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• Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel: “Earl Clark is thankful the Phoenix Suns agreed to trade him to the Orlando Magic as part of the six-player, blockbuster deal in mid-December. The move to Orlando might have saved his NBA career. Earlier this year, when the Suns declined to pick up Clark’s $2 million option to keep him for the 2011-12 season — making him a free agent this summer — Clark took it personally and wondered what his NBA future would entail. He barely played in Phoenix, had a reputation as a not-so-hard worker and was stuck between forward positions. It appeared Clark would be competing to make an NBA squad from the end of a bench on a new team next season. But that all changed in December when the Suns sent Clark to the Magic in the deal that brought Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson to Orlando. The fresh start rejuvenated Clark, a second-year player out of Louisville.”
• The Orlando Magic’s search for a shooting guard continues.
• An update on Daniel Orton.
• Ric Bucher of ESPN.com talks about his back-and-forth discussion with Dwight Howard in the locker room when the Magic lost Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks.
• Josh Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com recaps Orlando’s season and ends with this note: “It will be fascinating to see what the Magic try to do this offseason in an effort to bounce back and return to championship-level form. Except for J-Rich, everyone on the Magic’s roster is under contract for next season. Since Richardson was very valuable to Orlando since his arrival, it’s certainly possible that Otis [Smith] will try and re-sign him to a long-term deal. Otherwise, if there are any changes to the Magic those alterations will likely come in the form of trades.”
• Tom Haberstroh of ESPN Insider provides a solution for the Magic’s woes but not before warning that the task to improve will be difficult: “The Magic could blow it up again, but “it” is rubble anyway. We saw this season that there’s no such thing as an unmovable contract — interestingly enough, thanks to Magic GM Otis Smith — but the stock of [Gilbert] Arenas and Turkoglu has fallen so low that they’re glorified sunk costs at this point. If this sounds like we’re painting a grim picture here, that’s because it is a grim picture. There are no easy answers here, but this is the bed that Smith made. They have no room to sign anyone in free agency and they don’t have the positioning in the draft to pluck an instant contributor. Flexibility-wise, Smith is in a straitjacket, and his only hope is that Arenas and Turkoglu do their best Benjamin Button impressions or accept buyouts. Both scenarios are pipedreams.”

