2009-2010 Orlando Magic Season Preview

Well here it is! We are only two days away from the anticipation of the Magic's opening season game. I haven't done a seasonal preview yet so I guess it's a good time to do it now. So I know I have a lot of bias and may come off as cocky but in the end if the outcome happens, I can just say I told you so!

Coaching: Pretty much remains the same as last year, Stan Van Gundy with Patrick Ewing, Brendan Malone and the other fellas. Not much is different here.

Point Guards: Jameer Nelson, Anthony Johnson, and Jason Williams
Verdict: As Jameer looks to return to his All-Star shape form, I think his scoring will take a slight dip but nothing major. Williams and Johnson will back him up 10-15 min a game and hopefully that's all they do all season long as Jameer looks to stay healthy.

Shooting Guards: Vince Carter and J.J. Redick
Verdict: Vince still has some gas in his tank for a few more years whether or not people think he's old, he's on a team that isn't demanding him to put out a workload like New Jersey or Toronto did. Redick has improved majorly according to reports and his preseason play did show some of that. I don't think he's much of a defender due to his size but his offensive game will be nice in back up roles behind VC.

Small Forwards: Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus, and Matt Barnes
Verdict: A very solid group at this position. These guys may see starting roles due to the flexibility of the team and match ups nightly. Rashard Lewis would be back to his normal position as he returns from his 10 game suspension. All can shoot the three with Barnes and Pietrus as SVG's choice of lockdown defenders.

Power Forwards: Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson, and Linton Johnson III
Verdict: I think this season would be a huge break out year for both of them. Brandon Bass looked excellent in preseason and shot the ball very well. The same could be said for Anderson who stretches the defense and has a pin point shot. Both are willing to be physical and get some dirty work done around the basket with or without Dwight in the game.

Centers: Dwight Howard, Marcin Gortat, Adonal Foyle
Verdict: Arguably the NBA's best Center backed up by Gortat who can be a starting center in this league. Dwight Howard alone is enough for me to say but Gortat is solid enough that the Magic could start him and let Dwight sit against some of the weaker NBA teams this year.

Toughest competitors:
Boston Celtics:They match up well with Orlando at every position. With their defensive scheme it will be a dog fight between both teams as the big men combo of KG and Rasheed Wallace try to counter Dwight. Pierce and Vince Carter would be a great match up to watch as well, not to mention the point guard play between Rondo and Nelson.

Los Angeles Lakers: Of course the team that beat them in the Finals. With Ron Artest as an addition being the only major difference the Lakers also match up well against Orlando. Dwight Howard is an advantage for the Magic but Kobe Bryant has the LA locked down.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Looking to avenge the "upset" the Magic put on them, they are a top 5 team and one of the three Eastern Conference teams that will battle it out with Orlando and Boston. Lebron will be Lebron and they do have a little more help this season but will it be enough? The original Superman vs Superman II, Vince Carter vs Lebron, and a solid supporting cast around both teams will make this matchup amazing.

Watch to watch for:
-Brandon Bass will show why he is underrated. I think he'll have sort of a break out season this year.
-The three ball again will be one of the things this team strives on again.
-Ryan Anderson is one guy that will be under the radar and a huge impact on the team's success. He's shown himself really well in the preseason and an excellent shooter.
-Dwight Howard making another strive at becoming an unstoppable force. With Yao Ming out it leaves the door open for him to wipe the floor among his position in the NBA.

Magic Leaders:
Scoring-Dwight Howard
Rebounds-Dwight Howard
Assist-Jameer Nelson
3 pt shooting: Rashard Lewis

Overall I see this Magic team repeating as Eastern Conference Champs and winning the title this year. I know many believe this team has gotten worse but that's blasphemy, there is no way this team is worse than it was last year in the Finals. I stand by that and the season will show.

So Magic fans across the globe...BE MAGIC! Let's get ready to support our boys to the GOLD!

Well...I'm 19

October 14th, a day in my life I can never forget: My birthday!

I'm now 19 and not really feeling any different or much inclined to more freedoms. However I really have to recognize the differences from my 18th to 19th year. To be honest nothing has really changed much besides the fact I'm in college. I said I wouldn't change myself for anyone and I was content with who I am. So over the year I have stuck to that. I have come to the conclusion that I am in fact just a positive person looking to achieve my goals.

