If you think Vince Carter’s contract will just expire without any action after next season, think again.
Alex Kennedy of Hoops World ranks the Magic 2nd in the Eastern Conference.
"2. Orlando Magic – While other contenders made big additions this summer, the Magic took a different approach to the upcoming season. After shaking up the roster last offseason, Orlando’s options were limited and decided that they only needed to make tweaks to the roster. Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, and Dwight Howard have developed some chemistry while reserves Jason Williams and Matt Barnes were replaced with Chris Duhon and Quentin Richardson. The Magic continue to pursue Chris Paul, which would shrink the gap that Miami has created in the East, but even if they don’t land the point guard they could still improve on the fifty-nine wins they had last season. Competing with Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Washington in the Southeast division will make things tough but this group is up for the challenge. Howard is improving offensively this summer, spending time with Hakeem Olajuwon among others, and the team expects this to be the year that his scoring increases. Until their surprising loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Magic were undefeated in the postseason and looking like the team to beat. They’ll hope that their experiences together will carry over into next season and their chemistry will allow them to compete with the newly assembled powerhouse in their division."
You can read that story here.
Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway misses basketball.
"“I can understand where Michael Jordan was coming from coming out of retirement a couple times, I can understand where Brett Favre is right now,” Hardaway said on the show. “When you still have something in the tank it’s really hard to let it go.”Miami was the last team Hardaway played for, in 2007, but Orlando will always be home to his best days of professional basketball.Despite their own marred exits, Grant Hill, Doc Rivers and Shaquille O’Neal still keep close ties to the Orlando community.But Hardaway seemed to have dropped completely out of view.His time with the Magic holds fond and unsettling memories for Hardaway, a major reason why he says he has been back to Orlando — aside to compete — just twice since he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 1999.“I don’t have a relationship with anyone there,” Hardaway told the Orlando Sentinel. “I still look at our history as being a big part of Orlando.”"
Shannon Owens of the Orlando Sentinel has that story here.
After the jump, you can read the latest on the Chris Paul situation.
Dwight Howard may be the Man Of Steel but Paul is the “Man of Steal.”
"Chris Paul does want to play for Orlando but his preference is being overblown.Before we get too far and I have to start ducking from the good people of New Orleans throwing pint glasses of Abita Amber at me (don’t waste it!), let’s set something straight. Chris Paul can prefer New York. LA. Orlando. Manchester United. The New York Football Giants. The Monstars. It won’t matter if Dell Demps thinks that trading Chris Paul is madness. And it is."
Matt Moore of Pro Basketball Talk has that story here.
Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy turned to Shakespeare when asked about Paul.
"“Much ado about nothing,” Van Gundy said, turning to Shakespeare or maybe Seinfeld.All you need to know is this: Van Gundy doesn’t expect that General Manager Otis Smith will interrupt Van Gundy’s on-going tour of major-league ballparks any time soon to prepare him for a long-shot blockbuster trade."
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel has that story here.
Tim Povtak of NBA Fanhouse explains Emeka Okafor’s contract would make it hard for Orlando to acquire Paul even if Demps and co. decide to trade him.
"Unless the Magic could find a third team to take Okafor – and the four-years, $52 million left on his contract — his inclusion would hinder any potential trade talks.If the Magic had Okafor on the roster, it would give them four contracts at or near the NBA maximum, crippling them deep in the luxury tax for many years.For example, their payroll through the 2012-13 would include Rashard Lewis ($23 million), Dwight Howard ($19 million), Paul ($17 million) and Okafor ($13 million)."
You can find that story here.
(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger, a contributor on the Fansided Front Page, and co-host of CB Sports Radio from 5-7 pm week days (1420sports.com). Subscribe to his RSS feed, add him on Twitter to follow him daily. You can download the HTD app here.)