Ok, Commissioner Stern, I'll "Make Your Day"

"And if someone wants to try me in the rest of this playoffs, you know, make my day. Because the game is too important and I don't think that the people who trash it are respecting it, and we'll do what we have to do-the players and coaches alike-because they give the impression to our fans that the referees somehow have an agenda." -NBA Commissioner David Stern

Apparently, Dwight Howard "tried" Mr. Stern with his recent blog post concerning the foul calls made against him the Charlotte series because he was hit with a $35,000 fine. It was the same amount that his coach Stan Van Gundy and fellow teammate Matt Barnes received. And you know what? I think it's weak.

I get that the commissioner has to stand behind each and every call the officials make, especially with the whole Tim Donaghy debacle still on the minds of some people(no matter how misdirected that might be). I also understand that coaches probably shouldn't be able to ramble on and on about calls without the fear of some type of punishment. However, I do have a problem with players not being able to voice their concern or frustration even just a little bit. Anyone that watched the Charlotte series probably felt at least one time that Dwight Howard was the victim of some very questionable calls.

Seriously, by the third and fourth games it became comical, and I was shocked if more than a few minutes went by without Dwight somehow drawing a whistle.

So you know what commissioner? I'm going to make your day, and question every call that I think is b.s. right here on The Sports Oasis. You might not have issued a directive to the refs but it feels like the NBA is gunning for an LA/Cleveland match-up in the Finals, and I'm going to document any of the bad calls that might contribute to making that a reality.

Vinsanity Comes to Orlando

The trade that had been rumored during offseasons for the past couple years has finally come to fruition. Vince Carter will be playing for the Orlando Magic next season. For the most part, I like this trade, and it's not just because I'll get to watch hometown hero Vince Carter play night in and night out(Full disclosure: I grew up in the Daytona Beach area, and have always kept an eye on Vince's career).

The one part of the trade that I'm not too fond is the loss of Courtney Lee. He played extremely well as a rookie for the Magic this past season, and he's actually one of their better defenders. It would have been nice to have him locked up in a Magic jersey for years to come. However, this deal wasn't going to get done without him leaving town.

The rest of the trade is actually pretty good for Orlando. Alston was obviously unhappy with how his season ended. The damage done to the relationship between he and Coach Van Gundy could have been repaired, but I'm not sure there ever would have been good chemistry with Nelson starting and Alston coming off of the bench. Battie's contract made it necessary to shop him, and the strong possibility that Turkoglu isn't coming back made it imperative that Orlando make a move. Adding Carter lessens any blow that comes from Turkoglu leaving, and for those that say that Carter is too old, he's only 2 years older than Hedo.

Comparing the numbers, you'll see that Vince is a much better scorer and rebounder(Carter's career averages: 23.5pts/5.5 rebounds, Turkoglu's: 12.3pts/4.2 rebounds). Turkoglu probably shoots the 3 a little better. Even in his best season, 07-08, Turkoglu still averaged under 20pts/gm, whereas Carter has averaged 20+ pts 10 times in his career. Carter is stronger and more explosive, and can make it to the basket easier than Turkoglu. He can also shoot the mid/long range jumper fairly well, which makes him a good fit for the inside-out offense the Magic like to run.

The other thing to consider is that this trade relieves some of the pressure to resign Turkoglu to the big money deal he wants. While there's no doubt that he is talented player, Turkoglu doesn't warrant Orlando throwing a ton of money at him and putting a strain on any future signings.

Also, don't forget that Orlando is also getting Ryan Anderson. He's a quality forward that can shoot well, though, hopefully his defensive skills will improve just a bit.

All in all, I like the trade to bring Carter to the Magic. It not only helps the them on the court, but it also gives this small market team some big time press as they prepare to move into a new arena following the 2009 season.

Someone Get Michael Beasley A Red Jersey

In football, the quarterbacks get to practice in a red non-contact jersey to make sure that everyone on defense knows not to injure the guy. Unfortunately, someone on the Miami Heat didn't get the same message, and apparently gave number two overall draft pick Michael Beasley an elbow shot that ended his practice early.

Rookie forward Michael Beasley did not finish his first practice with the Miami Heat summer league team Wednesday after being struck in the chest by a teammate's elbow.

