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Via Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post:

Given the dearth of long twos and isolation play, as well as the plentitude of threes and free-throw attempts, it’s almost as though stat geeks found room enough in their parents’ basement to design this offense. Lots of high-efficiency shots, few low-efficiency ones. That much isn’t up for debate.

At issue, though, is this team should have performed better than it did; every Magic fan, I think, would agree with me on that point. And before everyone piles on [Stan Van] Van Gundy, railing against what some folks derisively call this chuck-and-duck scheme, let’s recall an offense with the same principles ranked fourth just one year ago, and helped Orlando to win 59 games.

The principles didn’t change; the players did. Vince Carter, Matt Barnes, Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, and Jason Williams are all regulars from the 2009/10 squad who departed prior to, or during, the next season.

To me, this all indicates Van Gundy’s offensive style works when equipped with the right personnel. He’s not an offensive genius like, say, Rick Adelman, whose superstar-less Houston Rockets squad had the league’s fourth-best offense this season. Seven Rockets averaged at least two assists per game. Adelman’s offense is more of a “plug-and-play” situation, if you catch my meaning. No matter the personnel, his teams will be brilliant offensively. The same is not true of Van Gundy, whose teams stand out more for their consistently great defense than offense.

For those that want to know more about head coach Stan Van Gundy’s philosophical approaches on offense, this article is a must-read.

Also, the Orlando Magic‘s need for a great one-on-one perimeter scorer remains.

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BOX SCORE

The Atlanta Hawks were able to defeat the Orlando Magic by the score of 88-85 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. The Hawks are one win away from ending the Magic’s season, and exacting revenge from last year’s sweep in the 2010 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. Four free-throws from Joe Johnson helped seal the deal for Atlanta, as they helped to stave off Orlando from coming back and stealing Game 4 on the road. With 10.5 seconds left in regulation and the Magic trailing by three points, the basketball was put in Hedo Turkoglu‘s hands but he was unable to deliver with a game-tying shot to extend the game into overtime. It was a scenario in which Orlando sorely missed Jason Richardson, given that he’s been able to come through in crunch-time situations time and again. The Hawks were led by a balanced attack, as four players scored in double-figures. Jamal Crawford finished with 25 points and six assists, continuing his onslaught in the series as Atlanta’s sixth man. Johnson had 20 points and nine rebounds. Al Horford chipped in with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, while Kirk Hinrich contributed with 14 points. Dwight Howard had another dominant game, finishing with 29 points, 17 rebounds, and two blocks but a lack of support from his teammates has been the Magic’s downfall. Gilbert Arenas redeemed himself after poor performances in Games 1 and 2, as well as a no-show in Game 3, by putting up 20 points and five rebounds, giving Orlando a much-needed boost on offense even though it was in vain.

