earlier this season.

He's gotten a lot of love lately, that Hedo Turkoglu:

• Lang Whitaker of SLAM, who has an official NBA awards ballot (that is to say, his opinion counts), voted Turkoglu as the NBA's Most Improved Player. The decision was, in his words, "a gimme."
• Bill Simmons has him and Dwight Howard in a tie in 11th for NBA MVP. He put Turkoglu in the starting lineup of his All-Hombre team along with Steve Nash, Bryant, LeBron James, and Rasheed Wallace.
• He received 9 votes for Most Improved Player from ESPN's panel of 20 experts; the runner-up was Boston's Rajon Rondo, with 3 votes.
• He scored 487 points in fourth quarters, which is 30.4% of his total points. His 6.2 points per fourth quarter is seventh in the NBA this season, according to 82games.
• T. Jose Caldeford calls him "Mr. Under the Radar" and worries the Raptors may not be able to stop him.

Check out this neat profile of Turk from Stan McNeal of The Sporting News. And here, we expressed our outrage over Turk's exclusion from the Eastern Conference All-Star team, then made the case that he should have taken Joe Johnson's place.

• Per the Associated Press, Stan Van Gundy's comments on last night's loss to the Knicks:

  "It was our worst game of the year by far. Both ends of the floor, no energy," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We did an awful job. I did an awful job leaving those guys in the game. I should have gone with some other people in a game like that because the guys out there either couldn't or wouldn't.

  "We were awful. It was embarrassing. We shouldn't be tired. We played a game yesterday, so what? It's the NBA. You can't use that as an excuse. It was just an awful, awful night."

• Brian Schmitz and Kelly Dwyer agree that Van Gundy should have given his starters a breather. It's hard to disagree with that statement. Now that it's assured the third seed in the playoffs, the team has nothing left to play for except pride and a chance to reach the 50-win plateau. Stan could have started the normal lineup, but pulled it after a few minutes and let the second-stringers finish the game.
• Posting and Toasting is not overly impressed with the Magic:

  The Magic sure didn't look like a real contender tonight. Poor from the field, trigger-happy from downtown, and terrible from the line. Throw in some pretty relaxed defense and they really look like a potential first round upset opportunity.

  Indeed, the Magic need look no further than last night's game to understand why teams are fighting for the chance to face them -- rather than Boston, Detroit, or Cleveland -- in the first round of the playoffs.

• Despite the Knicks' win, Marc Berman of the New York Post isn't happy. He didn't appreciate Nate Robinson's exclamation-point dunk (NBA.com video), or the celebration that followed it, with under a minute to play. I don't have a problem with it. The Knicks outplayed us and as such earned the right to showboat a little bit, as far as I'm concerned. Then again, they only shot 37% from the field...(HT: HP)
• Queen City Hoops, a must-read Charlotte Bobcats blog, has Round 10 of the Blogger MVP and RoY rankings. Chris Paul is pulling away with the lead in the MVP category, grabbing 13 first-place votes to Kobe Bryant's five.
• Congratulations are in order for Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing, who learned today he will be inducted into  Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Lots of buzz hubbub surrounding last night's Magic/Hornets game. Let's check out the reaction from around the web...

• First, if you missed Keyon Dooling swatting Jannero Pargo's fast-break layup attempt, click here for the NBA.com highlight. I promise you won't get Rick Roll'd.
• Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie in today's Behind the Boxscore feature:

  I wrote a lot about this game, and I'll get to it in a sec, but the best summation about the back-and-forth comes from an email from Matt at Hardwood Paroxysm:

  "These two in a Finals would be fascinating. It may not be as interesting as Kobe vs. KG, but the basketball may not be better."

  Just the thought of the Lakers and Celtics (regardless of roster makeup) in the Finals leaves me giddy, and the thought of the Boston and Los Angeles rosters (forgetting, for a second, that the franchises in question are the Celtics and Lakers) in the Finals leaves me swimming. Either one works.

  And yet, for the two and a half hours of actual game action, man, it might be hard to top Orlando and New Orleans. I know we've seen some real crackers from the C's and Lakers games this season, this is just a hypothetical, but it's worth understanding that this was a terrific, terrific pairing.

  In case you missed it, Pat Garrity played 14 minutes last night. More from Dwyer:

  Pat Garrity cannot help an NBDL team.

  From another email, this one coming from a prominent scribe from another major sports site who also invented something called PER:

  "They have to sign another 4 to a 10-day. HAVE TO. This is ridiculous."

  Garrity's PER of 1.3 puts him below the lowest designation on the PER reference scale, which is "On the next play to Yakima." Maybe the Sun Kings could use a power forward...?

• Matt sent me an email as well:

  I take it back, you're not going to get swept in the first round. You have way too many offensive weapons and too much pure talent for that to happen. And the best part is, if you can get one on the road, you'll actually be in a pretty great spot, even against the beasts from the East.

  Nothing to be embarrassed about from this loss. Learning process, and a good one against a great team.

  Nothing to be embarrassed about except being outhustled when it counted, I guess. Still, losing to the Hornets by only a point is a result most teams would be happy with.

• At the Hive:

  Nothing like winning a game you have no business being in.

  Given our pathetic rebounding effort, we had no business winning either.

• Hornets247:

  • The Magic have some impressive pieces. I knew what to expect from Howard, but I didn't realize Lewis could D up like that, or that Hedo was so versatile. That dude has great handles for a guy listed as 6-10, and he has those big lunging steps that help him get by guys and finish in the lane. Very nice player.

  Nice to see some recognition for Lewis and Hedo. Something tells me they won't sneak up on people in the postseason, though.

