Today's Preseason Game: Orlando Magic at Charlotte Bobcats

2008/2009 NBA Preseason
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2-1		0-3
October 16th, 2008
Time Warner Cable Arena
10:30 AM
No TV
Probable starters:
Jameer Nelson	PG	Raymond Felton
Mickael Pietrus	SG	Jason Richardson
Hedo Turkoglu	SF	Gerald Wallace
Rashard Lewis	PF	Sean May
Dwight Howard	C	Emeka Okafor

No, that's not a misprint: today's preseason game between the Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Bobcats will indeed start at 10:30 AM. A Bobcats press release from August 15th explains why:

The Bobcats will host their annual Cool School Field Trip and Read to Achieve Celebration with a 10:30 am tipoff against Orlando on October 16. In order to attend the game, eighth grade students must demonstrate strong academic performance, character and service, write an essay on character development and have no absences or suspensions from the beginning of the school year.

That's a really cool promotion, and I applaud the Bobcats organization for encouraging students to do well in school. There's a joke in there somewhere about kids sabotaging their grades to get out of seeing the Bobcats play, but I won't make it.

Hopefully the Magic will give the kids something special to see; they crushed the Bobcats in Orlando last week, and a repeat performance is certainly possible. It wouldn't surprise me if Stan Van Gundy played his starters more than he usually would under different circumstances. The team hasn't played a game in six days and should be well-rested, even accounting for the unusual tip-time for today's game.

Of course, new Bobcats coach Larry Brown may play his studs more, too. His team is winless and could use the morale boost a victory would provide them. Also interesting: the team exercised its options on the contracts of Adam Morrison and Jared Dudley yesterday. How they respond in their first game with their paychecks, if not their jobs, insured for another year will indeed be something to watch.

Per Brian Schmitz, and as noted in yesterday's news post on this site: Tony Battie is out with a broken left ring finger, and Anthony Johnson is questionable with a scratched left eye. Jameer Nelson, who sprained an ankle in practice earlier in the week, is good to go and will get the start.

I understand AM 580 WDBO, the home for the Magic on the radio, will tape-delay its broadcast of the game until later this evening, which makes it more convenient for most Magic fans to listen to.