Orlando
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
Magic owner Rich DeVos wants to keep the franchise in central Florida. Shaquille hopes it stays there at least until he retires and is ready to buy it. It's name is nearly synonymous with the Disney theme parks it is near. But NBA commissioner David Stern says the Magic need a new arena and if it won't happen locally, there are plenty of other cities that would love to build one for the franchise. Among them are St. Louis and Kansas City. But what about Connecticut?
A move to southern Connecticut, on the border with New York state, would be a tremendous idea for any team. Players would be able to live in their posh houses within minutes of the arena or the practice facility. It affords a huge and affluent fan base. And it is a short commute to four competitors: Boston, New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. Players would have plenty of rest and less travel and be able to actually watch their kids grow up live, not just rely on videos or the internet to communicate.
The Magic would like to stay in Florida, to be sure, but if it requires building a new stadium and if they can't rob the public till either on a local or state level and are forced to absorb the costs themselves (which they should, being a private company and all), then there's a chance the economics won't work there.
In St. Louis and Kansas City, there would presumably be some municipal aid whether merely in the form of tax breaks or more cash-intensive help, but it seems unfair to the 49% minority of those cities to tax their earnings, wealth, and time merely for the majority to have a home team. In Connecticut, there would likely be no shortage of corporate and other sponsors who would help finance the arena in a completely private way, with not even an attempt to steal from the public.
NEXT GAME
The Magic take their final pre-season exam on Wednesday, October 27th at 7:00 p.m. Eastern when Shaquille O'Neal comes back home to Orlando with his new team, the Miami Heat, the team he plans to bankrupt en route to his dream of buying the Magic. There are no local or national TV broadcasts planned at this time. Tickets are still available for this game at the TD Waterhouse Centre.
TEAM NOTES
Tonight a Magic Dancer competes on the reality showI'd Do Anythingat 10pm on ESPN.
INJURY UPDATE
Andrew DeClercq, rehabilitating his right knee after off-season surgery, says he's on schedule to return to practice later this month.
Our own James Buell ofHoopsworld.comwrites: When the Magic traded Tracy McGrady this summer, there was no one less happy than me. I’d go as far to say I was disgusted at the time. And now, some three months later, I couldn’t feel any different.What Tracy McGrady did this past week was the act of a coward.If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, I’ll give a short recap. Please be advised, the quotes are uncensored.
USA Todaywrites: It was a bumpy weekend for the Magic and the city of Orlando. NBA Commissioner David Stern said at the team's tip-off luncheon Friday that if the Magic didn't get a new area, "then I think we'd have a problem."Tracy McGrady, traded by the Magic to the Houston Rockets, followed Stern on Saturday night by taking verbal jabs at Magic general manager John Weisbrod before the Rockets preseason game in Orlando.
John Denton ofFlorida Todaywrites: Based on numbers alone, it would seem as though Steve Francis' final season in Houston was a downer and reason enough for the Rockets to trade him to Orlando in the summer. Not at all true, says Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy. "The people who say that Steve had a bad year are the fantasy league people and they think this game is just all about the stats," said Van Gundy, Francis' coach in Houston last season."I thought he had a really good year because we won and got in the playoffs. But people assume because he shot less and his scoring was down that he didn't play well. "If he would have had a bad year do you think we would have been able to trade him for Tracy McGrady?"
John Denton ofFlorida Todaywrites: Shaquille O'Neal didn't suit up when the Magic faced the Miami Heat two weeks ago, drawing boos from the announced crowd of 20,454. O'Neal didn't play that night because of a strained hamstring and there's a chance he won't play again Wednesday when the Magic close the preseason with a home game against the Heat.Miami plays a night earlier in Charlotte, and the team might rest O'Neal to ensure that he hits the regular season at full strength.
Tim Povtak ofThe Orlando Sentinelwrites: Both Kansas City and St. Louis, which are building or already have built new downtown arenas, are trying to land an NBA team if one is willing to relocate.Magic owner Rich DeVos has said several times he wants to keep his team in Central Florida.