Pretty big news coming from New York, where Howard Beck of the Times reports that the Knicks have appointed former Magic general manager John Gabriel "the director of pro scouting and free agency, a newly created position." Beck continues:

Gabriel’s primary duty will be evaluating current N.B.A. players, with an eye toward future trades and free-agent signings.

Yeah, Knicks fans should be excited. John Gabriel gutted the Magic's roster in a hurry, clearing enough cap space for the team to sign both Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady to maximum-level contracts during the summer of 1999. Imagine if Rashard Lewis and Gilbert Arenas were free agents in the same summer. Now imagine the same team having enough money to sign them both. That's what Gabriel did.

Granted, he made his share of mistakes. His draft record, like that of every Magic G.M., is poor. But if there's anyone who can find a way to get the Knicks' books in the black, it's Gabriel. And there's no question whom the Knicks will target with their free-agency dollars in 2010: King LeBron James.

Be afraid, Cavaliers fans. Be very afraid.

Via Jerry Greene, here's one way for Magic fans to participate in the team's 20th anniversary celebration: the FanTastic Bobble-head. Click here to vote for one of five Magic players to be made into a bobblehead this season. The choices are, in the order listed on the website,

• Dwight Howard,
• Shaquille O'Neal,
• Nick Anderson,
• Tracy McGrady,
• and Darrell Armstrong.

So, whom will you choose? Here's my thought process:

1. Eliminate any player whose likeness the team could use in the future. That means you, Dwight Howard. Sorry, but you're under contract with the team until 2012. We'll have plenty more opportunities to see your noggin immortalized on a resin figure.
2. Eliminate any player who left the team on bad terms. That step eliminates Shaquille O'Neal and Tracy McGrady. Shaq called Orlando a "small pond" when he ditched it in 1996; T-Mac admitted he mailed-in the 2004 season when he realized the team stunk. Then he demanded a trade. If the fans choose either of these guys, it's because they want to detonate something.

To me, Darrell Armstrong and Nick Anderson are the only sensible choices. And since Darrell played during the height of the bobblehead's popularity, it's possible he already has one; let me know in the comments if you know for sure.

Nick Anderson, four botched free throws notwithstanding, will get my vote. He deserves yours too.

And while we're on the subject of voting, don't forget to support Jameer Nelson in Hoops Addict's Floor Burn Tournament, which strives to recognize the league's best hustle players. David Lee is cleaning his clock right now, 82% to 18%. Support Jameer!

• The folks at Golden State of Mind take a look back at Mickael Pietrus' career in the Bay. The consensus from Warriors fans, as best I can tell, is that Pietrus is a likable and talented player with a low basketball I.Q. Also, check out the comments for some questions as to how to refer to a single Magic, Heat, or Jazz player. One argument that's always annoyed me is that we should refer to Magic players as "Magicians." If that were true, the Magic would not be the Magic; they'd be the Magicians. Ditto for Utah Jazzmen and Miami Heatians.
• For his part, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star thinks Pietrus "is a backup in Orlandoland" and doesn't believe Air France to be a significant upgrade over Maurice Evans.
• Ira Winderman wrote yesterday that most every NBA General Manager left the Pro Summer League by the time play began on the camp's last day, meaning the Magic's practice facility was nearly completely empty and, in Winderman's words, "an eerie spectacle." It's probably just as well, because if the boxscore is any indication, yesterday's Magic/Heat matchup was ugly. The teams combined to shoot 35% from the field. Heat rookie Mario Chalmers lead all players with 2 assists. Magic point guard Cliff Hammonds shot 1-of-10 for 4 points. The good news? Courtney Lee lead all players with 30 points, including 12-of-13 from the foul line. Marcin Gortat and James Augustine added 12 boards apiece for the Magic. Brendan from Believing in Magic was pleased with the team's performance this week, and especially impressed with Lee and Gortat.
• Yesterday, rumors about the Pistons' seeking to acquire Tracy McGrady from the Rockets circulated. I am so glad the Free Press debunked those rumors. The thought of the Pistons getting that good... ugh.

DraftExpress says the Magic think highly of shooting guard Courtney Lee, who might be available when they pick 22nd overall. How highly is highly? Jonathan Givony explains his "Word on the Street" feature:

The reports on Courtney Lee indicated that he looked "good enough to play in the NBA right now," as he was "explosive, very polished, made good decisions, excellent defensively, jumped right over guys, and was terrific from mid-range." Lee has reportedly been working out well almost everywhere he's gone recently, and looks to be making a strong push to be drafted at 22 by the Orlando Magic, who had him in last week for a workout, and sent GM Otis Smith to Golden State to see him again.