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• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: “Dwight Howard is a better defensive center than Bill Russell. That’s right, BILL RUSSELL. And this isn’t me talking because, quite frankly, Bill Russell was before my time although I do remember when I was kid listening to my stepdad and his buddies talking about how Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a great center, but, by gosh, he was no Bill Russell. In fact, I almost spewed Bud Light out of my nose the other night after the Magic-Nuggets game when Magic color analyst Matt Guokas was talking to play-by-play man David Steele during their post-game wrap-up. That’s when Guokas dropped the bombshell and actually said Howard is a better defensive center than Russell and, therefore, the greatest defensive big man in the history of the game. Is this basketball blasphemy by a homer broadcaster or is it intrepid analysis by an astute observer of the game? If it was anybody else except Guokas, I might call him a hopeless homer, but that’s just not Guokas’ style. He is not a bombastic broadcaster who is disposed to hyperbole. He is a thoughtful, knowledgeable historian of the game who gives honest opinions during Magic telecasts. Not only that, but he played against Russell, played with and against Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and is old enough to remember when George Mikan played for the old Minneapolis Lakers.”
• Jason Richardson talks about defending Joe Johnson.
• Players’ habits don’t change according to head coach Stan Van Gundy.
• Jameer Nelson talks about the improvements needed for the Orlando Magic.
• The Atlanta Hawks have a chance to take a commanding 2-0 lead against the Magic.
• Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “To my recollection, a typical Magic post-up for Howard goes a bit like this: a wing player, usually on the left side of the floor, throws an entry pass to Howard, who’s stationed on the left block. The post-entry passer then cuts through the paint to the weak side, finds a spot beyond the arc, and stands still. The three other players stand in place. This alignment puts no pressure on the defense, which has nothing substantial to react to, no tough decisions to make. It seems like it’d be wise for Orlando to at least send a cutter or to the basket, or run a pin-down on the weak side for a shooter, while Howard operates in the post. Get the would-be help defenders moving, force them to make a choice, find the hole, exploit it. Longtime readers of this site know I tend to advocate more motion in Orlando’s offense, either by involving Howard in more pick-and-rolls or by running some off-ball action to free a wing player as outlined above, whenever the team consistently stagnates. As much as I hate to use that talking point so much, I still believe it to be true. I don’t know that Orlando will have much postseason success if it continues to run its offense this way.”
• Matt Moore of CBSSports.com notes an adjustment Orlando needs to make in Game 2 later tonight: “According to Synergy Sports , you know how many pick and roll plays the Magic ran? 31. You know how many wound up in the hands of the roll man? None. Zip, zero, zilch. That makes Dwight Howard’s night more impressive, but it also means a few things. One, if you go back and watch, the Hawks are closing two to three defenders on Howard or whoever the roll man is. Two, that adjustment means that the Magic, had they opted to, would have had an open shooter off the second pass on the pick, drive and kick. But instead, they just launched. Nelson comes off the screen, he kicks out, catch and shoot. Except that they were rushing all those shots. They had the opportunity to spin the ball when the Hawks started to try and recover, but instead just let it fly. The result? Brick city. The Magic are at their best not when they’re just launching threes, but when they’re actually creating stupendously open shots from their ball rotation. That’s how they beat the Celtics and Cavaliers in 2009, and going away from that strategy in 2010 hurt them, as it’s hurting them now. They have experienced, competent passers and shooters on the perimeter. The Magic need to slow down their decision making, not their pace, and work to create the best shot possible. Do that and their perimeter game will finally start to click.”
• Nate Drexler makes an appearance in ESPN.com’s 5-on-5 writer roundup.
• Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie chimes in on Dwight Howard winning the Defensive Player of the Year award for the third consecutive time in his career.
• Farewell to former Magic player Jason Williams.

