Darko Will Do Horrible Things to You

I'm not sure if Darko Milicic news is still relevant to this site, but this nugget bears passing along. Darko, displeased with the refs in Serbia's loss to Greece in FIBA competition, said the following after the game:

"I will find the referees, murder them and then f--- their daughters"

Like wow, Scoob. If only he played as hard as he cursed; then he might actually live up to the hype.

You can watch the Serbian Gangster's blast on YouTube by clicking here. Don't worry about getting called into your boss' office later; it's in a foreign language.

And if you're in the mood for more Darko temper-tantrums, there's this YouTube gem, complete with homerriffic commentary by the Raptors' announcers:

In more Magic-related news, another rotation post should be up later this evening.

Thanks to Bethlethem Shoals for first posting this story over at FanHouse.

Are the Magic a Playoff Team? Discussion From Around the Web

• Unsilent Majority: "Tough break [sic] Orlando"
  
• Ballhype: The Magic are a team "Expecting to make playoffs but probably won't"
• Basketbawful: The Bucks and Magic will fight a losing battle for the final playoff spot.

(Kudos to Henry Abbott of TrueHoop for publishing this wrapup, from which the above quotes came)

Yes, the Trade To End All Trades has occurred, prompting every NBA fan with a pulse and a keyboard to make their playoff picks for next season. Nevermind the fact that the playoffs are eight-and-a-half months away.

Kevin Garnett's arrival in Boston may have knocked the Magic out of playoff contention.
Photo by Charles Krupa, the Associated Press

I should note that not all bloggers are taking a negative view of us. J.E. Skeets writes:

Who makes the playoffs? Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto, and Boston are locks. Miami, though they'll still sneak into the playoffs, won't even be the best team in Florida. Simply put: '06-07 Magic + Rashard Lewis - Brian Hill (!) = approximately 10 more wins. Yes, I think Orlando will win 50 games this year. Book it.

Brendan Sonnone of Believing in Magic also, uh, believes in us. Homerism? Perhaps. Worth reading? Yes.

So, with rare exception, most bloggers aren't giving us a chance. But ESPN's experts are a little kinder:

Does the addition of Rashard Lewis make the Magic a postseason lock?

Abbott: Like Boston, I feel the Magic need a top-flight point guard before they can be considered a reliable top Eastern team. And again, I'm feeling that barring a surprise there aren't a lot of Eastern spots up for grabs.

Hollinger: Again, not so fast. The Magic lost nearly as much as they gained between Hill, Darko and Diener, and their neighborhood just got tougher.

Stein: A lock, yes. Just because Lewis is way -- W-A-Y -- overpaid doesn't mean I don't like the idea of pairing Rashard with Dwight Howard. As long as we're only talking about finishing in the top eight, sure. Howard and Lewis aren't enough to lift Orlando to contender status, but those two get you in the playoffs in spite of some obvious holes around them.

Thorpe: Barring injury, probably yes. Especially with the new coach. They can play big or small effectively, and Dwight Howard should only keep growing as a player. Jameer Nelson is obviously a key, as is getting production from J.J. Redick. I like both to have better seasons this year.

Bucher: No lock, but I like their chances, as much because they hired Stan Van Gundy as having added Lewis to a team that squeaked into the playoffs last year. Boston is the only certifiable lottery team from last year joining the playoff mix and with the Wizards still a mixed bag and huge question marks about Miami, the Magic have as good a shot as they did last year. Which was good enough.

So they aren't singing our praises, but they aren't hanging us out to dry, either. But I get the feeling that it won't matter what we do when the season starts; we'll be disrespected no matter what. Let me explain: last year, we got off to a scorching 13-4 start, beating the Western-leading Jazz in Utah along the way. We were the toast of the league. Seriously.

Our season unraveled soon thereafter and we just squeaked into the playoffs, where we were summarily pounded by Detroit. We won a combined 10 games in December and January; to put that misery into perspective, we got our 10th overall victory three-and-a-half weeks into the season. The bottom dropped out. We were laughingstocks.

