If I'm going to make a post showing hardhat-clad Dwight Howard mugging with a urinal, it wouldn't make much sense for me to ignore a story about the Orlando Magic center granting a dying woman's wish with a two-hour visit at her home. The story's gotten a lot of play in the last few days--here it is at Ball Don't Lie, for example, while OPP user AB's triple double posted it in a FanShot--so you may have seen it already, but I don't see the harm in highlighting it again.

Mike Bianchi covered the story for the Orlando Sentinel here, while John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com posted his recap here.

I don't presume to know Howard personally--we've chatted a few times in a professional capacity--so I can't and won't argue that this gesture proves he's somehow enlightened or superior to mere mortals; using Kevin Durant as an example, Tommy Craggs recently wrote about the perils of the media lionizing athletes in this essential piece at Slate. But I will say that it's difficult for general NBA fans, or even just general human beings not to feel a bit better about Howard after reading about his generosity here.

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports that Denver Nuggets All-Star Carmelo Anthony would prefer Denver deal him to the Chicago Bulls or the New York Knicks. For this site's purposes, the report is more interesting for which team it doesn't mention, rather than the teams it does. Indeed, the Orlando Magic are nowhere to be found in Spears' report, which indicates that ESPN's panel of experts may have been onto something a few weeks ago when it didn't list the Magic among contenders to land Anthony.

Three weeks ago, Ken Berger of CBS Sports reported that the Magic topped Anthony's list of possible trade destinations. But the talk linking Anthony to the Magic has calmed considerably since then, with teams like the New Jersey Nets, Houston Rockets, L.A. Clippers--in addition to the Bulls and Knicks--appearing more prominently in the rumor mill.

Anthony ranks fifth among active players in scoring average, with 24.7 points per game. His volume scoring--albeit at mediocre efficiency--has made him one of the league's most prominent players, but he's apparently had enough of Denver and wants to move on. As he can become a free agent next summer, he holds a bit of leverage: the Nuggets may have to deal him if it becomes apparent they'll lose him for nothing as a free agent, and he can discourage a trade to a team he doesn't like by promising not to re-sign with it this summer. A trade partner would thus have to appeal to Anthony while still having enough assets to persuade the Nuggets to make a deal. If you take Berger at his word--and there's no reason not to, really--the idea of playing for a contending team alongside another bona fide superstar is a draw for Anthony. What's far less clear is if the Magic can put together a trade package that'd accommodate the Nuggets.

For more on Anthony, I recommend Eddy Rivera's evaluation at MagicBasketball.net.

The Orlando Magic named Adonal Foyle their Director of Player Development this afternoon, they announced via a press release. Foyle played the final three seasons of his career with the Magic, and announced his retirement last month. At the time, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel wrote that Foyle "could be an idea fit" in this role. Apparently, the team agrees.

According to the release, here's what the Director of Player Development position entails:

In his role, Foyle will provide support for the overall development of the players, act as a conduit between players and management, and give assistance to the basketball operations department.

I can't think of a better candidate than Foyle to fill the position. He has clout with almost all the current Magic players, having been their teammate for at least a season. He's a guy they'll trust and respect. This is a tremendous hire. Congratulations to the Magic and to Foyle are in order.

Sebastian Pruiti of NBA Playbook got to wondering about why good three-point shooters sometimes struggle at the foul line. He outlines his theory with this series of videos featuring Orlando Magic small forward Mickael Pietrus. He identifies three reasons why some outstanding three-point shooters are below-average from the line, which I've paraphrased:

• They don't get to the foul line enough;

• they're accustomed to taking jump-shots, and not set-shots, which is what they must do at the foul line;

• they don't get the benefit of establishing a catch-and-shoot rhythm at the line like they do in a live-ball situation.

Give the vids a look, but be prepared for some discomfort, if you're anything like me; watching Pietrus fade back on his free-throw stroke makes me wince. Also? Make NBA Playbook part of your daily routine.

• Basketball Prospectus | Articles | SCHOENE on the Summer

  Marc Normandin of Basketball Prospectus is bullish on Orlando Magic point guard Chris Duhon, signed in free agency this summer, being a solid value this season after toiling as "a replacement-level player last season" as a New York Knick:

  it's easy to see why he will improve. The roster around him is significantly different than what he was playing with in New York thanks to Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Vince Carter, three scorers whom Duhon can feed.

