Free agency is here! Everybody freak out!

• Free-agency coverage abounds in the Sentinel today.
  • Tim Povtak lists Golden State Warriors swingman Mickael Pietrus (more on him below), Chicago Bulls point guard Chris Duhon, and Los Angeles Clippers swingman Corey Maggette as the Magic's primary targets.
  • Povtak also has a list of the NBA's top free agents, which includes Clippers forward Elton Brand, Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas, and Warriors guard Baron Davis. Most of the guys on this list are either out of the Magic's price range or off their radar completely. If Kwame Brown ever plays for Orlando, I might throw up.
  • Brian Schmitz received word from Bill McCandless, who represents Pietrus, that he expects the Magic to contact him regarding his client. Pietrus' calling cards are defense and three-point shooting, so it's easy to see why Stan Van Gundy and Magic management would be interested in him. If the Magic's top priority is to replace Maurice Evans in the starting lineup, Pietrus is probably the best option. For more on Pietrus, check out...
    • this ridiculous weakside block of the Kings' Kevin Martin, which made waves in the basketblogosphere.
    • this criticism of Pietrus' work ethic from 3QC fave Tim Kawakami:

      When Pietrus is hurt, he usually takes about 2 or 3 games longer than any other Warrior mainstay would in a similar circumstance. He's right at 3 games longer right now, by the way.

      He has now missed 11 games this season for various reasons -- all valid enough -- but that's 2 more than Stephen Jackson has missed, and that includes Jackson's 7-game suspension to start the campaign.

      Pietrus has missed 5 more games than Andris Biedrins has missed, and, yes, Biedrins had an appendectomy in the middle of the season.

      That's not a good stat. That's about normal for Pietrus' career, too.

      Those facts should raise some red-flags for the Magic

  • In less exciting news, Schmitz reports that the Magic have told free-agent forward Pat Garrity that they will not offer him a contract until later this summer, if at all. It's a wise move on their part to hold-off, yeah. If they make a splash in free-agency -- unlikely -- they might need a cheap 15th man, and Pat might be that man. But if the team signs him, even for a year at the smallest possible salary, Magic fans will revolt. Of that I am sure. Despite Garrity's long stay in Orlando, he hasn't drawn a large fan following, largely due to his lack of productivity. He should have ended his playing days long ago.
• As expected, Magic draftee Courtney Lee signed a four-year, $6 million deal.
• Yesterday, I speculated that the source Tim Povtak cited as saying Corey Maggette could return to Orlando was none other than Maggette's agent, Rob Pelinka. User "Orltragic07" at Denton's board speculates the source could be Bo Outlaw, a former Maggette teammate and current Magic Community Ambassador. You'll have to scroll down to find his post; I can't seem to find a way to link it directly.
• The annual Pepsi Pro Summer League, which the Magic hosts, starts next Monday. The Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets, and Seattle SuperSonics will all send teams filled with players hoping to make the opening-day roster. Click here for the summer-league roster page for all teams. A few notes from Orlando's squad:
  • James Augustine, Marcin Gortat, and Courtney Lee are the three "real" Magic players on the team. Lee will wear uniform no. 32, the same one he wore at Western Kentucky. If he chooses to wear that number in the regular-season, he'll be only the third Magic player in 20 years to do so. The others were Otis Smith and Shaquille O'Neal.
  • Kevin Kruger, who played on last year's summer-league team, will also play on this year's.
  • Temple guard Mark Tyndale, who went undrafted last Thursday, also made the Magic's summer-league team. He was among the five shooting guards the Magic worked-out before the draft. The week before the draft, stat guru Ed Weiland, of HOOPSANALYST, ranked Tyndale the third-best shooting guard in the entire 2008 draft class, behind O.J. Mayo and Chris Douglas-Roberts; he rates Lee, whom the Magic selected 22nd overall, to be the 6th-best.
  • Like last year, you can watch each game online free.

That's all for today. Leave your free-agency suggestions in the comments or the FanPosts.

Quick notes on this stiflingly humid Friday.:

• Monday,  a panel of FanHouse writers named Hedo Turkoglu the NBA's Most Improved Player. Now, Ball Don't Lie has a poll which lets its readers decide who should win. Hedo leads the field by a wide margin, with 44% of the vote. Andrew Bynum, who would probably be the front-runner if he hadn't busted his knee, holds second place in the poll with 25%. Anyway, uh, vote Hedo!
• The Blowtorch looks at the Magic's weakest link: their back-up big men:

  Here is a list of bench players 6'9" and over that have played in games for the Magic this year:

  Brian Cook
  

  Pat Garrity
  
  Adonal Foyle
  
  James Augustine
  
  Marcin Gortat
  
  Bo Outlaw

  I'm serious. Bo Outlaw played in a real NBA game for a real NBA team this season. I don't think he's actually on the roster right now, but that's ridiculous.