Dwight Howard couldn't have been satisfied with the way last season played out.
Photo by Gary W. Green, the Orlando Sentinel

So, even if we get off to a hot start this season, everyone will say we won't keep it up, pointing to last season as evidence. If we get off to a cold start, everyone will say we're paying the price for overpaying Rashard Lewis. And if we get off to a lukewarm start... it's still lukewarm. We won't get any respect.

All that lead me to write this entry. I'm playing the disrespect card and I'm not afraid to do so. The stuff the bloggers at the top wrote? That's bulletin-board material. We know that all too well. Remember when T-Mac said "now that we're in the second round" after going up 3-1 on the Pistons, only to lose out the rest of the way? You think that quote wasn't plastered all over the Pistons' locker room?

I don't claim to be read by anyone remotely connected with the Magic, so this entry won't motivate the team. What it should do is motivate its fans to stand and cheer, loudly and proudly, for their team. Let them talk smack about us. Let them write us off. We'll show 'em.

It worked for Golden State.

Photo by Ben Margot, the Associated Press

It can work for us.

So, what do you think? Are we a playoff team next year? I posed this question in a poll, but Blogger is goofing-up on me and it won't work, so it's stuck at the bottom of the page below my picture until further notice.

Of Marcin, James, and Jameer: A Tuesday Roundup

Two small bits of Magic news today:

• John Denton of Florida Today has learned that the Magic will offer center Marcin Gortat a contract to play for the team this season. He has also learned that the Magic are undecided on power-forward James Augustine, last year's second-round draft pick who made Second-Team All-League in last week's Pepsi Pro Summer League. Augustine's salary of roughly $600,000 will be guaranteed of he is on the roster on July 31.
• Meanwhile, the Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel reports that Magic General Manager Otis Smith flew to Philadelphia to meet with Steve Mountain, Jameer Nelson's agent, in hopes of negotiating a contract extension for the three-year veteran point guard. Smith told Povtak that the discussions "went well" and that both sides will "continue to talk."

The Jameer business is interesting to me. In the Gortat story to which I linked, Denton speculates the following:

Nelson could be looking for a deal similar to the one T.J. Ford signed with the Toronto Raptors last summer. Ford signed a five-year extension worth $33 million. Whereas Nelson averaged 13 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.9 steals a game, Ford averaged 14 points, 7.9 assists and 1.4 steals a game.

Jameer must be wearing some rose-colored glasses when he looks into the mirror. There's no way that he'll get T.J. Ford-like money. Hell, if Nelson played for Ford's team, he'd be the third point guard; backup Jose Calderon is good enough to start for nearly any team in the NBA.

That said, I like Jameer. I overreacted to his bad season when I wrote that I wouldn't be surprised if he were traded for a draft pick. Yes, his numbers were bad, but he's also a young guy who played in a bad offense with mediocre teammates. One bad year early in a career can't be looked at as a sign of impending doom. That said, if Nelson does not strongly pick up his play this season, he'll be looking at a career of coming off the bench, and quite possibly in a city other than Orlando.

Finally, the results of last week's poll question:


This week's question: "Which player's departure will most hurt the Magic?" I look forward to seeing those answers and to discussing them next week.

End of an Era, Such as it Was: Darko Milicic, Orlando Magic Part Ways

The Orlando Sentinel's Brian Schmitz reported earlier this afternoon that the Magic have broken off contract discussions with Marc Cornstein, who represents Magic free-agent Darko Milicic. The impasse ends any chance that Milicic will re-sign with the Magic.

"We've moved on and Darko's moved on," Magic General Manager Otis Smith said.

Moved on from what, exactly? Oh yeah, the idea that Milicic would pair with franchise cornerstone Dwight Howard to form the NBA's most formidable frontcourt since Robinson/Duncan and dominate the Eastern Conference for the next decade. They showed glimpses that it could be accomplished. Consider the Magic's defeat of the Chicago Bulls on February 26th of this year: Milicic and Howard combined for 35 points, 32 rebounds, and 7 blocked shots. The Bulls, as a team, had only 31 rebounds, making the duo's totals even more impressive.

Darko Milicic and Dwight Howard will never get the chance to dominate the East side-by-side.
Photo by Gary W. Green, Orlando Sentinel

Yeah, well so much for that.

