EBSports.net Orlando Magic Blog

by Black and Blue


The Ballad Of An “Out-Of-Town” Magic Fan


I am an ‘out-of-town’ Magic fan, which is to say I don’t live in Orlando or anywhere near it. I live in New York City and follow a team that is roughly a bajillion miles away from me. This isn’t exactly an easy thing, but one thing makes it harder: The complete inability of anyone around me to understand how I could possibly follow the Orlando Magic.

A lot of people I know are sports fans. Their friends are sports fans. Their friends’ friends are sports fans…You get the picture. With this in mind, you can imagine how many times I have this conversation:

Guy: “So, who is your favorite basketball team?”
Me: “The Orlando Magic”
(Silence)
Guy: “Um….why?”
Me: “I like the city of Orlando, I like the players, I like the colors, I write a popular online blog for the team (http://blackandbluemagic.blogspot.com/), and sometimes I run around trying to terrorize little children with a “Stuff The Magic Dragon” mascot head.”
Guy: “Wait…didn’t you grow up in New Jersey? You’ve lived in the northeast your entire life.”
Me: “I know, but my parents and I spent every summer in Orlando, and I just love the area.”
Guy: (Trying to wrap head around it) “But…you grew up in New Jersey. What’s wrong with the Nets?”
Me: “Well, Orlando was just such a better place and when I was growing up the Nets were like an ABA team they were so bad and…you know what? I’m just going to talk to someone else. Smell ya later”

Every exchange I have with a sports fan is like that. One day it got me to thinking: Is this what fans of other teams go through? To answer that question I asked a random guy on the streets of New York who his favorite basketball team was. After making sure I wasn’t mugging him, he cautiously said “The Chicago Bulls”. I asked why and he looked at me with the same level of confusion that someone would have had if I asked him ‘If Jeff Van Gundy’s bags under his eyes are so big, why don’t they have own zip code?’ He snorted, responded, “I like the Bulls because of Michael Jordan. Duh” and walked away. A few more people I asked had similar answers:

“The Cavs. Lebron is awesome.”
“The Nets. Kidd and Carter’s finals run a few years back was amazing.”
“The Lakers. Can’t argue with titles, baby! Sorry about that whole ‘stealing Shaq from you’ thing by the way.”

After pushing that Lakers fan off of a cliff I realized something. Although all of these people were native New Yorkers, they gave one concrete reason to follow teams out of town: Their teams had success. Thinking about it, I too would give a quizzical look if someone told me they were a Raptors, Grizzlies or Hornets fan. Those teams just don’t have a bombast of a team full of winners/adulterers like Kobe Bryant.

Looking at the Magic, since the heyday of the team when they had Shaq (which, in case you wanted to feel old, was over 10 years ago) there wasn’t really much to cheer for in Orlando. The team has inhaled and spit out players like Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis, Mike Miller, Ben Wallace, and most recently Grant Hill, all while barely being a blip on the league’s radar. Furthermore, the team’s playoff experience since Shaq is roughly equivalent to the “days without pooping themselves” experience of the Golden Girl’s cast…which is to say not very good.

The more I thought about the reaction out-of-town Magic fans get nowadays, the more I thought about the good ol’ days of Penny and Shaq. I don’t remember having to defend my team choice as much back then, and the questions as to how I could like the team started roughly around the time Doc Rivers took over. I consider this period, as does the Encyclopedia Brittanica, ‘The Great Anal Rape Of Out-Of-Town Orlando Magic Fans’ as it blew most people’s minds how anyone could be a fan of a team full of no-names and Doc Rivers. From this moment on, things were different.

Most people know that for the team to get more respect, they just have to win more. –What isn’t published in any magazine anywhere is that the same thing with respect goes for the fans. The day the league starts to look at the Magic and says, “Wow, these guys are good” is the same day that out-of-towners like me will stop being questioned as to how we could like the Magic. Winning breeds confidence, but in NBA circles it also breeds familiarity. Everyone knows that the Suns run a lot, the Lakers are a Kobe solo project, the Spurs win with foreigners, and the Mavericks are a kooky Dirk and Mark Cuban reality show. By and large the league still doesn’t know the identity of the Magic, and with the team in such a state of flux it can be argued they don’t know right now either. If the team succeeds with their proposed run-and-gun style, I could already see other NBA fans taking notice and getting to know and like the team. Instead of “Why do you like the Magic?” the question could turn into, “You like the Magic? Neat. They are really fun to watch” (this is what Suns fans hear every day of the week now).

To sum things up, as a Magic fan in New York, to follow the Magic is to not only root for the team…but also my state of mind. If the young and exciting duo of Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard can take us deep into the playoffs a few times, you might see fans like me actually get some props for following a fun NBA team that is out of state. If that young duo fizzles, you will see me explaining to people why I like the team until the year 2056 (roughly around the time Rashard Lewis’ contract expires).