The Heat said Beasley, the No.2 overall pick in last week's NBA draft, was being taken for evaluation and had no further details on the extent of the injury.

Geez. Coach Spoelstra needs to let these guys know that injuring Beasley is a great way to end up with another 15 wins next season.

Congrats To The Celtics

Well, that went a little bit different than most had probably visioned. After keeping the first five games of the series close, the Lakers got run out of the gym to the tune of 131-92. Ouch. No amount of zen will be able to ease that asskicking.

While it would be easy to heap most of the praise on Boston's "Big 3", the truth is that it was a total team effort. Rajon Rondo didn't shoot particularly well, but he ended up with 21 points and his defensive intensity frustrated the Lakers all night. James Posey scored 11, including 3-3 from 3pt range. Even Eddie House chipped in with 9 points. Though, without the "Big 3" firing on all cylinders the outcome wouldn't have been nearly the same.

Paul Pierce, the Finals MVP, ended up with a double-double by scoring 17 and dishing 10 assists. Ray Allen scored 26 despite missing much of the 2nd quarter. And KG made up for his "trash" play in Game 5 by scoring 26 and pulling down 14 boards. He also would have maxed out "overcome with emotion" if that were a statistical category. It's great to see these guys get rings, and I'm especially happy for Garnett because I've been a fan of his for quite some time. It's amazing how far things have come since his interview with John Thompson back in 2005.

From this:


To this:


KG was right when he said "in my heart, you can't measure that". Last night we all got to see what was in KG's heart.

KG's Revenge Has Been Four Years In The Making

That video reminded me of the last time that Garnett made it anywhere close to winning an NBA title. It was the '03-'04 season, and instead of getting bounced in the first round the Timberwolves found themselves matched up against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

Garnett did his best to get the T'Wolves into the NBA Finals, averaging 23 points and 13 rebounds for the series, but Minnesota just couldn't put it together and lost the series 4-2. However, you can bet that he's been relishing this shot at redemption from the moment that he knew he would be facing the Lakers in the Finals. Hopefully, KG remembers some of the scenes from that video, and it motivates him to take over Game 4 and win the ring that he's been chasing his entire career.

Woman Taking "Be Like Mike" A Little Too Far

Michael Jordan may be a lot of things, Hall of Fame basketball player, Nike and Gatorade pitchman, horrible outfielder, but there is one thing he isn't. And that is the father of Lisa Miceli's son. Though, she doesn't agree despite the paternity tests and legal rulings.

A judge has barred a Pennsylvania woman from contacting Michael Jordan, his family or his representatives.

Lisa Miceli says the basketball great fathered her 4-year-old son. The 35-year-old woman was thrown out of court after speaking out several times during a hearing on the request June 4.

Earlier this year, Jordan filed a lawsuit to enforce a 2005 agreement to stay away from him after two DNA tests proved he was not the boy's father.

Jordan's attorneys say Miceli continued to send Jordan hundreds of e-mails and telephone him in spite of that agreement.

Seriously, she sounds a little overzealous, but don't you know that that's how all bloggers are? Wait, you didn't know that she was a blogger? Well, don't worry because I've got the link right here:

http://mjordanmistress.blogspot.com/

It's where you'll find gems like:

MJ NEVER EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN KELLY WERNER - he called her bowlegs and my horse ended up stolen and then my DNA files....

A stolen horse? Well, that's pretty sad.
/Affirmed.

And this:

THIS IS WHAT INFURIATES ME THE MOST...... MJ WAS WITH ME AND NOT JUANITA JORDAN... I have no desire to be that woman.... nor look like her or have her thick body..

If that is what MJ likes, this proves that I was raped and he should go to jail.... and never contact me or the child again....

Sounds like a pretty airtight case to me!

And of course this:

His lawyer, Fred Sperling needs to be disbarred.... for fraudulent misrepresentation... does he represent LIVE NATION??? NO - He is not one of their lawyers...

Is he DEREK JETER's lawyer??? NO....

So, then how can he speak for them.... he cannot... MJ IS SPEAKING FOR THEM.. he wants the whole world to ban me for me asking him for a DNA TEST.... MJ flips the script like he is the important one... and he CASUED 9/11 with his mockery of ARAB CULTURE AND BLATANT DISRESPECT OF ME.... and blaming me for the affair.. WHY??? I wanted to be married to a faithful partner.....

M.J. as the cause of 9/11? How could George Tenet ever have missed that?

Oh man, maybe Bissinger was right about this blog stuff.

Nobody F@#ks With The Jesus!

Especially not you Sasha Vujacic!

If Vujacic is "The Machine", then Ray Allen, a.k.a. Jesus Shuttlesworth, must have been "The Ghost" in that machine because on more than one occasion he easily floated by Vujacic on his way to the basket. The biggest one came with less than 30 seconds left in the game when Allen dribbled the ball at the top of the key, his teammates spread the floor and he drove right past Vujacic for an easy layup to push Boston's lead to 6.

Over the next 20 seconds, L.A. didn't score another point, and Boston walked off the court with a 97-90 victory after being down by 20 points at the end of the first quarter. It was an incredible comeback that seemed to get its spark from Ray Allen stealing the ball from Derek Fisher, and then making a layup to cut the lead to just 10 with 2:59 left in the third quarter. From there, Boston outscored L.A. 10-1, and closed out the quarter down by just a single point.

Allen finished the game with 19 points, but maybe more importantly he played all 48 minutes. Eventhough the Celtics got down big in the first half, they were able to have at least one of the "Big 3" on the floor throughout the entire game to keep them pointed in the right direction.

And true to what his character said in "He Got Game", Allen made basketball look like poetry in motion as he crossed over to the left, then came back to the right, had Vujacic fallin' back and made a sweet layup. Allen didn't even have to look at Vujacic and say "what". Millions of Celtics' fans were doing that for him.

Do You Want Me To Pass It? No! Do You Want Me To Save Your Homes From Foreclosure? Yes!

It's amazing how far we have come from the "Shaq Diesel" days. Now, instead of dropping rap tracks or thunderous dunks, The Big Aristotle wants to drop some cash to help Orlando homeowners avoid foreclosure. Fortunately, Shaq has been much more successful at real estate investing than he ever was at free throw shooting.

Shaquille O'Neal says he wants to build a legacy -- literally -- in Orlando.

The NBA star said he is working on plans for real-estate-development projects in Orlando, with an eye toward helping those who are facing foreclosure on their homes.

"I want to come in not to kick them out, but to work with them and save them so they can stay in their homes," O'Neal told the Orlando Sentinel during an impromptu stop Tuesday at Orlando City Hall.

Attorney Mark NeJame, who arranged the visit along with longtime friend and Realtor Curtis Cooper, said the star center wants to buy the mortgages of homeowners who have slipped into foreclosure because of high interest rates. He would sell the homes back to those troubled buyers with more affordable terms, hoping to make a small profit.

So the homeowners get better terms, and Shaq effectively becomes their bank? Sounds like a good deal to me! Seriously, if he can help out the economy in Orlando by providing some relief to struggling homeowners, then I'm all for it. Besides, it's apparent that Shaq has a pretty good idea of what he would be getting into.

It wouldn't be O'Neal's first foray into real estate. In 2006, he announced the formation of The O'Neal Group to pursue commercial and residential development. At the time, the new company said O'Neal had amassed a real-estate portfolio valued at $50 million during his time in the NBA.

His ventures range from carwashes and strip malls to a financial stake in Metropolitan Miami, a luxury development under construction in downtown Miami that will include what's billed as the tallest residential tower south of New York.

He is also a partner in the 24 Hour Fitness chain, and there are plans for one of the gyms to anchor part of the SoDo mixed-use development being built south of downtown Orlando.

He's got the experience and the capital to assist with a serious problem that cities all over the country are facing. Hopefully, his plan holds up, and he can implement it in the somewhat near future. Otherwise, Orlando residents might add this to a list that already includes "poor free throw shooting" and "bolted to Los Angeles" as reasons they're not big fans of The Big Cactus.

College Basketball Programs Need New Rulers

It's always interesting to see just how wrong college athletics programs are when it comes to player measurements. Somehow, it's become quite a guessing game. One that usually isn't figured out until the player has left the program, and is getting sized up by pro teams. The latest round of clearing up some misinformation comes from the results of last week's NBA Pre-Draft Camp. Currently, Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose are regarded as the top two picks. And how did they stack up against their official college numbers?

Michael Beasley, listed as 6'10". Measured at 6'7" w/o shoes and 6'8-1/4" in shoes.