I don't know what to make of Darko's time here. For every brilliant performance, like the one against Chicago to which I alluded, there was a boneheaded one, like the one against Toronto in which he played seven minutes, scored no points and was ejected after receiving his second technical foul for arguing a call made against him.



The fact that we paid a high price to acquire him only added to the frustration with his inconsistency: we gave up Kelvin Cato's valuable expiring contract and our first-round draft choice this season. The draft choice turned out to be two-guard Rodney Stuckey, who has played well in summer-league action. Along with Darko, we received point guard Carlos Arroyo.

Essentially, we Magic fans have to deal not only with our hypothetical questions, but also the fact that the team is now down a first-round draft pick in a talented draft class and $8 million -- the value of Cato's contract -- in cap space. The net return? A backup point guard whose contract will expire after one more season... at only $4 million.

If the Magic are unable to shore up the power-forward position, and/or Darko Milicic develops into an All-Star, Otis Smith is going to have a lot of explaining to do to Magic fans, who are no stranger to botched free-agency periods. But this is not the place for a discussion about Shaquille.

It's amazing how often I can run this picture and not have it lose its relevance.

When Grant Hill left, I wished him good luck; the team and the city got the chance to know him over the course of seven seasons. His reputation as a nice guy preceded him anyway. With Darko, I can't offer such wishes. It's not that I dislike him; it's just that he's as enigmatic a player as this team has ever had, and there's no telling what he wants.

And to tell you the truth, I don't think he knows either.

The Orlando Magic Free-Agency Countdown, Part One: Vince Carter

As the July 1 start of NBA's free-agency period comes closer, 3QC is taking a look at the free agents who may be able to help the Magic the most by counting down from the 5th-best option to the best option. Today's post concerns the player who should be the Magic's fifth resort: Vince Carter.

What I'm about to write may make me a blasphemer, at least in the Central Florida area, but I have to write it anyway:

Vince Carter is overrated.

Vince Carter wowed the crowd with this between-the-legs flush during 2000's NBA Slam Dunk contest at All-Star weekend. His performance in the competition put him on the map and increased his star-status.

Sure, he can still score with the best of them; last season, he finished seventh in scoring with 25.2 points per game. But his attitude leaves much to be desired, and his age has to be a concern.

Let's not forget the manner in which he left the Toronto Raptors, the team that traded for him as soon as he was drafted and made him a star. He demanded a trade from them after six-plus seasons, frustrated with management for not providing him with enough talent, a drama eerily similar to the one currently playing out with the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant. After getting traded to the Nets, Carter admitted that he did not give his best effort in Toronto:

"In years past, no, [I did not push myself]. I was fortunate to have the talent ... you get spoiled when you're able to do a lot of things. You see that you don't have to work at it."

Once joining the Nets in a trade in December 2004, Carter's scoring, shooting, rebounding, and assists totals increased. Although it's true he played more minutes, the nature of the comments he made makes one question whether he just "flipped a switch" and decided to play hard. That has to trouble Carter's potential suitors because it demonstrates that Carter is capable of holding himself back considerably and to the detriment of the team.

His ability to play well in clutch situations should also be in question, especially after last season's mental lapses in the Nets' playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In a Game 4 loss, which put the Nets down three games to one, Carter scored 25 points, but made just six of his 23 shots. Worse still, he dribbled the ball out of bounds off his foot with his team down two points with under two seconds to play. A skilled veteran such as Carter should have at least been able to get a shot off in that situation, but he instead choked under pressure and failed to deliver his team the victory.

Vince Carter reacts to being called for a foul during the Nets' season-ending playoff loss to the Cavaliers. Carter's attitude and age should be concerns for the Magic.
Photo by Noah K. Murray, The Star-Ledger

The playoff woes don't end there. In Game 6, with his team down three games to two and needing a win to stay alive, Carter put on Harry Potter's invisibility cloak; he simply did not show up. In 41 minutes, he scored 11 points on just 11 shot attempts, made only three of five free throws, and turned the ball over five times. That lackadaisical performance is indicative of a lack of killer instinct and leadership skills, two psychological components the Magic are in desperate need of.

