Orlando Magic News for December 30th: Remembering Former Orlando Magic Players; Dwight Howard Talks More About Wilt Chamberlain

Chicago Bulls could have used Tracy McGrady a decade ago, but now, the aging star isn't worth a look
Jon Greenberg of ESPNChicago.com takes a trip down memory lane to 2000 when the Chicago Bulls were hot on the trails of, at the time, free agent Tracy McGrady (who signed with the Orlando Magic alongside Grant Hill).

With McGrady recently exiled by Houston, the organization finally tired of his act, you have to wonder if a team now would even send a cab to pick him up.

At the time, the world at his fingers, McGrady all but patted Krause on his melon and went about his merry way to Orlando, where he joined Grant Hill as a powerhouse duo that accomplished absolutely nothing in their tenure, aside from saving millions in income tax.

In the decade since that fateful meeting, McGrady has won exactly zero playoff series to the Bulls' one. The Bulls are still looking for that big free-agent score, while McGrady is once again looking for a new home. Things have changed, things have stayed the same.

The Decade's Best
Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus reveals the top 10 players of the decade and in "the next 10," past (Ben Wallace) and present (Vince Carter) Magic players are listed.

Did the Orlando Magic lie to Darko Milicic?
Matt Humphrey wonders whether or not Orlando lied to Darko Milicic, who accused the Detroit Pistons and others teams in the Association that they deceived him in saying that his "chance is going to come."

My idol, Wilt Chamberlain
Dwight Howard posts on his official blog today and talks more about Wilt Chamberlain - his favorite player in the NBA.

People ask me all of the time who I looked up to as a player when I was a kid. Ya’ll are gonna think this is crazy, but it was actually Wilt Chamberlain. I know he stopped playing before I was even born, but I’ve read all about him and watched highlights of him. He was, without question, the coolest big man of all time. I actually have an old article about Wilt in my locker right now and I sometimes read about him before games.

Chad Ford: Rating the decade's best NBA draft picks
UPDATE: Chad Ford of ESPN Insider lists the best picks of the decade.

2. Dwight Howard (No. 1 pick, 2004 draft)
There was only one other truly great No. 1 pick this decade, and it came from an unlikely source -- an unrefined high school big man who once said he wanted Jesus on the NBA logo. You might not remember, but at the time there was a serious argument that UConn big man Emeka Okafor should go No. 1 ahead of Howard. Although everyone agreed that Howard had more upside, he was very raw offensively and was thought to be years from being a significant contributor. Okafor was considered a safer pick.

When I saw Howard work out just weeks before the draft, I began to question him, too. He seemed too nice, too young and too naive to bang down low with the giants of the NBA. Looking back now, he was one of only two dominant big men to come into the league this decade. The other, Yao Ming, has been riddled with injuries.

Meanwhile, Howard is coming off his first NBA Finals appearance and is a serious contender for this season's MVP award.

Bargain Players Making Big Impact
UPDATE 2: Sean Deveney of The Baseline states which players have made a big impact for their respective teams at an inexpensive price.

2. Jason Williams, Magic. Orlando brought Williams out of retirement to be the backup point guard, for just $1.3 million. Williams played well when starter Jameer Nelson went down and is averaging 6.9 points and 4.6 assists.