Dwight Howard has found a new agent – Dan Fegan.
"Fegan also is a well-versed participant in the ongoing CBA negotiations that could dramatically affect Howard’s on-court earning potential. Unlike this summer’s crop of free agents, who can land one more massive payday under the current CBA, Howard and other young stars face uncertainty as owners aim to take a substantial bite out of the salaries paid to the highest-earning players.“Dwight wanted to be represented in the CBA talks,” a person close to the Magic center said.But what Howard was really looking for was an out-of-the-box, full-service and long-term approach to on- and off-court marketing, according to a one of Howard’s close advisors. Fegan also is now backed by the international clout and deep pockets of the French media giant Lagardere, which recently bought Fegan’s powerful BEST agency and renamed it Lagardere Unlimited."
Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk continues his discussion about Howard’s new agent here.
Matt Barnes would like to remain in Orlando and made a few interesting comments about it.
"Barnes told the Sentinel he also would be open to coming off the bench if the Magic make a trade for a power forward, a move that might shift Rashard Lewis back to his natural position at small forward.“If we get one of those free agents, I’d have no problem going to the bench,” Barnes said. “Everyone wants to be a starter, sure, but the goal is to win a championship.”Barnes said the possibility of coming off the bench “doesn’t necessarily” affect his bargaining power."
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel has that story here.
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel does not think the Magic should deal Jameer Nelson. After ripping David Pingalore of Local 6, Bianchi finally got to his point.
"Back to my original point: Why would the Magic even be considering the possibility of trading Jameer? Last I checked, point guard wasn’t the team’s problem. In fact, I would say Jameer was one of the bright spots of the playoffs for Orlando.Besides, Nelson is the leader and co-captain of this team. He is Dwight Howard’s friend and confidante. He is the one who gets the team together in his hometown of Philadelphia during the offseason for a week of bonding, workouts and relaxation.You trade Jameer and you are changing the entire dynamic of the team."
You can find that story here.
It appears that Joe Crawford, a former 2nd round draft pick out of Kentucky (2008) will be joining Orlando’s summer league team. Ben Q. Rock of Orlando Pinstriped Post even pointed out one particular message on Crawford’s twitter account.
John Denton has put out his newest edition of the Magic mailbag and you can read that here.
Brandon Chatmon of the Oklahoman discusses Daniel Orton’s long road to the pros.
"Orton’s selection was the end of a long road to the NBA, which included a knee injury as a senior at McGuinness, coaching changes at Kentucky and the death of his mother, Carolyn Orton, in 2009.The elation of the moment came after three hours of suspense as Daniel waited to be selected. The 6-foot-10, 260-pounder was projected to go as high as No. 10 overall, but he fell into the lap of the Magic late in the first round.“It comes as a shock for me,” Daniel Orton said. “I never thought I would be drafted by Orlando. I never heard from Orlando. I didn’t work out for them. I haven’t talked to any staff members.”"
You can find that story here.
Philip Rossman-Reich borrows a Shakespeare title to describe the rumors surrounding Orlando – Much Ado About Nothing.
Ben Q. Rock takes a look at some more realistic free agent options for the Magic, focusing on their need for a backup PG here.
John Schuhmann of NBA.com takes a look at the go-to guys and sharpshooters who are free agents.
"7. J.J. Redick, 26 years old, Orlando Magic (Restricted)9.6 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, .439 FG%, .405 3P%, 16.1 EP40Redick is Allen-light, a deadly shooter with a high basketball IQ and the experience of playing on a great defensive team. This past season was Redick’s best. He earned crunch-time minutes in a lot of big games and may be ready for a starting role. But because he’s restricted, it will be tough for a team to pry him away from Orlando at a reasonable price."
You can read that story here.
(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger and a contributor on the Fansided Front Page. Subscribe to his RSS feed, add him on Twitter to follow him daily and you can get the HTD app here).