Sounds Like Howard Wants Out Of Orlando

A lot was made last month when Dwight Howard came out and said he wants to stay in Orlando. Not too many of us believed it, and we aren't the only ones...

From Howard-Cooper: "Howard reaffirmed his desire to stay with the Magic, but told NBA.com on Monday that he will definitely become a free agent rather than sign an extension in the next year and also left open the possibility he would reconsider his future in Orlando if the team does not win the title next season ... In a one-on-one interview afterward, though, he made it clear he is not happy with the collective personality of Orlando's roster and that changes need to be made."

I can't blame him a all. I think the Magic are no where close to winning anything, so if I was him I would take off. They have ruined that roster taking on terrible contracts, and I think they are only going to get worse. So, now comes the obvious question of where he will land. There have already been rumors of the Heat trading Lebron for Howard. Although from a basketball sense it makes sense, since he would probably fit better, and combining Howard and Bosh would be pretty special (as DP said while we talked about this). I just don't see the Heat having the balls to do it.

A team that makes a lot of sense are the Nets. Him and Williams being in New York seem like a perfect match. For all the Boston fans, yea I think there is a chance he comes here also. Bottom line I can see him a lot of places, just not Orlando.

Howard Staying In Orlando?

"I want to start my own path and I want people to follow my path and not just follow somebody else's path. I want to have my own path, and I want to start that here in Orlando. But I can't do it alone. Not only do I need the right teammates, but I need the city behind me. That's the only way it's going to get done. We can change this small city that we have — this small market that we have and we can make it a big market."

"As of right now, I'm a part of the Orlando Magic and I plan to be here," Howard said (CBS Sports).

I am not buying it. The Magic are in a ton of cap trouble, and aren't even close to being a team challenging for an NBA title. My guess is that they have a terrible season next year (6 or 7 seed), and Howard finally has enough and moves on. There are just such better franchises out there that are going to have the cap room to make the changes Howard is looking for. Eventually he'll get sick of the "small market" and want to go somewhere that he can be even more well known (LA, Boston, New York, ect).

The Magic Are Fucking Gone

Well Danny's plan in the East has held true. We aren't going against the Magic so we won't have to worry about any big time centers in the East. But on to the Magic who are in complete disarray. They are Stuck with Gilbert Arenas, they have Dwight Howard with 1 year left on his deal, a lame duck (but entertaining) head coach in Stan Van Gundy and their 3 point or bust strategy just doesn't seem to be working.

I don't know what they are going to do, but the future doesn't look good in Orlando. But after a 4-2 loss in the playoffs to the Hawks my bold prediction is that Otis Smith will once again blow up there team and maybe Howard will be in a different uniform next year.

As for the Hawks, please tire out the Bulls as I have a feeling they will have no trouble with you.

91 Celtics, 80 Magic

It was a great win, and thank God one of my teams at least won, but this was the scariest moment I have ever seen watching a game. Marquis Daniels did a common move and somehow got his neck hit back, he fell lifeless and laid without moving for a while. We found out later Quisy has a spinal cord bruise and will be out a month.

Back to the game.

Rajon Rondo dominated this game, he was as aggressive as I have ever seen him. He finished with 26 points and 7 assists. Pierce had 18, KG had 16, and Ray finished with 11 (including two 3's. He needs four to break the record).

Gilbert Arenas blows. He went 0-7 with 0 points. Orlando needs to figure it out because the trades aren't looking too good right now.

109 Celtics, 106 Magic

Kevin Garnett may have no made a start since December 29th, but it looked like he didn't miss a beat. KG looked spry, young and dominated the game as he had 19 points and eight rebounds and the steal of the game to seal the victory with 16 seconds left.

This game was a back and forth game that had 18 ties and 26 lead changes. Rajon Rondo had 10 points and 13 assists, Paul Pierce had 14 and Ray Allen remained scorching hot with 26 points and 3-4 from beyond the arc. Well the Celtics as a whole shot 60% again.

Kendrick Perkins was missed as Dwight Howard had another monster game with 33 points and 13 boards. Dwight Howard is good, but for some reason I don't take him seriously, much like Stan Van Gundy.

Dwight Howard said after the game that Shaq won this battle, but the Magic are going to win the war... That's funny figuring Dwight Howard hasn't done shit since coming into the league and jokes around too much.