• Speaking of backups, the Orlando Sentinel confirms that Brian Cook will probably miss at least the first round of the playoffs due to his broken hand.
• Dwight Howard and Chris Paul share the spotlight in this split-screen NBA Playoffs commercial. For the love of Seikaly, please let the Hornets and the Magic play each other in the Finals sometime soon. (Thanks, HP).
• Last week, SLAM gave a sneak peek of the cover to its latest issue, which features Dwight Howard. It's on sale now, and the magazine's website has a behind-the-scenes look at how the photographers made Dwight fly. And if you need any more incentive to get this issue (cop this ish? I have no idea), it also profiles D-League star Rod Benson. BOOM THO.

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.

• J.J Redick's trade request has gotten plenty of media attention. Hell, it even made ESPN.com! But nobody has the story covered quite like Kelly Dwyer, who transcribed the conversation that took place between Redick and Magic GM Otis Smith. Shocking.
• 'Hedowned' is Matt's new favorite word. For a formal definition of "Hedownage," refer to this video, as well as this one. Thanks.
• The Toronto Raptors' point guard platoon of T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon is affectionately nicknamed "Forderon". I tried coming up with a similar nickname for our Carlos Arroyo/Jameer Nelson tandem, but the best I could do was "Nelroyo." "Arrson" would be better -- it's scorching hot! -- but the two guys don't shoot well enough to earn that moniker. TheFalcon suggested "Loser" for the composite nickname. Subtle, but effective. It's pretty damn appropriate that his avatar on MagicMadness is a photo of Mark Twain.
• Earlier this week, Will Brinson speculated the Magic would sign 5'5" point guard Earl Boykins. I don't think that would have been a good idea -- how many undersized one-guards does this team need?! -- but it's all moot now. The Charlotte Bobcats, our division rivals, have signed him for the rest of the season. Boykins isn't a great player, but keep in mind that Charlotte was giving Jeff McInnis (PER: 6.4) 26 minutes a game this season. So that's an improvement.
• Hedo + Rashard = Hedard Turkolewis. How euphonious.
• David Berri's Wages of Wins method of measuring a player's value has come under a lot of scrutiny; just take this quiz and see the results. Berri just published a complete list of every NBA player's Wins Produced at the midpoint of the season. Here's how the Magic's guys did - the number in parenthesis is the player's rank out of 446 total players:
  • Dwight Howard (1)
  • Hedo Turkoglu (64)
  • Jameer Nelson (77)
  • Keith Bogans (131)
  • Carlos Arroyo (142)
  • Adonal Foyle (175)
  • Trevor Ariza (219)
  • Maurice Evans (259)
  • Bo Outlaw (297)
  • James Augustine (316)
  • J.J. Redick (322)
  • Rashard Lewis (343)
  • Keyon Dooling (382)
  • Brian Cook (405)
  • Pat Garrity (417)

  According to this method, there are 342 players in the NBA who are more productive than Rashard Lewis. As disappointing as he's been, it's hard to buy that he's really that awful. (Hat-tip: SuperSonicSoul)

• Don't forget to tune-in to TNT at 7 PM eastern to find out who the reserves for the All-Star teams are.

I just got back from work and got the startling news that the Magic have traded Trevor Ariza to the Los Angeles Lakers for Brian Cook and Maurice Evans. It's no secret that Trevor is was my favorite Magic player, so obviously I am upset to lose him.

I won't pretend to know much about the players we've received. I do know that Cook is a power-forward with a sweet shooting stroke, like a younger, better Pat Garrity. Maurice Evans is a three-point shooter and defender in the Keith Bogans mode: basketball-reference says as much in its "most similar at age" section on Evans' profile.

The feature player in this deal is Cook, whose contract does not expire until after the 2008/2009 season, with a player option for 2009/2010. In that respect, his contract mirrors that of Hedo Turkoglu. The deal doesn't make sense when you consider that the Magic already have Tony Battie, the player for whom Cook will fill in, on the payroll until 2010. Why saddle ourselves with an unnecessary contract? We only needed a power forward rental, a veteran who would play for us this season, then make his way somewhere else; Chris Webber and Dale Davis would have been ideal.

