Orlando Magic Blog – Page 48 – NBA Blog

Matt Barnes still likes Orlando despite ugly exit

From pump-faking a pass inches from Kobe Bryant’s face to threatening to put his son’s dirty diaper into Lamar Odom’s mouth, the phrase “Matt Barnes will kill you” – which an Orlando-based clothing company put on T-shirts – wasn’t too much of a stretch.

That’s why Magic fans loved Barnes during his one-year stint in Orlando in the 2009-10 season: His antics gave the Magic a toughness and swagger they previously lacked, and he always stood up for his teammates.

He plays for the Los Angeles Lakers now – the Magic let him walk when he opted out of his two-year deal last summer – but he still remembers his year in Orlando fondly.

“I had a really good time when I was out here,” he said. “My neighborhood, my teammates, everything.”

— Reported by Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel Blog

Orlando cuts part-time Amway Center workers, jobs privatized

About 70 part-time Amway Center employees working for the city of Orlando have been informed that their jobs have been cut and the work turned over to private firms, the city said Wednesday.

Although the NBA lockout drags on, officials say the cuts were the result of a review comparing operations at the new home of the Orlando Magic with its predecessor, the Amway Arena.

City spokeswoman Heather Fagan said in a statement Wednesday that staffing the new arena is “very different” from the old one, and the review bore that out.

“It was determined one of the changes, should be the shifting of part-time, in-house security staff to the outside security firm of Andy Frain,” Fagan said.

— Reported by Jeff Weiner of the Orlando Sentinel

Dwight Howard All-Star Celebrity Weekend coming to Orlando in November

On November 12 and 13, 2011, five-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard will host the Dwight Howard All-Star Celebrity Weekend. The weekend kicks off on Saturday, November 12th with a Celebrity Bowling Tournament being held at Broadwalk Bowl in Orlando. Fans can join in by playing on a team or just watching. Then on Sunday, November 13th, the D12 All-Star Game will bring together an All-Star group of former and current NBA players on the campus of the University of Central Florida (“UCF”).

Joining Dwight on the court will be former Orlando Magic All-Stars and some of the finest players in the NBA including Shaquille O’Neal, Grant Hill, Matt Barnes, Penny Hardaway, Chris Duhon, Jason Richardson and Courtney Lee. All proceeds from this weekend of friendly competition for a good cause will benefit the D12 Foundation & its programs.

InsideHoops.com will post more players and much more when complete information becomes available.

In 2011, the NBA Community Assist Award winner expanded his focus and launched the D12 Foundation whose mission is to “plant seeds, cultivate them and watch them grow.” The four main pillars that this foundation will support include youth education, healthy and activity, character and leadership development and disaster relief.

“This entire off-season I have concentrated on not only perfecting my game, but also making this world a better place. I had an idea that would allow me to do both,” Dwight Howard comments on the idea of hosting the D12 All-Star Weekend in Orlando. “We are excited to bring back some familiar faces to Orlando and our current guys for a fun weekend and good game that will benefit our local and worldwide charitable efforts.”

The Bowling Event will take place on November 12 at Boardwalk Bowl, doors opening at 7 PM. Tickets and sponsorships for bowling are available at www.d12foundation.org.

Tickets for the D12 All-Star Game will go on sale today at 10:00am. Tickets are $100, $65, $45 and $25.00 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster, www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000 or at the UCF Arena Box Office. Students will valid UCF I.D. can purchase tickets for $20 at the UCF Arena Box Office. The game will kick off at 7 PM with doors opening at 6 PM.

Again, check this page soon for more info about the rosters, more players being involved and everything else.

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Jameer Nelson talks about future of Dwight Howard with the Magic

Nelson, one of Howard’s best friends, says he has no idea what Howard will do next summer. But he isn’t concerned about the magazine interview.

“People ask me every day what he’s going to do,” Nelson said. “I don’t know what he’s going to do. I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow. One thing I know is the guy is preparing to be the best player he can be this season, and that’s all I can say. I don’t know what his decision is going to be.

“Whatever he’s going to do, he’s like my little big brother. He’ll definitely have support from me. But obviously, he’s definitely wanted here in Orlando.”

— Reported by Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel Blog. Full article is here.

Magic give customers on installment plans a break on payments

People who are paying in installments for their 2011-12 Orlando Magic season tickets and partial plans have been given a reprieve by the team.

