Orlando Magic News for September 9th: Grant Hill's Ankle, Marcin Gortat vs. Hedo Turkoglu in Eurobasket, and More

The top 10 most significant injuries of the last decade

Three Orlando Magic players appear on Kelly Dwyer's ranking of the most significant NBA injuries since 1999. To no one's surprise, Grant Hill is tops. You can comment specifically about this story in this FanShot, which Eddy posted earlier today.

Turkey edges Poland for the first place in Preliminary Group D

Current Orlando Magic player Marcin Gortat scored 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for Poland, but it wasn't enough to stop Turkey in Group D of Eurobasket. Former Magic player Hedo Turkoglu tallied 13 points and 8 rebounds. Omer Asik, whose draft rights belong to the Chicago Bulls, was the star of the game, with 22 points and 8 rebounds.

NBA could use replacement referees, as talks stall

Will replacement refs learn how to suck in time for the season?

...which inspired Red's Army to write this droll post, which includes these "nuances" the new refs would have to learn:

• When do I suddenly stop making the calls I've been making all game?

• At what point in a close game to all the rules change?

• Are there any new guys on the "you have a reputation for mouthing off so I'm going to tech you up immediately" list?

In all seriousness, though, the prospect of new referees calling the games this season is frightening. "Superstar calls" would only get worse, since it's highly unlikely a rookie ref will have the guts to, say, whistle LeBron James for an offensive foul in a nationally televised game, with 20,000 screaming fans in attendance to boot. And the refs-in-training I saw during Summer League didn't do much to inspire confidence.

A Quick Note on the Admiral

In light of David Robinson's impending induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Spurs blog 48 Minutes of Hell notes that some of today's stars, Dwight Howard among them, have much to owe Robinson.

Given the presence of guys like Dwight Howard and Lebron James, it's easy to forget just how imposing Robinson's musculature was. Prior to his era, most big men were long and lanky. In a lot of ways, the paradigm of hyper-conditioning that is dominant today finds its origins in the Admiral.

Up to Bat: Southeast Division

Holly McKenzie of The Score selects Nas' "Hero" as a song most appropriate for the Magic. A sample of her reasoning:

The first part -as Raptors fans can attest to- is pure Vince Carter. Hate him for his lack of toughness, grit and intensity, love him for the athleticism, dunks and clutch three-pointers. [....] The second half of this passage is all Dwight. In a time when the game is so much about business and cutthroat realities, the game needs Dwight Howard. The people need someone to believe in.

What to do about the salary cap albatross known as "Brian Cook"?

The Dream Shake wonders what the heck the Houston Rockets are going to do with Brian Cook, the floor-spreading power forward whom they acquired from the Magic in the three-team trade in which Orlando netted Rafer Alston. Cook doesn't have a role with the Rockets, and his decision to exercise his $3.5 million player option this season has been a source of consternation for at least one Rockets fan.

Proteas EKA AEL Limassol basketball - team details, stats, news, roster

Finally, as tipped by the indefatigable ShamSports, Magic summer-league invite Courtney Fells--he of the 14.3% shooting--has signed with AEL Limassol, in Cyprus. Sham also mentioned that Fells will join former Chicago Bulls point guard JamesOn Curry in AEL's backcourt. Curry's best known as the infrequently used player who, as a rookie, was arrested for public urination and resisting arrest while in Boise to participate in the D-League Showcase. That's one hell of guard tandem.