"When the fruition of it came, I was exhausted," West told the Los Angeles Times. "I had to go to the hospital. I don't sleep a lot anyway and have a very inquisitive mind. When you're like that, it creates more problems for you."
According to the Times, West said he was so upset upon hearing the league was looking into the charge that he skipped the 1997 NBA All-Star weekend.
Magic class of 2009
With the club obviously in a rebuild, memories of the Magic's 2009 Finals team leads me to this "Where Are They Now?" segment:
•C Dwight Howard: Estranged, in the news more than Lady Gaga.
•PG Jameer Nelson: Re-signed with Magic this summer, one of four '09 holdovers.
•SG J.J. Redick: Magic guaranteed last year of contract.
•SF Hedo Turkoglu: Traded by Magic, traded back to Magic and on block again.
•PF Rashard Lewis: Traded to Wizards, bought out by Hornets, signed with Heat.
•PG Rafer Alston: Skip played in New Jersey, Miami, China and D-League, and coached Humble, Texas, high-school team.
•SG Mickael Pietrus: Currently a free agent. Last stop: Boston.
•SG Courtney Lee: Signed with Celtics as a free agent.
•C Marcin Gortat: Flourishing in Phoenix as starting center.
•PG Anthony Johnson: Hoping to land coaching gig.
•PG Tyronn Lue: Assistant coach with Celtics.
•C Adonal Foyle: Fired by Magic as player-development director.
•SG Jeremy Richardson: Played for 76ers' summer-league team.
•PF-C Tony Battie: Currently a free-agent center. Last stop: Sixers.
•Coach Stan Van Gundy: Fired, living in Lake Mary.
This 'n' that
Laughed San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, regarding the negotiations with free agent Tim Duncan: "He was just as big a pain in the neck as he was when he almost went to Orlando." Duncan visited the Magic as a free agent in the summer of 1999 but re-signed with the Spurs. ... Nets C Brook Lopez said he isn't sure he would have agreed to a sign-and-trade that might have completed a Dwight Howard deal to Orlando. Regarding the trade rumors, Lopez said, "I don't read a lot of the stuff you guys write. I read a lot of comic books, and they don't mention Dwight Howard much." … Grant Hill's a Clipper. Maybe the Mayans were right about 2012 after all.
bschmitz@tribune.com. Brian's eBook, "Dwightmare: Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic and the Season of Dysfunction," is available at all major online bookstores.
