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.

	vs.
40-23		38-23
Amway Arena
7:00 PM
Sun Sports HD
Probable starters:
Jameer Nelson	PG	Baron Davis
Maurice Evans	SG	Monta Ellis
Hedo Turkoglu	SF	Mickael Pietrus
Rashard Lewis	PF	Stephen Jackson
Dwight Howard	C	Andris Biedrins
Season series:
3 Dec 2007: Magic 123, Warriors 117

The Warriors visit the Amway Arena tonight on the second night of a back-to-back, having blown out the Heat last night by a final score of 134-99. The Heat, with only seven healthy players, stood no chance against the league's second-fastest team.

We, meanwhile, enter the game fresh off two days of rest. We'll need it tonight. The Warriors, as noted in the previous paragraph, love to run. They also hate to play defense, paying no real attention to that aspect of the game. They're also not good on the glass, which is why I think Dwight Howard has a legitimate shot at reaching 20 rebounds tonight. It's not like I'm going out on a limb here; he had 24 rebounds in our first matchup with the Dubs this season and averaged 19 per game against them last season.

Dwight has a chance to do much more than that, though. The Warriors have no one who can guard him. 40 points isn't out of the question for him, either. However, we need his defense more than we need his offense tonight. If he protects the paint like he did in our last meeting, in which he blocked seven shots, the Warriors will have no choice but to shoot three-pointers. They hoisted 40 -- 40! -- triples last time out, and only hit nine. Golden State is vulnerable to bouts of inefficiency and complacency, and we absolutely need to capitalize on that.

Unfortunately for us, Golden State has no shortage of 40-point candidates. We're ill-equipped to defend point guard Baron Davis, who has the combination of size and strength that vexes both Jameer Nelson and Carlos Arroyo. Meanwhile, Davis' backcourt-mate, Monta Ellis, has gone absolutely ballistic since the All-Star Break. Take a look at these freakish numbers: 24.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.5 steals on 55% shooting... and he hasn't made a single three-pointer in that stretch. He gets to the basket seemingly at will. I hope Keyon Dooling has recovered from his sprained left foot in time to play tonight. He's our best shot at slowing Monta.

We can't discount Stephen Jackson, either. Jackson shoots the ball with little consideration of the situation, which has worked well for him and for Golden State since it acquired him from Indiana in January 2007. If there's any player in the league who exemplifies the "no conscience" cliche, it's Jackson. He went 5-of-7 from downtown last night, so hopefully he got the hot-shooting out of his system. Also, he's an underrated defender, so Hedo Turkoglu is really going to have to earn his points tonight.

One final Warrior to watch: Brandan Wright. The 6'8" forward acquired from Charlotte on draft-night for Jason Richardson is finally playing consistent minutes, and he's producing solidly. Wright is long, tall, and athletic, the perfect power forward for Warriors coach Don Nelson's offensive system. If called upon tonight, Wright may well put up Paul Millsap-like numbers against us, which bodes ill. In case you need a reminder, the grisly details of that evening against the Jazz are here.

Requisite J.J. Redick mention: Brian Schmitz informs us that tonight will be our last chance to see J.J. for a while, as he will leave the team after tonight's game so he can spend time with his younger brother, who will undergo surgery to remove a tumor on Monday. Obviously, our thoughts are with J.J. and his family, and we hope David Redick makes a speedy recovery.

First team to 110 points wins. As usual, post your pre-, in-, and post-game comments in this thread. Check out Golden State of Mind for some Warriors perspective. Their Q-and-A with me should be up later in the day is up now. Dig it.

Go Magic.

	vs.
18-28		29-18
Wachovia Center
7:00 PM
Sun Sports
Probable starters:
Andre Miller	PG	Carlos Arroyo
Willie Green	SG	Maurice Evans
Andre Iguodala	SF	Hedo Turkoglu
Reggie Evans	PF	Rashard Lewis
Samuel Dalembert	C	Dwight Howard

Lots of weird storylines heading into tonight's action. The two teams have combined to play 93 games, yet have not played each other once. The 76ers are 10 games below .500, yet just 1.5 games out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Odder still, they won their last game by 43 points. Yes, the Philadelphia 76ers, post-Allen Iverson, beat a team by 43 points. Next thing you know, Joe Johnson will make an All-Star team.

