The Orlando Magic did not waive rookie combo guard DeAndre Liggins by Tuesday's 6 PM deadline, confirming the Kentucky product will remain on the team's roster for the rest of the regular season and fully guaranteeing his salary.

Though Liggins' contract won't become fully guaranteed in an official sense until Friday, NBA teams had only until Tuesday at 6 PM to waive players in time for them to clear waivers by the deadline. As such, some players around the league--including Derrick Caracter, Josh Davis, Mickell Gladness, Solomon Jones, and Malcolm Thomas--found themselves out of a job Tuesday evening.

Orlando selected Liggins with the 55th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft after a successful three-year career with the Kentucky Wildcats. Liggins earned a reputation as a staunch defender in the mold of fellow Chicago native Tony Allen and averaged 5.8 points, three rebounds, and 2.1 assists.

In his first media availabilty session following Orlando's selection of him, Liggins said he could defend point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards. His priorities were "to become a better ballhandler and better shooter." Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said Liggins' shooting is already NBA-caliber, noting he had "no problem" draining threes from beyond the NBA arc. "He's not gonna be that guy you don't have to guard," he said. "That's huge."

Liggins has yet to log any minutes at the NBA level, though he made a 10-minute appearance in Orlando's final preseason game, during which he tallied one point, one rebound, and four assists. The fact that the Magic decided to keep him despite not getting a chance to see him outside the practice court bodes well for his NBA future.

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Dwight Howard will start at center for the Eastern Conference when the NBA All-Star Game tips off in Orlando later this month, the NBA announced Thursday. The news is scarcely a surprise, as the 2012 game will mark fifth consecutive All-Star start for the Orlando Magic's franchise player. Howard led all players with 1,600,390 votes. Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant wasn't far behind, at 1,555,479 votes.

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, Miami Heat wings Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, and New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony will join Howard in the East's starting lineup. Out West, Lakers center Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin and point guard Chris Paul, and Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant are set to take the floor with Bryant when the game begins. Tipoff is set for 8 Eastern on TNT on Sunday, February 26th.

Relatedly, adidas unveiled the uniforms and special All-Star shoe colorways on Thursday. Howard will wear his signature adiPower Howard sneaker in an orange colorway. This special model will be made available for sale to the general public on February 23rd for $110 at eastbay.com, shopadidas.com, and Foot Locker. The shoe will also be on sale at the NBA All-Star Jam Session, which is held at the Orange County Convention Center from February 23rd-26th.

Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson, and Hedo Turkoglu joined Howard in representing the host city on the ballot, but none of the three finished in the top 10 in fan voting at their respective positions. Unless the league's coaches vote Ryan Anderson in as a reserve, Howard will be Orlando's lone representative for the fifth time in his six career All-Star appearances; the coaches named Nelson and Rashard Lewis to the team in 2009.

Among Eastern Conference power forwards, Anderson ranks 3rd in scoring (16.5 points per game), 10th in rebounding (7.1 per game), second in True Shooting percentage (59.9 percent), and first in Player Efficiency Rating (23.8).

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With starting point guard Jameer Nelson reeling from concussion-like symptoms, the Orlando Magic have elected to call up Ish Smith from the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League, reports Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Smith, 23, has played for the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Golden State Warriors in his two-year career.

The Magic entered the season with Nelson, Chris Duhon, and Larry Hughes as their only point guards. However, Nelson's lingering concussion-like symptoms put undue stress on Duhon and Hughes, which in turn forces coach Stan Van Gundy to call on Hedo Turkoglu and Von Wafer to run the point at times. Smith, a more natual point guard, should be better suited to the task.

Nelson left the Magic's loss to the New Orleans Hornets on Friday after two hard collisions with New Orleans guard Jarrett Jack. It's not the first concussion for the eight-year pro, and the Magic are understandably handling his return to the floor slowly, in compliance with the NBA's new concussion policy.

Smith owns NBA averages of 2.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 10.3 minutes, with 37.9 percent field-goal shooting. The former Wake Forest Demon Deacon averaged 12.5 points per game and 7.9 assists per game with the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League during the 2010/11 season.

Smith spent less than a month with the Warriors earlier in the lockout-shortened campaign.

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Jameer Nelson left the Orlando Magic's game against the New Orleans Hornets on Friday with a sore jaw and will not return, according to Paul Kennedy of Sun Sports. Nelson suffered the injury in a second-quarter collision with New Orleans guard Jarrett Jack. The Magic co-captain then hit the floor and left the game as soon as he was able.

It was Nelson's second painful collision with Jack of the night. Earlier, Nelson hit the deck while pursuing Jack in transition. Jack slowed down and Nelson slammed into him.

Prior to leaving Friday's game, Nelson tallied two points on 1-of-4 shooting with one turnover in 11 minutes. In his absence, Chris Duhon will take over. In the first half, Duhon posted three rebounds, four assists, and two turnovers.