Box Score

Magic @ Celtics Preview

This is a hard game to pick, because you really don't know who is going to play. Shaq fell on some ice yesterday, and wasn't able to practice, so he is a gametime decision. KG practiced, but Doc is still saying he is 50/50 for tonight. If they are both out this game could get away from the Celtics, because the only other big men they have are Glen Davis and Semih Erden.

My prediction is that Garnett plays, and Shaq sits out. Just a guess, but I'll roll with that for my prediction. The last time these two teams played it was Christmas and the Magic won 86-78. Why do I think today will be different? Because Rondo will be playing this time, and he is looking as close to 100% that he has in a while.

With all the injuries to the Celtics big men I have no doubt that Howard will have a big night. Still, I think Paul Pierce is going to dominate Turkoglu, and Rondo is going to absolutely take a shit on the overrated Jameer Nelson.

This game will be close, but the Celtics (even with all their injuries) have more pieces that can hurt the Magic then the Magic have to hurt the Celtics.

Celtics win 104-98
Tommy Award: Rondo (triple double)
Game starts at 8pm on TNT

Magic Blow Up Their Roster Epically

Otis Smith decided he would be the owner of bold moves as he shipped Rashard Lewis to the Washington Wizards for Gilbert Arenas on Saturday.

That trade followed news of a deal that shipped Vince Carter to the Phoenix Suns in a six-player swap that returns Hedo Turkoglu to the Magic.

The Magic also get Jason Richardson and Earl Clark from the Suns in exchange for Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus, a 2011 first-round pick and cash considerations.

I don't get it, or like it. I know the Magic were kind of stale with the team they had but is this team really better? Rashard Lewis definitely didn't live up to his contract but is shipping him for a guy who has played only 60 something games since the 07 -08 season really help your team. Remember, aside from the "gun incident" Gilbert Arenas hasn't been able to be healthy. I don't understand why Otis Smith needed to take this jump and give up Rashard Lewis who gave the Magic size and perimeter shooting and most importantly he gave KG a lot of trouble on the defensive end.

Then Otis Smith is assuming Hedo is the same player that they let go years back while giving up your best perimeter defender, back up canter and a scorer. I don't like it. Sure Jason Richardson is a great scorer and will be a hell of a 6th man, but they are reaching here.

I see this move hurting the Magic more than helping them. Dwight Howard already gets in a lot of foul trouble and now they basically formed a funnel that all teams will use to get Howard in trouble. Now that their is no Pietris all teams will be living in the paint and having Howard to be a lot more active on the defensive end which will lead to more fouls.

This is/will come back to bite the Magic especially now that they don't have size or a decent back up at center.

Doing The John Wall = Missing Open Jumpers?

So I flipped on the Wizards vs. Magic game last night to see prized rookie John Wall take on one of the better teams in the East. So what did I learn?

The Wizards are one of the softest teams I have ever seen. Blatche was awful, and I don't know if I have ever seen anyone who has as much natural talent, but no idea how to use it. Hinrich couldn't cover DP, honestly every guy just blew by him.

But at least there is John Wall right? Well, not last night at least. Sure his stat line looks fine (14 points 9 asts), but he shot 6-19. All his shots were forced, he didn't accelerate the offense, he couldn't hit open jumpers, and in general looked reckless. Still, it is the first game and he is playing against a really good team, but anyone who thinks this guy is going to take over the NBA may need to wait a year or two. A lot of the "problems" Rondo has are the same Wall seems to have. He can't hit the outside shot, and unlike Rondo he doesn't have the talent around him to take the pressure off.

I don't believe in the NBA's +/- rating, but you know you didn't play well when you are -31 for the game, which is what Wall was last night. Not a lot is expected from the Wizards, but they should be ashamed of this 112-83 loss, because the blowout could've been over 45 points if the Magic kept their starters in.

At the end of the day John Wall will have much better games, because the Magic are good at clogging up the lane with guys like Howard and Co, but it is also obvious that he has a lot to work on and he is going to have to do a lot of it on his own, because even when Arenas comes back this team is just way too soft.

Chris Paul Demands Trade

According to a couple reports, Chris Paul is demanding he be traded before the start of the regular season. I have no idea if this is true or not, but my guess is that it is. Paul has been all about playing with another superstar since Lebron joined the Heat.

The question is...where is Paul go? There are 3 teams that Paul is rumored to want to play for (Lakers, Magic or Knicks). Out of those 3 the Magic seem the most likely to me (then the Knicks). I am not sure if the Knicks have the pieces to pull off a trade, but the Magic could. Earlier in the offseason the Magic were rumored to be kicking around a deal that would send Vince Carter to the Wizards for Gilbert Arenas. Maybe a similar deal can be worked out for Pual (maybe add picks and Jameer Nelson).

