Thoughts running through my head as I search for motivation to go on...
Don't look now, but the Magic man is back. It's taken about four months, 1000 Advil's, 5 broken remote controls, and a
back massage that I don't even want to tell you about, but I'm back. The truth is this NBA season has been about as interesting
as watching back to back episodes of NBC's Conviction. Every time I watch I just want to fall down a flight of stairs.
I mean think about it. Can you name a hand full of things that were even remotely interesting this year? Kobe Bryant s
cored 81 points. That was extraordinary. Ron Artest got traded to the Maloof brothers and hasn't killed anyone yet (which is
always a good thing). And the Magic are headed for yet another playoff-less season. Yawn. Snore. Wake me up when the playoffs
start.
And they are almost here. It's clear that there are only a few teams worthy of being cast as title contenders:
Pistons, Spurs, Heat, Mavs, and Suns. In that order. The rest are a bunch of title hopefuls who aren't even in the same league
(figuratively) as the top four. Then you have the cellar dwellers (Hawks, Blazers, Bobcats, and oh yeah, the Knicks), who are
one injury away from being beaten by the NBDL team in Fayetteville. Basically, things are the same as last year.
(Side note: You'll have to excuse me. I've been away for so long that I'll probably jump back and forth between topics
a lot more than usual...just keep reading.)
You also have the Magic, who I clearly stated in my NBA season preview (which seems like an eternity ago) wouldn't
make the playoffs (I had them pegged as the tenth best team in the East). It took a year and a half for
Steve Francis to wear out his welcome (which they should have noticed
the minute he touched down in Orlando). They shipped him off for the highly underrated
Trevor Ariza (if only he could develop a jump shot) and the expiring
contract for Penny Hardaway. Yes, that
Penny Hardaway. What a waste. In theory, it was a great move by
the Magicians, but you can't help but feel angry over the fact that Francis was ever in Orlando to begin with (thanks Weisclod).
The Magic also parted with the last player of that fateful 2004 deal with the
Houston Rockets, by dealing
Kelvin Cato (and his bad shoulders) to the
Detroit Pistons for little used guard
Carlos Arroyo and the man of mystery,
Darko Milicic (can I buy one more vowel?). This deal was probably
one of the best moves the Magic have made in years. I firmly believe that Darko will be a player in this league someday. Not
an all-star. Not a franchise player, but a solid veteran (and you could never have too many of those). I was almost giddy
when it went down, if only because the franchise was in such a holding pattern that they had to do something. Anything. And
they did.
But back to the rest of the league. Here are some burning questions that I've been wrestling with this season: Who
does Carmelo Anthony have to murder before he gets any respect? What did
Tracy McGrady do to deserve what's happened to his career? By the
same token, what did Vince Carter do to deserve what's happened to his career? Why did the Suns rush Amare back from knee
surgery so quickly, knowing that he's their franchise player? How is it that the Spurs continue to get disrespected by
the media? Will Steve Nash ever make a defensive stop before the end of his career? How great of a job has Avery Johnson
done with the Dallas Mavericks? How long before Shaq and Kobe become enemies again?
Who goes first: Larry Brown, Isiah Thomas, or Spike Lee? Really, who thought pairing Stephon Marbury and
Steve Francis would be a good thing? And finally, how high was the
birdman to get kicked out of the league?
Needless to say, the season has definitely been filled with your normal stories and headlines, but it still doesn't
excuse the fact that it has been one boring snoozefest.
Forgive me if I'm not completely ecstatic over the new nucleus of
Dwight Howard,
Jameer Nelson, Darko, and the rest. Maybe the Magic have beaten me
down so much that at this point, I expect things to end badly. I guess that's why I've been away for so long. I just haven't
had the excitement. All of these moves by the Magic over the past 10 years have taken its toll on me. I'm simply numb.
I watch games and could care less about the outcome. I watch and just can't shake the feeling of impending doom.
Most Magic fans, to their credit, have that look in their eyes again. That look that little kids get right before
Christmas. There is a growing belief in this town again (albeit a quite one). The nucleus is in place and the Magic have a
boatload of money to spend over the next two years and fans believe we'll finally get back to the promise land. And who could
blame them?
But me? Nah. I just can't join in. At least, not right now. I'm like the teenager who constantly believes that his
parents are getting back together again. After about 10 years, it doesn't even faze me anymore. I expect them to screw up so
much that I can't even enjoy their positive moments.
So forgive me for being away for so long. And forgive me for sounding so cynical. I've lost my passion for the Magic.
I've lost my desire to support them. I'm like Randy Quaid in Major League 2 (I know I'm not the only one who saw that awesomely
bad movie). I'm expecting the worse. If there's one positive moment, I'm sure it'll be followed up by another more heart
wrenching blunder. I've seen enough to know that there's always another shoe to drop. It's only a matter of time.
So until then, bring on the playoffs. At least then I can watch some real basketball.
Until Next Time.
Kevin Anthony Jones is a contributing writer for MagicPride.t35.com. He is an instructional designer and technical
writer in his real life and won't bore you with the details. He writes articles every chance he gets and although he's never
busy, there is such a thing called writers block. If you'd like to contact KAJ, send your E-mail's to
bigsmooth7@gmail.com.