I'll have much more to say about this trade at a later date, but I have to cut this post short so I can work on a very important paper. Please post your feelings on the trade in the comments or in the diaries. Don't forget to vote in the poll!

Magic fans' first opportunity to see the team's newest editions in  person will be Friday against Charlotte. No word yet on if Cook and Evans will be available tomorrow night against the Spurs.

Because we had 15 players on our roster, we cannot take back more players than we trade away. Thus, the Magic were forced to waive Bo Outlaw.

UPDATE: Here's more from the Magic's press release. Brackets are mine, parentheses are from the original release -

"Brian (Cook) helps bolster our frontcourt," said [Otis] Smith. "He is a power forward who shoots the ball extremely well, while also bringing added toughness to our roster. Maurice (Evans) is a tremendous athlete, a solid defender and capable of playing multiple positions. Both Brian and Maurice fit in very well with what we are trying to accomplish."

Since Tony Battie went down with a torn rotator cuff, the Magic have been wanting for help on the front line. The Magic need help at the center and power forward positions if they expect to advance very far in the playoffs. Rebounding in particular is an issue. The starting frontcourt of Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Hedo Turkoglu has size -- each is at least 6'10" tall -- but only Howard can be counted on to rebound consistently. And the Magic haven't been getting much help on the boards from the guard positions, although Keith Bogans did haul in 9 last night. Essentially, we need rebounding, and we need it now.

How bad is the rebounding situation? We've managed to haul in a mere 23% of our missed shots, well below the average of 27%. Additionally, we've allowed our opponents to get 31% of their misses. Offensive rebounding is second only to field-goal percentage in importance to winning games. Thus, if they expect to win many games this season, the Magic need to toughen up on the boards.

All this background brings me to this free story on ESPN Insider, which details the 10 best available unemployed players, many of which are big men. Here are the bigs on the list, with their most recent rebounding statistics:

1. Anderson Varejao (11.3 per 40)
2. D.J. Mbenga (5.6 per 40)
3. P.J. Brown (9.5 per 40)
4. Chris Webber (9.6 per 40)
5. Dale Davis (11.8 per 40)
6. Chris Andersen (10.9 per 40)
7. Vitaly Potapenko (6.7 per 40)

Of those players, the one who interests me most is the ancient seasoned Dale Davis. He'll be 39 years old in March, but he's still a talented rebounder. More importantly, he would bring attitude to a soft, finesse-based Magic team that could use some toughness off the bench.

Don't worry about his lack of speed holding back the offense. Despite promises to run more often, the Stan Van Gundy-coached Magic are are 27th in the league in pace, using just 88.7 possessions per game. Last year, under Brian Hill, the Magic used 88.5 possessions per game. Dale Davis was able to fit in just fine with Detroit's slow, methodical offense last year; he'd do alright here too.

But I don't expect Otis Smith to act in haste to sign a big man. He's still waiting to hear back from the league about a medical injury exception, which would pay half of Tony Battie's salary this season, giving the Magic $2.7 million to spend on an available free-agent. Given that Brown and Webber won't play for such a low salary; and given that Mbenga and Potapenko aren't great rebounders; and given that Varejao and Andersen have their rights owned by other teams, Davis is the only player who seems to make sense for the Magic.

Of course, they could go the alternate route by giving minutes to Marcin Gortat and James Augustine. But I wouldn't advise that. The Magic need rebounding now, and Davis could step in immediately and provide that. There's no learning curve with Dale. Why not offer him the veterans' minimum, cut Bo Outlaw, and see what he can do?

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel filed this report on his blog earlier today, and it's not good news. Emphases mine:

Shooting guard J.J. Redick sustained a back injury --- believed to be back spasms --- while coming down after a lay-up attempt. He walked out gingerly, needing to pause as he was escorted to the team bus by trainer Tom Smith.

He's likely out for the game against the T-Wolves.

Power forward Pat Garrity sprained his right ankle during the practice and said he was in more pain than usual. "I've done it before, but this hurts," said Garrity, who likely will be a game-time decision.

The Magic are already short big men, and if Garrity can't play, second-year forward James Augustine or veteran Bo Outlaw could be called upon.

I hope that J.J. and Pat recover quickly from their injuries. J.J. hadn't been playing a lot, but we'll need his shooting when (not if) Keith Bogans goes cold. Although Pat isn't a great player, he's a guy who can play the four, and we need all of those we can get since Tony Battie is out for the season.

This thought just occurred to me: if Pat Garrity is unavailable, might Trevor Ariza see some playing time at power forward?