Anyways, at this point it is all rumors, but I do believe he will be dealt before the season starts, as reportedly members of Paul's camp have told people in the NBA that, "he's not going to start the season in New Orleans."

Celtics 96, Magic 84

The parallels were eventually inescapable. Although the National Sports Media did bandy the story about quite prematurely (they talked about a 3-0 collapse after the Celtics won Game 3, a bit early, don't ya think?). But the Celtics aren't the Bruins. Nor are the Magic akin to the Flyers.

And beating Orlando, the 2nd seed in the East, is an accomplishment that should be appreciated. The C's won 2 games down in Florida. And guess what, it's taken them fewer games to get to the Finals than it did in '08 (17 to 20).

Game 6 was a team-effort-victory, something the individually oriented clubs in the East (the Cleveland LeBrons, the Miami Wades, the Orlando Howards) simply couldn't match.

Dwight Howard did have 28 points. But none of his mates had more than 20. Only two others scored in double digits, as the Celtics' defense stuffed the Magcis' vaunted 3-point offense, challenging the deep shots, and forcing the Magic to play a professional offense.

The C's, for their part, hit their shots, especially their 3-pointers (10 for 22 as a team). Pierce was still on fire, scoring 31 points, including four 3-pointers. Ray Allen quietly amassed 20 points, KG somehow managed 10.

Rajon Rondo "only" had 14, but they all came early, when the Celtics' offense was still struggling. He was a one-man fastbreak and aggressively penetrated the Magics' defensive core. Then he fell awkwardly on his butt, and it was Nate Robinson time.



Have you ever seen anyone as fired up as Robinson got? It was borderline obnoxious, especially his post-foul jubilations. But he got the job done, allowing Rondo to lie belly-down on the sidelines without jeopardizing the lead. In 13 minutes, Robinson had 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists.



All this being said, Kevin Garnett had a forgettable game. The only thing memorable was one of the dumbest fouls you'll see in NBA Playoff history. Just chopping down on a guy's arm. Twice! Right in front of the referee. Although why didn't the ref call it the first time? NBA refs are cowards.

KG needs to improve if the Celtics want to beat LA. But how much can he improve? How much of his recent mediocrity is due to his health? That's a question which will need to be answered on the court starting Thursday.

Celtics vs. Lakers



-The Commodore

Magic @ Celtics: Game 6

Thank God the NBA rescinded one of Perkins technicals, because the Celtics are getting low on big men. Big Baby and Wallace are both game time decisions, and Daniels has been basically ruled out (who cares, right?). I think they will both play, but the Celtics are really going to need Perkins to eat up some minutes tonight.

There is good news for the Celtics. There is a new set of refs being used tonight, so hopefully it won't be that catastrophe we saw last game.

The focus tonight has to be to shut down Jameer Nelson. Howard is going to get his point, and that's fine, but you can't have Nelson dropping 24 points on you like he did last game. Rondo has to be all over him, and he really should be because I think Nelson sucks.

Other then that I want to see more for KG. He looked really old last game, and I want to see the life in his legs that we saw earlier in the season.

But if this game is fairly called I think the Celtics are going to come out angry and whoop some ass.

Celtics win 108-93
Player of the Game: Rondo

Game starts at 8:30pm on ESPN.

Best Sixth Man in the Game? Best Sixth Man in the Game

At what point does Stan Van Gundy tell Vince Carter to take a night off? He is like sand on the skates of the Orlando Magic offense. Hasn't looked comfortable all season but for a few game streaks here and there and has been pretty awful during the playoffs. His bad play was masked by the weak first and second round opponents however it has certainly been exposed in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Now, as the Magic continue to push the Celtics into the record books (first NBA team to blow a 3-0 series lead, in fact this is the first C's team to need a game 6 after going up 3-0 so they are already in the record book for that) the Magic continue to rely on Vince's backup, former Duke stud, JJ Redick. Not only is he playing better than Carter, he might be playing better than anybody on his team outside Dwight Howard and, in games 4 and 5, Jameer Nelson.

