DeShawn Stevenson, shooting guard for the Magic, is in the process of getting other opinions on his troublesome left knee that might need surgery this summer.

Even with the uncertainty about his health, he still is planning to opt out of the final year of his contract this summer, hoping for a better deal.

Otis Smith is expected to sign a four-year contract when the Orlando Magic name him the club's general manager within the next few weeks, the Orlando Sentinel is reporting.

Smith and Dave Twardzik replaced general manager John Weisbrod and ran the club as assistant GMs this past season. NBA sources told the Sentinel last week that Smith and the Magic have been working on details of a contract.

Grant Hill reiterated to the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday what he told the newspaper several weeks ago: He will retire if the last option to correct his nagging sports hernia injury this summer is surgery.

"I would probably say yes," Hill said by cell phone. "I don't see getting another surgery. We tried it. It didn't work. I don't see doing another."

The Magic finished the 2005-2006 season very strong and could get a big boost if their All-Star small forward Grant Hill returns.  He reiterated to the Sentinel on Thursday what he told the newspaper several weeks ago: He will retire if the last option to correct his nagging sports hernia injury this summer is surgery.

"I would probably say yes," Hill said by cell phone. "I don't see getting another surgery. We tried it. It didn't work. I don't see doing another."

The Orlando Magic?s Dwight Howard and the Los Angeles Lakers? Kobe Bryant today were named Eastern Conference and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in April.

Averaging 18.1 points on .559 shooting and a league-high 14.0 rebounds and recording an NBA-best seven double-doubles, Howard led the Magic to a 7-2 record and their best month of the season. In a 102-97 win over the Sixers on April 15, he registered a season-high 28 points and a career-high and NBA season-high 26 rebounds.

Behind Bryant?s averages of a league-high 41.6 points on .509 shooting, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals, the Lakers went 6-2 and won their last five games to secure a spot in the playoffs. Bryant scored more than 30 points in every contest and recorded his fifth and sixth 50-point games of the season. Bryant captured the 2005-06 scoring title with 35.4 points per game and became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1989-90 to amass 2,700 points in a single season with 2,832 total points.

Magic guard DeShawn Stevenson told the Sentinel he wants a better contract and might have to exercise his option to play elsewhere next season.

Stevenson can become a free agent this summer by opting out of his three-year, $8.2-million deal that expires after the 2006-07 season.

He will make $3 million next season with the Magic if he stays, an amount he might be able to beat in free agency.

"I'm looking to take care of my family even more," Stevenson said. "I'm not saying I don't have the money now, but, you know, just being even more secure . . . because anything can happen next year with a three-year deal."

Magic Assistant General Manager Otis Smith said Monday that restricted free-agent forward Trevor Ariza will be signed to a new contract this offseason.

"We'll sign Trevor back," Smith said.

Ariza can become a free agent this summer, but the Magic aren't expected to offer much more than the minimum.

According to Florida Today, the Magic and Darko Milicic have started discussions about a contract extension, but the two sides are likely to wait until next summer to finalize the deal because of the security that would offer both sides.

A full season will give the Magic an extended look at Milicic, while Milicic will get a chance to improve his status with a strong season.

"We've had a conversation, but whether we're going to extend him based on 30 games or not, I'm not sure yet," Magic assistant general manager Otis Smith said. "We'll continue conversations and evaluate it, and if it makes sense and it's something we want to do from a numbers standpoint, we'll do it. But if we can't keep the numbers down, we won't engage it."

The Chicago Bulls blew out the Heat 117-93 on Sunday to secure their second consecutive playoff appearance.

The win came on forward Luol Deng's 21st birthday, and Deng celebrated in style, scoring 17 of his 26 points in the first half to spearhead the Bulls' rally from an early 15-point deficit.

Chicago's win not only spoiled Miami's home finale, it eliminated any hope Orlando had of sneaking onto the East's playoff bracket. Philadelphia remained alive, but barely -- one more win by Washington or one more 76ers loss would put the Wizards in and complete the East field, leaving the positioning as the only deciding factor over the last few games.

Dwight Howard scored a season-high 28 points and grabbed a career-high 26 rebounds to give Orlando a 102-97 win over Philadelphia, keeping the Magic's postseason hopes alive and further damaging the 76ers'.

"They stuck with us the whole game," Howard said. "To me it felt like a little playoff game. It kept going back and forth."