Meanwhile, the player I originally preferred, Chris Douglas-Roberts, hasn't done himself any favors with his workouts. Here's Givony again:

Chris Douglas-Roberts was reportedly "just OK" in the workout, which is similar feedback to what we've heard consistently over the past few weeks from different cities he's been to. As we've discussed in the past, he's not proven to be a great workout player, which might be pushing his terrific season with Memphis a little further out of teams' minds.

The summer strategy I advocate for the Magic involves them drafting a two-guard; splitting the mid-level exception to re-sign Keyon Dooling and a new veteran center; and using the low-level exception to sign a third point guard. But with the news that Dooling is going to follow the money, that strategy might change. The Magic could instead draft a point guard; split the mid-level between Maurice Evans and a backup center; and use the low-level exception on another point guard. But in a draft that features only one "true" point guard (Derrick Rose, whom the Bulls will likely select first overall), the Magic might be out of luck at 22...

... or maybe not. Steve Weinman of CelticsBlog is really high on Kansas point guard Mario Chalmers:

As someone with Mizzou connections, I'm generally not a big believer in the 'Rock, Chalk Jayhawk' crowd.

As someone who has always held pro basketball well ahead of collegiate affiliations, here's hoping I can still recognize a decent player when I see one. Mario Chalmers can play. He defends very well, handles the ball confidently and can get his points when necessary, too. Smart basketball player from a winning program. Not a character problem.

Drafting Chalmers might be a bit of a gamble for Smith, especially since he invested nearly $40 million over five years to Jameer Nelson, his current starting point-man, but he might not have any other choice if he believes Dooling will get better offers from other teams.

Ridiculous Upside, which covers the draft, D-League, and general prospect news for SB Nation, is hosting a mock draft with picks made by blogs representing each NBA team. I'll make the Magic's pick this Thursday at or around 4:30 PM Eastern. If you want to throw anyone's name into consideration, leave a comment or FanPost.

And in non draft-related news, Dwight Howard had the league's 12th-highest selling jersey, according to this press release from the NBA itself. Howard placed behind Dirk Nowitzki and ahead of Tracy McGrady. Thanks to NetsDaily for the link.

I promise I'll have that Hedo Turkoglu review post up sometime this week.

This summer, 3QC will take a look back on each Magic player's 2007-2008 season. The first nine posts will evaluate, on an individual basis and in alphabetical order, the players who played in at least 20% of the team's total minutes; the final post will briefly evaluate the five players who appeared in less than 20% of the team's minutes.

Today, our focus is Rashard Lewis.

Rashard Lewis faced more scrutiny last season than any other Magic player had in recent memory. Fresh off signing the largest contract in team history, Lewis entered the 2007/2008 season facing high expectations. The Magic hoped Lewis would become the top-flite scorer the likes of which they hadn't employed since Tracy McGrady last donned blue-and-white.

The result? Mixed.

There's no telling what sort of season Lewis would have had if Tony Battie, Orlando's incumbent power forward, hadn't suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in October. With Battie out, the Magic had no choice but to start Lewis, a natural small forward, at power forward. At 6'10", Lewis has the height to defend most other power forwards, but not the strength or skill-set. As a result he had to expend most of his energy on the defensive end, muscling up against the likes of Zach Randolph, Chris Bosh, and Kevin Garnett. As one might expect, Lewis finished with poor rebounding and block numbers for his position.

Offensively, Lewis played a game more in line with his skills. He roamed the perimeter and launched three-pointers with impunity, keeping defenses honest. But apart from the very infrequent post-up on the left block, Lewis showed little offensive versatility and became the team's third option on most offensive sets.

Not that he seemed to mind. He never complained publicly about his role with the team, recognizing that Dwight Howard is, unequivocally, its cornerstone, and Hedo Turkoglu is its savviest scorer since McGrady. But as much as we appreciate Lewis' being a team player, we still wish he'd assert himself more often. Because of Turkoglu's emergence as a playmaker, the Magic rarely called on Lewis to win games for them, but when they did, the result was not always pretty:

