Orlando Magic News for June 23rd: Reminiscing On The NBA Finals Appearance, A Quick Look At A Conference Rival, and More

Did you ever think it would happen this soon for Dwight Howard?
Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily reminisces on the first time he envisioned NBA Finals possibilities with Dwight Howard leading the way. 

Suicide lines: Draft green room, Shaq rumors, Ime Udoka ...
Jameer Nelson with some kind words for draft prospect, Tyreke Evans.

Fellow Chester native Jameer Nelson, who played in the NBA Finals last week with the Orlando Magic, said Evans will do well in the league. 'He has good people around him. I know he is a hard worker,' Nelson said. 'Going into your rookie year, you don't know what to expect. But I know one thing about him: He can shoot the ball.'"

Celtics shop Rondo, Allen
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports broke news yesterday of a trade allegedly in the works between the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. Interesting, no? This proposed deal is too big to ignore, even if it's a trade idea that shouldn't be taken seriously right now. Given the ramifications this deal would have had for the Boston Celtics, a team that will compete with the Orlando Magic for the Eastern Conference Title, it's worth making note of it.

Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie has additional commentary for your reading pleasure. 

Draft Projection
If you want a comprehensive breakdown of the NBA Draft, I suggest reading up on Bradford Doolittle's team overviews and forecast of the first round at Basketball Prospectus. A mock draft, even if Brad doesn't want to call it that. 

BDL 2009 NBA Mock Draft
Or if you want to catch up on SB Nation's mock draft hosted by Ball Don't Lie, you can check that out too when you have free time.

The third and final part of my three-part series examining the performances of Orlando Magic players in the playoffs will conclude tomorrow. The subject?

Dwight Howard.