Orlando

Scheduled Homecomings


Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services 

Today's report includes a list of all the homecomings this season of players acquired in trade during the offseason: when the Magic play the Rockets, Spurs, and Cavs.

The Magic first play the Rockets in an exhibition game on October 23 at home. Their first regular season matchup is also at home on January 20, at 8pm, to be broadcast on TNT. They then have just one game (against Philadelphia) before meeting up again in Texas on January 24 at 8:30pm, to be broadcast on NBA TV. That'll be it for the Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato reunion.

The Magic host the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 1 at 7pm, a game that won't be broadcast on national TV but one that will be a good test of John Gabriel's tinkering with the team. Tony Battie will ply his wares against his old team and Magic fans might see how Drew Gooden fares when he gets playing time. We might also get a glimpse of Anderson Varejao. Just like their first meeting with Houston, only one game (this time against Boston) separates the Magic from their next match against the Cavs, a game on February 5 at Cleveland that starts at 7:30 but won't be broadcast again. They meet again on March 8 at 7pm in Cleveland and April 11 at 7pm at home, and again neither of those matchups is expected to be broadcast on national TV.

Hedo Turkoglu can show off in front of his former Spurs teammates on December 15 in San Antonio at 8:30pm, an unbroadcast game, as well as December 22 at 7pm at home. He will get all of his matchup anxieties out of the way before the new year, as the Magic will not face the Spurs again all year unless both make their way into the NBA Finals.

TEAM NOTES
Hedo, Meet Orlando. Orlando, Meet Hedo
: ... The coaching staff and administration have one whole-hearted supporter, and it’s one of the guys who hopes to be an integral part of the turnaround. Orlando Magic fans, meet Hidayet Turkoglu.

Steve Francis will host the Steve Francis Summer Fiestain Houston, TX this weekend, August 27-29. The three-day event features a bowling challenge, basketball clinic, boat ride and the Slam Fest All Star Basketball game. All proceeds from the weekend will benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston and The Brenda Wilson College Scholarship Fund. For more information, log on to www.stevefrancisfoundation.com.

NEWSLINES

CollegeSports.com reports: Available in more than 6.1 million homes statewide, Sunshine Network boasts one of the most impressive lineups of local and regional teams and events in the country. Sunshine currently has agreements with more than a dozen regional teams/properties including the NBA Orlando Magic, NBA Miami Heat and NHL Tampa Bay Lightning. Sunshine Network also has agreements with collegiate powerhouses Florida State, Florida, as well as UCF, the ACC, SEC, MAC and more.

Steve Penn ofThe Kansas City Starwrites: The majesty of Kings versus the splendor of Magic. That's the tough choice of hypothetical scenarios I've been mulling over lately... For 20 years, Kansas City missed out on the league's prosperity. Now there are rumors circulating that the Sacramento Kings or perhaps the Orlando Magic might be on the move.A new arena on the horizon only fuels the speculation that the teams might come here.