This afternoon, the team sent e-mails to those customers to say their next payment won’t be due until a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players’ union has been reached.

Team officials would not comment. NBA Commissioner David Stern has told all league and team employees that they will be fined heavily if they talk about the league’s labor dispute.

— Reported by Alex Martins of the Orlando Sentinel Blog

J.J. Redick feels great as he recovers from abdomen injury

J.J. Redick is eager to find out if he has recovered completely from surgery in late May to repair two muscle tears in his lower abdomen.

The Orlando Magic guard says he feels great, and he’s gone full-speed with his workout regimen for a couple of months now. But even Redick acknowledges that he’s looking forward to seeing how he feels during and after a full-speed competitive situation.

“I haven’t tested myself in a competitive situation to say whether or not I’m 100 percent,” Redick said. “But I’m feeling great. I really am. I don’t know what percentage I’m at, but I’m really, really, really happy with where I’m at right now.”

It’s been a strange summer for Redick — and for all of his Magic teammates — because of the NBA lockout.

— Reported by Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel blog

NBA lockout hitting some cities hard

The loss of one game, let alone 10 or maybe all 82, will have a devastating impact on workers with jobs dependent on pro basketball’s six-month-plus season. A few teams have already trimmed their staffs and more layoffs could be forthcoming if the discussions drag on. Then there are those who don’t work directly for an NBA team but who still depend on the excitement the league brings to town.

Ushers, security personnel, parking lot attendants, concession workers, restaurant employees and others all stand to have their hours cut or join the country’s 14 million unemployed.

“Yeah, financially, I’m worried,” said waitress Jeannette Lauersdorf, a single mother of two, who on a quiet Wednesday afternoon is serving six guests at three tables inside Harry Buffalo. On a night the Cavs are playing, the place has a 30-minute wait for a table. “We’ve got bills to pay.”

Nerves, already frayed in a depressed economy, are unraveling.

As it was during the NFL’s labor dispute, certain cities around the league will bear more of a burden than others until the NBA gets bouncing again. Markets like Orlando, Memphis, Salt Lake City and Portland, with no other income being generated by a major professional sports franchise, could be facing a long winter.

At this point, there’s no telling how long the lockout will last, but NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver projected losses if the season’s opening two weeks are canceled in “the millions of dollars.”

— Reported by Tom Withers of the Associated Press

Magic would likely use amnesty clause to part ways with Gilbert Arenas

If there’s an amnesty clause written into the NBA’s next CBA, the Magic will most likely use it to pay off Gilbert Arenas and part ways with the enigmatic, fading point guard.

It’s an easy call to use this mulligan, given the three years and $62 million left on Arenas’ contract.

With the amnesty clause, a team that foolishly overpaid for a player can pay off said player and release him, with the money this time coming off the salary cap.

This is a boon for top-spending clubs such as the Magic, whose current payroll is about $75 million, second only to the L.A. Lakers’ $91 million.

The last time amnesty was used, in 2005, the so-called “Allan Houston rule” allowed teams to lop off a salary, but they could only subtract it from the punitive luxury tax.

— Reported by Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel

Earl Clark returns from China, will be an unrestricted NBA free agent

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports:

Former Orlando Magic forward Earl Clark will be released from his contract with a Chinese Basketball Association team and will be free to sign with an NBA team as an unrestricted free agent whenever the lockout ends, Clark’s agent said.

Happy Walters, who represents Clark, said the 6-foot-10 forward has returned to the United States because Clark’s girlfriend is seven weeks away from giving birth to a baby boy and is having some complications.

“He wanted to be there and was not comfortable being in China with problems happening,” Walters told the Orlando Sentinel via e-mail. “He is bummed, but family comes first.

“The team in China has been very supportive and understanding and they will release him from his contract,” Walters added.

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Orlando likely faces December deadline as 2012 NBA All-Star host

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reports (via blog):

If past NBA lockout history is any guidepost to the present, the city of Orlando should know around mid-December whether the 2012 all-star game will be played at Amway Center — or cancelled.

In the last lockout, the league cancelled the Feb. 14 1999 all-star game scheduled in Philadelphia on Dec. 9, 1998.

This year’s game is set a little later — Feb. 26 at the Amway Center in downtown Orlando.

So it could be that if this lockout continues, eating up regular-season games, the league likely will cancel Orlando’s game around Dec. 15.

The NBA salvaged a 50-game season in 1998-99, with games beginning in early February.