Running off at the typewriter. …
By now, you’ve probably heard of the Kevin Bacon effect — the theory that everyone in Hollywood is only a few steps removed from Kevin Bacon. But let me introduce you to the Orlando Magic effect, a tragicomic tale in which the Magic unwittingly became the Kevin Bacon of the NBA.
Because somehow, some way, a single 2016 draft night trade by the Magic is now largely responsible for both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers reaching the NBA Finals.
Let’s rewind. It’s June 23, 2016. The Magic hold the No. 11 pick in the draft. They use it to select Domantas Sabonis, a skilled, high-IQ big man with NBA bloodlines. But Sabonis never plays a minute in a Magic jersey. Just moments later, Orlando trades him and promising guard Victor Oladipo to Oklahoma City in exchange for overrated power forward Serge Ibaka, who, if we’re being honest, built his reputation because he excelled playing next to young, in-their-prime Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
What did the Thunder do? A year later, they flipped Oladipo and Sabonis to the Pacers for Paul George, who two years later demanded a trade to team up with Kawhi Leonard in L.A. The Thunder oblige, sending him to the Clippers for an absurd return: A young Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five first-round picks and other shiny objects and trinkets.
SGA then turned into a superstar and this year’s MVP and is surrounded by talent harvested from the George trade. The Thunder, even though they are still the youngest team in the NBA, matured into the most complete team in the NBA this season.
Meanwhile, the Pacers didn’t just lose Paul George and go quietly into that good night. No, they kept Sabonis, who became a multiple-time All-Star and the foundation of their rebuild. Then in 2022, they flipped him to the Kings for a 21-year-old guard named Tyrese Haliburton, who has since become the smiling, assist-dropping engine behind Indy’s Finals run.
Translation: The Oladipo-Sabonis trade by the Magic provided both Oklahoma City and Indianapolis with their best player.
And the Magic? They got 56 games out of Serge Ibaka before trading him to Toronto for Terrence Ross and a future first-round pick.
It should be noted that the man who got fleeced by the Thunder in the original Oladipo-Sabonis trade was former GM Rob Hennigan, who is now the Thunder’s vice president of basketball operations.
Hennigan may have flopped miserably in his attempt to rebuild the Magic, but he unwittingly helped turn the Thunder and Pacers into championship contenders.
Somewhere, Kevin Bacon is smiling … probably sitting next to a Thunder or Pacers fan.
Short stuff: Did you see where the State Board of Governors rejected the University of Florida’s unanimous choice of Santa Ono as UF’s new president? Headline: “Board of Grinches leaves Santa in the cold.” Or: “Santa’s DEI past lands him on Florida’s naughty list.” … Tom Thibodeau just coached the Knicks to their deepest playoff run in 25 years and made them relevant again. Clearly, he needed to go. … I think the Magic’s new logo and new uniforms are cool, but, honestly, if the team could start making deep playoff runs, I wouldn’t care if the logo was a traffic jam on I-4 and the uniforms were plastic rain ponchos. … Prediction: After the Florida Panthers complete a gentleman’s sweep of the Edmonton Oilers to extend Canada’s streak of not winning a Stanley Cup to 33 years. Canadians will voluntarily vote to become our 51st state just to save themselves the embarrassment of being further humiliated by American hockey teams. …
Still can’t believe UF baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s classless, profanity-laced tirade against NCAA Regional officials regarding a 1-hour time change for UF’s elimination game against East Carolina on Sunday? Coming soon: O’Sullivan cusses out neighborhood Girl Scout because his box of Thin Mints showed up a day late. … A moment of silence, please: Minnesota Vikings great Jim Marshall just ran the wrong way through the pearly gates into That Great Purple People Eatery in the Sky. … My Super Seven greatest NFL defensive-unit nicknames of all-time: (7) Doomsday Defense (Dallas Cowboys). (6) Monsters of the Midway (Chicago Bears). (5) Steel Curtain (Pittsburgh Steelers). (4) Fearsome Foursome. (L.A. Rams). (3) Legion of Boom. (Seattle Seahawks), (2) New York Sack Exchange (New York Jets.) (1) Purple People Eaters (Minnesota Vikings). … Breaking News: Kevin O’Sullivan just berated a Waffle House waitress because his hash browns weren’t scattered, smothered and covered fast enough. … Personally, I love the NBA Finals matchup between two mid-major markets — Oklahoma City and Indiana — but this is destined to be one of the lowest-rated championship series in history. The last time this scant amount of people were excited to watch a championship sporting event it was the Cornhole Finals on ESPN8. … I’m not saying Scottie Scheffler is impervious to pressure, but he showed more emotion in his police mugshot than he has on the back nine of a major. The only thing that rattles the guy is having to choose between Polynesian Sauce and Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Sauce at Chick-fil-A . … How bad are the Colorado Rockies? They’re so bad that their season highlight so far was a successful tarp pull during a rain delay. …
Last word: With today being Nathaniel Hale’s birthday, let us never forget the brave words of the American Revolutionary War hero just before he was hanged by the British: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen
