I updated this post to reflect the fact that the Magic lost Grant Hill in free agency last summer, which I somehow overlooked earlier. Thanks to commenter OVERWADED for bringing that serious oversight to my attention. Additionally, I updated the list after the jump to reflect the Phoenix Suns' potential interest in one of Orlando's current free agents.

With all the draft nonsense last week, it was easy for us at 3QC to lose sight of the fact that the NBA's free-agency period starts Tuesday.

So I'd like to thank Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (via Dee Gugel of the Orlando Sentinel) for shocking us out of our stupor with today's Florida Sports Buzz feature. Apparently, the Heat have their eyes on some of our free agents (emphases Jackson's):

Riley said he still might trade for a point guard, with Memphis (Kyle Lowry, among others) considered in play. Otherwise, the Heat believes it can find a stopgap starter from a free agent group including Chris Duhon, Carlos Arroyo, Keyon Dooling, Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Jannero Pargo and Anthony Carter. And the Heat likes restricted free agent Sebastian Telfair, though Minnesota can match any offer.

[....]

[Heat GM Pat] Riley pointed to the potential to lure a player from ''teams that have three or four unrestricted free agents.'' Keep an eye on Orlando (Arroyo, Dooling, Maurice Evans) and Golden State [...]

Last year, the Magic only lost two three players to free agency: little-used point guard Travis Diener to Indiana; more notably, backup power forward Darko Milicic to Memphis; and swingman Grant Hill to Phoenix. Nobody expected Diener or Hill to come back, and although Milicic's departure surprised plenty of people, we should have expected the Magic to ignore him if it meant focusing on signing Rashard Lewis, which they did.

But the circumstances surrounding its summer -- limited cap space, high expectations entering next season, the higher quality of its own free agents -- will magnify the impact of any Orlando's free-agent losses, especially if they eventually sign with archrival Miami.

What follows after the jump is a list of Orlando's free agents, what they can provide, and which teams might be interested in them.

Continue reading this post »

Rashard Lewis celebrates after drilling one of his five three-pointers in the Orlando Magic's 111-86 rout of the Detroit Pistons. Lewis scored a career playoff-high 33 points.

Photo by Doug Benc, NBAE/Getty Images

The Orlando Magic came out blazing against the Detroit Pistons tonight, jumping out to an early 24-8 lead in the first quarter, and staved off a third-quarter run by the Pistons to clean their clock pummel them by a 25-point margin, 111-86.

First, I have to encourage us to curb our enthusiasm: it's only one game. When some Pistons fans left my section late in the fourth quarter, Magic fans taunted them unmercifully, but one Piston fan held up two fingers on one hand and one on the other to symbolize the Pistons still have a 2-1 lead in the series. Further, Detroit was without its best player for all but the first 3 minutes of the game, as Chauncey Billups left with a strained hamstring and did not return. Last, this Pistons team has a poor record in Game Threes, as Orlando Sentinel writer David Whitley mentioned after the game.

But...

The Pistons still got 19 points from Billups' backup, Rodney Stuckey, and got 24 points from their best scoring threat, Richard Hamilton. When Stuckey left after acquiring his second foul, Tayshaun Prince ran the offense well as a point forward and the Pistons played the Magic essentially evenly, outscoring them 16-15 until Stuckey checked back in to run the point. Most importantly, Billups would not have changed the Pistons defense -- or lack thereof -- on Rashard Lewis, who saved his best offensive night for the Magic's most important game of the season. Lewis was simply unstoppable, scoring 33 points on 15 shots (!), taking only what the defense gave him and not forcing the issue. Stan Van Gundy called plenty of isolation plays for him, more than any other game this season, and Lewis converted with a variety of drives. He also had the signature shot of the game to start the fourth quarter. Matched up at the top of the key with Rasheed Wallace, a great defender, right in his face, Lewis jab-stepped a few times, faked, fired, and drilled a three to give the Magic a 76-69 lead. That shot, moreso than the three-pointer Keyon Dooling hit just moments later, sealed the game as a win for us, at least as far as I'm concerned.

But the Dooling three was pretty tremendous. The circumstances around it are as follows: a Dwight Howard missed free throw caromed out long to the right wing. Stuckey grabbed the rebound on the sideline before losing his balance and falling out-of-bounds right in front of Detroit's bench. Initially, official Joe DeRosa signaled for the Magic to get possession. But after Pistons coach Flip Saunders said a few words to him, DeRosa changed the call to a foul on Hedo Turkoglu. On the ensuing (and wrongfully awarded) possession, Rasheed Wallace missed a long two-pointer. The Magic got the rebound and pushed the ball ahead to Dooling, who hit the shot to give the Magic an 80-69 lead.

Another word on Wallace: he was not at his best tonight. He got in foul trouble, jawed with the refs, and the Amway Arena crowd rewarded him with the most vociferous booing it's given any other opponent this season, louder than even the one it gave former Magic players Shaquille O'Neal and Grant Hill in their returns with new teams.

But as big as Lewis was, the difference in the game was Dwight Howard. He had "only" 12 rebounds, but dominated defensively and proved to be, as one in-arena sign termed it, "Pystonite." His six swatted shots discouraged further Pistons penetration, forcing them to take midrange shots, some of which they still managed to convert. Still, I'd rather Detroit score two points via a contested jumper than via a layup, so I can live with those makes.

So, which team should we favor to win Game Four? I'm undecided. On the one hand, our offense has improved in each game and the Pistons might be without Billups, who won't be at 100% even if he does play. On the other hand, this thumping may have woken the Pistons up, and they could come out looking for blood Saturday and effectively end the series with a win. Additionally, as Brian from Empty the Bench points out, the Pistons made a game of it late in the third quarter even with all the odds (no Billups, foul trouble for Wallace, no offense from Jason Maxiell) stacked against them:

And, still, the Pistons whittled the Magic's lead down to just 3 points by the end of the 3rd quarter. Orlando rattled off a 9-0 run to the start the 4th, however, and the Pistons never recovered

 

All the credit in the world to Orlando for their Game 3 win. They deserved it. [....] I'm not convinced they [The Magic] will [win Game 4] though. And I'm not convinced they'll win another game in the 2008 playoffs, period.

Anyway, let's savor this win as best we can tonight... and savor our free donut tomorrow morning.

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.

One year ago today, some chump with a laptop and entirely too much time on his hands I started a website dedicated to the past, present, and future of the Orlando Magic. Yes indeed, Third Quarter Collapse is now one year old! To celebrate that occasion, I've compiled links -- in bullet form, naturally -- to my favorite posts from the old site. Enjoy the archives. Happy birthday to us. And to Hedo Turkoglu, while we're at it. Turk turns 29 today. Bold 'N' Blue has the birthday thread.

• Introduction - The first-ever 3QC post!
• In Defense of Brian Hill - Ugh.
• Streaky Like Superman's Cat: Magic 94, Knicks 89 - Not a particularly special post, but I love the title.
• Intelligent Design - Wondering if Dwight Howard can improve between his third and fourth seasons the way Kevin Garnett did.
• There's A Battle Ahead - Making the case that Magic fans need to GET WILD AND CRAZY to increase Orlando's standing as a sports town. I invoke the words of William Shakespeare and Winston Churchill.
• Brave New World - Just a few days before the start of the postseason, I describe the feeling of impending doom I have. The Magic promptly drop four straight games to the Pistons, and I look fairly intelligent. What that post doesn't tell you is I had the Magic playing the Rockets in the Finals.
• My coverage of the Billy Donovan Saga.
• Reverse the Curse: Forgive Shaq and Bring Him Back - Begging the Magic ownership to reach-out to Shaquille O'Neal and offer him a consultant position with the team once he retires. Not quite sure what I was thinking there.
• The Case for Keeping Grant Hill - Arguing the Magic should re-sign Grant Hill. Again, not sure what I was thinking.
• The Orlando Magic Free-Agency Countdown. Boy, am I glad I did this series.
  • Part One: Vince Carter
  • Part Two: Mo Williams
  • Part Three: Chauncey Billups
  • Part Four: Gerald Wallace
  • Part Five: Rashard Lewis - I had this one right -- does anyone seriously believe we'd be better off with one of the other guys? -- but I was way off-base when I said Lewis "rebounds well." Whoops.
• WKMG: Rashard Lewis Will Sign with Orlando for 5 years, $75 million - If only that dollar amount were accurate.
• ESPN: Grant Hill to Sign with Phoenix Suns - "Grant Hill may be a great basketball player, but if NBA-ers were rated in Consumer Reports, Hill would certainly not be a 'Best Buy'." That's as charitably as I could put it.
• Which Free-Agent Big-Men Should the Magic Pursue? - I begin my love/hate relationship with coding HTML tables.
• End of an Era, Such as it Was: Darko Milicic, Orlando Magic Part Ways - I was really proud of this piece when I wrote it, but it embarrasses me now. But go ahead. The picture at the end is worth the click-through.
• The Future Is Now: Rashard Lewis Formally Introduced at Press Conference - I'm more interested in the fact that I thought Keith Bogans would be behind J.J. Redick on the depth chart. Bogans went on to start the first 35 games at shooting guard for us. Whoops.
• In DeFense of DeVos/In Support of a New Downtown - Hard to believe that just last summer we were worried about the Magic leaving in a few years if they couldn't get that arena built...
• Success! Venues Plan Passes by a 5-2 vote... especially since the arena funding got approved 3 days after I wrote that first post.
• Are the Magic a Playoff Team? Discussion From Around the Web - Also hard to believe that many observers picked Orlando to finish out of the playoff picture, even in the Eastern Conference. To be fair to them, no one could have predicted the Bulls would suck this badly, nor could anyone have predicted that Hedo Turkoglu would have an All-Star season. But still, not even in the top 8 in the East? It was as absurd then as it is now.
• Don't Free Keyon - When the Keyon Dooling-for-Reggie Evans rumors circulated over the summer, I was seemingly the only guy who didn't want the Magic to make the deal. I have no regrets. I LOVE KEYON DOOLING AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN SAY OR DO TO CHANGE MY MIND! THAT'S MY PURSE!
• Carlos Arroyo Shows Masonry Skills as Mexico Upsets Puerto Rico - "If the Magic want to have their new arena built on-schedule, they might consider asking Carlos Arroyo to lend a hand. His brick-laying skills might come in handy." I'm so proud.
• Who's Under Contract: A Tentative 2007/2008 Orlando Magic Roster - Does anyone think I need to work a post like this into the sidebar somewhere? An at-a-glance summary of the Magic's players and their contracts? Let me know.
• The Southeast Division Outlook, Part Three: Miami Heat - "[T]he Heat's grip on the Southeast loosened considerably this summer, making the possibility of Orlando or Washington seizing it much more likely." Yeah, I'll say.
• Tell Harris Rosen Where He Can Stick It - I sincerely hope Harris Rosen read this post. Actually, I hope he's reading this one. Hey, Harris: thanks for failing at your bid to steal an arena from Orlando citizens so you can line your pockets. We really appreciate it, scumbag.
• The Southeast Division Outlook, Part Four: Orlando Magic - "I'm not saying that the Magic are going to win 57 games, but I am saying is that they will improve." 57 games isn't out of the question, actually. The Magic will reach that total if they go 12-1 the rest of the way.
• Summer of 2007: An Orlando Magic Photo Album - I was really scraping for content at this point, as I knew the SB Nation relaunch was just around the corner. Still, I'm happy with this post; pictures are fun!
• Orlando Sentinel: Surgery a Possibility for Tony Battie - The last news-related post at the original 3QC. Sucks that it's such a bummer.
• I've Moved to ThirdQuarterCollapse.com - "Thanks for everything." Thanks, indeed. Here come the waterworks...

When I started 3QC last year, I had no idea it'd ever get this "big." Okay, it's not BlogABull or TrueHoop or anything, but it went from a nondescript Blogspot site averaging 13 hits a week to a fairly reputable SB Nation site averaging 13 hits an hour (give or take). So I'd like to thank the SB Nation crew for letting me come aboard as well as the readers who brought this site to their attention in the first place. I really appreciate the support I've received.

Thanks for everything. I'll be here as long as you guys will have me.

And, uh, for what it's worth: the Magic are 54-29 (.651) since I launched the original 3QC. Just saying.

	vs.
32-19		31-17
Amway Arena
7:00 PM
FSN Florida
Probable starters:
Jameer Nelson	PG	Derek Fisher
Maurice Evans	SG	Kobe Bryant
Hedo Turkoglu	SF	V. Radmanovic
Rashard Lewis	PF	Lamar Odom
Dwight Howard	C	Pau Gasol

Our game-day feature is a bit of Lakers Q-and-A with Kurt of the web's premier Laker-fan resource, Forum Blue & Gold. You may remember him from the insight he gave us when the Lakers and the Magic engaged in a three-player trade last November. Kurt took the time to answer some of our questions, just as I answered some of his.

******************************

3QC: It's been nearly three months since the Magic traded Trevor Ariza to the Lakers for Brian Cook and Maurice Evans. How has that deal worked for the Lakers? Does Ariza, who can opt-out of his contract this summer, fit in to their future plans?

Kurt: The deal has been viewed as a great move for the Lakers. Until he got his foot stomped on by Derek Fisher in practice (Ariza is out a few more weeks with a broken bone in his foot), he had become a key player at the small forward, splitting time with Luke Walton. He is far more athletic than Luke and a much better defender, so depending on the matchup he or Luke got the start and the majority of minutes that night (Ariza started three games and was playing about 18 minutes a game, up from 10 in Orlando). It was his defense that was winning him fans, it gave the Lakers a second very good perimeter defender to take some pressure off Kobe at that end. And the move even helped Ariza's offense - the first half of the year in Orlando he shot 45.2% and had a PER of 12.9, in LA that jumped to 52.4% and a PER of 17.3. Plus, he had a monster dunk on Christmas Day over Grant Hill.

It's going to be interesting with the Gasol trade - Odom will start at the three and the Lakers are now pretty crowded at forward (Radmanovic can play there as well in a tall lineup). Still, Ariza's defense will get him minutes. I'd be surprised if Ariza opts out at the end of the year. I think the Lakers would like to keep him around as part of a young core that can compete for a title for the next few years, so long as it can be done at a reasonable price.

3QC: Los Angeles made a much bigger trade last week by acquiring All-Star forward Pau Gasol, which sparked plenty of championship talk among Lakers fans and NBA commentators alike. Given the formidable playoff lineup of Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Gasol, and Andrew Bynum, is there any team in the league which the Lakers would stand no chance of defeating in a seven-game series?

Kurt: One of the best parts of the Gasol trade (other than just getting rid of Kwame) and the way the Lakers roster is built is the flexibility it gives Phil Jackson. Want to go small, put in a lineup of Fisher, Jordan Farmar, Kobe, Ariza and Lamar Odom. Want to go very big, put in Kobe, Ariza, Odom (or Vladamir Radmanovic), Gasol and Bynum. Need just a few stops, put in a defensive-focused lineup of Fisher, Kobe, Ariza, Ronny Turiaf and Bynum. And those lists go on. In the crazy-deep Western Conference matchups in the playoffs are going to be key, you're going to see a different kind of team each round and you need to be able to counteract that style (just ask the Mavericks). The Lakers are in a better position now than any other team in the West to do that. But we'll see how that translates into wins when it matters.

3QC: Bynum, the Lakers' young (franchise?) center, has improved dramatically this season. What's been the key to his success?

Kurt: No need to put that question mark after franchise. He is part of the core of this team for the next decade and beyond, even after Kobe hangs it up.

The biggest change this season has been Bynum's conditioning. His first two years in the league he spent a lot of time with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (which you probably noticed because every time Bynum scored in a national broadcast the television cameras cut to Kareem). Kareem taught Bynum a lot about how to play the low post, proper footwork, using his body and length to get rebounds, etc. Last season, forced into extended minutes because of injuries, Bynum was learning how to apply those lessons in games, but his body kept betraying him. He got tired quickly, wasn't strong enough to do what he wanted at times. This past summer he spent a lot of time putting on muscle and getting in NBA condition (he's no Howard but he's not bad). The results have been phenomenal - and as he does something well his confidence grows, and then he feels comfortable trying different things he'd been working on. That's a great upward spiral for a young player.

3QC: Which Laker, besides Bynum, has been the most pleasantly surprising this season?

Kurt: Jordan Farmar has been the other key. Clearly the guy had leadership skills - he took UCLA to the NCAA title game, and in that game was the only Bruin to play worth a damn, scoring 18. He fits with the Lakers style in that he's got a great basketball IQ. And, he's a gym rat. The quintessential story about Farmar is this: On draft night last year the Lakers took the now-traded Javaris Crittenton in the first round, another young point guard. As the Lakers front office staff at the LA team headquarters were leaving the building that night, Jordan Farmar came in and started working on his shot. Nobody was going to take his spot. This season his shooting has improved - overall from 42.2% last season to 47.5% this year, and from three he's now shooting 38.9%, up from 32% last year. He's splitting time and learning from Derek Fisher, something that has the added benefit of keeping the not-so-young legs of Fisher fresh for the playoffs.

3QC: Which Magic player poses the toughest matchup for the Lakers? Conversely, which Laker poses the toughest matchup for the Magic?

Kurt: Um, have you seen Dwight Howard play? Does anyone have someone to matchup with him? He is going to be a big challenge with Bynum out, Pau Gasol is tall but not a great post defender. You may see a bunch of DJ Mbenga (a 10-day contract guy). The other guys who could have a big night are Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. One of the problems for the Lakers defense this year, particularly since Bynum and his presence in the paint went down, is that defenders are quick to sag off guys at the three-point line to defend the paint. Since the Magic have so many guys who can shoot the three, that can be a problem for the Lakers.

On the flip side, nobody really has a matchup for Kobe. The only thing slowing him down right now is he dislocated the little finger on his shooting hand against the Nets and that impacted his shooting against the Hawks Wednesday night. We'll see what happens tonight, but he is a force unlike any other. I'm curious how the Magic will defend the high pick and roll with Kobe as the ball handler and Gasol setting the pick (he has the skills to roll to the basket if you trap Kobe, or if you sit back on him he can slide out and hit the 18 footer). Also, depending on which Lamar Odom shows up, he can be almost unstoppable. He is the one that stops himself most nights.

******************************

We'd like to thank Kurt once again for his thoughtful responses to our questions. Once again, be sure to check out the game preview at Forum Blue & Gold to see how I responded to Kurt's questions.

• Let the speculation begin: just a few days after John Denton reported the Magic might be shopping Carlos Arroyo, Keyon Dooling, and J.J. Redick, Tim Povtak writes in today's Orlando Sentinel that Redick has indeed drawn interest from other teams. Magic GM Otis Smith told Povtak, "[J.J.]'s value is pretty high right now. What he can do -- shoot -- is at a premium in this league." Given Keith Bogans' and Keyon Dooling's poor play lately, it'd be wise for Otis to hang onto J.J. At least Maurice Evans is coming around.
  • For his part, Matt Watson thinks Smith is overestimating Redick's value: "He can shoot ... but can't create his own shot. He can play offense ... but can't play defense. Yeah, I bet the phone is ringing off the hook."
  • Redick's PER of 10.03 is 60th (out of 86) among NBA shooting guards. Bogans and Evans aren't much better, placing 51st and 52nd, respectively.
  • The best comment I read today came from dxwwf3 at MagicMadness, who wrote:

    I know a team that should really be interested in JJ:

    The Orlando Magic

• Yesterday, Henry Abbott of TrueHoop tried to find out if anyone has ever touched the top of the backboard. He turned to Todd Gallagher, author of Andy Roddick Beat Me with a Frying Pan, for the answer. Gallagher asked some NBAers who they thought was capable of pulling off that unheard-of feat, and they all mentioned Dwight Howard. However, our front-office was not cooperative with Gallagher, denying his requests to meet with Dwight post-practice to see if he could do it. Frustrated, Gallagher eventually took his search elsewhere. Score two points for Gallagher for not putting up with any crap, and take away a billion points from the Magic for not helping him out. Injury concerns? What injury concerns? Dwight would make one jump for the camera crew, after a practice in which he would have jumped in full-contact situations literally hundreds of time, and then be free to go. Doesn't make any sense.
• Death, taxes, and Grant Hill being injured. It took him almost half a season, but he finally did it, as he was rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. He'll be out of action for the Suns for two weeks, according to AZCentral. Thanks to Bright Side of the Sun for pointing out the link. I'm not being facetious at all when I say, "Best wishes to Grant on a speedy recovery."
• Finally, please welcome SB Nation's newest site, PickAxeAndRoll.com, which is devoted to the Denver Nuggets.

Submit your Redick trade proposals (using the Trade Machine first, please) either in the comments or in the diaries. I'd love to hear some ideas from other teams' bloggers, too.

Slow news day yesterday. That wasn't the case today. Let's get to it.

• Via TrueHoop's Thursday Bullets: John Hollinger's new Playoff Predictor projects that the Magic's final record will be 60-22, that the Magic have a 100% chance of making the playoffs, a 100% chance of winning the division, a 17.6% chance of capturing the East's no. 1 seed, a 23% chance of winning the East finals, and a 14.6% chance of winning the NBA title. Holy crap!
• Carter Blanchard of FreeDarko pardons the Magic for the Lewis signing:

  While Orlando paid way more than they should have had to, and the $23m owed in 2012 is going to hurt, what is relevancy in the NBA for the next half decade actually worth?  Rashard for that team is the difference between sneaking into the playoffs and making perennial runs at the Finals. Couple that with the fact there was no other option available that would have provided this kind of boost and it seems clear that the initial consensus of the signing needs some reevaluating. But my guess is that even if the Magic can sustain this early success, Rashard will continue to fail to live up to the burden of his contract.
  [....]
  Overpaid players can win you games just as easily as underpaid players can lose 'em (see: Parker, Smush). Rashard Lewis might never deserve his $110 million, but when all's said and done, he'll have been worth it.

• Brian Schmitz has this news roundup in today's Sentinel. Clearly, the best news is that Carlos Arroyo's ill daughter is feeling better, which allowed Carlos to rejoin the team at practice yesterday.
• From Schmitz's blog:

  Unless Dwight Howard catches a Grant Hill curse or other players wind up getting fitted for walking casts, the Magic should post their best record since the 1995-96 season.

  That year the Magic, with Shaq and Penny, wound up a franchise-best 60-22. Orlando won 57 games the season before that.

  The franchise's top record since Shaq left in 1996 is 45-37, posted by the 1996-97 team that still had Penny, Nick, Dennis and Horace on the roster.

  Look at it like this: The Magic are 16-4 and if they go 31-31 the rest of the way, they'll have 47 wins.

	vs.
11-4		14-3
U.S. Airways Center
10:00 PM
Sun Sports HD
Probable starters:
Steve Nash	PG	Jameer Nelson
Leandro Barbosa	SG	Keith Bogans
Grant Hill	SF	Hedo Turkoglu
Shawn Marion	PF	Rashard Lewis
Amare Stoudemire	C	Dwight Howard

25 words or fewer: The Orlando Magic test their league-best 9-1 road record against one of the NBA's elite teams, the Phoenix Suns.

