Orlando Magic News for July 8th: Thoughts From the Summer League; Marcin Gortat's Price Tag

Ryan Anderson No Longer Overlooked in Summer League
Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse recaps Ryan Anderson's performance in the Summer League against the Boston Celtics, yesterday ...

Vince Carter: We're Still the Favorites
... and shares what Vince Carter Dwight Howard had to say about free agency, where the team stands amongst the Eastern Conference, and more.

"In Otis we trust,'' Howard said Tuesday. "He won't do anything to mess up the chemistry we had. We still believe we're the team.''

 Marcin Gortat could cost the Dallas Mavericks $33,953,200 long term
That's the money the Polish Hammer will net with the Mavs, considering they grant him the maximum 8% raise each season and if he signs the offer sheet.

Free Agency 2009: The Power Forwards
Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus has been breaking down the available free agents in the NBA by position for the past few days. Today, he examines the power forwards. I suggest bookmarking this information. 

If you're looking to go deep as the NBA enters free agency for the 2009 off-season, Basketball Prospectus is your place. Starting last week and continuing this week, we will rank the top 20 free agents at each position, looking not only at the stars but also at the role players who will help fill out benches across the league. Players have been arranged into tiers that generally reflect their overall value in a vacuum, regardless of team need.

NBA Will Feel Pains of Financial Meltdown a Year Late
UPDATE 2: Tom Ziller of NBA FanHouse breaks down the financial outlook for the NBA this season and next season. Take note, Orlando Magic fans. 

Along with the official 2009-10 salary cap numbers the NBA released Tuesday night, the league sent a memo to all 30 teams. Marc Stein of ESPN.com got ahold of it. The memo tells of a dark summer of 2010, in which the salary cap and luxury tax threshold for 2010-11 will fall dramatically.

The memo projects a salary cap of $50-53 million for 2010-11, and tax threshold of $61-65 million. The cap number is some $5-8 million lower than the level it stood at for 2008-09, and the tax line is $5-9 million lower. This is not just a problem for players, who will be eligible for lower maximum salaries, lower mid-level exceptions and a generally tighter talent marketplace. It's absolute doom for teams, even if all 30 franchises put a lock on their bank vaults today.

The Silver Lining of the Salary Cap Cloud
UPDATE 3: Henry Abbott of TrueHoop chimes in on the salary issue, as well.