Additionally, Schmitz writes that Stan Van Gundy told reporters that he's made changes to the Magic's rotation, but he did not specify what those changes were. He did say, however, the Magic will use the same starting lineup of Jameer Nelson, Keith Bogans, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, and Dwight Howard. Rumor had it that Adonal Foyle would start against Minnesota because of the Timberwolves' large frontcourt.

Lots of business to get to. Let's do it:

• Brian Schmitz reports in his blog that the Magic have been in talks with Jameer Nelson's agent, Steve Mountain, about extending Nelson's contract. The two sides are "far apart" on a five-year deal, but Schmitz's sources indicate that a three-year deal is more likely. Remember that the Magic will have the right to match any offer Nelson gets next summer, so even if an agreement isn't reached by the October 31st deadline, it's not a given that Jameer will be gone after this season.
• Keith Bogans will indeed start for the Magic at shooting guard on opening night. The Orlando Sentinel ran this feature on him this morning in which KeBo not-so-subtly rips Brian Hill while simultaneously praising Stan Van Gundy:

  "I want to be coached. And [Stan] doesn't let you take a day off. If he sees your potential, he works you hard," Bogans said. "Last year I didn't get coached at all. It makes a difference. This year you make a mistake, he lets you know. You do something well, he lets you know. I respond to that."

• Whit Watson of Sun Sports writes about so-called "bulletin-board material" and uses the Magic as an example of how teams can use it. He points to Sports Illustrated's prediction for the Magic this year ("[I]t will be a good year if they can reach .500") and wonders if the Magic will use that as motivational fuel. I hope they do.
• The Minnesota Timberwolves are close to buying out Juwan Howard's contract, and Schmitz writes that he may become a target for the Magic. We are in need of another power-position player, and Howard has the added bonus of being a calming, veteran presence. The problem is that he's actually not such a great player. John Denton writes that the Magic will pursue one or more bigs in free-agency, and as a result may cut both James Augustine and Bo Outlaw. It was thought that one of those two players would get the team's final roster spot, but apparently that is not a given at this point. Personally, I'd  rather the Magic stick with Augustine than overpay for a veteran stiff, but I don't run the team.

Rashard Lewis drives to the basket in the Magic's final preseason game, a victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Photo by Fernando Medina, NBAE/Getty Images

The Magic finished off their preseason with a record of 5-1 -- 6-1 if you count the victory over the Chinese National Team -- by defeating the San Antonio Spurs, 99-90. Yahoo has the box score.

I really don't want to read too much into this win. The Spurs rested their stars down the stretch of a tight game, which they would not have done had it actually mattered. Still, we beat the world champions! ... kind of.

The biggest story in this game has to be Rashard Lewis' real debut for the Magic. Sure, he played in two prior previous games, but this was the first time he played injury-free. He posted 16 points and 5 rebounds in 31 minutes. Not bad... until you consider that he shot 6-of-15. 'Shard needs to average more that 1 point per shot, which will happen if he gets to the foul line more often.

The Magic had a balanced attack. Carlos Arroyo, playing against a roster featuring several international players, scored 16 points in 24 minutes. Keith Bogans added 11 on 3-of-4 from downtown, solidifying his spot as the team's opening-night starting shooting guard. And Adonal Foyle played very well, adding 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks. He should fill in for Tony Battie and Darko Milicic nicely.

My question: where the heck were Marcin Gortat and Kevin Kruger? And James Augustine, for that matter? I hoped that they would get major minutes tonight, but they didn't play at all. We should be hearing in a few days who nailed down the final roster spot. It's either Augustine or Bo Outlaw, and my money is on Auggie.

Again, it's hard to put too much significance on winning this game and finishing the preseason with a good record. But our three-point shooting has been sound -- including 9-of-15 tonight -- and that's really the key to our offense now. But what do you think? Is this preseason really important? Let's discuss it in the comments.

Orlando Magic

Last year's record: 40-42

Key losses: forward Tony Battie (season-ending shoulder surgery), guard Travis Diener (free agency to Indiana), coach Brian Hill (fired), guard Grant Hill (free agency to Phoenix), forward Darko Milicic (free agency to Memphis).

Key additions: center Adonal Foyle (free agency from Golden State), forward Marcin Gortat (2005 draft), forward Rashard Lewis (sign-and-trade with Seattle), coach Stan Van Gundy (hired).

What significant moves were made during the offeason?