• 30 November 2007: Losing to Phoenix by 2 points with 9 seconds to play, Stan Van Gundy draws up a play for Lewis, shooting 6-of-18 (3-of-11 from beyond the arc), to take a three. Lewis might have been fouled, but it doesn't matter. The shot misses. Magic lose.
• 21 January 2008: With the game versus Detroit knotted at 100, the Magic have 3.6 seconds and the ball coming out of a timeout. They go to Lewis at the top of the arc. He dribbles to the right side of the key, gets Richard Hamilton in the air with a great fake, and hoists a 15-footer at the buzzer. Money. Magic win.
• 8 February 2008: Trailing the Lakers by 3 with 14 seconds to play, Lewis gets the ball in the right corner and shoots what would have been the game-tying basket. Lamar Odom gets his fingertips on it. Magic lose.
• 1 April 2008: Down 1 to New Orleans, the Magic go to Lewis at the top of the key, as they did against Detroit two months previous. Lewis once again dribbles right, only this time he passes to Keyon Dooling on the wing. Dooling, who did not appear ready to receive the pass, rushes his jumper and misses. Magic lose.

If the Magic expect to become elite, they need to get more offense from Lewis, especially in late-game situations now that opposing teams expect them to go to Turkoglu. The answer might be to move him to small forward, which should boost his scoring average and, perhaps, his confidence in the clutch.

But overall, Lewis was the ideal third banana, if we use Bill Simmons' description:

he ideal "third banana" should be someone who isn't consistent enough to be great, but good enough to have a game-to-game impact and occasionally carry you for a game.

Looking simply at Lewis' statistics and skills, there are plenty of GMs who would love to add him to their teams, but certainly not at the price Otis Smith paid him. Fairly or unfairly, the media judge players based on their salaries, as if they somehow expect players to show humility by turning down nine-figure salaries. Lewis would've needed an MVP-caliber season to justify his contract. Magic fans had to settle for him being their team's third-best player. They probably weren't okay with that, but somehow, I think Rashard is.

Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, and Keith Bogans celebrate the Magic's come-from-behind victory in Game Four of their first-round playoff series with the Toronto Raptors.
Photo by J.P. Moczulski, The Canadian Press

I don't think there are enough words to describe how proud I am -- and how proud we all should be -- of our team. The Magic outscored the Raptors, 33-20, in the final period of yesterday's Game Four to secure a 106-94 victory and a 3-games-to-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Our guys battled back from an early deficit to seize control of the game in the fourth quarter. Allow me to heap superlatives on them:

• Rashard Lewis tied a season-high with 27 points, and set a season-high with 13 rebounds (aided by a career-high-tying 7 offensive rebounds)
• Dwight Howard set a career-high with 8 blocked shots, which also sets a Magic franchise record for blocks in a playoff game. His final swat came with two minutes to play and the Raptors trailing by only 5. The Magic got the rebound and Rashard Lewis drilled a back-breaking three-pointer to seal the win.
• Jameer Nelson played a nearly flawless fourth quarter, with 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting. The only blemish on his line that period? 2-of-4 from the free throw line. That's it. That's all he did wrong. This effort coming from a guy who collapsed after Game Three due to bak spasms. Outstanding.

Basically, we had an answer for everything Toronto threw at us. 39 points for Chris Bosh? Fine. 13 assists for T.J. Ford? Okay. Didn't matter. We were simply the better, gutsier team yesterday, and that bodes well for us as the series continues.

That's not to say we're worldbeaters or anything. Being up 3-1 is nice and all, but it doesn't mean we're about to win the series. The last time we were up 3-1, well, the Pistons ate our lunch in the next three games thanks to Tracy McGrady's big mouth, so pardon me for not pulling out the confetti just yet. But our victory yesterday was so impressive that Yahoo!'s Kelly Dwyer thinks we'll make the Finals by 2009 if we strengthen our second unit. I hate to forecast so far into the future, but there's no question that we're making a strong case for belonging in the discussion about the NBA's elite teams.

I am thoroughly impressed with the victory. A similar effort tomorrow night, even if Jose Calderon (2 points, 1-of-7 shooting) and Ford (12 points, 6-of-16 shooting) finally get back on track, should result in a series victory and a spot in the second round of the playoffs.

For anyone curious about the playoff picture, here it is, courtesy Tom Ziller of Fanhouse. Most likely, we'll face the Toronto Raptors in the first round. That's an unfavorable matchup, to say the least. I'd much rather play the Philadelphia 76ers, as we match-up better with them than we do the Raptors. Dwight Howard always has trouble guarding Chris Bosh, and the thought of having to stop him in a seven-game series frightens me.

I played a playoff edition of 20 Questions with Hardwood Paroxysm. You can check it out here.

And now, some diversions. In honor of our first fifty-win season since 1995/96, I thought I'd have some fun with the number 50...