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• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “[Orlando] Magic GM Otis Smith will take applications for the backup center position behind Dwight Howard for 2011-12. Can a kid who logged zero minutes and seldom practiced with the team win the job? Is Daniel Orton that guy? ‘I believe I am,’ Orton told me. ‘I believe I am for so many reasons, but I’d rather not say because it would only raise expectations higher. I’m not a sayer. I’m a doer.’ As the Magic’s first-round pick out of Kentucky, Orton, 20, couldn’t do anything this season as a rookie but watch. He didn’t get on the floor after battling a lingering left knee injuries, which eventually required surgery in late December. He partially tore the ACL as a junior in high school, and tore his meniscus as a senior, undergoing more surgery. He underwent arthroscopic surgery after playing his second game of a D-League stint with the New Mexico Thunderbirds. Physically, Orton says his knee is sound, but he won’t go full bore until sometime this summer.”
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Maybe familiarity really does breed contempt, because the first-round playoff series between the Orlando Magic and the Atlanta Hawks is becoming downright chippy. On a day the NBA handed down one-game suspensions to Orlando’s Jason Richardson and Atlanta’s Zaza Pachulia for fighting each other, both teams escalated their posturing for officials and had increasingly harsh words for each other. Stan Van Gundy complained that Hawks centers Jason Collins and Zaza Pachulia hit superstar Dwight Howard at every opportunity but flop to the court whenever they face minimal contact. Meanwhile, Collins and Pachulia said that Howard dishes out at least as much punishment as he receives. And the Magic stewed that Richardson received the same punishment as Pachulia.”
• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: ” This could be your big chance, Gilbert Arenas. Tonight’s the night. Don’t blow it. Starting shooting guard Jason Richardson has been suspended from tonight’s crucial Game 4 of the Magic’s playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks. This could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for, Gilbert, to get back into the rotation and earn that $18 million salary Magic fans believe is the biggest waste of money since frozen coffee drinks. {…] If ever there was a time for Agent Zero to become a Magic hero, this is it. Call me Mr. Melodrama if you want, but there isn’t just one game riding on tonight’s outcome; the season is riding on it. The future of the franchise could be riding on it. This is as close to must-win as you can without actually being mathematically eliminated from a series completely. Let’s face it, does anybody really think the Magic can afford to go down 3-1 to the Hawks – a talented and athletic team that has beaten the Magic 5-of-7 times this season? If the Magic lose tonight, the chances of them winning this series are about the same as the chances of Van Gundy being invited to be on ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ This could be Gilbert’s grand opportunity to not only save the Magic’s season but to save good friend and Magic GM Otis Smith’s reputation – and perhaps even his job.”
• John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com: “Orlando Magic guard J.J. Redick flashed the bright, red wound on the inside of his left arm, offered to show the matching strawberry abrasion on his hip and admitted on Saturday that there are still times when he feels a stabbing pain from an abdominal strain injury. But with his Magic shorthanded because of a suspension, rattled somewhat by a shooting slump and peering out of a 2-1 playoff hole courtesy of the Atlanta Hawks, Redick knows that now is no time for pity. He said his team should be feeling the urgency to deliver its finest performance come Sunday’s Game 4 at Philips Arena in Atlanta. A Magic squad that’s struggled to score in the regular season and playoffs against the Hawks will be playing Sunday night without shooting guard Jason Richardson, Orlando’s second-leading scorer this season. He was suspended a game for Friday’s fourth-quarter fight with Atlanta center Zaza Pachulia. Richardson said the Magic clearly got the worst of that swap.”
• Steve Hummer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “The Magic center, by way of tiny Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, stands as the single largest — 6-foot-11, 265 pounds to be exact — obstacle between the Hawks and Round 2 of these NBA playoffs. Against the Hawks, Howard has been a transcendent force, playing all but five of 144 minutes of the first three games, despite a rotation of Hawks big men hanging from him like anchor chains. His scoring has dropped with each game (46 to 33 to 21), yet within this star-laden postseason, he entered Saturday ranked first in scoring (33.3 per game), rebounding (17.7 per game) and minutes per game (46). Orlando so needs him on the floor that his coach, Stan Van Gundy said, ‘It’s very hard to even let him get a drink of water.’ He is a soloist, the Yo-Yo Ma of post play, while Orlando aches to hear from the rest of the orchestra. Game 4 of the best-of-seven series looms Sunday at Philips — the Hawks up 2-1 and the stage set for further friction. Hawks center Zaza Pachulia came out of Game 3 on Friday looking as if he had spent the evening locked in a cage with an angry wolverine, scratches covering one arm. Howard has banked two postseason technical fouls already, both of them involving Pachulia. He flung the Hawks’ backup big man to the court in Game 1, and on Friday flailed at Pachulia after a hard foul, catching him across the neck.”
• Mark Bradley of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Losing Zaza Pachulia hurts the Hawks. Losing Jason Richardson hurts the Magic more. It’s pretty simple why. Zaza is a sub splitting minutes at center, where the Hawks have other choices: Jason Collins is the starter in this lineup, and Al Horford has had some success at the position, having twice made the All-Star team. Richardson is a starter and was, at least during the regular season, the second-leading scorer on a team starving for options beyond Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson. Howard has averaged 33.3 points in this series, up nearly 10 over his regular-season yield. Of Orlando’s 92 baskets, he has 33. Nelson has 19. That means 56.5 percent of the Magic’s offense is coming from two players. That’s why the Hawks lead 2-1. The rest of the Magic men have been, in a word, lousy.”

• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “[Dwight] Howard was in a good mood, joining Jameer Nelson in heckling Brandon Bass about his pants size even after Monday night’s loss in L.A., which seemingly should have hurt a little more. Howard summoned rookie Daniel Orton to carry his jacket, headphones and tote bag to the bus as is his right as a veteran. The Magic didn’t look or sound like a team with a care in the world, much less in the East postseason race. If they’re concerned, they don’t show it. They’ll let the worry lines occupy coach Stan Van Gundy‘s face. One thing that’s clear to me about the Magic: They aren’t taking much stock in these regular-season results. They are veterans, some who have been to the ’09 Finals, and this 82-game stuff to them is a formality, practically a nuisance. I think players realize the season hasn’t gone as planned, that Otis Smith’s trades don’t figure to run down the Celtics, Bulls and Heat. They’ve fallen short of expectations, so their focus already has shifted to the playoffs and the repairs they can make there to stun their doubters. The Magic know they probably are stuck with the No. 4 seed and simply need to catch fire. Their maddening inconsistency? The turnovers and defensive lapses? The rebounding woes? Run along, naysayers. We’ll get that all straightened out in the playoffs. Hard to buy what the Magic are selling, isn’t it?”
• George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel: “[Otis] Smith has handicapped the Magic for years because he believed in [Gilbert] Arenas when no one else did. It’s an admirable thing to do as a compassionate human being. It’s a horrible thing to do from a business standpoint. The Magic and Arenas appear to be stuck with each other. It will be this city’s burden to have to watch and wince.”
• Tracy McGrady didn’t always try hard in practice. Is that necessarily bad?
• Head coach Stan Van Gundy warns the Orlando Magic about the Milwaukee Bucks.
• J.J. Redick will not play in tonight’s game against the Bucks.
• John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com: “All jokes aside, Howard has been attempting to look into the future quite a bit these days what with the playoffs beginning in almost a month. At 42-26 with 14 regular-season games left before the postseason free-for-all begins, Howard is attempting to project positives where some only see darkness. His Magic are most likely locked into the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, and unlike some Howard doesn’t see that as being the end of the world. [...] If the playoffs started today, the Magic would open in the first round against an Atlanta team that it has dominated much of the past three seasons and swept last spring in the most lopsided postseason series in history. Win that, and the Magic could be in position to face Chicago, a blossoming team that has yet to prove itself in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the East’s other two top teams, Boston and Miami, could be forced to beat up on one another in the other side of the playoff bracket.”
• I think it’s foolish to underestimate the Chicago Bulls “lack of playoff experience.”
• Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie has more on McGrady’s practice habits: “Here’s the part where we tell you that McGrady really is a sweet, intelligent, and thoughtful guy. And here’s the part where we remind you that, holy crap, he averaged 32 points, a combined 12 rebounds/assists, and just 2.6 turnovers in 2002-03 with the Orlando Magic. And here’s where we remind that though McGrady never made it out of the first round as an active player, there wasn’t one time in that first-round losing streak where I thought McGrady’s squad lost to an inferior opponent.
• Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk: “The middle of the East looks pretty set. Look for another Orlando vs. Atlanta playoff series, although this time in the first round as the four and five seeds (the Magic swept that series last year).”
• Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports: “Van Gundy tried to make sense of 593 foul calls without so much as a flagrant foul on Dwight Howard. And after speaking the truest words of the season – saying that Stern doesn’t allow dissenting opinions in the NBA, that free speech is a scarce commodity on league issues – the commissioner reacted in a most predictable, childish way on state-run NBA radio. After refusing to confront Van Gundy directly and promising to take the matter to Magic ownership, Stern sounded like a power-drunk small-town mayor saying ‘… We won’t be hearing from him for the rest of the season.’ ”

• Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel: “The Orlando Magic are averaging 7.9 fastbreak points per game, which is, by far, worst in the NBA. That statistic is mostly with Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter on the wings. With Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson, the Magic have a trio of wing players who can push the tempo and really get out into transition. The new players bring new talents and more offensive power, and they also should significantly change the style in which the team plays. The Magic are ranked 19th in pace at 91.3 possessions per game, but they should move up in the league rankings in that category. [...] With Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis on the wings, the Magic played a slow brand of basketball and preferred to size up the defense before creating. Neither of those players are particularly fast, and they did most of their transitional work by shooting trailing three-pointers. Additionally, the only players that would bring the ball up the floor in fast-break situations were Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick, Chris Duhon and Jason Williams. If Lewis got a rebound, he’d look for one of the guards to pass off to. When Turkoglu gets a rebound, he’s comfortable dribbling the ball and pushing it himself. Same goes for J-Rich and Arenas. And all of those guys can receive an outlet pass from one of the big men if the situation is right.”
• Ryan Anderson is happy to be back from injury.
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “The Orlando Magic will start Jameer Nelson at point guard, Jason Richardson at shooting guard, Hedo Turkoglu at small forward, Brandon Bass at power forward and Dwight Howard at center against the San Antonio Spurs tonight at Amway Center. Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy said he’ll likely use that same starting lineup for the ‘foreseeable future.’ ”
• Daniel Orton‘s knee surgery was successful.
• Evan Dunlap of SBNation.com chronicles the Orlando Magic’s sharp decline: “The Magic’s record will worsen before it improves. They host the Spurs tonight and the Celtics on Christmas Day and have only held one practice to go with two walkthroughs since their Saturday trades. The five other elites, as well as the second-tier teams such as Chicago, Atlanta and Utah, figure to keep distancing themselves from Orlando as the season wears on. But if the team manages to make gradual improvements, it’s likely to “peak at the right time,” as analysts and fans love to say, heading into the playoffs. In that regard, the risky deals may prove worthwhile for the Magic, who weren’t headed anywhere fast with the group they had prior to the trades.”
• Dwight Howard is keeping his hopes up: “We play San Antonio tonight and then the Celtics on Christmas Day. It will be tough beating them because they have the best two records in the league, but I feel like we’re going to get our chemistry down pretty quickly with our new guys. I’ve been telling the guys to hang in there and be patient and and that things will turn for the better.”
• Should the Magic tried harder to acquire Andray Blatche in the Rashard Lewis trade? M. Haubs of The Painted Area thinks so: “Acquiring Blatche would have made the Arenas acquisition more palatable to me. I feel like the Magic needed to take a gamble on young guys with potential as part of their bounty.”
• A look back at Gilbert Arenas’ legacy with the Washington Wizards.

• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “An MRI exam on Daniel Orton‘s troublesome left knee revealed no major structural damage, both the Orlando Magic rookie and Magic President of Basketball Operations Otis Smith said Monday night. [...] A team doctor examined Orton on Monday after the MRI. The rookie center said he will seek a second opinion by the physician in Oklahoma who operated on his knee during his senior year of high school. Orton left open the possibility that he’ll have surgery, but he said he would like surgery to be “the very last option.” Orton injured his knee Saturday night, during the second game of his NBA Development League stint with the New Mexico Thunderbirds. [...] The knee has troubled Orton since high school. As a junior, he partially tore the knee’s anterior cruciate ligament. As a senior, he tore meniscus cartilage in the knee and subsequently underwent surgery to repair both the meniscus and the ACL. The Magic used the 29th pick of the first round to select Orton out of Kentucky. After a poor showing in summer league play, the team put Orton on a rehabilitation program to strengthen the muscles around the knee. He didn’t appear in any exhibition games for the Magic and hasn’t played in a regular-season game yet.”
• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “By the time the last Christmas eggnog is sipped, the Miami Heat will have passed the Magic to claim the top spot in the Southeast Division. Who’d have thought it? Only a few weeks ago the Heat were limping along at 9-8 and looking disjointed, needing to call a players-only meeting. But after five consecutive wins, the Heat are 14-8, trailing the Magic by just 1 1/2 games as Orlando heads into its most difficult stretch of the season to date. Meanwhile, the Heat, after tonight’s tough game in Utah, have some cupcakes coming their way. The NBA schedule-maker has spoken.”
• Jameer Nelson is good to go for Thursday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
• Are Magic fans confident in Chris Duhon?
• David Aldridge of NBA.com recently conducted a Q/A with Daniel Orton. Here’s an excerpt from Orton: “At times, I do feel like I’m not really with the team or something like that. Moreso, the development part, like you said, is going to be within myself, really. So I think they’re looking towards me to develop myself, really. But I do get help and guidance from them, really.”
• Kurt Helin recaps last night’s nightmare game between the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks: “Not that this was a particularly fun game to watch — for the first three quarters neither team cleared 20 points for a quarter. Chew on these numbers — Atlanta’s back court was 0-10 and the Magic’s front court was 2-12 in the first half. The Hawks had the lead at that point with a sad 81.8 points per 100 possessions at the break. The Magic really missed the play creation of Jameer Nelson. Dwight Howard was back — 14 points 13 boards — but was clearly feeling the impact of the stomach bug that knocked him down for a few days.”
• Adam Figman of SLAM ONLINE sums up the Magic’s loss succinctly: “Dwight Howard might be the wheels, rims, leather seats, carburetor, alternator, paint job, and some other car parts I’m forgetting, but—from the looks of it—Jameer Nelson is the engine that drives the Magic forward. Without him, they were lost last night, as the Hawks pushed ahead in the fourth quarter and took it home.”
• Dwight Howard talks about how the stomach virus affected his teammates: “I know that some of our guys lost a lot of weight when they got sick. J.J. Redick said he dropped 10 pounds and Mickael Pietrus dropped seven pounds. But I weighed in at 272 pounds. I made sure I ate a lot as of yesterday.”
• Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie: “Orlando nearly doubled up its assists with turnovers, it missed 18 of 22 three-pointers, and yet it was still in the game mainly because the Hawks are pretty useless when Mike Bibby isn’t running the show (I’m being serious when I tell you to try and use Damien Wilkins at point forward, Hawks, because he can really pass). Credit Atlanta, again, but this was an ugly one from beginning to end.”

• Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel: “When the Atlanta Hawks visited Amway Center on Nov. 8, the Orlando Magic were focused on stopping volume-scoring guard Joe Johnson. Despite new coach Larry Drew’s intent to install the motion offense, Atlanta’s offense was more efficient by isolating Johnson and working the offense through him, so that’s what they were doing. This will be a different Hawks team tonight, though – Johnson will miss his fourth consecutive game with a right elbow injury, and it’s unclear exactly where the Hawks scoring will come from. The motion offense has returned.”
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “[Jameer] Nelson came to Amway Center this morning, but he still wasn’t feeling well. He was sent home early by athletic trainer Keon Weise. [Dwight] Howard looked energetic after shootaround, working on some post moves and doing some sprints. But he said the stomach virus was vicious. He said he spent a couple of hours at a Central Florida hospital to receive intravenous fluids after he flew home on Friday from Detroit. [...] The Magic also have some additional health concerns. Ryan Anderson was going to receive more X-rays on his injured right foot, but he has come down with the same stomach bug that his teammates, Van Gundy said.”
• Ryan Anderson can’t catch a break. Poor guy.
• With the NBA acquiring the New Orleans Hornets, Chris Paul is likely not going anywhere.
• If the Amway Center didn’t pan out for the Orlando Magic, ownership had their eyes set on moving the franchise to Chicago. Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel has the details: “We know what it’s all about when sports franchises decide to leave cities after arena deals go bust: relocation, relocation, relocation. But the Magic were not thrilled with the prospects of moving their team to, say, Las Vegas, Kansas City or Anaheim.”
• Is Marcin Gortat‘s production cause for concern? The numbers say no.
• Daniel Orton injured his knee while playing in a D-League game.
• Zach Lowe of The Point Forward says Dwight Howard is the favorite to win the MVP this season: “The field of possible MVP candidates is as deep as ever, particularly since a handful of teams in the Western Conference — Utah, New Orleans, Dallas and San Antonio — are all playing better than expected. But Howard still leads the race here by a nose. Half of the Magic’s roster has started the season in a shooting slump, yet Orlando sits at 15-5, right where we expected it to be. Howard is the centerpiece for everything Orlando does on both ends, and he remains unmatched in his ability to both protect the rim and rush out to disrupt pick-and-rolls. His traditional stats are as good as ever, and he ranks fourth in the league in Player Efficiency Rating.”
• Howard is also looking like a shoe-in, for the moment, to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. Again.

AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez

• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Stan Van Gundy left Wisconsin hoping that Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Mickael Pietrus and J.J. Redick will recover from their stomach virus in time to play Monday against the Atlanta Hawks. But Van Gundy also emphasized that he had no idea whether the foursome would be healthy enough. [...] Redick came down with the illness first, beginning to experience symptoms early last Wednesday morning. Four days later, he still wasn’t ready to play in Milwaukee. Howard and Nelson became ill on Friday. So, if their illnesses last four full days, they wouldn’t be able to play against the Hawks.”
• Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel: “Orlando Magic center Marcin Gortat dives for loose balls, leaps into the stands and hits the deck more comfortably than any 6-foot-11 human being should. His willingness to sacrifice his extremely large body is, in a lot of ways, what defines him as a player. But for Gortat, diving and clawing for every loose ball is not a big deal, as he’s been doing it his whole life — just not on the basketball court. Gortat, a native of Poland, didn’t even play basketball till he was almost 18. Instead, Gortat received his hoops training on the soccer field, as he spent his youth playing goalkeeper for his competitive soccer squad. ‘I was probably the world’s tallest goalie,’ he says. He played soccer all of his life — like almost everyone did in Poland — and he was actually a pretty good keeper for his club team, LKS Lodz. So when you see Gortat diving at a point guard’s ankles for a loose ball, there’s a chance he’s imagining it as a soccer ball rolling free inside the 18-yard box. Marcin Gortat, a k a the Polish Machine, a k a the world’s tallest goalkeeper.”
• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “I was watching what was left of the flu-ridden Magic on Saturday night and wondering whether Jason Williams was going to pass the ball for the rest of his career. Finally, bang-bang-bang — J-Will nailed 3 three-pointers in a late stretch against the Bucks. With Jameer Nelson out and Chris Duhon continuing to struggle, Williams needed to provide some offense instead of seemingly getting out of the way and spectating. Williams is frustrated with his role — or no role — but this was a game he could have left an imprint on earlier if he hadn’t deferred so much. Dealing with being the third point guard hasn’t been easy, and I think that frustration was behind him getting tossed from two games. Yes, it makes you wonder what J-Will is thinking.”
• Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “Orlando Pinstriped Post has learned, but has been unable to confirm, that the Orlando Magic may have recalled rookie center Daniel Orton from the New Mexico Thunderbirds, their D-League affiliate, after just a two-day stay. I again emphasize that I have yet to confirm this rumor, and neither the Magic nor the Thunderbirds have made an official announcement on the matter. [...] Orton could be headed back to Orlando due to an injury of his own. He may have “tweaked something,” according to a person I spoke to, which explains why he left New Mexico’s game last night.”
• Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “On Thursday, Damien Wilkins was shooting baskets with regular guys at a gym. By Saturday, he was facing down LeBron James, the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player, with a frenzied crowd at American Airlines Arena expecting James to put on a show. The circumstances weren’t impossible to imagine since Wilkins had played 390 NBA games before the Hawks signed him on Friday. The result, though, was remarkable. Wilkins effectively harassed James to help spark Atlanta’s comeback attempt in the third quarter. The Hawks lost 89-77 but if Wilkins’ debut is any indication, he’s well suited to meet coach Larry Drew’s desire for an energetic and tough wing defender. Wilkins showed those qualities when he closely guarded James during stints in the first and second halves. James seemed annoyed that he couldn’t shake Wilkins, who wouldn’t allow him much space to start one of his dynamic drives to the basket. [...] Wilkins’ strategy was best illustrated during a third-quarter sequence against James. Wilkins leaned against James and placed his arm against his back. James jab-stepped, but Wilkins didn’t budge. James feigned a shot, but Wilkins stayed put. Finally, Wilkins poked at the ball and the two wrestled for it as they crashed to the floor; officials called a jump ball.”

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Via Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post:

The Orlando Magic have engaged the Washington Wizards in an ongoing trade dialog centered around Wizards shooting guard Gilbert Arenas, Orlando Pinstriped Post has learned. What Orlando would send Washington in return for the three-time All-Star is less clear, but the proposed deal likely includes shooting guard Vince Carter, according to a source. Wizards big man Andray Blatche, Magic forward Rashard Lewis, and Magic center Daniel Orton could also be involved. Both teams have a mutual understanding of what the trade might include, the source says, and it’s unclear what factors are holding up the trade. What is clear around the league, however, is that Magic President of Basketball Operations Otis Smith has his eye on Arenas. If Orlando is to make a major trade this season, Arenas will likely be the target.

CBS Sports’ Ken Berger reported the Magic listened to trade offers regarding Arenas this summer, but rebuffed the Wizards due to concern over the salary remaining on his contract, which runs for three seasons after this one, at a total cost of $62.4 million. In early November, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported “the Magic have cooled on the notion of a Vince Carter-for-Arenas exchange,” citing “NBA front-office sources.” However, the source who spoke to Orlando Pinstriped Post contradicts Stein’s report, saying Orlando has indeed initiated the discussions with Washington of late.

Orlando Pinstriped Post’s report was later refuted by general manager Otis Smith.

Still, it’s a topic worth discussing.

One of the most common criticisms of the Orlando Magic, when determining their chances of winning a championship this season, is that there is no one on the roster that can serve as a go-to scorer on the perimeter. The Los Angeles Lakers have Kobe Bryant, the Miami Heat have LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, the Boston Celtics have Paul Pierce, and the San Antonio Spurs have Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. These are players that have proven themselves when the stakes are at the highest. But what about the Magic?

There’s Jameer Nelson. If there’s anyone on the roster for Orlando that comes closest to being regarded as a go-to scorer (the main knock is his consistency), it’s Nelson. There’s no question that Nelson has been a clutch performer for the Magic not only this year, but in years past. It’s a shame that Nelson played through an injury in the 2009 NBA Finals because it would have been interesting to see how he would have fared against the Lakers, a team he demonized in the regular season that year, with the bright lights on him and fully healthy.