I'd be more inclined to look past those failures if Carter were younger. However, he turned 30 in January, and is just slightly past his prime. Ideally, Dwight Howard and whomever the Magic sign this summer would enter their physical peak at the same time, thus giving the Magic enough time to fill out their roster with quality role players in hopes of contending for a title. Thus, Carter's age makes him less than ideal as a free-agent, at least as far as the Magic are concerned.

That said, he would seem to fit in with Orlando. It's no secret that the Magic need scoring, and could use another All-Star to pair with Howard to win games and to bring fans into the Amway Arena. Carter also hails from nearby Daytona Beach, making him that much more marketable in The City Beautiful.

Maybe I'm being too harsh in my assessment of Carter. He has been an All-Star in each of the past eight seasons and is one of the league's premier scorers. But he distinguished himself not with stellar play during games, but with jaw-dropping dunks during one of the league's more memorable All-Star Weekends. And that's not something I can get over.

Luckily for all parties involved, it appears as though Carter and the Nets are close to reaching an agreement on a contract extension, according to the Star-Ledger. It's just as well. The Nets are closer to contending than the Magic are, so his age isn't as much a concern in the Garden State.

Would I be sad to see Vince Carter in a Magic uniform? No, because he's still talented. However, I would be disappointed knowing that the Magic could have done better.

Tomorrow: Part Two in 3QC's Free Agency Countdown.

Four Free Throws: Brian Hill to Return?!

This news is far from official, and I'm getting it third-hand from Four Free Throws, but if appearances are to be believed, it looks like Brian Hill will be back as the coach of the Magic next season. An excerpt:

Our sources at the RDV spotted a jolly Otis Smith walking out from the Magic offices this afternoon, and soon after a smiling Brian Hill appeared with Dwight Howard at the courts, and they joked around a bit before walking off. Suffice it to say: it did not look like B. Hill was getting fired.

I wanted to hold off on posting any Brian Hill news until something official came out, but this information was just too good for me not to pass it along.

If this news is true and Hill indeed returns, I think it'd be for the best. Rick Adelman would have been the ideal replacement for Hill because he's less controlling and plays at a more up-tempo pace. Basically, he's more suited to coach the Magic's young, athletic players than Hill is. However, since Adelman has replaced Jeff Van Gundy in Houston, and Sam Mitchell re-upped with Toronto, Hill appears to be the best coach left. Might as well have some consistency.

Bill Walton Would Be So Proud: Magic 116, Grizzles 89

Anyone who has watched a nationally televised NBA game in the past 15 years has heard color commentator and former NBA player Bill Walton say his catchphrase at least 28 times: Throw it down, big fella!

The Magic sure heeded Walton's advice last night in a big victory over the Grizzlies. Dwight Howard, who leads the league in dunks, got 9 slam opportunities against a team not interested in boxing out, defense, or anything else in particular. But it wasn't just Dwight getting in on the action; Trevor Ariza threw down a pretty reverse on a fast break after a great steal, Darko Milicic dropped a tomahawk after getting a beautiful pass from Hedo Turkoglu, Grant Hill wound back the clock and slammed a tomahawk down, and Tony Battie managed a nice two-handed stuff in traffic. Simply put, the Magic were scoring at will. Granted, it was against the league's worst team, but let me repeat: the Magic were scoring at will.


One can point to any number of reasons for tonight's offensive outburst: defensive disinterestedness on the part of the Grizzlies, several players just "feeling it" from the field, etc. But what interests me most is that the Magic were running hard and playing well in transition. I have to wonder how well this team would have fared this season if they adopted a run-and-gun style earlier, which would minimize the its deficiency at point guard because it wouldn't be working out of a set halfcourt offense. That said, some teams are able to dictate the pace of games and would be able to prevent the Magic from running: Miami, in particular, can force even the high-octane Suns into an ugly, grind-it-out defensive struggle. But with just six games left, it seems like it'd be as good a time as any to experiment with a more free-flowing style of play. What do the Magic have to lose? A playoff berth?

Oops.

