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There is nothing more dreadful in all of basketball than when teams have to travel to the opposite coast for an extended period of time. Fortunately for the Magic, their schedule makers were kind enough to send them on an extra long journey, six games in 11 days. The result, a 2-4 record which COULD have been 4-2 had the Magic properly closed out games against the Lakers and Spurs. Nonetheless, it was entertaining and Orlando was in every game, with the exception of Denver. I love playing those West Coast teams because we get to see guys play that we've never heard of, like Beno Udrih, Yuta Tabuse, and Mario Kasun, and go figure, Mario is actually on OUR team. With the biggest road trip of the year behind them, the Magic are now in position to make an impressive run especially when Kelvin Cato comes back. Oh, one more good thing came out of this trip.....while producing the Magic/Nuggets game on December 6th at our WDBO studios, Magic Radio Host Scott Anez and I ran into an old friend of ours....


no big deal, just me with Ludacris.....(thanks to Levi May's camera phone).

As Christmas Day looms closer it appears someone is a little scared of bumping into Shaq and has now requested a nice sitdown to clear the air. That'll probably happen. OF COURSE you want to make amends, you're about to become a permanent fixture of the Staples Center floor. The part of Hermie (the little naughty elf that says, "I don't WANNA make toys", or in this case, "I don't WANNA play with Shaq") will be played by Kobe. The part of the scary Abominable Snowman will be played by Shaq, so grab yourself some figgy pudding, put another log on the fire and let's watch the single most anticipated show of the year.....that is, until the Bryants and Malones guest star on "Wife Swap".......

I thought I had seen AND heard it all this season! I watched Ron take off from Planet Artestia and land in the Auburn Hills stands, I saw Kobe's mission to alienate himself from the entire National Basketball Association, and I watch helplessly week after week as the Maloof brothers continue to sign checks: Pay To The Order Of: Greg Ostertag but NOTHING prepared me for what I heard over the weekend about Vince Carter. Reports say that during a Raptors/Sonics game a month ago with :29 remaining and the Raptors down seven, Vince Carter came out of a timeout and TOLD Seattle players what the play was going to be. As Toronto got ready to inbound the ball, Vince looked at the Sonics bench and yelled, "it's a flare, it's a flare" and the Raptors then ran a flare play for Carter. Is he serious? I mean that sounds like something that would happen in a bad after school special, and the kid gets kicked off his High School basketball team. When Vince Carter first came into the league, he owned it. He was electrifying, fans loved him, he had heart and he was a winner. NOW, I'd rather have Vince PILEGGI (who works in our mail room) than Vince CARTER. Sure, he doesn't have near the athleticism, and to be honest, I'm really not sure if he's EVER played basketball before but he's dependable, he doesn't whine, he does one hell of a job, and he does it all for a lot less than $16 million a year!!

Oh well, Vince got his wish, he was traded to New Jersey for Alonzo Mourning, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, "Hot Rod" Williams, Buck Williams and two first round draft picks. My only hope is that the Nets now trade Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson and leave Vince with an even WORSE team than he had in Toronto. Couple that with the fact that he now has to live in Secaucus, New Jersey and Carter would be BEGGING to go back to Toronto. Also, we can't let Alonzo Mourning off the hook either, here's a guy that was signed by the Nets when no one was willing to take a chance on him. He misses all of last year, which killed the Nets chances of competing........but he still got paid. He returns this year but he's unhappy with the direction the Nets have taken and he wants to be traded or bought out of his contract. Aside from Grant Hill, this SHOULD be the comeback story of the year. I am rooting for Mourning with all my heart. Zo was battling for his LIFE a few years ago and now he's back on the NBA hardwood. Instead of being thankful for having a job, or financial security for the rest of his life, or thankful that he's.....I don't know.....ALIVE.... he finds something to complain about and says he wants to be with a contender. Good grief, these guys have me longing for the good ol' days of Nick Van Exel and Isaiah Ryder.......and those guys weren't happy ANYWHERE!!

I've put this off long enough but I feel it must now be dealt with. Latrell Sprewell is having by far the worst statistical year of his career, averaging a mere 12 points per game. This is down considerably from his 19 points per game career average. He's in the last year of his contract and is upset that he hasn't been offered an extension.....well, a big enough extension to keep his kids from going hungry. Here's Latrell Sprewell's direct quote, "I told you I needed to feed my family. They offered me 3 years at $21 million. That’s not going to cut it. And I’m not going to sit here and continue to give my children food while this front office takes money out of my pocket. If [owner Glen] Taylor wants to see my family fed, he better cough up some money. Otherwise, you’re going to see these kids in one of those Sally Struthers commercials soon.” What the hell does he feed his kids? Baby pandas? Da Vinci paintings? If $21 million over 3 years isn't enough to feed your kids AND all the children in the state of Minnesota, then you should have all your money taken from you, as well as sharp objects because you're not stable enough to own them.

Lastly, I am urging all you NBA fans to NOT vote for Vince Carter in the All-Star game, instead vote in Grant Hill. Spread the word!! Grant has fought for four years to be able to get back onto the court, while Carter has fought for four years to get OFF of it, suffering from every undetectable injury known to man. "Jumper's Knee", "achilles tendinitis", "bruised ego". We have about 150,000 votes to make up, but if I can convince even ONE voter, then the world's a better place.....

Dante welcomes your comments, questions and alternative opinions. E-mail him here.

Dante’s Speak is solely the opinion of Dante Marchitelli and does not reflect the views of the Orlando Magic or the NBA. Marchitelli has served as radio producer in the Orlando Magic's Broadcast department for six seasons.