Know your enemy: The Suns have lost their last two games.

Useless information: Dallas, Phoenix, and San Antonio lost each of their games on Monday. When was the last time that happened?

Bullet points:

• UPDATE: Grant Hill tells Brian Schmitz that he thinks the Magic "are for real." That's high praise, and might have just made my day... unless he was trying to jinx us. That's not cool.
• UPDATE: John Denton writes that the Magic treat both Inspector Carlos Arroyo and Jameer Nelson like starting point guards, despite the fact that Nelson is the real starter.

  Arroyo said he and Nelson are able to coexist in the Magic backcourt because they are close friends and support each other. Both would prefer to play more minutes, but they understand that Van Gundy is going to simply ride the hot hand from game to game.

  "We don’t get all caught up in who’s playing and who’s not playing," Arroyo said. "We don’t care who’s getting the credit as long as we’re winning. It’s working for us."

  I used to think that the Magic should trade Arroyo's expiring deal for frontcourt help. Now? I'd rather not lose him.

• The last time the Magic played the Suns, Leandro Barbosa started in place of an injured Raja Bell and scored a career-high 39 points. It may be deja vu all over again for Orlando, as Bell is ailing again, meaning Barbosa will likely get the start tonight. (Hat tip: Bright Side of the Sun)
• John Denton spoke with Grant Hill about getting booed in his return to Orlando last month, and Grant explained that he's not bitter about it. I'm still bitter about that whackjob who shouted "Hill, you suck!" during the national anthem.
• Brian Schmitz expects Stan Van Gundy to win Coach of the Year. I know we're only a month into the season, but it's hard to disagree with him. Of particular note in that blog entry:

  Sports Illustrated, which didn't even pick the Magic in its preseason special to make the playoffs, will be in Phoenix to prepare a piece on the team.

  Sweet! I doubt it'll be the cover story, but it'd be nice if it were. It's been far too long since we've been on the cover.

• Former Magic coach and current TV analyst Matt Guokas says Dwight Howard may not be built like Shaq, but "the dominance is there." In further describing Dwight's game, Guokas invokes Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. Did I mention that Howard isn't yet 22 years old?
• This link has absolutely nothing to do with tonight's game, but screw it, it needs to be passed on: The Knicks got their asses pillaged (to paraphrase Posting and Toasting) by the Celtics last night, and KnickerBlogger responds. (Hat tip: TrueHoop)
• Still no word as to whether or not Keyon Dooling will be able to play tonight; as far as I know, he's still recovering from food poisoning he suffered over the weekend.
• Speaking of KnickerBlogger, its advanced stats page dispels the notion that the Suns don't play a lick of defense. Adjusted for pace, the Suns are the ninth-best defensive team in the league, which is especially remarkable considering that they play at the second-fastest pace of any team.