Redick's solid play is being rewarded with 25-30 minutes per game and constant stream of compliments from Marc Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy. Many will see the box score and say so what, the guy is averaging 10 points a game, a handful of rebounds and he's turning it over 3 or 4 times. To them I say you are missing the point. Check out JJ's plus/minus. It's OVER 20. Until game 5, he was the only Magic player with a +/- in positive territory. The minute he touched the floor last night the Magic surged to an 8 point lead, eventually pushing it to 11 or 12. The C's make a run to start the 2nd half, guess who's not on the floor? That's right, #7.

This isn't just a solid contribution from a guy told he would never get regular minutes in the NBA. A guy who couldn't play D, was too soft to play the wing, too slow to guard the 2. A guy who couldn't create his own shot, couldn't drive the lane. No this is a career defining performance reframing the way any intelligent fan thinks of JJ Redick from now through the rest of his career.

I would like to say it's something new but it's not. We saw this last year when JJ's limited minutes kept Kobe in check during the Finals. I would even go so far as to say the only thing he was given credit for, his ability to knock down a 3 from anywhere on the court, has actually regressed some since his glory days as a Blue Devil. Instead, it is his defense, ball movement and pass first team work that makes up the bulk of his game today. Ask Ray Allen how fun it has been when JJ's been on him.

So when the Magic come back and send the C's into an imfamy shared with the Bruins and Yankees, Orlando fans can thank their lucky stars on the continued maturation, professionalism and flight to stardom of one JJ Redick.

Also, Dwight Howard being able to swing his elbows with reckless abandon helps too.

Magic 113 Celtics 92

Wow. It is really tough to even write about this game. This series could simply be over if NBA referees weren't the worst officiating in all of sports. Last night, the refs were throwing technicals around like they were going out of style. Perkins got his first when he tried to help Paul Pierce off the court, his hand slipped, and inadvertently hit Howard. Then he gets his 2nd when he didn't like a call, but was walking away from the ref. That got him kicked out, so the Celtics had to play the entire 2nd half without their starting center.

Things only got worse. Big Baby was knocked out of the game when Howard (not on purpose) and gave him a concussion. Then Daniels went down with a concussion (still have no idea how he got hurt). It was just one of those games, the problem is that Magic are back in this series.

I don't want to take too much away from the Magic, but the Celtics were able to hang around until the last 10 mins of the game even with everything that had gone wrong. Howard had a big game with 21 point, 10 boards, but it was the 5 blocks that really set the tone in the game.

Anyways, I still think the Celtics can close this out. They have to come out pissed next game, and I would really like to see more from Garnett (looked old last night).

We will have updates on Big Baby, Daniels, and whether or not Perkins is going to be suspended hopefully later in the day...

96 Magic, 92 Celtics

I feared this. I did. Last night's game was one of the most frustrating games to watch because the Celtics just couldn't get over the hump. Every time they made a run the Magic would hit a three or the Celtics would mess up. You could from the second the game started that they lacked the killer instinct that they had in game 1-3.

The one play that could have been the last play in regulation. There was 13 or 17 seconds left with the Celtics having the ball after a Jameer Nelson rushed shot. Doc didn't call a time out (which I didn't agree with at all) then the possession got ugly, they fumbled the ball around and Pierce couldn't even get a shot up. I thought that looked apparent but Doc stood by his call. There could have been a call on Jameer Nelson for running into Pierce but I'm glad it was a no call, I don't want to see game 4 ended on free throws.

KG played terrible in the 4th quarter and OT (unofficial 0-4, 3 fouls and 3 TOs). Rondo (9 points, 3-10 FG, 8 assists) did not look right all night, I didn't read what his first half injury was but it obviously was effecting his play.

Jameer Nelson had a great game with 23 points, he was able to penetrate all night and Dwight Howard benefited from that with 32 points and 16 rebounds.

Looks like we have to end it in Orlando.

Celtics/ Magic Game 4 Preview

Like Paul Pierce said let's go back to Boston and close it out, and so far the Celtics are abiding by the captains words. The Magic have shown little resistance so far on stopping the Celtics quest to banner 18 and the Celtics know this and smell blood. The Celtics are the best defensive team and best overall team when they stay aggressive. Every time they have held back the opposing team has made a comeback or a run. The C's have outplayed, out hustled and downright bullied the Magic thus far and hopefully that continues tonight. The starting line ups are:

PG	J. Nelson 18.9	R. Rondo 17.3
SG	V. Carter 17.2	R. Allen 16.7
SF	M. Barnes 6.3	P. Pierce 17.4
PF	R. Lewis 13.3	K. Garnett 15.7
C	D. Howard 15.7	K. Perkins 6.4

The biggest disappointment for the Magic has to be Rashard Lewis who has done much of nothing this whole series. coming into this series that was my biggest concern because on paper this was suppose to be a defensive mismatch with KG guarding him. However, that's proving to be wrong and KG and the Celtics have been picking up their assignments, rotating to their spots and swarming to the ball. I believe and hope this game is closed tonight (figuring I'm going). Anyways Go Celtics!!! UBUNTU!!