Oh, wait. Crap.

I'm most interested in seeing how Hedo Turkoglu plays in his first game, post-All-Star-snub. Hopefully, he'll do his best Al Thornton impression. Thornton, who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers, was left off the roster for the Rookie Game at All-Star Weekend. He subsequently dropped 33 points on the Hawks in a 95-88 victory. I hope he dunked on Joe Johnson's head. For more notable examples of players going absolutely apeshit nuts after getting snubbed, check out today's post at 20 Second Timeout.

The player who most worries me is Andre Miller. He's great at posting-up smaller guards, much like Chauncey Billups. He's going to give Arroyo and Jameer Nelson fits. Additionally, he throws some unfairly awesome outlet passes, like this alley-oop to Andre Iguodala from about 60 feet away. But don't let that highlight clip fool you into thinking the 76ers are a running team. Despite having young studs like Iguodala, Willie Green, and Louis Williams, they're only 22nd in the league in pace factor.

Anyway, Dwight Howard gets to compete against one of the few players in the league who can legitimately challenge him for rebounds. Reggie Evans, whom the Magic were reportedly interested in acquiring last summer, is 8th in the league in Rebound Rate, ahead of such luminaries as Tim Duncan, Andris Biedrins, and Carlos Boozer. Samuel Dalembert, who will guard Howard, is 20th. I can't mention Dalembert without throwing in the infamous Pat Garrity Dunk Mix. The following video is completely real. Do not adjust your screen.

For your 76ers fix, check out Sixers 4 Guidos.

See you at 7. Go Magic.

John Denton, usually a reliable source for inside Magic information, believes the team is interested in acquiring forward Mickael Pietrus from the Golden State Warriors. From Florida Today:

Could a Magic team that has been strangely inconsistent for weeks be shopping [Keyon] Dooling, or even point guard Carlos Arroyo, who moved into the starting lineup four games ago?

Magic guard J.J. Redick, another player who could be used in a potential trade, is again out of Stan Van Gundy's rotation and has to be wondering if he'll ever get his shot in Orlando.

[....]

The Magic aren't allowed to comment on players on opposing teams, but they are keeping their eye on the availability of Golden State small forward Mickael Pietrus. Orlando made an attempt to nab Pietrus last summer when he was a restricted free agent. He has been buried on the bench all season behind Matt Barnes and Al Harrington. Golden State, meanwhile, is in the market for a point guard. Troy Hudson is out for the season, and Baron Davis' minutes have been increasing.

I hope this rumor is false. Trading either Carlos or Keyon for Pietrus would be horrible for two reasons:

• Either trade would move Jameer Nelson back to the starting lineup. Given how well he has played off the bench so far (15.3 points per game on 50% shooting), it wouldn't be wise to change his role.
• The Magic have no use for Pietrus, a small forward known for his three-point shooting (nearly 39% for his career) and defense. He's certainly not a bad player, but I don't see how he helps the Magic, especially at the expense of the team's weakest position, depth-wise.

Trading Redick makes a little more sense, but not much. Redick's contract doesn't match up with Pietrus', so the Magic would have to include another player to make the trade work. Adonal Foyle fits the bill, but leaves the Magic with only James Augustine and Marcin Gortat to back up Dwight Howard at center. As much as the Warriors would love to get Foyle back -- a fan-favorite in the bay area, Foyle played 10 seasons with them before they bought him out this summer -- the Magic can't afford to part with their best backup center, especially when doing so won't yield a quality rebounder in return.