• LeBron James, Dwyane Wade rank as top free-agent bargains of 2010 - Ian Thomsen - SI.com

  But as Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated writes, the analyst Rich Steinlauf sees Duhon as one of the worst signings of the summer in terms of value. "His salary of $3.5 million is at least $1.5 million too much," says Thomsen, "according to Steinlauf."

• NBA HD: Visualizing Shot Selection by Position | Hardwood Paroxysm

  Tom Haberstroh's latest NBA HD post at Hardwood Paroxysm concerns shot-selection by position. His findings show that Magic point guard Jameer Nelson's shot selection was the most typical of that of any point guard in the league, which is to say Nelson's mix of shot locations is most similar to the overall positional average.

• Magic to conduct Amway Center toilet test Sept. 8 – Orlando Magic BasketBlog

  The Orlando Sentinel's Matt Humphrey points out that the Magic have turned toilet-testing at the Amway Center into an event, known as the Drano Royal Flush. It occurs to me that this event should be less a testing and more a celebration, as the old Amway Arena had but four bathrooms. Four.

• Fact or Fiction: J.J. Redick Will Become a Starter This Season | Magic Basketball

  At MagicBasketball.net, Eddy Rivera lays out the arguments for and against J.J. Redick joining the Orlando Magic's starting five this season. Here's how that situation could arise:

  If J.J. Redick is starting for the Orlando Magic at the shooting guard position on the eve of the 2011 NBA Playoffs, then one of three things probably occurred: Vince Carter a.) slid over to the small forward position, b.) was traded, or c.) was benched.

• Rising stars to watch in the 2010-11 season | NBA.com

  Shaun Powell of NBA.com, meanwhile, says "it's only a matter of time before [Redick] replaced Vince Carter, or at least gets more minutes in the rotation. Powell pegs Redick as a "rising star to watch" in the coming season.

• Vote: Grade the Orlando Magic’s offseason – Orlando Magic BasketBlog

  Josh Robbins invites readers to vote and comment on the Magic's offseason moves, which included the signings of Chris Duhon and Quentin Richardson, as well as the drafting of Daniel Orton and Stanley Robinson.

• Amway Center Pricing Takes Shape

  Philip Rossman-Reich of Orlando Magic Daily discusses how the Magic fan experience might change this season as the team moves from Amway Arena to Amway Center.

• SLAM ONLINE | Trader’s Market: Melo Pt. 2 - Southern Hospitality

  Sandy Dover says the Orlando Magic are contenders to land Denver Nuggets All-Star Carmelo Anthony via trade because they can offer salary relief (Vince Carter's partially expiring contract) and solid talent (Mickael Pietrus, whom Dover calls the "real treat" for Denver in the deal). He believes pairing Anthony with Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and Rashard Lewis could help the Magic "go to the NBA Finals."

• Grading NBA Teams’ Usage of the D-League: Southeast Division | D-League Digest

  Four well-respected experts agree: the Magic earn an F for their non-use of the NBA's D-League so far. Eddy Rivera points out that the Magic don't have much need for the D-League, since they're a contending team, but Matt Hubert counters with this bit:

  Sure, they’ve been successful on the court the past few seasons, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Other top teams like the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs have made much better use of the D-League as a developmental tool than Orlando.

• Dwight Howard to visit Haiti and host charity event for Haiti – Orlando Magic BasketBlog

  Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel passes along word that Howard will support earthquake relief for Haiti in a variety of ways.

• charitybuzz | Test Your skills with Superman Himself, Dwight Howard

  As we posted in this FanShot earlier, Howard is also supporting Usher's New Look, another charity, by auctioning off a game of HORSE.

Eddy Rivera has put together some excellent illustrations and video clips to explain some of the Orlando Magic's pet plays under head coah Stan Van Gundy in recent weeks. Now is as good a time as any to get caught up with these posts:

• The 4-Out/1-In Offense

• The 1/5 Pick-and-Roll

• The 2/5 Pick-and-Roll

• The 1/2 Pick-and-Roll

• The Corner Three-Pointer

Though I suspect many readers of this site also follow Eddy's work at MagicBasketball.net, I did want to highlight these particular posts once again. They're worth a second look.