Here’s to hoping the Magic succeed, so me and other out-of-town Magic fans like me can follow our team without an explanation. –Because after all, the only explaining you should have to do as a fan is answering why you’re chasing kids around with a ‘Stuff The Magic Dragon” mascot head.

By Magical

Darko: No Love is No News

There is nothing like a message board meltdown. The ones that came flying off the Magic’s general board about the Orlando Sentinel's titillating Darko article were classic.

“WHAT DOES OTIS THINK HE IS DOING????” ran abundant. The fan worship of Otis was all for naught after this UNFORGIVEABLE transgression. How dare Otis Smith leave Mr. Cornstein and Darko hanging out to dry? Who does he think he is? What will Darko think over there in Serbia? He is probably huddled up in a corner weeping, and leaping towards the cell phone every time it rings, longing for Otis’s mush mouth lisp to tell him all is well.

The facts are simply laid out if you read them and stay level headed. People just need to back up and relax. Darko is of course, a restricted free agent and is not going anywhere until the Magic decides his fate.

By ignoring Darko at 12:00 AM on Sunday, Otis dominated Cornstein. That is right, he played Cornstein to the point of where he had to go to the media for support. I have heard that Darko has over 10 verbal offers. The question is, are any of them for over 8 mill a year? Because if they are not, why play into Darko’s camp by overbidding before seeing what the competition wants.

The Magic have verbally offered Gerald Wallace and Rashard Lewis already. Why? Because these guys are stars. They address a need that the Magic MUST go after – wing scoring. When the Magic sit down with Rashard, do you think he is asking what Darko is going to do? Of course not, he cares about Dwight’s future only.

So if the Magic can hammer out an agreement in principal today with Rashard, then they can go back to Darko. They can figure out if Seattle will match, and what it will take for them to get Rashard Lewis. They then can figure out if they can keep Darko.

Many people will say…Why Otis? Why give up on Darko if he wants too much money? He is a 7 foot young Euro who compliments Dwight so well. Well, let me give you a little insight on why the Magic will not overpay Darko.

Darko’s mentality is not exactly stable. He gets down on himself a lot and loafs. He is not the hardest working guy. He likes to drink and party. He is unproven and it is not a guarantee that he will get any better then he is now. A star NBA player has a winning mindset. They WILL those shots to go in. Darko is not doing that yet.

That being said, I like Darko. I hope we keep him. But imagine this. The Magic trade Darko and Hedo and Arroyo for less salary and future picks. They take that money and invest it in Gerald Wallace. They play Gerald at SG and Rashard Lewis at SF. They now have the best wing tandem in the East. The Magic then can put a role-playing PF in there and still be a top 3 team in the East.

My point is that there are a lot of options. The Magic hold the cards. That is why when Otis doesn’t call a free agent right away their handler’s complain. They complain because Otis has HAND. And this off-season, Otis Smith’s pimp hand will be very strong.

Have faith.

By fanatic313


With the draft less than four days away, the Orlando Magic find themselves in an interesting predicament. For the first time since 1999, the Magic will be without a first-round pick.
This anomaly may not be such a bad thing for the Magic, whose recent draft history has been marred by picks such as Reece Gaines, Jeryl Sasser, Curtis Borchardt, and the now infamous Fran Vazquez.
Currently, Orlando has the 44 pick, and is owed second-round picks from both Cleveland and Utah, who sit at 54 and 55. Having three picks in the second round will give the Magic some flexibility as they head into Thursday’s draft.
The Magic could attempt to package two of their picks, along with a player like Travis Diener, in an attempt to move-up into the late first-round, where a team like the Suns or 76ers may be looking to deal.
Here in the late first-round, the Magic can target players like Finnish point-guard, Petteri Koponen, a tall, pass-first guard, with good court vision or Rice forward, Morris Almond, a prolific scorer and three-point threat from the wings.
Staying put in the second-round, the Magic could take a chance on Syracuse swing-man Demetris Nichols. Though Nichols can be streaky at times, he has the size and athleticism to be a lock-down defender and is a legitimate threat from three-point range.
Pittsburg senior center, Aaron Gray, who has soft hands and is a real low-post scoring threat, may be another option for the Magic. Even Purdue forward, Carl Landry, a banger in the post, could be a good pick, late in the second-round, adding a much needed physical, interior presence, to the Magic bench.

THE WAIT IS OVER

Brian Hill is fired.

And with that, Magic fans finally let out a sigh of relief, or in some cases a scream of euphoria.

Let's be honest, we could never figure this guy out.

He played JJ, then benched him for no reason. He made Darko post up on the wrong side of the rim and told him not to shoot.

He built his offense around a backup PG who would rather score then pass. He drafted a backup big man but never played him. Ever.