With the exception of the Boston Celtics, no NBA team made more changes this summer than the Orlando Magic. The signing of Rashard Lewis, a three-point specialist and 20-points-per-game scorer, to a maximum contract generated a lot of buzz around the league and in Orlando. Not since the days of Tracy McGrady have the Magic had such a brilliant offensive force.

However, the most significant change the Magic made was in coaching. The team parted ways with Brian Hill because it disagreed with his slow-it-down, grind-it-out philosophy, which did not suit the Magic's players. Enter Stan Van Gundy, a coach who likes his players to run the floor, to score in transition, and to play tough defense. He should be able to better use the Magic's athletic roster while encouraging them to create on the fly. Look for Van Gundy's philosophy to make a star out of point guard Jameer Nelson, who looked lost trying to run Brian Hill's offense last season.

What are the team's biggest strengths?

• Three-point shooting - The Magic ranked 15th in three-pointers made last season, but 29th in attempts, which indicates that Brian Hill didn't make the best use of the shooting talent he had. Anyway, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, J.J. Redick, Keith Bogans, Pat Garrity, and Jameer Nelson could all conceivably shoot at least 38% from downtown. And considering the sheer volume of threes the team will take in Stan Van Gundy's offense (18 per game so far this preseason, compared to approximately 12 per game last season), that will translate into a lot of scoring. The problem is that teams who live with the jump-shot also die with the jump-shot. Luckily, the Magic have the option of giving the ball to Dwight Howard down low.
• Defensive rebounding - Although the Magic seemingly have holes at the power positions, especially with Tony Battie being out for the season, they have done a capable job of cleaning their opponents' glass this preseason. The Magic have rebounded 80% of their opponents' missed shot this season, much better than the 73% average. Of course, the Magic haven't faced teams with any dominant big-men yet this preseason, so that may be skewed. But if Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis are able to step up, and if Adonal Foyle plays well off the bench, the Magic will have plenty of possessions off their opponents' missed shots, which means plenty of chances to run the fast-break.

What are the team's biggest weaknesses?

• Leadership - Orlando has never been known for having gutsy players, or guys who can lead by example. This year's team features Adonal Foyle, who is as nice a player as there is in the league, but he doesn't have the star wattage that most leaders have. Ditto for Bo Outlaw, who may not even make the team. Until Jameer Nelson, Dwight Howard, or Rashard Lewis step up and show this team some backbone, the Magic may find themselves on the losing ends of some close games.
• Depth - The Magic are in desperate need of another rebounding big-man as insurance in case Foyle or Howard go down. Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, and Trevor Ariza will all see time out-of-position at the four, but they don't provide the brute strength required. Ditto for Pat Garrity, James Augustine, and Marcin Gortat, who are natural fours.

What are the goals for this team?

• Get healthy - The Magic were without Trevor Ariza, Keyon Dooling, and Rashard Lewis last week because of injuries. As a result, the team has not been able to practice at full strength in quite some time. Those three will likely play 20+ minutes per game once they are healthy. Until they are, the Magic are going to have to make due with what little else they have and hope it's able to get them through a grueling November.
• Win a playoff series - After a four-year absence, the Magic returned to the playoffs last season despite having a losing record. They were swept unceremoniously in the first round by the Detroit Pistons. It was the first playoff appearance of the Dwight Howard era, so the Magic were already expected to build upon that by making another playoff trip. But the arrival of Rashard Lewis has raised the bar for this team, so to speak, so they must advance past the first round of the playoffs for the season to be considered a success.
  
  For the record, the Magic have not won a playoff series since 1996.

How many times will some commentator or columnist mention Rashard Lewis' contract?

More than I can even begin to articulate. You know how last year Theo Ratliff didn't exist, but Theo Ratliff's Expiring Contract did? That's what it's going to be like for the Magic and Rashard Lewis. If he's playing well, they'll say the Magic have gotten their money's worth. If he's playing poorly, they'll say the Magic overpaid for a one-dimensional, one-time All-Star who has never had to lead a team in his life. It won't end. I'm already sick of it.

Predicted record: 46-36
Despite having a losing record last season, the Magic had a positive point differential, indicating that they were coached out of some victories. Their expected record last season was 43-39, and based on the personnel changes, they're probably a 50-win team now. However, given the inevitable injury to a regular rotation player (or two) at midseason, and given an adjustment period to Stan Van Gundy's new offense, and given the team's difficult opening schedule, I'm predicting a modest three-game improvement for the Magic, or 46 wins. That should be enough to make the playoffs; in fact, it may be enough to win the Southeast Division. Call me cautiously optimistic.