Orlando Magic News for October 2nd: Emphasizing Charity In Charity Stripe; Checking In On Ryan Anderson

Bloggers to Dwight: Hit free throws, raise money for charity
J.E. Skeets of Ball Don't Lie points out how The Puns Are Starting To Bore Me came up with an idea to help Dwight Howard improve his free throw percentage - if Superman improves from the charity stripe at a 70% clip or better in the upcoming season, the site will donate money to his favorite charitable donation and also, ask others to help chip in for a good cause.

Nichols and Dime: TPS, a New Method for Evaluating Players
Jon Nichols of Hardwood Paroxysm takes the time to reveal a new metric he created - TPS, which stands for Talent Plus Style. According to Nichols, it is a player rating system that is totally customizable. For example:

Every variation of TPS ratings is adjusted for position. A center who can shoot three-pointers at the league average is much more valuable than a shooting guard with the same efficiency. Likewise, a point guard with a league average rebounding rate is probably pretty good in that respect. Not only does adjusting for position level the playing field, but it also makes it easier to find players who are unconventionally good at things.

Magic power forward Ryan Anderson likes that he's still Vince Carter's teammate
Tania Ganguli shares a Q/A session she had with Ryan Anderson a few days ago. A definite must-read. Here's an excerpt of the conversation: 

Q: Has anyone been instrumental in helping you learn or leading team practices? 

A: Well you know all the veteran guys have been giving me advice. Vince has been doing a good job of instructing guys on where to go and if they’re having trouble going to different areas, he’ll send them there or he’ll tell you after plays the right place to go. Anthony Johnson has been great for that. Jameer has kind of set the tone of the practices. He’s probably our most vocal leader from what I’ve noticed. 

I’m a Movie Star!!!
Dwight Howard posts on his official blog, today, and asks his fans to check him out on the big screen.

Being in front of the camera is something that I actually really enjoy. It allows me to be myself and have fun. Hopefully I’ll have a lot more opportunities in the future to do more commercials and movies because I really enjoy it.

Actually, a couple of the directors told me that I did a really good job and they want me to come back and do some more stuff with them in the future, so that’s exciting for me.

So ya’ll be sure to check me out on the big screen and let me know whatcha think.

UPDATE (from Ben): Training Camp Invites - Orlando Magic
Jon L. of Ridiculous Upside, SB Nation's D-League and prospects blog, takes a look at Linton Johnson III and Morris Almond, the Magic's two non-roster invitees. Jon concludes that both players are really auditioning for other teams at this point because neither stands a chance of making the team.