Derrick Rose, listed as 6'3". Measured at 6'1-1/2" w/o shoes and 6'2-1/2" in shoes.

I doubt that anyone really cares how tall these guys are without shoes, but that 1-3/4" discrepancy for Beasley is rather large. At least Rose was within 1/2" of his measurement.

So, is it that the athletic departments just don't care that much about the accuracy of the heights listed for the players? Or, do they think they're gaining some type of psychological edge by inflating the numbers? This isn't something new either, as we always hear about players not stacking up to what their college measurements had them listed as.

Keith Brumbaugh, Getting Closer To The NBA Everyday

I've covered the saga of Keith Brumbaugh on quite a few occasions. When that first post was written, almost two years ago, it seemed that Brumbaugh had become another talented basketball player that couldn't stay out of trouble off of the court. However, since that arrest he's gotten his life back on track, tallied good numbers while playing for Hillsborough Community College and declared for the NBA Draft. On Wednesday night he took another big step forward by participating in the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, and putting in a good showing.

This is the week Brumbaugh has been waiting for, the week he was supposed to have three years ago, when he was a can't-miss high school senior out of DeLand hoping to show pro scouts and general managers how much talent he had in his 6-foot-9 inch body.

The four-day 2008 NBA Pre-Draft Camp is going on here at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex, and Brumbaugh is finally getting his chance to go up against top talent.

Wednesday night, he looked terrific in his first game at the camp, hitting three of four shots and grabbing four rebounds in his 14 minutes of action.

Yes, Brumbaugh has made some mistakes, and some people will probably always hold those against him. However, there is something powerful about seeing someone make the most out of a second chance, and it appears that Brumbaugh is doing just that.

What stood out most was the happy-go-lucky, self-deprecating man who looked like he was having more fun than anybody else in the gym. Gone seems to be the truculent, scowling kid who was in trouble with the law for much of 2005-2007.

This Keith Brumbaugh couldn't be happier to be getting another chance.

"I mean, I look around here and I'm just so happy to be doing anything that's associated with the NBA, like playing in this camp," he said Wednesday night, smiling and laughing his way through a 20-minute interview. "Whether I make the NBA or not, I'm not worried about it. I just feel so lucky to be here with these great players, and get a chance to play."

Currently, he's projected as a second round pick, and is supposedly getting some serious looks from the San Antonio Spurs. Getting drafted, after everything he put himself through, would be a great accomplishment for Brumbaugh. Hopefully he makes the most of this opportunity, and can go on to become the player many people thought he would when he was selected as Florida's Mr. Basketball in 2005.

Rooting For "The Big Ticket"

I've always been a fan of Kevin Garnett. During his years in Minnesota, I saw him as an extremely talented player that never had a great ensemble cast. He was asked to do a lot, and seemingly left everything he had out on the court every night. Over time, it appeared that he would become another great player that never won a championship. However, when he was traded to Boston the prospects for that improved, and now here he is just one win away from his first NBA Finals appearance. Though, it's taken him 13 seasons to reach this point. However, in that time he has racked up some impressive statistics.

Garnett's been selected as an All-Star for 11 out of his 13 seasons. The only two seasons where he wasn't chosen as an All-Star were '95-'96, his rookie year, and '98-'99, when there was no All-Star game due to the lockout.

He was selected as the League MVP in '03-'04.

He's been ranked in the top 10 in defensive rebounds over the past 10 seasons, and is currently second among active players and eighth among all NBA players.

He's also been ranked in the top 10 in total rebounds over the past 10 seasons, and is currently third among active players and 25th among all NBA players.

He lead the league in total points during his MVP season in '03-'04, and is ranked fourth among active players with 20,378 points. That total is good enough to have him ranked 31st among all NBA players.

Garnett is currently eighth among active players with 1,665 blocks, and is ranked 23rd among career NBA players.

He's also averaged 49.4% shooting from the field, 78.1% from the free throw line and 37.9 minutes per game for his career.

All in all, Garnett has put up solid numbers year in and year out. Unfortunately, the biggest areas that are lacking are playoff games played, 66 as of right now, and championships, 0 as this entry is being posted. For comparison, one of Garnett's opponents in the Eastern Conference Finals, Tayshaun Prince, has tallied 113 playoff games and an NBA Championship in just 6 years. Hopefully, Garnett can pull even in the title category over the next few weeks.

Why Every NBA Fan Should Be Rooting For The Hornets Over The Spurs

I'm not the biggest fan of NBA basketball. For the most part, I find it tedious to watch and not all that exciting. To me, college basketball is a lot more entertaining. However, I usually try to catch some of the NBA playoffs and the Finals. That is, if they're worth watching. Last year's was somewhat worth it to me because of LeBron, but this year's won't be if the Spurs make a repeat trip.

Don't get me wrong, the Spurs are a good team. They're seemingly a "nice" team. If you wanted your kid to idolize an athlete(and who doesn't?!?), the Spurs have a few on their roster. However, they are boring as hell to watch. Sure, they're fundamentally sound. Bring the ball over halfcourt, set up the offense, pass it into Duncan. Either he shoots it, or kicks it out to someone else for a jumpshot. They run it like clockwork on just about every trip down the floor. And you know what? It bores me to death. I actually feel like I have to work to watch them play a basketball game. And sports are supposed to be an enjoyable distraction. Not another job. Fortunately, there is still hope for this year's NBA Finals. It comes in the form of the New Orleans Hornets.

Granted, if they make the Finals we're going to hear a billion stories about the rebuilding of New Orleans, and how the basketball team's success is such an inspiration. Yes, it would be a great thing for the city, though I'm sure there are quite a few other people in New Orleans that inspire just as much, if not more, and they never get any media coverage. But I would welcome those stories if it meant that I got to see Chris Paul, David West and their teammates running the floor instead of Parker, Duncan, Ginobli, etc. setting up their vanilla offense over and over again. Boring.

Seriously, if NBA fans thought last year's TV ratings for the Finals were low, all they will have to do is wait for this year's matchup to feature San Antonio and a team other than the Celtics(Garnett in the Finals will draw viewers). It's no secret that the NBA struggles in TV viewership when compared with the NFL. And another "boring" NBA Finals featuring the San Antonio Spurs isn't going to help. So, if you really want the league to put out the most exciting, watchable product you'll be rooting for the New Orleans Hornets on Monday night.

Detroit Watches As Orlando Eliminates Themselves

For the most part, the Orlando Magic did not look like they really wanted to win Game 5 against the Detroit Pistons last night. Sure, they held a 9 point lead heading into the fourth quarter and had battled back after falling behind several times, but they always countered those positives with bonehead plays. Take these two statistics for example:

21 turnovers. 16-28(57.1%) free throw shooting.

Alone, those are pretty horrendous numbers. When you compare them against Detroit's they look even worse.

3 turnovers. 28-32(87.5%) free throw shooting.

The worst part is that Detroit didn't shoot the ball extremely well, 36.1% field goal percentage(Orlando shot 48.4%), and they were significantly less accurate behind the three point line than Orlando, 21.4% versus 36.4%. Many times the Pistons didn't even have to play tough defense against Orlando because the Magic were content to move the ball across halfcourt then fire it out of bounds. And it seemed only fitting that Hedo Turkoglu, one of the most careless ballhandlers of the night, would get blocked in posterizing fashion as he drove the lane for a dunk in the waning seconds. Yeah, that's a great way to end the season. You're only going to see that replayed about a billion times.

In the end, Coach Van Gundy was right when he told the team at halftime that they were beating themselves. They couldn't make the easiest shot on the court(they're free!), and refused to protect the ball. Honestly, Detroit probably could have missed the entire game, and Orlando still would have found a way to hand them the game and ultimately the series.

The Orlando Magic Just Can't Catch A Break

As if the weird clock management by the officials in Game 2 against the Detroit Pistons wasn't bad enough, the Orlando Magic's plane had to make an emergency landing due to mechanical problems.

The Orlando Magic lost Monday night to the Detroit Pistons 100-93 in the NBA playoffs but they had a bigger scare after that.

As they flew back to Orlando late Monday, the Magic's corporate jet -- a Boeing 737-300 that holds 42 passengers -- had mechanical problems and an engine oil indicator light came on.

"We encountered a mechanical problem after departing from Detroit, and as a precautionary measure we landed in Cincinnati where we spent the night," said Joel Glass, vice president of communications for the Magic. "Everyone is safe and we look forward to returning home this morning."