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• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Dwight’s practically invisible. His numbers have grown to ridiculous sizes lately, but you hear little chatter about his MVP candidacy. If it’s not LeBron James leading the conversation, it’s Derrick Rose. Or vice-versa. As a voter, I say [Dwight] Howard has joined them in the stretch run. He’s on the red carpet. He deserves the award if he can continue lifting the Magic with a stellar closing kick. Maybe Dwight can win over supporters the next two nights in head-to-head matches against King James and Rose in nationally televised contests. As if the Heat-Magic rivalry needs more spice, make no mistake: Dwight feels he’ll always have to overcome the LeBron lovefests to win the hardware. I go to great lengths to avoid bias, but the hometown guy has muscled into the lead pack. Wednesday, Howard was named the NBA’s player of the month (for February). He averaged 26.6 points and 14.8 rebounds per game while posting a league-leading field goal percentage of .667. Overall, he ranks ninth in scoring, second in rebounding, third in blocked shots. He’s never been better.”
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Dwight Howard better get used to more days like Tuesday. The Record newspaper, which is based in Bergen County, N.J., reported that New Jersey Nets Principal Owner Mikhail Prokhorov and General Manager Billy King recently spoke with point guard Deron Williams and told Williams that Dwight Howard tops the list of free agents the Nets plan to pursue. Understandably, a group of writers from New York area news outlets asked Howard before the Magic’s game against the New York Knicks if the Nets are any more ‘attractive’ now with Williams. ‘Orlando’s the most attractive place for me right now,’ Howard answered, a smile on his face. ‘They have a sexy new arena, a beautiful franchise, nice banners around here and been in the top four in the Eastern Conference for the past four years. Yes, Orlando’s the most attractive place right now.’ ”
• Shandel Richardson of the Sun-Sentinel: “Dwyane Wade and LeBron James have gotten used to it by now. It took them little time to realize the Miami Heat would be talked about more for their setbacks than progress. So it’s no surprise they are being picked apart by critics for their struggles against winning teams. With the Heat set to face a string a playoff contenders, beginning Thursday when they host the Orlando Magic, they would rather focus on their quality wins instead of losses. As James put it, ‘They just talk about our losses, they don’t talk about our wins.’ [...] The Heat, who are 12-15 against teams with winning records, will play the next 10 games against opponents that are in postseason contention. Two of those games are against the league-leading San Antonio Spurs. While coach Erik Spoelstra views this an opportunity, he refuses to say the stretch will define the season. Spoelstra said this simply is a portion of the schedule that begins with the Magic.”
• Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel: “In January, when Chris Bosh was dealing with ankle issues, there was a supposed epiphany. LeBron would go into the post. He would establish a post-up game that would continue to thrive even after Bosh’s return. While the early efforts were uneven, there at least were efforts. Because for all the things Bosh can be, one is not a true, back-to-the-basket presence. Then Bosh returned, and, well, after all the rhetoric, LeBron returned to his face-up, start-from-the-top approach. Soon all the talk about post-up LeBron was forgotten. Now comes the latest vow, one about a willingness to play off the ball with the arrival of Mike Bibby, the truest thing the Heat have had at point guard since Jason Williams handled the responsibilities during the championship run.”
• Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald: “The Heat released Carlos Arroyo on Tuesday to make room for free agent point guard Mike Bibby, who is expected to sign with the team Wednesday afternoon. Arroyo, a fan favorite from Puerto Rico and FIU, was not with the Heat after Tuesday’s practice and coach Erik Spoelstra began his news conference by announcing Arroyo’s departure. LeBron James said he hated to lose “a brother” and Dwyane Wade said Arroyo ‘did nothing wrong’ to be let go. Arroyo started 49 games this season before being benched in favor of Mario Chalmers, who has played inconsistently. Now it appears likely Chalmers will lose his starting job to Bibby, who was traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Washington Wizards before the Feb. 24 trade deadline.”
• Greg Cote of The Miami Herald: “The Miami Heat is admitting something here. Conceding something. It requires that ego and pride be set aside by both the builder, Pat Riley, and the foreman, Erik Spoelstra. It is a bit humbling for this franchise, but also smart, and necessary. The Big 3 is not enough. That is what this means. It may have been increasingly apparent, but this is Miami saying it to the rest of the NBA for the first time. ’We need help’ is what you mean when you are this eager – eager being a nice word for desperate – to sign a veteran, free agent point guard like Mike Bibby at a point on the NBA calendar when you hoped your team’s championship muscle and mettle would have been displayed for all, impervious to doubts and in no need of embellishment. Bibby’s arrival is expected to become official Wednesday.”
• Israel Gutierrez of The Miami Herald: “In that case, the Heat will have ample opportunity to turn that discussion in its favor over the next few weeks. The game against the Knicks began a run of 11 consecutive games against winning teams for Miami, and given that the margin of the Heat’s losses has been so minuscule of late, it’ll give the team several chances to fix what’s ailing it against the better teams. Of the Heat’s last six losses, all of them coming against winning teams, Miami has lost by an average of four points, with none of them coming by more than five. In all those losses, the Heat had chances to either hold a late lead or come back from a deficit. Each time, it the outcome ended in disappointment. And that’s what Wednesday’s practice was primarily about as the Heat prepared to play Orlando on Thursday.”
• Tom Haberstroh of The Heat Index: “The Heat are expected to sign free agent Mike Bibby after he was bought out by the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. As per league rules, the Heat will pay the 32-year-old point guard the prorated veteran minimum for the rest of the season. Bibby will replace Carlos Arroyo on the Heat roster, whom the Heat waived on Tuesday. Bibby has carved out a successful career in the NBA. He’s reached the playoffs eight times in 12 seasons while averaging 15.4 points and 5.7 assists per game. With a career 16.4 PER, he is probably one of the most accomplished point guards to never make the All-Star game, which admittedly sounds like a backhand compliment. But those above-average days are long gone. His quickness has gone by the wayside the last few seasons, something that tends to happen when players approach their mid-thirties, and his productivity has suffered as a result.”

• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Reserve point guard Jason Williams did not join the Orlando Magic on their two-game road trip to face the Indiana Pacers tonight and the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, leaving his status with the team up in the air. When asked about Williams’ status after the Magic’s shootaround today at Conseco Fieldhouse, the team’s president of basketball operations, Otis Smith, responded: ‘Well, he’s not with the team. We’ll deal with him when we get back to Orlando.’ Williams participated in the team’s practice Tuesday at Amway Center, but with the impending return of big man Malik Allen from injury, Williams was slated to be taken off of the team’s active list because the Magic would have had 13 healthy players and NBA teams are permitted to carry 12 players on their active roster. This is Williams’ second absence from the team this season.”
• Since then, Jason Williams has been waived by the Orlando Magic.
• Head coach Stan Van Gundy will continue with the big men rotation of Dwight Howard, Brandon Bass, and Ryan Anderson manning the forward and center positions.
• Roy Hibbert talks about playing against Howard.
• Quentin Richardson — a consummate professional.
• Josh Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com says that Tim Duncan had an odd impact on the Magic, even though he never signed with the team as a free agent in 2000: “This one may be kind of unusual since Duncan never played for the Magic. But he almost did. In 2000, when the Magic had a ton to spend on free agents, the franchise came very close to landing Duncan and, in effect, uniting him with their other prized signees, McGrady and Grant Hill. It’s very possible that if Duncan opted to join Orlando, the Magic would have captured multiple NBA championships by this time.”
• Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post puts things in perspective about Howard’s free agency.
• Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus: “So where does that leave us with WARP, PER, WP, WS and the rest of the acronyms? Well, if you’re putting your complete trust in any single statistic to measure player value, that is surely a mistake. Each metric has its own biases that can be seen most easily in comparison to the others. I believe that WARP does a better job of reflecting value than anything else; otherwise I would use the others. Yet I still blanch every time I see Jason Kidd ranked in the league’s top 10 last season, which seems excessively kind. WARP tends to give too much credit to defenders who pile up steals and blocks while neglecting individual defense, so to consider them using only WARP would be a mistake. The other useful reality check for me is net plus-minus and, with the appropriate caution, adjusted plus-minus. A couple of years ago, when I pondered the state of APBRmetrics, I argued that the choice between box-score statistics and plus-minus statistics divided the community. Increasingly, however, I see people using both in combination. When they agree, they allow us to make a stronger conclusion about a player. When they disagree, that’s when basketball analysis becomes an art rather than a science. And that, to me, is the most interesting part of the whole process, especially when it becomes clear that there really is no such thing as player value in a vacuum. Everything is contextual based on role and system.”
• Howard for Defensive Player of the Year.

Via the Orlando Magic:

The Orlando Magic have waived guard Jason Williams, President of Basketball Operations Otis Smith announced today. The Magic’s roster stands at 13.

Williams (#44, 6’1”, 190, 11/18/75) played in 16 games this season for Orlando, averaging 2.1 ppg., 1.5 apg. and 1.4 rpg. in 10.7 minpg.

Originally selected in the first round (seventh overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft, Williams played in 777 career NBA regular season games with Sacramento, Memphis, Miami and Orlando, averaging 10.6 ppg., 5.9 apg., 2.3 rpg. and 1.20 stlpg. in 29.7 minpg. He has also played in 67 career playoff contests, averaging 8.3 ppg., 3.3 apg. and 1.9 rpg. in 25.9 minpg. Williams was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1998-99, currently stands as Memphis’ all-time leader in assists (2,041) and helped Miami capture the 2005-06 NBA Championship.

• Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel: “Orlando Magic guard Gilbert Arenas has been struggling lately, and part of that’s because of coach Stan Van Gundy, says, uh, Van Gundy. ‘The biggest thing that he’s struggling with right now is me,’ Van Gundy said. ‘I don’t think that’s necessarily an easy adjustment for anybody, but for a point guard, I think it’s tough. When Rafer [Alston] came in midseason [in 2008-09], he had played for me before. And, so, he knew I was an [expletive], and he was used to it. I only say that half-jokingly. He knew what it was going to be like.’ Arenas admitted he feels a bit uncomfortable with his adjustment to Orlando, especially as expectations have been heightened with time. When Arenas first joined the Magic in mid-December, he was playing freely and without much pressure of being pulled. Now, after a little bit of time, Van Gundy expects more from Arenas and has given him a shorter hook.”
• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Well, the Magic finally christened new Amway Center with its first memorable moment Wednesday night, and quite fittingly. Just like their $480 million palace, the moment arrived stunningly oversized, unconventional and with an impossible degree of difficulty. Making three-point shots to beat the Philadelphia 76ers wasn’t good enough for the Magic; they upgraded to four-pointers. Twice. Getting an arena built was a near miracle, so it made perfect sense that this signature comeback defied all odds, logic and lousy basketball.”
• General manager Otis Smith talks about Gilbert Arenas’ adjustment period.
• Ryan Anderson — a different stretch four from what the Orlando Magic have been used to.
• Arenas talks about, who else, Arenas.
• Anderson is as confident as ever.
• Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “Arenas appeared to have turned a corner three weeks ago, when he authored three consecutive efficient, double-digit scoring performances, combining for 43 points on 17-of-36 shooting, with 8 three-pointers. In the eight games since, however, he’s shot 20-of-61 (32.8 percent) from the floor, and 7-of-26 (26.9 percent) from three-point range. The slump extends beyond merely his shooting. In the same eight games, Arenas has tallied 22 assists to 14 turnovers, which simply isn’t acceptable for a backup point guard, even in an offense like Orlando’s, which doesn’t result in many assists.”
• What does the future hold for Jason Williams?
• Eric Freeman of Ball Don’t Lie is wondering why Smith decided to call out the Boston Celtics: “The Magic and Celtics have a rivalry, I suppose, if only because the Magic think they have a rivalry with every good team in the NBA. But the Magic haven’t exactly owned the matchup – Boston has come out on top in important situations, including in last season’s conference finals. Sure, Orlando won in 2009, but that Celtics team was without Kevin Garnett. Clearly, the Celtics are the more feared team around the NBA. Plus, they’ve proven they do what’s necessary to win. If that’s not tough, I don’t know what is. The question here is why Otis Smith would ever decide to pick a fight with a team that probably doesn’t even need extra motivation to beat the Magic.”
• A look at one of the Magic’s magical four-point plays against the Philadelphia 76ers.
• Britt Robson of Sports Illustrated gives Orlando a B+ at the midway point of the regular season: “GM Otis Smith should be applauded for having the nerve and instincts to make wholesale changes to a team seemingly destined to take a step backward. Those who clamor for Gilbert Arenas to take time away from Jameer Nelson miss the point: The trade with Washington was perhaps most beneficial for avoiding the awkward scenario of eventually having to bench Rashard Lewis and his enormous contract. As for the deal with Phoenix, I was apparently wrong to doubt the instant rejuvenation of Hedo Turkoglu, but maintain that the real upgrade is swapping out Vince Carter, who shrinks from the occasion, for Jason Richardson, who was part of Golden State’s historic upset of Dallas in the 2007 playoffs and was frequently unstoppable in helping Phoenix get to the conference finals last season. But for all he’s done, shame on Smith if he can’t unearth a quality backup center for Dwight Howard before the spring.”
• According to SI writers, Dwight Howard is the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year.
• Video evidence of Hedo Turkoglu dunking a basketball. Twice.
• The probability of the Magic being the best team in the NBA is 4.8 percent.
• A look at Orlando’s peaks and valleys as a franchise.

• Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel: “Gilbert Arenas has provided a spark off the bench since joining the Orlando Magic, bringing some much-needed energy to a second unit bereft of offensive creators. But he hasn’t brought that energy in a particularly efficient manner. Arenas is assisting at a 29.4 percent rate and he’s pushing the pace – for that he should be commended. Outside of those traits, however, he’s been a bit sloppy thus far. He’s shooting just 27.5 percent, the most glaring statistic defining his offensive woes. But his shooting percentage will even out to at least what he was shooting in Washington (39.4 percent, which is at least mediocre). The bigger issues with Arenas, in my mind, are not related to percentages, but rather to his decision-making. He’s not attacking the basket and he’s not getting to the free-throw line. Of his 40 field-goal attempts in his 99 minutes of playing time with the Magic, only nine of those shots have come within ten feet of the basket. And only one shot went in.”
• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Magic owner Rich DeVos flew to Orlando from his Grand Rapids, Mich., home on Christmas morning. He met his new players on Saturday, stayed for about a quarter to watch his team against the Celtics — and then flew back to Michigan. Van Gundy said that DeVos read a short “Christmas story” to his team in the dressing room before tip-off.”
• Dwight Howard needs to hurry up with his free-throws.
• Jason Williams‘ career is in jeopardy.
• Is Jeff Foster a big man that general manager Otis Smith should acquire? Or Boris Diaw for that matter?
• Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post has more on Gilbert Arenas’ woes offensively: “But Arenas? He can’t continue to shoot so often at such a low percentage, even if his playmaking–he has 18 assists in 4 games–impresses. His overall track record indicates his percentages should improve slightly, but even before the trade, he shot 39.4 percent on the season. Last year, that figure was 38.1 percent. It’s fair to wonder if he’ll ever get back into the “acceptable” range for a volume-shooting guard. Former Sixth-Men of the Year Leandro Barbosa, Jamal Crawford, Manu Ginobili, and Jason Terry have demonstrated how valuable scoring guards can be off goods teams’ benches, but neither shot as poorly as Arenas has for the last several seasons.”
• The Orlando Magic have a decent court design.
• Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk: “Orlando beat Boston and San Antonio this week. We are pretty skeptical how much better the big trades make them long term, but right now they look pretty good, don’t they?”
• Marc Stein of ESPN.com: “Rondo wasn’t out there, true, but 15 of the final 16 points in any crunch time against the Celts is, well, something. Way bigger, on this scorecard, than the new guys routing the Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back.”

• 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.