Quick bullets before today's game against the Celtics. GameThread should be up at 2:45. On with it:
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Otis Smith tells John Denton he's not in a hurry to add more players, despite the fact that the Magic's three best guards are currently injured:
"Like I have told (coach) Stan (Van Gundy) and (CEO) Bob (Vander Weide) I'm probably the most patient person around and I'm willing to give the situation time," Smith said. "It gives the kids (Redick and Lee) time to play and we'll see what they can do. You'd rather these injuries happen now than late in the season, but we'll be OK."
I actually agree with Otis' approach, for the most part, but he should at least waive Mike Wilks to open up a roster spot for somebody. Wilks is out for the year and his contract is guaranteed whether he's on the team or not, so there's no harm in officially cutting him loose to make room for a player who might actually, you know, see the floor.
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Dwight Howard discusses his first career triple-double in his latest blog entry on NBA.com. He also posts photos of him in costume as Sho Nuff and Tyrone Biggums.
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Bucks Diary looks at the NBA's best starting lineups and bench units on a +/- per minute basis. Orlando has the 4th-best starting unit and 17th-best reserve unit. What does it say about this team that I was impressed that the reserve ranking was as high as 17th?
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In this weekend's NBA Dime at ESPN.com (Box #5), Marc Stein says he does not yet consider the Magic on the same level as Boston and Cleveland in the Eastern Conference. His argument is that Orlando hasn't actually beaten anyone, which is a pretty fair assessment, actually. Winning on the road is great and all, but it doesn't actually prove anything.
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UPDATE: Henry Abbott names Orlando as a potential destination for Stephon Marbury once the Knicks free him:
The Magic are without Jameer Nelson for a few games. Mike Wilks is out all season. Keith Bogans is out as well. The result is talk of a rookie shooting guard getting time handling the ball.
All the statements are true, and Marbury would indeed fill a need in Orlando. The problem is that Otis Smith does not gamble on guys with character issues, and explicitly ruled out signing Marbury last July. I have just as good a chance of suiting up for the Magic this year as Stephon Marbury does.
See you at tip time.