Buried deep on the depth chart, Magic G Deshawn Stevenson isn't happy with his role on the team. "I just have to somehow keep my head up," Stevenson muttered as he was walking out of TD Waterhouse Centre recently.

Signed to a 3 year, $8 million extension this past summer, Stevenson expected a larger role on a revamped Magic roster. He opened the training camp in a heated battle with G Keith Bogans over who would receive the last spot on the active roster. Just days before regular season would start, however, Magic GM John Weisbrod shipped Bogans to Charlotte, which seemed to put Stevenson in the clear.

Unhappy with the cut in his playing time after Mobley's return to injury, however, Stevenson publicaly demanded a trade during the team's West coast trip. But following a closed-door session with general manager John Weisbrod, he has toned down his request.

In a recent radio interview, Weisbrod went on to say that "he has two players in front of him (Cuttino Mobley and Hedo Turkoglu) who are clearly better than him" which prompted Stevenson to describe his current role as follows: "I'm trying to give the starters good reps at practice. My job is to make Cuttino better. Right now, I just have to get him ready for the games. He plays hard against me every day in practice, so I have to think that's making me a better player."