The Magic really need to have beaten the Wizards and defeat the Raptors to prevent a climb out of a seriously deep hole that could await them.
The Magic have all but halted a chase for any possible lottery gems — the Nerlens Noels and Cody Zellers and Ben McLemores and all the other college kids most of us have no clue about.
Orlando did not want to tank the season after the Dwightmare. But a worse plan to me is being stuck in Nowheresville — failing to get a good pick and failing to make a token postseason appearance.
Watching to see if the underdog Magic can chase a playoff spot is the only carrot dangling in front of fans now.
No Nets' plan for Stan
It took former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy about two seconds to tell me Thursday afternoon that he had "zero interest" in the suddenly vacant Brooklyn Nets' opening. Patrick Ewing broke the news to him that Avery Johnson had been fired.
The job holds little appeal to Stan.
Living in Brooklyn isn't for everyone, and he has gotten quite comfortable in Florida with the Heat and Magic. The West Coast also would be quite suitable for a guy who lives in shorts and sandals.
Seriously, other than a billionaire owner (Mikhail Prokhorov), Van Gundy wasn't all that impressed with the Nets' roster, among other things. I suspect Phil Jackson will say the same, considering Phil would want more say than GM Billy King.
Dunkers anonymous
Magic reserve F DeQuan Jones in the all-star dunk contest?
If New York Knicks F James "Flight" White is being rumored to be a candidate, despite the journeyman's 1.6-point scoring average (as of Friday), why not DQ?
Jones, averaging 1.8 points, once leaped over a motorcycle in a college dunk contest.
"James White? From Cincinnati?" Jones said.
Yep, that James White. Competitors in the dunking fraternity keep tabs on each other.
Apparently, a captain or captains can nominate a teammate to participate in the dunk contest, held this year during All-Star Weekend in Houston. Jones said Wednesday he had not been approached by either Jameer Nelson or Davis.
More proof that the once-beloved contest is on life support as little-known bench players are headliners (Last season's champ:Jeremy Evans. Uh-huh.)
Even Jones said he'd "have to think about" competing if the runway was cleared to Houston.
This 'n' That
A Orange County Register columnist quoted an "NBA insider" last week as saying that Dwight Howard is "basically Kosta Koufos." Koufos is a serviceable center for Denver. As over-the-top ridiculous as the comparison might be, it's the kind of daily scrutiny that I'm guessing makes Howard yearn for Orlando --- or chases him from L.A….I can't believe the Clippers have become the darlings of L.A. — and the world didn't end…I'll tell you what makes the Nets' job relatively unattractive. The Heat.
bschmitz@tribune.com.
