Magic get no love from NBA All-Rookie teams
The Magic made it pretty clear -- particularly at the end of the season -- they were going to go young and play their rookies and young players to speed along their development. Orlando was not expecting any of its rookies to win the Rookie of the Year. Maurice Harkless, Andrew Nicholson, Kyle O'Quinn and DeQuan Jones were bringing brought along slowly.
They all still had great seasons. Harkless and Nicholson seemed to have good enough seasons to gain All-Rookie team consideration.
Nope. Not so much.
The NBA announced its All-Rookie teams Tuesday and the Magic's rookies were left off. NBA Rookie of the Year and Portland guard Damian Lillard headlined the first team and the lone unanimous selection along with Washington's Bradley Beal, New Orleans' Anthony Davis (the top overall pick), Cleveland's Dion Waiters and Golden State's Harrison Barnes. The second team is Detroit's Andre Drummond, Toronto's Jonas Valanciunas, Charlotte's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Detroit's Kyle Singler and Cleveland's Tyler Zeller.
The All-Rookie teams are voted on by the coaches and are selected regardless of position.
Maurice Harkless, for what it is worth, was the first player left off the second team. He actually tied Zeller with 15 points and apparently lost because he received only one first place vote to Zeller's three. Hopefully it keeps him hungry.
no comments






When looking at the Magic roster at the beginning of the season, you could assume offense was going to be a problem. The roster did not have a single player who had been a first option offensively before this season. The key players were all nice role players, but hardly anyone you wanted to give the ball to and create offense.
The No. 6 has hung in the Orlando Arena and Amway Center rafters since 1990. It has always been a symbol for a passionate fan base in a small, but growing, town. There was a jersey retirement ceremony that second season after fans stuck by their new pro franchise through the hiccups and growing pains of an expansion year.
Earlier this week, the NBA Draft's early entry deadline passed and the Draft Class for the 2013 draft was set in stone.
The NBA Playoffs have moved to the conference semifinals and the real contenders for the championship have emerged. These are the teams that have the formula locked down that have the pieces to the puzzle figured out. Whether that gets them to the ultimate goal of winning a championship is something to be determined in the next month and a half.
For those wondering where Anfernee Hardaway has been since retiring from the NBA, he has been back in his hometown of Memphis. Aside from the stray local commercial (he owns a franchise in a local pizza restaurant, I believe) and the stray TNT appearance alongside former teammates Dennis Scott and Shaquille O'Neal, we do not see much of Penny Hardaway.