With that conclusion I just wanna give a piece of advice to everyone that I realized the other day. You've got to be optimistic in life and not filling yourself around the negatives. I've wrote about that in "The Secret" blog that truly putting in your head; positive outlooks will put out positive outcomes. I wish we all could have that same belief, but I understand some people have a hard time being positive about any situation. So I ask that if you are an optimistic person and you know a pessimistic person, go ahead and try to help them out. Show them a way to try and be more positive and maybe they can have the optimism.

As I begin my 20th year, I hope to remain the same me, but always looking to better myself no matter how good of a person I am. My goals aren't accomplished and I have a long road ahead. My tank is full of potential as I try to reach the finish line.

October 6th, 2009: A day to Remember!

Cheaa! Well folks I have officially met one of the world's most well known athletes, a star in the NBA, and star of my beloved Orlando Magic. I have the worse of luck when meeting famous people. A lifelong fan, I have never met an Orlando Magic superstar before but I've met Jameer Nelson in his rookie year, Pat Garrity, Darrell Armstrong, and James Augustine. Yea, that list is amazing huh? It's been quite some time that I've heard about Dwight hanging around the areas I visit as well. It was long overdue but I got a pic with him and my NBA Live 10 FREE! So, I'm sure you all know who that is of course, I'll write about what happened to save myself from repeating to others....

So I was on my Xbox in the evening playing NBA 2K10 and my phone by my side. I periodically checked out my Twitter and saw Dwight was giving away copies of NBA Live 10 for those of us in Orlando. We'd have to find him at a spot he gave clues for on Twitter. So basically the location was about 7-10 min away from my house and the time he posted it gave me enough motivation to actually test my luck. I hauled ass down the road and reached the location: A local Gamestop around the Magic's practice facility. I got there and ran to the door but a guy was there already with his phone out. He said Dwight wasn't there yet and the Gamestop folks didn't see him.

We waited because this Gamestop matched all the clues and as minutes went by a few more people who were also following Dwight on Twitter arrived. Then a nice White Maybach rolled by to park and none other than Dwight was cruising in it. So he walked up to the front and into the store to find out who were the first five people there. They would be the ones getting the free copies.

By now more people rushed into the store and began to take pictures of Dwight. Eventually Dwight announced that he can only give away five copies of the game and the rest of us would have to settle for pics and autographs. While he was deciding, three people got copies because they were assured by the Gamestop people that they were indeed there first. That left Dwight with two extra copies and a few of us. So in between all this people were speaking up and I said I was a true fan, born and raised here then at the same time this one guy had to tell Dwight that I bought 2K10. (He was outside prior while we talked about our journey to the Gamestop and I slipped I was playing 2K10). Dwight gonna tell me about being a real fan and buying the cover with Kobe. Sorry Dwight, but I bought the game that would be worth my enjoyment. My reason for getting it first was because all my friends had plan to buy NBA 2K10 and I wanted to play on Xbox Live with them. I was eventually going to buy NBA Live 10 when I got paid again, since I'm NOT RICH!

Long story short, Dwight and I got into a debate about Live vs 2K this year. He claimed it was too slow and "sucks". Then the Gamestop lady asked who played the Demos and games so I opened my mouth. Then Dwight said he'd look at this Twitter and he pointed to me and said He saw me on Twitter. (I had tweeted that I was coming to the Gamestop to him on the way). So one guy had to give up his game because he had a PS2. As you know those are outdated and only 360 or PS3 version were available. So Dwight picked me to get a copy.

I got my copy signed and a pic with him, before I left he told me to get rid of 2K. I thanked him and left happy as hell. I must say Dwight is a real class act, he goes around the city and treats his fans as people that exist, unlike the normal celebs. Taking a step further to sponsor give-a-ways and special treats for his devoted fans is something a lot of these current players should look at.

Anyways I still think 2K10 is slightly better than Live 10. Dwight....I love that you're all over the game and I appreciate the game and autograph but my personal preference would settle for 2K's gameplay and graphics. Although, Live has better features and more dribble moves than 2K. Next time get on the cover of 2K!

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/chevyballinhot

2007: Hip-Hop Heaven

I have to admit: Blueprint 3 and Kid Cudi's Man on the Moon are the only two albums I'm listening to right now. I've neglected all other music for these two. This got me thinking, when was the last time that I fell in love with more than one album in the same year? Well this dates me back to 2007. In 2007 I was a junior in high school and just turning 17. Five of my favorite artists dropped albums and I was in heaven. Now this may not be the same for everyone but my taste in music was beyond satisfied. You will probably get a more in-depth taste of what I like my music to be like.

I shall now reveal what was so good about 2007.


