Orlando Magic News for October 16th: The Orlando Magic Say "Thank You"; a Look Ahead to the 2009-2010 Season

Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce and Central Florida Sports Commission hosted a ‘Thank You Luncheon" for the Orlando Magic on Friday, October 16, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency International Airport.  Magic players, coaches, staff, Magic Dancers and STUFF the Magic mascot along with 400 guests were all on-hand for the celebration.  The luncheon recognized the accomplishments of the Magic both on and off the court.

Blowing the Whistle
Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus touches on the topic of replacement refs and tries to figure out whether or not they will continue to be whistle-happy entering the regular season. The answer may surprise.

As the NBA's preseason reaches its midway point, the most pressing question around the league might be this: Will the whistles continue? There is little reason to believe that the NBA's regular referees are anywhere near returning to work, which means the league is close to opening the season with replacements for the first time since 1995. While reviews of the fill-ins, mostly from the NBA D-League and the WNBA, have been mixed, it has been impossible to ignore the trend toward more fouls during the preseason. [...]

To try to answer that question, we turned to the past and the referee lockout of 1995. Using the incomparable Basketball-Reference.com database, Justin Kubatko was able to pull statistics that compare games officiated by the replacements (through Dec. 12) with the remainder of the season called by the regular referees.

adidas TS Commander LT
Aron Phillips of Dime Magazine examines what shoes Dwight Howard (as well as Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett) will be sporting on his feet this year.

NBA fines Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy $35,000
UPDATE: Josh Robbins reports that Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy has been fined. Click on the link to find out exactly how.

The NBA has fined Stan Van Gundy and the Orlando Magic $35,000 apiece for publicly criticizing game officials, the league announced late Friday afternoon.

Van Gundy was fined for his comments following Thursday's practice, said Tim Frank, the league's vice president for basketball communications.

The Dwight Howard comedy hour (aka the Orlando Magic's thank you luncheon)
UPDATE 2: Tania Ganguli shares some details and specifics from the "Thank You" luncheon that occurred earlier this afternoon.