Yeah... about that. Despite the win, the Magic were unable to gain any ground on the New Jersey Nets for the 7th seed in the East, nor were they able to create any separation from the 9th-place Indiana Pacers. Both of those teams won their games last night and thus the playoff picture remains unchanged. Does that fact minimize the meaning of this game somehow?

The answer is, perhaps surprisingly, no. The Magic's past 3 losses were all soul-crushing: a double-OT loss to Boston, an OT loss to Minnesota, and a loss to Toronto in which the Magic lead by 13 after the first period. A game such as last night's can lift a team's spirits. It's not just that they won; it's that everything went their way. The easy dunks were not the only things that went right for Orlando: Dwight Howard banked in a free throw, Keyon Dooling hit jump shots at the closing seconds of both the first and third quarters, Grant Hill's dunk came during the waning seconds of the first half, and all twelve players scored.

What does the past tell us about how the Magic might perform tonight? Admittedly, not much. The Magic are 4-4 in games played subsequent to victories in which the margin of victory was 15 or greater. In the most recent case, the Magic lost at home to Chicago by 24 points after beating Milwaukee by 18, a turnaround of 42 points. As I documented in an earlier entry, the only constant in this Magic season has been consistent inconsistency.


Tonight's game against Milwaukee is of the utmost importance. Win big, big fellas.

Eponymous Minds: Raptors 111, Magic 108

If you had told me yesterday afternoon that the Magic would score 37 points in the first quarter of their game against Toronto, I would have laughed. The Magic's offense has been, well, offensive throughout the season, ranking 29th out of 30 teams in terms of points scored per game. Further, if you had told me that their 37-point first quarter would establish a 13-point lead on Toronto, I would have laughed harder.

But if you had told me that the Magic would end up losing the game because they couldn't hang on to the basketball and they couldn't defend the three-point line, I would have no trouble believing it. Those were the storylines in recent losses to Boston and Minnesota, and they were the storyline in last night's game as well. Say what you will about the questionable loose-ball foul called on Grant Hill after scrapping for a rebound with Raptors All-Star Chris Bosh, which lead to two made free throws and established the final margin, that didn't lose us the game. No, what cost us the game were turnovers and poor three-point defense. Again.

See the short guy on the left? That's Jameer Nelson watching as the man he is supposed to be guarding, T.J. Ford, blows by him and passes the ball out to the wing for a likely three-point attempt. Great D, Jameer.

The Magic committed 23 turnovers -- six more than their league-leading season average of 17 -- which lead to 31 Toronto points. More than half of those turnovers can be attributed to the tandem of Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, both of whom had otherwise good games; Howard broke out of an offensive slump for 18 points and also grabbed 15 rebounds, and Turkoglu scored a career-high 37 points to go with 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. What's astonishing about these turnovers is just how good this club would be if it could cut down on them. Imagine briefly that the Magic committed their season average of 17 turnovers. That's a high total, yes, and certainly far from ideal. However, when consider that the Raptors scored 1.37 points off each turnover, then multiply that figure by 17 and subtract the difference from the actual total, you'll see that the Raptors would have scored 8 fewer points and thus would have lost the game.

The three-point shot also felled the Magic. They allowed Toronto to shoot 9-of-19 (47.4%) from downtown. The Magic shot a better from long range at 50%, but that number is deceptive because the Magic made and attempted fewer three-pointers, going 6-of-12. Thus, the Magic were -9 on three-pointers in a game they only lost by three points.

So the Magic waste another precious home game; a career night from Hedo Turkoglu; a 52% team field-goal shooting performance; and a strong effort on the glass, outrebounding Toronto by a 41-27 margin. What does this game mean for the playoffs? The Nets' thumping of the Hawks solidified their lead over the Magic for the 7th playoff spot in the East and a likely first-round matchup with either Cleveland or Chicago, both of which the Magic have beaten so far this season. As it stands, the Magic have the 8th and final seed and would face Detroit, a team they have failed to beat this season. And as Brian Schmitz pointed out in his game recap, the Nets effectively have an extra game on the Magic because they own the tiebreaker.