• Two players in Magic history have scored exactly 50 points in a single game: Tracy McGrady in 2002 and Nick Anderson in 1993.
• The last player to wear no. 50 for the Magic was Mike Miller. His best game with the Magic came on Valentine's Day 2003, when he scored 33 points in a loss to the 76ers.
• The Magic got their 50th victory of the 1995/96 season with a 113-91 drubbing of Grant Hill and his Detroit Pistons. Horace Grant lead the way for us with 26 points, and Anthony Bowie had a 20/10/10 triple-double. Here's the recap from the Orlando Sentinel.
• The Magic's 50th win in franchise history was the first game of the 1991/92 season, a 106-96 decision over the New York Knicks. Again, here's the Sentinel's recap.

If you're curious to see what 3QC will look like this Friday, when it migrates to the new SBN 2.0 platform, check Golden State of Mind, which made the jump today. It's purdy.

Regrettably, I have no recap to write for last night's game. I'm scrambling to back up all the files on my laptop because I fear I need to send it off for repair. If you don't hear from me for a while, that's where I am.

Crisis averted. Here are some bullets on last night's big win over Philadelphia:

• The Magic set the tone on the first play of the game when Dwight Howard got an uncontested dunk. I've never seen him -- or anyone, come to think of it -- that wide-open under the basket. There wasn't anyone from either team within 15 feet of him. So what happened? Samuel Dalembert left Howard to trap Jameer Nelson on the pick-and-roll, but no 76er rotated over to cover Howard. Nelson was able to thread the needle to Dwight, which made Dalembert look foolish. He stared at his teammates incredulously, as if to say, "How the heck did you forget to cover for me?"
• The same thing happened on the Magic's next possession.
• No fouls were called for the first 6 minutes of the first quarter. There were at least 3 committed on every play, though.
• More fun with Dalembert: on one second-quarter Magic possession, Dalembert committed 3 fouls. It's one thing to pick up 3 quick fouls within a 10-or-20 second span; it's quite another to do it within one possession. It was an Ostertagian "effort" on Dalembert's part.
• Despite the whooping Philadelphia gave us last month in Philly, I still think we match up with them better than with any other potential first-round opponent. The 76ers are the worst three-point shooting team in the league, and they play at a slow pace. Put those two factors together and you have a team that's simply ill-equipped to battle back from double-digit deficits. Something tells me the 76ers would like that Kyle Korver fellow -- shooting .386 from beyond the arc as a Jazzman Jazzer Jazz with Utah -- back in their lineup.
• Hats off to the Turkish fans who populated three upper-bowl sections. They were loud, crazy, and passionate, and they enhanced what was already a fantastic experience.
• Hats off to Hedo Turkoglu for purring together a great all-around performance: he scored 16 points, 4 below his average, but did so on only 8 shot attempts, and only one 3-point attempt. Philadelphia game-planned on Hedo shooting threes, and he used that to his advantage with some great pump-fakes to confuse Philadelphia defenders; he would then barrel into the lane with intensity I haven't seen from any Magic player since Tracy McGrady. Make no mistake: when T-Mac was in attack mode, he would not be denied at the rim. Hedo was the same way last night. Incredible.
• Maurice Cheeks certainly deserves some Coach of the Year consideration -- even at 34-35, the 76ers are overachieving -- but he made two pretty big blunders tonight:
  • He did not take advantage of Andre Miller's size advantage over the Magic's point guards. Miller is fantastic in the low-post and routinely gives Nelson fits. For whatever reason, the 76ers did not exploit that matchup as much as they have in previous games.
  • He stopped applying full-court pressure. Late in the first quarter, the 76ers began using the full-court press, which gave us fits. Not only did we have a hard time just getting the ball up the floor, but we also struggled to get into our offense once we did. Philadelphia closed the quarter on an 8-0 run and continued to chip-into that lead in the second quarter. Then the 76ers stopped pressing, we reasserted ourselves, and we coasted to victory.
• It seemed as though everyone in the arena participated in the "WE-WANT-J.-J.!" chant, which started at the beginning of the fourth quarter and did not subside until Stan Van Gundy relented, subbing J.J. in with 7:31 to play in the game. I thought the ovation was loud then, but I hadn't heard anything yet: when J.J. hit the first shot he took -- a tough jumper from the left wing -- the crowd went nuts. This is not hyperbole: it was nearly as loud as the commotion that took place after Hedo beat the Celtics with a three-pointer at the buzzer.
• So yeah, one might say J.J. is one of our more popular players.
• We could have won this one by thirty points had Van Gundy not called off the dogs. I'm not complaining.
• You know it's garbage time when Brian Cook recovers a loose ball near midcourt and drives hard to the basket in transition. It was the least spectacular "fast"-break in NBA history.

