Orlando Magic News for December 18th - Gloom-and-Doom Edition

Hard to believe we were the toast of the NBA at one point, isn't it?

• Over at Mavs Moneyball, Wes Cox weighs in on the (somewhat) controversial ruling that Keith Bogans' toe was on the three-point line on that big shot he hit late in the game last night:

  Pet Peeve note: If that shot happened in the 1st quarter, I have no doubt they would have counted it as a 3. The refs only pay attention to toes on lines in the final 2 minutes of games, and I have no idea why.

  Even Mavs fans think we might have gotten hosed. Oh well.

• Matt Watson asks, "Did the clock strike midnight in Orlando?" He doesn't think we're going to be atop the Southeast for very much longer, either. "The 13-10 Wizards (winners of six of their last seven) are now just 2.5 games behind Orlando in the standings, and while that team is certainly flawed, it's also undeniably deeper. [...] I wouldn't be shocked at all if they overtake the Magic for the division lead sooner rather than later."
• Brian Schmitz, a fellow member of the Unofficial Trevor Ariza Fan Club, wonders if the Magic made a mistake in dealing him to L.A. for Maurice Evans and Brian Cook. The crux of his argument: "If you have a team chock-full of offensive players, why deal away one of your best defenders and hustle guys?" Why indeed. I have no doubt that Ariza would have been able to shut down Rudy Gay the other night.
• Speaking of Mo Evans, the broadcast team last night mentioned that his Magic teammates call him "Mogans" due to his resemblance to Keith Bogans.
• John Denton questions the wisdom of Stan Van Gundy, who has really let his team have it over the course of this skid. Denton writes, "[T]here are usually only so many times a coach can play the fiery tirade card" during an 82-game season. That's a pretty good point, and I hope the team stays tuned-in to him throughout the season. Apathy is a killer.