He fired Dwight's bigman coach and replaced him with Marc Bryant.

Marc Bryant?

Dwight Howard came out of the womb dunking on that guy. Horrible decision.

What did Brian Hill do right?

Well, he definitely improved the defense. Brian Hill is a great defensive coach who took a bottom feeding D unit and made them into a top 5 force. But with that added defense, the offense took a severe step backwards.

And let's be honest, didn't Otis Smith also REALLY improve the defense? I mean Darko averages over 2 blocks a game. Keyon Dooling is a top tier lockdown PG defender and Keith Bogans (as little as he played) had enough game to shut down D Wade's last second shot against Orlando.

When Orlando got swept from their playoff series, it basically exposed Brian Hill's biggest flaw:

Failure to make changes.

And with that, the Magic did. Ending an era that should never have begun in the first place (*cough cough* Flip Saunders).

So now the question is, will the Magic screw it up again? Make a hire based on P.R. or X's and O's?

Here are some rumored options:

Billy Donavon : Let's be honest, this is a PR move 1,000 times over. BD has never coached an NBA team, and after watching Coach K suck it up over the summer (Greece, pick and roll...'nuff said), can Donavon do any better? Well, maybe. If you watch the ball movement of UF, you see a very advanced team for the college ranks. Also, Billy developed an awful lot of first round picks in a short amount of time. If the Magic somehow sign Billy, it will be a huge media boost for the team. Coverage will increase, and the buzz will be huge. I would give this one an %80 chance of happening. But if the Billy Donavon experiment fails, it would do nothing but reinforce the enormous amount of skepticism already aimed directly at the Magic brass.

Sam Vincent : The sexy rumor is that the Magic have contacted Sam. The sexier rumor is that the Bobcats plan to hire Sam as their next Head Coach. So let's be honest, a former Magic point guard coaching a team....insanity? Obviously not. Teams believe Sam could be the next Skiles. They could very well be correct. We do not know much about Sam, but we do know that is part of a very good staff in Dallas and is probably well qualified to run a team.

Marc Iavoroni : Well, this guy makes a lot of sense. First off, he developed Amare. Second, he comes from the Suns running style of play, which the Magic have stressed they want to enforce. Iavoroni would hire a support staff that would develop Dwight quickly and let him expand his game. He would be able to to make Darko into an all around player, not just a post up PF. He would improve spacing by utilizing JJ Redick. Basically, his only knock is lack of experience at the Head Coaching position. Iavoroni is the kind of coach that will most likely stay for 7-10 years wherever he goes, because he is that damn good. Ask the Suns what they think.

Rick Carlisle : If lack of head coaching scares the Magic, then maybe they can give Rick a call. He was let go from 2 teams that exceeded expectations. The Pistons were horribly injured and still improved. The Pacers were screwed over by player behavior and by horrible GM decisions. Rick Carlisle runs a half court offense, but is young and will adapt. He is also an excellent choice for Orlando.

Some people are asking for Larry Brown. why? So JJ can sit on the bench again, so Trevor can slash his wrists? So Darko can bring a handgun to practice? It makes no sense to hire Larry Brown and his diva sideshow. Yes, he WAS an amazing coach, but those days are over.

Let's wait this out, I believe the new coach will be here soon. He can help evaluate in the Darko situation, make draft decisions and craft an off-season free agency strategy.

It is exciting times again for the Magic. Finally. Rejoice.

Orlando Magic coach Brian Hill may not have a chance to build toward getting the franchise back to the NBA Finals.

According to a report on Orlando Sentinel's web site, Hill is not guaranteed to keep his job next season, despite having two years left on a contract signed in 2005.

After guiding the Magic to a 40-42 record and their first playoff berth since 2003, Hill's young squad was swept in the first round by the veteran Detroit Pistons.

As a result, Orlando president Bob Vander Weide admitted that Hill's future with the team is in doubt.

"People ask me if Brian Hill will be back as our coach. All I can say is that I have no answer for that right now," Vander Weide told the Sentinel on Wednesday.

Vander Weide also told the newspaper that he wants to take two to three weeks to evaluate where the team is at this point under Hill, hinting at some philosophical differences between the coach and the team's brass.

"We have to see if there wasn't the opportunity to run the ball more," Vander Weide said. "Style of play is one of the key things."

With a team led by superstar center Dwight Howard, Hill chose to slow the game down en route to averaging 94.8 points - 27th out of the league's 30 teams.

Hill is in his second stint with the Magic, guiding a team led by a young Shaquille O'Neal to the 1995 NBA Finals before being fired in 1997. However, the 59-year-old coach was given a second chance.

Hill returned in 2005-06 to guide Orlando to a 36-46 record before starting this campaign 13-4 and looking like one of the most improved teams in the league. But after an extended slide, due to injuries and inconsistent play in the backcourt, the Magic battled just to secure the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.