• Brian Cook and Maurice Evans, the Magic's two newest players, combined to shoot 13-of-49 (.265) from the field and 3-of-17 (.176) from three-point range so far in this young NBA season. On the plus side, they're a combined 16-of-19 (.842) from the foul line. Hooray!
• The only time I saw the two players in person, they were solid, yet unspectacular. I'm 87% sure that Brian Cook's lone three-pointer in that game so disgusted Magic PA Announcer Paul Porter that he spat Cook's name into the microphone. Don't you love it when he does that? And would it kill us to trade for somebody with a fun name? Paul has a great voice, and it's a shame that he's been forced to think of ways to make "Grant Hill" sound exciting in 30% of the Magic's games over the last seven years.
• The two new guys will join their teammates at RDV Sportsplex today for a light workout, says Brian Schmitz.
• Cook was active for last night's loss at San Antonio, but never got to take his warmup shirt off, earning a DNP-CD. The Magic's official team roster lists him as wearing #43, the same number he wore in L.A. I figured he'd want to switch to 34, his college number, which was unavailable in L.A. (presumably) because it was Shaq's number, and will be retired fairly soon.
• The last Magic player to wear #43 was Geert Hammink.
• On his official website, Cook tells us that his nickname is "Cookie."
• Orlando is Evans' fifth team in five NBA seasons.
• Because he was inactive for last night's game -- Stan the Man had both Pat Garrity and Brian Cook active, in a move from the Department of Redundancy Department -- I have no idea which uniform number Evans will wear here. He wore #5 in college, in Sacramento, and in Detroit; that number is unavailable because Keyon Dooling already has it. Evans wore #6 in Los Angeles, but it won't be available here because it's retired for The Fans. We made an exception by letting Patrick Ewing wear it, but that's because he's Patrick Ewing.
  • Rant Aside: Why is it that the Magic organization is okay with retiring a number for The Fans, which is a silly PR move at best, but not with retiring a number for a former player? Nick Anderson, Dennis Scott, Jeff Turner, and Scott Skiles have all been honored with banners at Amway Arena... banners hung in the concourse. Clearly, the best way to pay tribute to great figures in the franchise's history is to put a banner bearing their visage over the burger stand or the merchandise booth. The Magic need to hurry up and retire Anderson's #25, at least.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Keyon Dooling and Grant Hill talk before the Suns' 106-96 victory over the Magic. Dooling had the better game, but Hill had the last laugh.
Photo by Phelan M. Ebanhack, the Associated Press

Well, that was ugly.

The night got off to a bad start when a fan shouted "You suck!" at the woman singing the national anthem, and it only got worse for the Magic as they fell to Phoenix by a score of 106-96. The final margin is deceptively small; if memory serves, we were trailing by 20 with 6 minutes to go. Here's the boxscore.

Leandro Barbosa started for the Suns in place of Raja Bell, who suffered an ankle injury in Phoenix's victory over Miami last night. He proceeded to torch us for a career-high 39 points, including 8-of-13 from three-point range.

Dwight Howard had another great performance for us with 33 points and 18 rebounds, but he was just 7-of-16 from the free throw line. He looked to be the only Magic starter with his head in the game. Rashard Lewis was especially awful: our $118 million man had just 7 points on 3-of-14 shooting. On the plus side for him, he pulled down a season-high 9 rebounds. So there's that.

I want to know what happened to "We do what we do." Only 19 three-point attempts tonight? Really? It was like watching a Brian Hill-coached team.

1. Get possession.
2. Give the ball to Dwight on the block.
3. Stand around and hope he can do something with it.

Ugh. But that wasn't the only bad part. Our transition defense was also terrible, and Phoenix's fast-breaking offense exploited it. On two fast breaks in the first quarter, Barbosa got the ball in the open floor and strolled right into the lane for a layup. On every level of basketball, the first thing they teach you on defense is to STOP THE BALL ON  THE FAST BREAK. No Magic player cut off the lane, and the result was easy baskets for Phoenix.

And I'm not one to blame losses on officiating, but it was a bit questionable early in the game tonight. By my count, the Magic were whistled for five offensive fouls in the first half, each time by Ken Mauer, who has enough oil in his hair to fuel an aircraft carrier. Again, I'm not blaming the loss on officiating, but it was hard for us to get into a rhythm offensively.

Well, at least the bench played well. Trevor Ariza, Keyon Dooling, and Carlos Arroyo all scored in double-figures. Keyon also gave Steve Nash all he could handle defensively. A good showing from Keyon.

For those wondering, Grant Hill was booed lustily during pre-game introductions and every time he touched the ball subsequent to that. He shot just 6-of-18, so maybe it had an effect on him. Or maybe he just can't play anymore.

Yeah, I think I just went there.

UPDATE: Brian Schmitz and Tim Povtak report that the fan who shouted "You suck!" during the national anthem was directing his vitriol to Grant Hill, not the woman who sang. That doesn't excuse his comment, but it's important to make that distinction.