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the eerie accuracy of this blog's name as it pertains to last night's game. The Magic finished the first quarter with a 13-point lead, then watched as it dwindled to 5 points at the end of the first half, then watched as Toronto outscored them 32-22 in the third quarter to take the lead for good. The Magic shot well in the 3rd, going 7-of-13 for 53.8%. However, they also had 8 turnovers in the quarter, which lead to 11 Toronto points.
Third quarter collapse, indeed.
Postscript - As if Brian Schmitz's blog entry about Darko's unhappiness didn't tell us enough, the erstwhile Human Victory Cigar further demonstrated his displeasure by picking up two technical fouls for arguing a dubious foul call and thus earning himself an ejection. All three of Darko's technicals this year have come against the Raptors, and last night's ejection was the first of his career. He finished the game with no points (0-0 field goals), two rebounds, and three personal fouls in 7 minutes.

Two-For-One Special: Magic 95, Pacers 87 and Timberwolves 105, Magic 104

I hope you can forgive me for not updating at all this weekend. I spent some time with family and was away from the Magic, at least for a bit.

Owning It

The most encouraging part about beating the Pacers on Friday wasn't the playoff implications; rather, it was the fact that we actually beat someone we were supposed to beat. We needed that win, especially after the debacle in Boston, and we did a good job of getting it.
There are two key stories coming out of this game. First, Grant Hill can still play. More importantly, his style of play is well suited to this struggling team. Facing an offensive drought in the third quarter, Hill repeatedly took the ball to the basket and got fouled. All too often, our young players are content to take jump shots when the team is winning, even if the shots aren't falling. Hill set an example by playing aggressively, but not being overly aggressive and sloppy. Perhaps the best way to describe Hill at his best is 'efficient': he scored 22 points while only taking 10 shots for an incredible 2.2 points-per-shot ratio. He also only turned the ball over once. In short, when Hill plays the way he did against the Pacers, the Magic are usually in good shape.
The second story is the following: Trevor Ariza is more important than anyone on this team not named Dwight Howard. Yes, Grant Hill played better than Ariza did in this game and is the better player overall, but he's also 13 years older and well past his prime. Defensively, Ariza is polished and only getting better. He averages about one steal per game, but that doesn't tell the whole story. He frustrates the hell out of opposing players and forces them to use all their energy trying to escape him, then he attacks them on the offensive end and blows right by them, often resulting in a thunderous slam. The way he changes games is remarkable and I'm not being facetious when I say that he could be a future all-star, or at least a dunk contest participant. Why not? With a consistent jump shot and more playing time, he's at least Gerald Wallace. No joke.

Blowing It
Brian Schmitz likened Sunday's loss to the Timberwolves to Wednesday's loss to the Celtics. It's hard to argue with that comparison. Both opponents are under .500, both opponents got out to early leads, both opponents were hot from three-point range, both games went into overtime, and both games involved missed shots by Jameer Nelson that could have won them. I want to be a half-full guy and say the Magic can at least be happy that they got back into those games after trailing, but it's impossible to be that way now because IT'S THE END OF THE SEASON. As Brian Hill said after the loss in Dallas, there's no such thing as a moral victory in the NBA. Fact: if the Magic had a killer instinct at all, they'd be 36-38 and riding a 5-game winning streak. Instead, they're 34-40 and demoralized heading into Wednesday's showdown with surging Toronto. Talk about your blown opportunities.

Blowing It Again
The recent run of missed clutch shots by Jameer Nelson piqued my curiosity; just how good is Nelson when it counts? Thank goodness for 82Games, which is slowly becoming my favorite NBA site. Why? It's for total statheads such as myself. As you can see, Jameer isn't as clutch as his game-winner against Sacramento would lead us to believe. He shoots just .327 in what that site calls clutch situations - fewer than 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter or overtime, neither team ahead or behind by more than 5 points. Summarily, it's time for Brian Hill to reconsider his clutch strategy of giving Nelson the ball. Brian Schmitz agrees.


The most frustrating thing about the whole situation is that it's no longer a matter of playing well enough to win; we've got that part down. Now, it becomes a matter of showing some killer instinct and putting opponents away when they're down. Grant Hill did it against Indiana by getting to the rim. Let's hope this team can follow his example in a metaphoric sense over the final 8 games of the season and into the playoffs, Rony Seikaly-willing.