The Magic's game against the Clippers tips off in 20 minutes or so, so I'm right up against the deadline here. Let's get to it:

• The Magic's new party line? They need to get tougher.
  • John Denton
  • Tim Povtak

  The Magic have needed an enforcer-type guy for years. We don't need a thug like Bruce Bowen, but we do need someone who isn't afraid to dish out a little extra punishment when opponents try to attack the basket. Unfortunately, we've been reluctant in the past to acquire guys with less-than-stellar reputations. Hopefully, Otis Smith is not being disingenuous when he says, "[W]e've got to have a nasty about us."

• Occurred as I was typing this post: J.J. Redick is back with the Magic, says John Denton. Redick left the team to be with his brother David, who underwent surgery on his spine on Monday.
• Hal Boedeker, the Orlando Sentinel's TV critic, tells us that Hedo Turkoglu will be featured on NBA Access this Saturday at 1 PM (ABC). It's great to see that Hedo is getting the national media attention he deserves.
• This story is a few days old, but Mike Bianchi had a chat with John Weisbrod, the former Magic GM not-so-affectionately referred to as "The Hockey Guy." It's a fascinating read, so check it out before the Sentinel archives it. Remember that Weisbrod drafted Dwight Howard, traded for Tony Battie, signed Hedo Turkoglu, and traded for the rights to Jameer Nelson during his tenure. Indeed, Weisbrod, not Otis Smith, is directly responsible for acquiring four of the Magic's five starters from last season. Of course, he also re-hired Brian Hill, traded Tracy McGrady for Steve Francis, and traded Cuttino Mobley for Doug Christie. But let's not forget the good things Weisbrod did for us.
• Also a few days old: the Houston Rockets waived swingman Gerald Green on Saturday. Some Magic fans covet Green and think the Magic should make room for him on their roster; check out the discussion at Denton's board. It's not happening, guys. First, since the Rockets waived him after the March 1st deadline, he'd be ineligible for our playoff roster. Cutting one of our guys, even Pat Garrity, leaves us with only fourteen eligible players on a twelve-man active roster. It doesn't make sense to cut a guy who can play for another guy who can't. If the Magic are indeed desperate for a freakishly athletic player -- and they'd have to be desperate to sign Green, considering that three teams have given up on him already -- they can invite him to training camp this summer.
• Many thanks to adamosthegreek at MagicMadness for posting this link to the NBA Dance Team Bracket. I guess the League needs something to put up against March Madness. The Magic's dancers are matched-up against the Cavaliers' right now. Head on over there to vote the Magic Dancers to victory.
• Wow. That was corny. I'll quit while I'm only a bit behind.

The Magic cut Bo Outlaw, seen here dunking against Team China last fall, to make room for Brian Cook and Maurice Evans. Yesterday, the team announced it has added him to its community relations department.
Photo by Ted Aljibe, AFP/Getty Images

The Orlando Magic made former player Bo Outlaw a Community Ambassador yesterday. Here's the press release:

Outlaw will join Nick Anderson as community ambassador and take part in a variety of community outreach efforts.

Among his initial efforts, Outlaw will take part in the Magic's check presentation to the New Image Youth Center, 212 South Parramore Ave., Orlando, 32805 on Thursday, March 6 from 3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Outlaw also will visit with the children at the facility. Anderson will be on hand as well.

[....]

Outlaw spent six-plus seasons (360 games-222 starts) with the Magic from 1997-2001 and 2005-07. He ranks on the Magic's all-time career lists in blocked shots (2nd, 536), rebounds (5th, 2,160), steals (7th, 401) and games played (9th, 358).

It's hard to find anything negative to say about Bo. Even as his skills declined, he always played hard. And in his prime, he was actually a damn good glue-guy. Look at his 1997-1998 stats: 9.5 points, 7.8 boards, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.2 blocks on 55% shooting. Outstanding. He's one of only four Magic players to record two triple-doubles in their Orlando careers, joining Scott Skiles, Penny Hardaway, and Tracy McGrady.

I won't be surprised if Pat Garrity joins Nick and Bo in the Community Relations department sometime this summer. The Magic will probably extend a job offer to Darrell Armstrong once he hangs 'em up, but I suspect Flash would rather pursue a career in coaching.

Congratulations, Bo, and thanks for all you've done for this team and for this city.