Lupe Fiasco-The Cool: Lupe Fiasco is my top favorite artist right now. I love anything he puts out and I'm sure anyone familiar with the Hip-Hop game knows Lupe is pure talent. After his debut album "Food & Liquor", The Cool was his sophomore album and lead singles, "Dumb it Down" "Superstar" feat. Mathew Santos and "Paris Tokyo". My favorite track off this one would be "The Coolest". I love this whole CD though, and could recite to you almost all of the songs. What is interesting about this album is that Lupe told a story about "The Streets" and "The Game" two fictional characters he made up and it was a continuation from the boy referenced in "He Say She Say" from Food & Liquor. His ability to tell a story and connect through real life experiences with great music production made this album a top five favorite of all time.


Common-Finding Forever: Common is one of my favorite artists likewise Lupe. I can't make up my mind so I love them all equal. This album dropped over the summer when I was really in a drought of some dope music. I took one listen to this CD and was hooked. The beats and production are amazing as he uses one of J Dilla's track on "Break my Heart". This album is almost near perfect, with his singles "The Game, "The People" and "I Want You" and Kanye's production that mirrored J Dilla as an honor really set it off. "Southside" and "I Want You" are probably my two most listened on the album but I can listen to the whole thing any day of the week. I'm praying that Common puts out something similar to this again, he saved my ears during the summer with this one.


Kanye West-Graduation: Well this is probably the most recognizable album in 2007. All-around nothing but pure greatness and a top 5 album in my book. "Can't Tell me Nothing" and "Stronger" are some of the greatest songs ever made. I remember very well, the hype behind this was Kanye vs 50 Cent both dropping on September 11th. Now of course 50 Cent will do almost anything to sell some records, but the battle was won by Kanye easily. I enjoyed this album overall. "Flashing Lights", "Homecoming", "Big Brother", and "Champion" all deserve some honorable mentions. Great producing and lyrics. Kanye, Ima let you finish, but this is your best album of all-time!


Jay-Z-American Gangster: When I first heard Jay-Z was debuting with this album, I thought it would go along very well with the movie. He did to "Heart of the City" for the movie but this album was not the soundtrack for it. Instead Hov was inspired by the movie to do an album about it. I loved this album instantly and the occasional Frank Lucas/Denzel Washington snippets through out the album. Features with Nas, Lil Wayne, Bilal, Bennie Sigel and the usualy productions from No I.D., The Neptunes, and Diddy were great. What's even more supportive of how good the album is, the eventual President Obama being a fan of the album!


Chamillionaire-Ultimate Victory: For anyone that loves Chamillitary knows this is a dope album. The Mixtape Messiah went back on his grind and produced some great tracks on this album. His ability to sing through hooks with a good flow (without Auto-Tune) makes his tracks even better. I wasn't feeling "Evening News" as the best track or first single but " Industry Groupie" a better one. "Rock Star" Ft. Lil Wayne was one of my favorite songs from the album along with "Welcome to the South". Cham covered everything from falseness in the industry to female love interests. "You Think I'm Crazy" was one of the sickest lyrical tracks he has in my opinion. Overall I hope Chamillionaire drops another album soon!

All of these albums I listen to two years later to this current day. I guess I can have some experience that my parents have when they hear an oldies song from back in their days. So no matter how old these albums get I will always listen and be a fan of them.

Honorable Mentions:

Alicia Keys-As I Am: While I wasn't entirely into this album, I took a few listens to it every now and then but it is one of the top albums debuted in 2007. Alica Keys, besides being my wifey, is full of talent from producing, singing, and acting. "Superwoman", "Teenage Love Affair", and "No One" are the top tracks I listened to from this album. Only reason I didn't list it above is because I didn't listen to it as much. It could be because Graduation, Finding Forever, and The Cool overshadowed it but this one definitely is a top album.


50 Cent-Curtis: I was about to give up on 50 before this album. He came out with some real BS and everyone wanted his "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" type of flow. I have to admit this was a solid album. I really have no complaints about it except for the few lame singles (Straight to the Bank and Amusement Park) he put out. Kanye out did him but only because of the quality Kanye managed to put out. This is a CD I could jam to if I wanted to hear some hardcore stuff. The production was decent and 50's lyrics weren't as bad on most of the tracks. "Ayo Technology" was more commercial but the feature of Timberlake and Timbaland's production put this track over the top. The other featured guests weren't a bad selection as well so I was impressed.

BE MAGIC!