While everything is seemingly fine with their plane, everything is not fine with respect to their play against the Pistons.

Game 1, in which the Magic were blown out by 18 points, featured Orlando shooting a woeful 13% from 3-point range. They also committed 13 turnovers, and shot just 50% from the free throw line.

In their second game of the series, the Magic improved their 3-point and free throw shooting, making 42% and 78% respectively. However, they still committed 19 turnovers.

So far, Orlando has turned the ball over 32 times, while Detroit has committed just 14 turnovers.

If they're unable to hold on to the ball against a talented team like the Pistons, then they won't have to worry about jet problems since it will be grounded for a few months anyway.

Keith Brumbaugh Declares For The NBA Draft

I've made a couple of posts in the past(here and here) regarding Florida's 2005 Mr. Basketball, Keith Brumbaugh, and his fall from basketball glory and attempts at getting back to the top. It seems that he might be as close to achieving that goal as he's ever been. Brumbaugh announced Friday that he'll be entering the NBA Draft that takes place in June.

Brumbaugh, Florida's 2005 "Mr. Basketball" and former DeLand High superstar, informed officials Friday that he plans on entering the NBA draft after leading the nation's junior-college ranks in scoring at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa.

"I'm back on the scene," Brumbaugh said.

Brumbaugh did play well for Hillsborough Community College, averaging 36.5 points and 10 rebounds per game over the course of the 2007 season. Hopefully, he has worked out all of the problems that held him back off of the court because his talent on the court has never been questioned. Currently, he's projected as a second round pick, and some say that that's only because of his past legal troubles. However, being selected by any NBA team would be a great accomplishment, and a true testament to just how well Brumbaugh has rebounded after falling so far at one point in his life.

Do You Have To Pay Extra For The "Practice?!?" Model?

Breaking news in the world of basketball shoes(who's still rocking the Penny Foamposites?!). Reebok has partnered with Microsoft to produce a special version of the Answer XI sneaker. It's called the Answer XI Zune, and features an 8g Zune with an etching of Iverson on the back and is loaded with multimedia clips related to A.I.

Reebok and Zune have teamed up for the first time to bring you a limited edition Allen Iverson sneaker - the Answer XI Zune.

This partnership between Reebok and Zune brings together two things important to AI in his life - basketball and music.

Reebok has produced 60 pairs of a special version of Iverson's latest Reebok signature shoe - the Answer XI. For this limited-edition collection, the Answer XI has been designed featuring the Zune logo. The sneakers will be sold with a customized Zune 8g black digital media player, featuring etched AI graphics on the back that is loaded with special AI content including his Reebok commercials, playlists and interview footage of other Reebok athletes talking about the first time they played against AI in the league. The sneakers and Zune media player will also come in special packaging.

The Answer XI Zune collection will retail for $300 and be sold only at select boutique shops in five key markets. Each store will receive only 12 collectible packages, so be sure to be the first one in line at your local store!

No word on whether one of those clips is Iverson's famous "practice?!?" tirade.



There's also no word on whether Iverson's teammate, Carmelo Anthony, will get his own shoe featuring a breathalyzer and "stop snitching" memorablia.

J.J. Redick...Cheered?

It's been a long time since I attended an Orlando Magic game. Needless to say, last night was the first time that I got to see J.J. Redick take the court for the Magic since he entered the NBA. I know some people weren't thrilled when Orlando selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. A few of them might have even been in New York, and booed the selection firsthand.

JJ Redick Drafted by Magic!


Now, those boos weren't surprising to me. I had heard Redick get some pretty tough treatment by opposing fans on numerous occasions. By the time he became the ACC's career leading scorer he had fostered a pretty good love-hate relationship with many of the people that watched him outside the confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium. For the most part, I always shared the feeling that The Mighty MJD did, that when you're the best player at a school as hated as Duke you're going to catch a lot of heat. Pretty much all of it is going to be misguided, but it's still going to happen and how you handle it on and off the court will be the true test. I always thought Redick handled it fairly well, though that didn't keep me from getting caught offguard a bit by the cheers he received during last night's game.