• Basketbawful:

  Hedo Turkoglu cordially invites you to visit Peja Stojakovic's man region, and Peja's welcoming expression seems to say: "Go to that fertile land of gentle breezes where the peaceful waters flow."

  While Matt and John Hollinger emailed Dwyer with observations on the game itself, I emailed Basketbawful a silly picture of Hedo and Peja before the game. Perhaps I don't have my priorities quite in order.

The League Office informed Brian Schmitz that Hedo Turkoglu is not out of the running for the Most Improved Player award, despite the fact that Turkoglu is in his eighth season.
File photo by Fernando Medina, NBAE/Getty Images

• After exchanging emails with an NBA official, Brian Schmitz says Hedo Turkoglu is still eligible to win Most Improved Player, even though Turk is in his eighth NBA season. He certainly deserves some kind of recognition after getting screwed out of the All-Star game.
• Tim Povtak notes that the Magic are raising their season-ticket prices next year. That increase, coupled with some factors at the Rock household, assures that I won't be attending many, if any, Magic games next season. Bummer. Major, major bummer. Also a bummer: Keyon Dooling is once again out of the rotation. Free Keyon!
• Mark Cuban, the outspoken billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has controversially banned bloggers from the Mavericks' locker room. Henry Abbott of TrueHoop has a brilliantly concise rundown of the situation here. Anyway, Hardwood Paroxysm offered its take on the Cuban Blogger Crisis in this post. An excerpt:

  The point is that I believe there is every reason for blogs to be given access to team personnel. I have absolutely no doubt that if the Magic were to give Third Quarter Collapse access that they would be thrilled with the coverage. It's not like Ben Q. is going to go in and ask a bunch of improper questions. He's not going to turn around and rip the team unfairly. He's a fan, for God's sake. And giving him access is only going to provide another way for your fans to feel "involved" with their team.

  Yeah, I'd be all over that job if I had the opportunity.

  • HP passed along this video of Brett Pentway, the D-League's slam-dunk champion, challenging Dwight Howard to a dunk contest.
  • It's Kobe Bryant Blog Day.

Some site-related self-indulgence after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson, the Magic's co-captains, received a lecture regarding leadership from the team's GM and head coach today.
Photo by Fernando Medina, NBAE/Getty Images

• John Denton and Tim Povtak both report that Otis Smith and Stan Van Gundy met with Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson, the Magic's co-captains, to discuss the importance of leadership. Bravo to Messrs. Smith and Van Gundy for trying to talk some sense into the two players who represent the future of the franchise. Dwight and Jameer can frequently be observed hamming it up on the court during games, even when the Magic are losing. Such behavior sets a bad example to their teammates; if Dwight and Jameer don't take losing seriously, who will? Check out this excerpt from the Orlando Sentinel's recap of the loss to Golden State last Saturday:

  Dwight Howard reached out and touched Golden State Warriors point guard Baron Davis' hand before stepping to the free-throw line after having made eight in a row. He missed the shot.

  "Baron said if he touched my hand I'd miss my free throws," Howard said. "Me, being silly, I touched his hand. He jinxed me. It worked."

  The other great players in this league -- such Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Chris Paul -- all have fun. But late in the game, they stop screwing around and start playing hard. Dwight and Jameer need to bring that attitude every night.

• The latest installment of the Blogger MVP/RoY rankings is up at TWolvesBlog.

Who needs Jerry West when you have Keyon Dooling? The Magic's backup point guard candidly imitates The Logo in the Magic's 112-93 win over the Kings on Sunday.
Photo by Fernando Medina, NBAE/Getty Images

• How about Keyon Dooling? That pose above uncannily resembles the NBA's logo.
• John Denton and Brian Schmitz each have stories about Rashard Lewis' unselfishness; he's perfectly happy deferring to Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, and he's not concerned with his 18.2 scoring average, which is his lowest in four seasons. You gotta like his attitude. However, he can sometimes defer too often, passing the ball late in the shot clock when he should be the one shooting.
• Yesterday, Schmitz reported on his blog that the Magic will probably extend Otis Smith's contract for another two seasons beyond this one. David Whitley thinks that'd be a good move, and I tend to agree. As much as we Magic fans love to rip on Otis for not takings risks, he's done a decent job of assembling this team. Plus, there's no reason to fire him or let him go. This organization needs stability, and Otis provides that.
• Great news from Tim Povtak's NBA Confidential today, the focus of which is Ron Artest. But the meat of the story is in this excerpt:

  Magic General Manager Otis Smith, who understands the importance of perception in a small market like Orlando, has been gently chiding point guard Jameer Nelson about his scraggly beard, so don't be surprised to see it disappear soon [....] Smith just told his own son, Otis, Jr., that both the allowance and the car keys would disappear until he found a razor.

  I have no problem with players growing facial hair -- Hell, I emailed Basketbawful last week to nominate Shaq for Worst of the Night for shaving off his mustache -- but Jameer needs to trim his beard. It's a bit scraggly, as this Fernando Medina photograph shows.

• Just a reminder: the latest installment of the Blogger MVP/Rookie of the Year rankings is up at CelticsBlog. Dwight Howard placed 5th, one spot behind Kobe Bryant (who received my first-place vote) and one spot ahead of Steve Nash (who did not appear on my ballot). Thanks to Tom for being so diligent in putting it all together.
• I can't think of any way to relate this video to the Magic, so I won't even try. But head on over to Basketbawful to watch Knicks forward Zach Randolph... well, I don't know how to describe it. But yeah, Basketbawful called it "the worst possession [he's] ever seen," and it's hard to disagree. Even Steve Francis was more prudent with his shot-selection.

Don't forget to check out the game thread for tonight's contest against the Jason Kidd-less Nets.