Golden State is just not a good trading partner for us. Sure, they need a point guard, and we have two who would work well in their system. However, they don't have anyone who could help us. Our biggest weakness is offensive rebounding: we're 27th in the league in offensive rebound percentage. The Warriors don't have any outstanding offensive rebounders except for Andris Biedrins and DJ Mbenga. The former is due for a hefty contract extension next summer and the latter is a foul machine, committing one foul for every four minutes he plays. Further, because he was signed as a free-agent, Mbenga will not be trade-eligible until February 17th, or three months after the day he signed. The NBA's trading deadline is February 21st. Surely the Warriors want to acquire a backup point guard before then, which is why Mbenga is not viable.  

If there's a way for the Magic to make a trade for a productive rebounder with a reasonable contract without giving up Hedo Turkoglu, that should be Otis Smith's priority. Consider the small-forward depth on this team already: Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, Maurice Evans, and Keith Bogans can all play the position. Why add yet another player there? It just doesn't make any sense, at least from an Orlando perspective.

Even Tom Washington agrees that this trade would be no good for Orlando.
Photo by Fernando Medina, NBAE/Getty Images

For the record, Golden State could not deal Pietrus to Orlando for either Arroyo or Dooling straight-up; the salaries do not match. In any scenario, Golden State would have to include a player with a small expiring contract. Kelenna Azubuike, Austin Croshere, Monta Ellis, and Troy Hudson all work. However, the Warriors are unlikely to part with Ellis, who won last year's Most Improved Player award, or Azubuike, who has played well. That leaves Croshere or Hudson as the throw-in player.

Both trades would give the Magic 16 players under contract, over the league maximum of 15. Whichever throw-in the Warriors included would be the one the Magic send packing, especially if it's Hudson, whose career may be over.

Read about Warriors fans' perspective in this diary at Golden State of Mind. As you might expect, they're are chomping at the bit to get this deal made; so far, there's only one voice of dissent in the comments of that discussion.

	vs.
9-7		15-4
Oracle Arena
10:30 PM
Sun Sports HD
Probable starters:
Baron Davis	PG	Jameer Nelson
Monta Ellis	SG	Keith Bogans
Stephen Jackson	SF	Hedo Turkoglu
Al Harrington	PF	Rashard Lewis
Andris Biedrins	C	Dwight Howard

• The Warriors are on a six-game winning streak and have won nine of their last ten games. Stephen Jackson is a big reason why. Golden State of Mind, my SB Nation sister-site, details how Captain Jack's defense has improved the Warriors in this insightful post.
• We should be prepared for a track meet tonight: the Warriors are the fifth-fastest team in the league, averaging 97 possessions per game. However, the Magic have been successful playing at that pace. This season, they are 5-1 when they have 97 possessions or more.
• Baron Davis is a certified Magic-killer. He dropped 38 points on us last year in Orlando just a few years after posting back-to-back triple-doubles against us in the playoffs. He'll be licking his chops tonight; at 6'3" and 215 pounds, he should be able to bowl right over our 5'10", 180-pound Jameer Nelson.
• Speaking of Jameer, he struggled mightily last night: 1-of-9 shooting for 2 points. We'll probably see a lot of Keyon Dooling at the point tonight. He has the size to match up with Davis, and he's a much better defender anyway.
• The last time we played the Warriors in Oakland, the result was bittersweet. Dwight Howard tore the Dubs apart to the tune of 30 points and 25 rebounds, but Trevor Ariza sprained his right MCL and missed 22 games; the Magic went 5-17 in those games to drop their record to 27-30.That's no coincidence.
• There's a great chance that Dwight will go for 20+ rebounds tonight. The Warriors are the worst team in the league at allowing offensive rebounds, as their opponents have grabbed 30.4% of their own misses this season. What's the over/under on putback dunks for Dwight tonight? 6.5? And would anyone actually take the under?
• J.A. Adande wrote about the Magic's league-best road record for today's Daily Dime at ESPN.
• More at ESPN: the Magic are tops in Marc Stein's Power Rankings this week. The Warriors are 9th.