Nelson is the second Orlando starter to be unavailable; Ryan Anderson did not dress for the game due to a calf contusion suffered late in Thursday's loss to the Boston Celtics. Glen Davis started in Anderson's place.

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The Orlando Magic will allow reserve center Daniel Orton, who has yet to play at the NBA level since they made him the 29th pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2012, as they will not exercise their option on Orton's contract for the 2012/13 season by Wednesday's deadline. This news comes via Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, who quotes Orton and Ara Vartanian, his agent, as being surprised with the decision.

Though Orton says "I understand" the team's decision, the 21-year-old admits confusion about other aspects of Orlando's handling of his situation. "But I don't understand a lot of things, such as why I didn't get a chance maybe to showcase what I have."

Orton missed the entire 2010/11 season due to a knee injury, a nagging one which contributed to his struggles during the Orlando Pro Summer League. Playing against fellow rookies, castoffs, and other folks vying for training-camp invitations, Orton averaged 3.2 points and 1.8 boards in 17.2 minutes per game, shooting 14.8 percent from the field. He joined the New Mexico Thunderbirds for two games in the NBA D-League that winter, averaging 10 points and eight rebounds, but re-injured his knee in his second game.

He made one appearance in the Magic's 2011/12 preseason finale, scoring four points with a pair of long two-point jumpers in the game's waning moments.

In his lone season with the Kentucky Wildcats, Orton averaged 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per game, serving as the backup to DeMarcus Cousins. He rated highly on Orlando's draft board due to his "live body, good hands, [and] good feet," Otis Smith, the Magic's President of Basketball Operations, said on Draft night.

Smith also said Orton is "a big guy you don't necessarily have to use right away." He could not have been more serious, as Orton has yet to play nearly two years after his selection.

To be clear, the Magic could still elect to re-sign Orton over the summer. However, they will not have the right to match any offer another team makes for him, as he will be an unrestricted free agent.

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The Orlando Magic have until Wednesday at 11:59 PM to extend the contract of fourth-year power forward Ryan Anderson--the NBA's deadline for members of the 2008 draft class--but Otis Smith said he has no plans to do so. "We still have the right of first refusal because he'd be a restricted free agent," the Magic's President of Basketball Operations told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. "It could backfire, and we could have to pay more. But that's the risk we've chosen to take."

A report Friday indicated Anderson was among the "most likely" 2008 draftees to earn a contract extension prior to Wednesday's deadline.

Anderson is enjoying the most successful season of his career, ranking second on the team in scoring (16.4 points per game) and in rebounding (6.8 rebounds per game) through Tuesday's matchup against the Indiana Pacers. It's likely the 23-year-old will receive an offer sheet well into eight figures.

Smith told Robbins the uncertainty surrounding Dwight Howard's future with the franchise contributed to his decision not to extend Anderson's contract. This course of action "helps maintain some flexibility," as Robbins writes.

In the last three offseasons, two Magic players have hit restricted free agency: Marcin Gortat in 2009 and J.J. Redick in 2010. Orlando matched the offer on both occasions, though it did wind up trading Gortat less than six months after doing so.

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When the Orlando Magic take on the New York Knicks on Monday afternoon, they'll more than likely do so without starting shooting guard Jason Richardson, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Richardson, who suffered a bone bruise in his left knee Thursday against the Golden State Warriors, told Schmitz he "probably will not play" in Orlando's matinée against New York.

Following Saturday's practice, Richardson said, "I feel pretty good," but apparently his outlook has changed.

Richardson is averaging 11.1 points per game in his first full season with Orlando, shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent on threes. In his likely absence, J.J. Redick figures to start, with Von Wafer and Quentin Richardson seeing backup minutes at the wing positions.

Jason Richardson averaged 13.3 points per game in four contests against New York in the 2010/11 campaign, including a 24-point performance on March 28th.

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The Orlando Magic received a scare Thursday night when starting shooting guard Jason Richardson banged knees with Golden State Warriors big man David Lee and fell to the floor in obvious pain. Though he managed to secure a loose ball after the collision, Richardson had trouble putting weight on his left leg afterwards, and Orlando almost had to give a foul in order to take him out of the game. He did not return; J.J. Redick and Von Wafer filled in for Richardson during his absence.

"It was more that I couldn't push off," Richardson said of the injury, according to John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com. "I've never had this."

The team performed an MRI on Richardson's knee Friday, which revealed a bone bruise but no structural damage, reports the Orlando Sentinel. The Magic list him as day-to-day.

Richardson, who inked a new four-year contract with the Magic prior to this season, stands as the team's fifth-leading scorer at 11.1 points per game. The 12-year veteran is shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.

The Magic don't play again until Monday, when they take on the New York Knicks in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinée. If Richardson hasn't recovered by then, one presumes Redick would start in his place. In 19 spot-starts over the last three seasons, Redick has fared well, averaging 11.7 points in 33.9 minutes while converting 39.6 percent of his three-point tries.

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