I figured I'd wait a couple days before writing my thoughts on Grant Hill's departure from the Orlando Magic. I want to like Grant, I think we all do, but... damn.

Grant's heading to the Phoenix Suns for the NBA basement price of 1.8 million, something he could have been easily paid had he stayed in Orlando. I know what people are saying, Grant's only got a year or two left in him and he wants to pursue a championship. Fair enough. Then again, I'm not sold on the Sun's having an easier path to the finals against the Mav's and the Spurs than had he stayed with Dwight/Lewis & Co here in the East. Orlando stood by him through, at last count, 75 surgeries. We sucked it up and dealt with it because not only is Grant a classy guy, but if Grant ever got back up to even 50% strength he'd be a great addition.

Fans watched as the Magic organization pretty much collapsed, largely because of his unmovable monster contract. Support for the team is at an all time low, putting the new arena(and hopes of the team staying) in jeopardy. He finally gets healthy, starts making a small contribution to the team. It's looking like we're seeing not just 50%, but maybe 75-80% Grant. Just in time for him to bolt for the desert.

On one hand, it's nice to have this whole chapter behind us. On the other hand, there's a feeling that Grant should have been washing everyones cars, doing the dishes, sweeping up the gym after every practice -- whatever possible to earn his ridiculous contract.

Mike Bianchi I think summed it up the best. You do expect this kind of thing from NBA players. You just don't expect it from Grant Hill. It's like dating an uggo for 7 years only to get left behind when she drops 70 pounds and her skin clears up.

And how about that Otis Smith as GM? We won't know for sure until next week, but it's possible we might lose two starters for absolutely nothing this off season. Hopefully we'll see some sign and trade action to save face. Man, I hope Darko stays.

"Pot, kettle goose and gander all throw up their hands in disgust."

Let's all remember that Darko's agent, Marc Cornstein, is the same agent that represents Fran Vazquez. When you burn an organization that badly, it's no doubt that they won't take you seriously anymore. Memo to Darko: Get a new agent. I'd imagine that his ineptitude just screwed you out of a deal to stay in Orlando.

Then again, the rumblings have always been that Darko wanted to be somewhere where he could be a major part of the lineup. For that to happen, he's going to have to prove he can consistently average more than 8 points a game. He's a great asset if only for his defensive skills (shot blocking monster), but that doesn't demand 10 million a year. If he can find himself in Cleveland, it'd probably be a great fit next to Lebron.

It'll be sad if Darko leaves Orlando. I think he and Dwight could be an amazing tandem down low. Orlando has to fill its needs though, and that starts with building an offense. Rashard will be a great fit.

So, first, Billy Donovan backs off his "promise" to stay at UF. He then signs a monster (phil jackson money) contract with the Orlando Magic. He's always had NBA dreams, so it's somewhat accepted by most folks outside of Gator Nation.

Now, after agreeing (signing?) the contract, the press conferences, the media tours, Billy Donovan is backing out of his Magic contract to instead stay in Gainesville.

At what point do people stop doing business with him? Well, probably when he stops winning, although I'd imagine any and all hopes he has for the NBA are now forever lost.

The majority of Gator fans I've spoke with no longer like Billy, in fact, he's Shaq to their Orlando and that venom might not change over night. I'm sure the mood around here in Otown has quickly soured on the man, and after losing all his starters to the NBA, he'll not likely enjoy the same success he has over the last few years up in Gainesville. The remorse he felt for signing that Magic contract may be the exact opposite when NBA teams no longer trust him, he's not winning as much in Gainesville, and 50% of the fans spit in his general direction.

I got a new term for waffling over business decisions -- "Billy Business".

An interesting article on Orlando appeared in the National Geographic recently (hat tip to Celly). It reads somewhat scathingly, pointing out all the negatives of Orlando. Most of it reflects areas of town outside of Orlando proper -- St. Cloud, Kissimmee and the growing Orlampa areas (that stretch of land between Tampa and Orlando). While tooling on the overly franchised, fake culture, stamped out McMansion life style, the author then goes on to praise the area for our diversity.

He ends the article by stating that by leaving Disney, he was able to find "America's real Epcot." The thing is, I'm not sure he ever left what most of us still refer to as Disney. It's not about being on property or off, it's about being in South-South Orlando. I find myself recognizing what he describes, but seeing something close to the exact opposite.

Most folks who live here love it. Some of us are even passionate about it. But If I had to come up with a list of words to describe Central Florida, diversity wouldn't be on it. That lack of diversity might be one of my biggest complaints, yet it is what the article praises us for.

I guess I might define diversity not as the presence of different cultures, but the melting between them. To give you an idea, there's still a street named "Division Avenue" just west of downtown, and it is, as you might suspect, fairly divisive. The author describes a few high schools of highly intermixed populations -- hopefully that represents a large shift coming in Orlandos demographics. We're a young city, and with time we can hope that mix brings about something culturally unique to the area.

I look out the window of my apartment downtown though, and while its not very diverse, I can't see any franchises or mcmansions. I see an amplitheater that does Shakespeare every year, a park that has some sort of festival once a month and an amazing neighborhood known for its night life. Down the road is an antiques district. Not to far away is a collection of museums ranging from folk art to a science center. There's a top notch history center right in the midst of downtown as well. We have an NBA team, the 7th largest university in the country, and regularly play host to a number of college bowl games. Orlando itself is a thriving region with great food and fun things to do. There is much life outside of Disney and Orlampa just as there is much life outside of the Strip in Vegas.

The article does point out the loss of anything remotely "old florida." It's a travesty in and of itself that its not unique to Orlando. Much of the state's charm is disappearing to areas to exactly what the author describes. There's a decent amount of that world left, but the fear is that it's only a matter of time.

If your interested in that sort of thing, I highly recommend reading A Land Remembered.

I am so ready for basketball season.

All these losing teams I follow has me feigning for a playoff appearance by the Magic. It's time. Yeah, Philly beat us last night.. but.. Magic look like they could be phenomenal this year, and if not this year, certainly next. Think about how young the team is. Howard, Milicic, Nelson, Reddick are all lottery picks from the last few years. Reddick doesn't even need to do anything special. Get that kid a lawn chair on the offensive side and have him shoot the lights out Dennis Scott style.

NBA League Pass is $180 (access to every game).. If it were $100 or less, it'd be a lot more tempting. Anything over $100, not so much. If it were closer to $50, I can't imagine any big nba fan not doing it. I'm surprised they don't try to blow up the numbers by making it affordable. The only way $180 seems to make sense is if you have roommates, but alas... Then again, Ann Marie's mom just pointed out that its less than $1 a day for constant NBA action.... mmmm....

NBA Links:

• Mark Cuban says he's going to behave: I feel the same way about this as I would if Steve Spurrier said he was going to stop throwing his visor -- disappointed :( Mark's fun to watch.
• Howard conjures memories of Shaq: The Magic had a taste of success, and then abandoned the formula when Shaq bolted. It does seem like we're returning to our old ways -- let's just hope we can avoid being swept out of the playoffs (then again, first let's GET to the playoffs). It's great to have B.Hill back in the drivers seat though.
  
• A Tribute to Red - Quotes from around the league regarding Red Auerbach's passing
• The Rasheed Wallace Rule takes effect - Should make for an interesting first half of the season while everyone adjusts

Beast. 28 points, 26 rebounds -- his 59th double double of the year. Screw the playoffs, let's just go ahead and fast forward to next year.

GO MAGIC.