105- 92 Celtics
Tommy Award: Rajon Rondo

94 Celtics, 71 Magic

John Havlicek and Larry Bird have infamous steals, now Rajon Rondo can add that to his mounting resume. Yes the situation was different, yes the steal didn't make or break the game, but that makes it even better. The Celtics already had a giant lead when Rajon decided to chase after a ball that looks like it was going to be gathered by Jason Williams, but then Rondo sacrificed his body diving after the ball, getting up and scoring the basket. That not only tore the hearts out of the Magic team, but defined the Celtics on the defensive end and Rondo as a player.

This game was over before it begun. Dwight Howard stunk up the joint with a 7 point, 7 rebound night, Rashard Lewis is still MIA and they turned the ball over constantly. The Celtics stayed aggressive on both ends of the court, Rondo had a double double with 11 points and 12 rebounds and 5 others scored in double figures. Big Baby provided a big spark with 17 points and the Celtics just cruised with a 3-0 lead on the series.

If they can keep up the defensive tenacity and the good shot selection maybe we can start talking about brooms. Either way it was a hell of a win and this team should be making everyone believe.

Here is a bonus video of Rondo getting hit in the head with a ball during an interview. Obviously Sheed:

95 Celtics, 92 Magic

Even though I picked the Celtics in 4 I have to admit, I didn't picture them leaving Orlando with a 2-0 lead. The Celtics have been playing a wonderful game plan of guarding all the perimeter guys face to face and letting Dwight Howard going 1 on 1.

Paul Pierce is the star of the game (28 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) and killed the Magic after that thug Dwight Howard did his best to unscrew his head. I normally complain that the refs are way too whistle happy but in this case a flagrant was absolutely the right call. But no more important shots came from the Truth than his free throws 34 seconds left to put the Celtics up 95 to 92. Opposed to Vince Carter bricking 2 free throws which ended up being the difference in the game and the Celtics once again walked away with the win.

But not all credit deserves to go to Paul Pierce. Rondo was fantastic once again and in 46 minutes had 25 points, 10-16 FG, 8 assists. I knew he was going to have a good game because Jameer Nelson out played him in game one and I knew that would get under his skin.

But the biggest disappointment for the Magic has to be the play of Rashard Lewis who had another stinker and just had 5 points. If Lewis doesn't right the ship then I like the Celtics odds. The Celtics got a good offensive game from Dwight Howard and still managed too win, I'm starting to feel a little bit more confident.

Box Score

92 Celtics, 88 Magic

Well, the Celtics tried their hardest to blow this one, but the Magic just didn't have enough to put them over the top. Early in this game the Celtics were drumming them, building up leads of 15 and 20, but let it all go in the 4th. They took the entire 4th off and the Magic went on quiet a run.

The star of the game has to go to Rasheed Wallace (sorry Ray)He played fantastic defense on Dwight (13 points) and did a great job of antagonizing him. He made all of his fouls count and already started picking on him. If he keeps poking Dwight eventually Dwight will make a mistake and get thrown out of the game.

Another good thing is that Jameer Nelson (20 points) had a better game than Rondo (8 points) we all know this will get under Rondo's skin and make him play a lot better on tuesday. Paul Pierce (22 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) and Ray Allen (25 points, 7 rebounds) were the offensive stars.

I expect this series to be extremely physical and chippy.

Why Not?

Why not watch Vince Carter hit a 86-foot shot sitting down?

96 Magic, 89 Celtics

This is certainly frustrating. On the day we got Pierce and Marquis Daniels back the Celtics just dropped the ball again.

At the half the C's were up by 11 having the score at 51- 40, then the 3rd quarter happened. The Celtics were outscored 36-11 and shot 4-14 with 2 dimes. Rajon had another great game and almost finished with a triple double with 17 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds. And Perk and Rasheed had awful games by combining for only 4 rebounds. It was a pathetic showing for the Celtics and I really don't know what they need to do differently.