ORLANDO TRYING TO FILL `UNFILLABLE SHOES' : GABRIEL - `THIS PUTS AN END TO A DREAM'.Byline: Phil Jasner Philadelphia Daily News The Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper that began publishing on March 31, 1925, under founding editor Lee Ellmaker. In its early years, it was dominated by crime stories, sports and sensationalism. By 1930, daily circulation of the morning paper exceeded 200,000. The genie is out of the bottle, leaving the Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). History Early years The Orlando Magic officially entered the NBA as an expansion franchise in 1989. with a puff of smoke in place of what were, seemingly moments ago, grandiose dreams. ``It's a sad day, like losing a part of your family, putting an end to a dream,'' Magic general manager John Gabriel Note: For the actor of the same name, see John Gabriel (actor). For the webcomic character, see Penny Arcade. John Gabriel is an executive in the National Basketball Association. said after learning that free-agent center Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). had accepted a seven-year contract from the Lakers worth $120 million. The 7-foot-1 O'Neal, taken as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft The NBA Draft is an annual North American event in which the National Basketball Association's (NBA) thirty teams (29 in the United States and one in Toronto, Canada) can select players who wish to join the league. by the Magic in 1992, is starring in ``Kazaam,'' a recently released motion picture about a rapping genie. An imitation of life? Whatever, the Magic now finds itself trying to explain two huge issues: How the franchise, which could have offered O'Neal more money than any other team, could have been outbid out·bid tr.v. out·bid, out·bid·den or out·bid, out·bid·ding, out·bids To bid higher than: We outbid our rivals at the auction. . How owner Rich DeVos, president Bob Vander Weide and Gabriel intend to replace O'Neal with the team's payroll still exceeding the league limit of $24.3 million for 1996-97. ``Bob and I were in Atlanta (where O'Neal is training with the U.S. Olympic team) the other day, offering what we felt was a very fair deal, as good if not better than the one he eventually accepted,'' Gabriel said. ``We thought that we were Shaq's first option, but for some reason we apparently weren't.'' Gabriel said the Magic's package, believed to be worth $115 million, was superior on three counts: A better net present value, with the front-loaded first season worth nearly $20 million. That, Gabriel said, ``meant money in his pocket.'' A lack of a state income tax in Florida. A lower cost of living in Florida. ``This puts an end to a dream that included five great players - one at each position - and a chance to win championships,'' Gabriel said. ``We're still a team of destiny, but we'll have to do it another way.'' While the Lakers cleared cap space by trading Anthony Peeler Anthony Eugene Peeler (born November 25, 1969 in Kansas City, Missouri) is an American professional basketball player, formerly in the NBA. Played High School ball at Paseo High School. In 1988, Peeler was drafted by Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers in the 41st round. and George Lynch George Lynch may refer to:
``Horace obviously would have liked to see Shaq back, but it wasn't as if he would've left if Shaq left,'' said Jimmy Sexton, Grant's agent. ``Financially, this was the best option for Horace.'' That signing meant the Magic would be able to surround O'Neal with forwards Grant and Nick Anderson and guards Anfernee Hardaway and Dennis Scott. The Lakers' lineup would appear to include forwards Cedric Ceballos and Elden Campbell and guards Nick Van Exel Nickey (Nick) Maxwell Van Exel (born November 27 1971 in Kenosha, Wisconsin) is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. Van Exel, a 6'1" left-handed point guard, was most well known for his flashy style of play and his ability to hit critical shots during and Eddie Jones, plus rookie wunderkind wun·der·kind n. pl. wun·der·kin·der 1. A child prodigy. 2. A person of remarkable talent or ability who achieves great success or acclaim at an early age. Kobe Bryant. ``The question is whether he can win more with the Lakers' lineup than with ours,'' said Pat Williams, Magic senior vice president. ``But this will force Hardaway to take his game to another level. And there will be no question as to who is the star of our team. We're taking a positive look at all of this because it's our only option. There's no bitterness. This is the league in 1996-97.'' The league's new era already has included Miami free-agent center Alonzo Mourning becoming the first player to crack the $100 million barrier as he agreed to terms with the Heat. At the same time, the Heat added Washington free agent forward Juwan Howard for $98 million over seven years, then signed New Jersey free-agent forward P.J. Brown and re-signed point guard Tim Hardaway. The new era also included a poll in Wednesday's Orlando Sentinel in which 91.3 percent of the respondents (4,668) said O'Neal was not worth $115 million over seven years. O'Neal averaged 26.6 points, 11 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 54 games last season, missing 28 games with a broken thumb and other injuries. He finished third in the league in scoring and field-goal accuracy (57.3 percent). ``He will talk of not being appreciated here, but he was very appreciated,'' Gabriel said. Plus, Williams said, the Magic did not officially know that O'Neal had joined the Lakers until Thursday afternoon. ``We feel a sense of loss, numbness, disbelief, some fear because we don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. how we're going to replace him,'' Williams said. ``We also have some curiosity because we always felt some divine providence had allowed us to get him four years ago, and now the situation has twisted the other way. ``At the same time, this has been stirring around since we first acquired Shaq and there was a tremendous ruckus about how he wanted to be in L.A. from the get-go. We've sensed that something was always out there. This was a decision involving basketball, lifestyle, maybe some personal things, but not money.'' All of which leaves the Magic attempting to acquire a new center in a trade. ``We're trying,'' Gabriel said, ``to fill shoes that are unfillable.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: The deal that Shaquille O'Neal, left, and Leonard Ar mato got from the Lakers leaves the Orlando Magic without a starting center. Michael Rondou / San Jose Mercury News The San Jose Mercury News is the major daily newspaper in San Jose, California and Silicon Valley. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group. Its headquarters and printing plant are located in North San Jose next to the Nimitz Freeway (Interstate 880). |
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