There’s Vince Carter. It’s fair to say that his performance in the 2010 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics is a major reason why people are skeptical that Carter can be relied upon when the going gets tough.

And that’s it.

Which is why, for better or worse, Gilbert Arenas’ name keeps getting mentioned in trade rumors with Orlando. But is Arenas really the answer?

Really?

There’s a possible answer to that question. Problem is, no one will know until the trade deadline comes and goes in February. Until then, everyone is going to try to determine whether or not the Magic need Arenas.

• Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel: “Suddenly, Rashard Lewis’ stats are meaning out to his career average. Lewis made 7-of-10 field goals for a game-high 20 points in the Orlando Magic’s 90-79 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, and his horrid start to the season appears to be what he’s said all along – not that big of a deal. [...] Lewis – and his 7-year, $118 million dollar contract that gets mentioned as much as his name – began the year looking washed up, averaging 10.3 points and shooting just 30.6 percent from three-point range. Because Lewis contributes very little outside of scoring, his poor shooting put him in the crosshairs of upset fans. At the time, Lewis let the negativity roll off his back and expressed confidence his shot would come around. He’s in his 13th season, after all – he’s been through a few shooting slumps in his day.”
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Orlando faced some tests early in the season. There was a game in Miami on the second leg of a back-to-back. There were home games against the Atlanta Hawks and the Utah Jazz. And the team faced the San Antonio Spurs in Texas and the Miami Heat at Amway Center during a three-day span. But the fact remains that the Magic played 11 of their first 17 games against teams that currently have losing records. The Magic started their season 13-4, but the team notched wins at New Jersey, at Indiana and at Washington only after Jameer Nelson or Dwight Howard scored go-ahead baskets in the games’ final minute. The Bulls, the Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks should be just as tough, if not tougher.”
• Charles Barkley thinks the Chicago Bulls are going to win the Eastern Conference.
• Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post with the biggest Orlando Magic-related news of the day: “The Orlando Magic have engaged the Washington Wizards in an ongoing trade dialog centered around Wizards shooting guard Gilbert Arenas, Orlando Pinstriped Post has learned. What Orlando would send Washington in return for the three-time All-Star is less clear, but the proposed deal likely includes shooting guard Vince Carter, according to a source. Wizards big man Andray Blatche, Magic forward Rashard Lewis, and Magic center Daniel Orton could also be involved. Both teams have a mutual understanding of what the trade might include, the source says, and it’s unclear what factors are holding up the trade. What is clear around the league, however, is that Magic President of Basketball Operations Otis Smith has his eye on Arenas. If Orlando is to make a major trade this season, Arenas will likely be the target.”
• Royce Young of CBSSports.com chimes in on Dunlap’s report: “An interesting deal, especially if Blatche were involved, considering the Wizards just locked him up to be part of their future. But swapping Carter for Arenas makes sense because it gives the Magic the scorer they want and with Carter’s deal being up soon, the Wizards have a nice contract to come off the books in the near future, plus can hand the reins of the team completely over to Wall.”
• Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk wonders if Gilbert Arenas is the answer for the Magic.
• Zach Lowe of The Point Forward: “Taking on Arenas without getting rid of other long-term obligations puts Orlando in a difficult cap situation and could easily result in the team’s being stuck with a long-term core of Arenas, Lewis, Dwight Howard and Nelson. That’s not a bad core, but it’s not a championship-level core, either, unless Orlando can find supplementary talent elsewhere.”
• Arie Stark of Dime Magazine remembers when Shaquille O’Neal, who left Orlando as a free agent in 1996, made his first return to the City Beautiful as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers: “Shaq left Orlando on bitter terms with the organization after not being compensated adequately. In his first trip back to Orlando after signing with the Lakers after the 1995-96 season, Shaq produced 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks but was outshined that night by Nick Anderson who went off for 30 points – including the game-winning three-pointer. To add insult to injury, Anderson mocked Shaq’s celebratory dance after his big shot.”
• Dwight Howard makes fun of Derek Anderson’s now-infamous rant.
• Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “Since being reinserted into the starting lineup eight games ago, Arenas has been consistently exceeding 30 minutes a night and has scored at least 20 points in five of those games. While the Magic have let it be known that they’re willing to make a big deal if it involves trading anyone except Dwight Howard, sources say there has been no movement on the Arenas front since the aforementioned discussions fell apart.”