That's right, J.J. Redick, at one point the posterboy of douchiness for college basketball fans everywhere, was receiving praise somewhere other than on the campus of Duke University. Like I said, this is the first time that I've been to a Magic game with Redick on the roster so it may have been this way since day one. However, I had grown accustomed to hearing a chorus of boos whenever he had a night like last night, 18 points on 7-14 shooting and 4-8 from three point range. It was a little strange at first, but eventually I was even rooting for him to knock down his shots. And at one point, I probably contributed to the hating on him. Sometimes it's weird how things end up playing out.

Look Out NBA Fans, J.J. Could Be Heading To Your Favorite Team!

Somewhere along the way, J.J. Reddick became a target of jokes and ridicule. However, for the past year and a half he's been stowed away on the Orlando Magic's bench, unable to flourish on the court and draw jeers from NBA fans across the country. But have no fear, that could soon change!

Magic General Manager Otis Smith said that J.J. Redick's agent, Arn Tellem, has suggested the club trade their top 2006 pick, who is frustrated over his lack of playing time for a second straight season.

"I told him what I tell everybody else," Smith said. "Why would I do that before I've really seen him? So he can do something somewhere else? I think J.J. can play.

"He has to have patience. It's the worst thing for young guys, having patience. I know. I was that guy (when Smith played in the NBA)."

Redick, who seldom played last season under Brian Hill, is facing the same scenario under Coach Stan Van Gundy. He has played in just 20 games, averaging only 8.3 minutes and 3.7 points.

Van Gundy said he's already had a sit-down with Redick. He told him there wasn't much hope for him getting off the bench the rest of this season.

He's not playing because the Magic need defense and rebounding at his shooting-guard spot. Van Gundy says that Maurice Evans and Keith Bogans are simply better at those tasks than one of the most prolific shooters in college basketball lore.

It doesn't sound like Reddick is going anywhere anytime soon, but basketball is a business so I doubt that the Magic would turn down a good offer if it came along. But who cares about that? Where should we want J.J. to go?

Of course it's gotta be the Knicks. Starbury's ankle "problems" are keeping him off of the court, and out of the spotlight that's focused firmly on New York's mediocrity. Even if he doesn't improve the team that much, Reddick could take some of the heat off of Isiah if just for a short time. And that sounds like a match made in heaven. Reddick leading on the court, and Thomas leading from the bench. If nothing else, it would provide bloggers with something to write about almost every day.

The Orlando Magic Need A Pyramid Scheme To Play Better At Home

In sports, you usually think that the home team has somewhat of an advantage over their opponent. However, this season the Orlando Magic's opponents probably can't wait to face them in the Amway Arena. The reason? The Magic are 15-5 on the road, and just 7-7 at home.

And how has this happened? Well, when they hit the road the Magic average 104 points per game, and shoot an average of 73% from the charity stripe. At home, they average 102 points, and make an average of 68% of their free throws. For the most part, their other statistics are pretty close no matter where they're playing.

In examining the four home losses that were in the double digits we can see that the Magic didn't shoot particularly well from either the floor or the free throw line. Their field goal averages in those four losses were 40%, 47%, 39% and 45%. The corresponding free throw averages were 66%, 42%, 60% and 62%. You can see that even in the one loss where they shot ok from the floor their poor free throw shooting doomed them.

I know that a number of people have raised questions about the Magic's struggles at home, but after looking at the statistics it appears that they should be able to achieve more success at the Amway Arena in the future. The first step is to raise their free throw percentage to what it is when they play on the road. Doing that will instantly better their odds of winning more home games. The Magic have the pieces in place to win a considerable amount of games, as their away record shows. They just have to put it together more consistently when they play at home so they can match the intensity and success that they've had on the road.

Chris Henry Would Be Proud

Smush Parker, a backup guard for the Miami Heat, missed Tuesday's game against Charlotte. Though, it wasn't due to injury or illness. No, it was because he got into an altercation with a valet because he didn't have any money to retrieve his vehicle.

Smush Parker's absence from Tuesday's victory over Charlotte stemmed from a dispute earlier in the day over a valet-parking fee, according to his agent.

In his haste to make it to Tuesday morning's practice in time, agent Billy Ceisler said Parker found himself without available cash or a cash machine within walking distance, with a minor tussle ensuing to secure his keys.

There was no arrest and no charges thus far have been filed.

This is the second time in about a month that a pro athlete has had parking problems. Though, at least Chris Henry attempted to pay the guy.