That's right: BE MAGIC!

Orlando's marking slogan this year is "Be Magic", in case you didn't know. Tomorrow is media for the Magic Men and for the rest of the week they will be spending time in training camp right before their preseason gets in session on October 5th in Dallas. I really can't wait for this season at all, as my team is fresh off an NBA Finals visit and looking to avenge their loss to the Lakers.

The excitement for this season is definitely high. With a few new key guys in Brandon Bass, Vince Carter, and Matt Barnes, I cannot wait to see how they play with Dwight, Rashard and Jameer.

I love the NBA season because of my passion for basketball, the smack talking with my friends who are fans of other teams, the epic games, the amazing plays, the late West Coast games, and then eventually the NBA Playoffs! The point is I'm a devoted NBA fan year-round and it's busiest time is coming around again.

If you're a fan of the NBA go ahead and follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/chevythecoolest and we can talk nothing but NBA all day!

ORLANDO MAGIC 2010!

Jay-Z & Oprah

I will be the first one to admit that I don't really like Oprah that much. However, I can probably soften that issue of dislike upon her after this show with Jay-Z. It's fair enough that she doesn't like rap music for certain reasons, some of which we both might agree on. I shouldn't hate on that really, so no hard feelings for Oprah.

Now on to the interview (can be read here) and show (watch here), I have to say first off Hov was very humble and outspoken. This is one of the reasons the guy is up there beyond rap artists, celebs and a public and American icon that will live on. Compared to Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac, Jigga's comparison goes beyond his own genre to Elvis and The Beatles. Both Oprah and Jay-Z come from poor urban areas and are now two of America's current icons, so to see them connect is an epic happening as thousands showed up outside of Hov's Grandmother's house where the interview was held. I admire what he has done to represent his city and state. This is a man that can positively represent where he's from and have the support of his home state/city but even more the world.

Beyond music, I didn't know Jay was so passionate about his fashion. Seeing where his CEO headquarters was is inspiring to me because I envision myself at his level some day, maybe not on the rap star side though. Having his office in the heart of his city overseeing it and pictures of of his inspirations around it was also something I admired about the inside look. The guy has taken his success, expanded it and became an American icon for our generation. For that I have a lot of respect for Hov, and (cue a Kanye here) he is one of my favorite artists of all-time! Music wise he's now on 11 number one albums, 7 Grammy's and also he paved the way for Kanye West and Rihanna, two big time artists today that should pay some homage to Hov-almighty.

Shawn Carter is truly a class act and one guy in the books of Americans that should be up there with the Elvis', Presidents, The Beatles' and Michael Jordan's. There will be many compared to him, want to be like him, and try to go against him. Blueprint 3 is on it's third week of what I'm only listening to right now and one I'll listen to in a year from now. To the rap game, we need more like this man, we'd all be better off.

NBA 2009-2010 Pre-Season Predictions

Here are my predictions solely based on how the teams and league is formed BEFORE the season!

FINAL DRAFT!

Teams in BLUE qualify for playoffs, seeds are listed after season records.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division:
1. Boston Celtics (61-21) 1
2. Philadelphia 76ers (47-39) 5
3. Toronto Raptors (45-37) 7
4. New York Knicks (40-42)
5. New Jersey Nets (32-51)

Central Division:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (58-24) 3
2. Chicago Bulls (41-41)
3. Detroit Pistons (38-44)
4. Indiana Pacers (36-46)
5. Milwaukee Bucks (35-47)

Southeast Division:
1. Orlando Magic (60-22) 2
2. Washington Wizards (50-32) 4
3. Atlanta Hawks (48-34) 6
4. Miami Heat (42-40) 8
5. Charlotte Bobcats (34-48)

Teams in RED qualify for playoffs, seeds are listed after season records.

Western Conference
Northwest Division:
1. Denver Nuggets (52-30) 3
2. Portland Trailblazers (51-31) 5
3. Utah Jazz (47-39) 7
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (31-51)
5. Minnesota Timberwolves (25-57)

Pacific Division:
1. Los Angeles Lakers (62-20) 1
2. Phoenix Suns (43-39)
3. Los Angeles Clippers (32-50)
4. Golden State Warriors (28-54)
5. Sacramento Kings (22-60)

Southwest Division:
1. San Antonio Spurs (56-26) 2
2. Dallas Mavericks (54-28) 4
3. New Orleans Hornets (50-32) 6
4. Houston Rockets (45-37) 8
5. Memphis Grizzlies (35-47)