Three Shots

Boom:

Brian Hill will not return as the Orlando Magic's head coach, a story reported by several sources and confirmed via e-mail by the Magic on Wednesday night.

Boom:

Tampa Bay Devil Rays rookie Elijah Dukes allegedly threatened the life of his wife, resulting in a restraining order against the 22-year-old outfielder. When asked about the allegations, Dukes told the St. Petersburg Times, "I've got to go. I've got a video game to finish."

And boom:

The Celtics did not win the NBA Draft Lottery. By this time next year, the Portland Trail Blazers will be fondly remembering the stunning rookie season of either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, while basketball pundits will be pointing to this date as the death of East Coast professional basketball as we know it.

Boom, boom, boom. Three shots in 48 hours. And you thought sports was boring.

In order:

The Brian Hill story was predictable. Say what you will about the way the Magic organization does business -- they try to be human. I've noted on the air and in print that team owner Rich DeVos runs his basketball team the way he runs every other business in his portfolio: as a family enterprise. Mr. DeVos is a decent man, one who rewards loyalty and despises controversy. The inherent nastiness of this basketball business has always been a sticking point with him, sometimes to the detriment of his team's success. I am not at all surprised that the Magic have attempted to engineer a soft landing for Brian Hill. In their view, he deserves it, and when you consider some of the personnel moves made in between Hill's two tenures in Orlando (losing Shaq to the Lakers for less money, trading Penny, trading McGrady, giving up on players like Mike Miller, Ben Wallace, and Matt Harpring), you cannot fault Magic ownership for extending what amounts to an apology to Brian for firing him. However, if the team is indeed serious about winning, the next coach better damn well be a home run. Brian did what he was hired to do. Show me the next step.

Second: On Dukes, what else did anyone expect? This young man is a product of his environment, and while that certainly doesn't excuse any of his alleged behavior, it might explain it. The Devil Rays, who have made dramatic strides under new owner Stuart Sternberg, have compiled a roster of young talent that is the envy of many a Major League Baseball front office -- even if none of those other teams will admit it. Give me a break: Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, Delmon Young, and Dukes in your outfield rotation? Plus B.J. Upton and Scott Kazmir? And the best farm system in baseball, according to Baseball America? If this were Boston, the media adoration would be insufferable. As it stands, it's Tampa Bay, and this story will be beat to death by Friday. The D-Rays have struggled mightily over the years to be taken seriously. Suspending Dukes until this case is resolved will prove to their fans, and their observers, that they mean it. Grant the kid his rights, but do the right thing. Your fans will respect that.

Finally: If ever there was a case to be made for reinstating a true NBA Draft lottery, this is it. Forget the "weighted" formula -- it does nothing but encourage teams to tank, as the Celtics were publicly accused of doing last season. Conspiracy theorists among us will argue that the C's were punished for throwing in the towel, which I would believe, if I thought for a second that the National Basketball Association was clever enough and air-tight enough to pull it off. Fact is, there's no way they could get away with it, not with the 24-7 media attention in today's market. The Celtics got screwed. Call it karma, call it fate, but don't call it a conspiracy. The NBA made one good call this season by removing referee Joey Crawford from the postseason -- now they can make another by giving every non-playoff team an equal chance of winning the draft lottery. Give it up to chance. Your fans, again, will thank you.

Thanks. I feel much better.