Orlando fans will get a chance to take a look at two former Magic superstars in NBA preseason action in mid-late October.

Shaquille O'neal and the Miami Heat will play the Magic twice in Central Florida while Tracy McGrady will visit once.

The rest of the NBA's preseason and regular-season schedules will be released next week. Orlando will open up the season at home against the Bucks.

Shaquille O'Neal won't mention Kobe Bryant by name.  But in a recent telephone interview, it wasn't too difficult to figure out to whom the big man was referring.

O'Neal said that he didn't think Bryant ever asked management to keep the team together.  And O'Neal told the media that he thinks Bryant wanted him out of LA.

"Be careful what you wish for, buddy," O'Neal said several times during the 15-minute interview.

The 32-year-old O'Neal said he may have "six dominant years" left in him, especially in the relatively weak Eastern Conference.

"The West is loaded," he said. "Denver's got Kenyon Martin and 'Melo (Carmelo Anthony). San Antonio's got "(Tim) Duncan and (Tony) Parker. Minnesota's got KG (Kevin Garnett). Sac's got (Chris) Webber and (Mike) Bibby. In the East, all they've got is the two O'Neal boys (himself and Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal)."

"We're gonna be straight," O'Neal said. "I was down here the other day working out with the kid from Vanderbilt we got (second-round pick Matt Freije), and I told him, 'I'm gonna come across the block, and if I get doubled, I'm gonna pass the ball to you and you're gonna have a wide-open jumper, or (forward) Udonis Haslem is gonna come down the lane and he's gonna get a dunk, and you're all gonna get big contracts.' He said, 'What do you mean?' I said, 'Just look at the history. Travis Knight. Horace Grant. A.C. Green.' He said, 'Shaq, you're one of the coolest guys I've met.'"

Philadelphia, PA (Reuters) - Shaquille O'Neal knows that the Miami Heat acquired him from the Los Angeles Lakers for one reason, to win championships. Merchandise and ticket sales will go through the roof, but the main reason Miami brought in O'Neal was to help get the franchise to the next level.

The 32-year-old O'Neal, who spent eight seasons with fellow All-Star Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, will now team with 22-year-old point guard Dwyane Wade, who had a sensational rookie season with the Heat, who traded forwards Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and Caron Butler along with a first-round draft pick to the Lakers for the 7-1 O'Neal, who has had experience in teaming with star guards. In his first four seasons in the NBA, O'Neal formed a dynamic duo with Anfernee Hardaway in Orlando

I told Dwyane, lets just get it going," said O'Neal at the press conference where he was introduced as a member of the Heat. "John Wooden, when I first met him, I was with Coach Del Brown, he told me, 'Shaquille, obviously you are a great player, but being great isn't about putting it between your legs, scoring 50 or 60 points. Being great is how you help your other teammates to strive. That is what being great is about.' I took that; I have always been the type of big man that keeps my guys along. Dwyane had it pretty hard last year because he was a rookie and they started seeing his game. Now it's going to open up, it's going to open up more room for him. I expect him to be the number one or number two guard in the Eastern Conference because last year he impressed me. I usually don't get impressed by a guard, but he impressed me. Not because of the dunking and all of the stuff that he did, but because he still kept his guys involved and he still did what he did."

"Yes, you will see a meaner side (of Wade)," said O'Neal. "I am not going to come in here and say to do this and do that. It is obvious that the kid can play. If he needs my advice, I will tell it to him. He has a back up on the floor, if they foul him hard, they are going to get fouled hard on the next play down. I am just going to be his big brother. I am not the type to say to do this and do that. I do not know what it takes to become a great guard, I know what it takes to become a great team player and he already has that quality. It is his team, throughout the history of the game, teams have always belonged to guards. I have never played with a special guard that is special and he is a special guard. The team is his, I am just here to do my part, which is to rebound, dominate, play good defense and win. The kid can play, the kid can play."

"I don't see anybody, in any conference that can shut me down," said O'Neal. "Any conference, anywhere in the world."

The Miami Heat are in need for a veteran point guard and are currently considering many of the options in the saturated market.  Charlie Ward, Kenny Anderson, Brevin Knight and Lindsey Hunter are all free agents and all are reportedly a possibility to join the Heat this season, as they attempt to quickly build a championship team.

Minnesota executive Kevin McHale has gone on record stating that all indications show that Karl Malone will sign with the Miami Heat.  He was actively courting the heroic power forward and now appears to be moving on.  

The San Antonio Spurs however, do not think that the Mailman contest is over, as they are continuing their pursuit.  San Antonio is a proven NBA Champion and Malone has made no secret that he continues to play for one reason, other than breaking the scoring record, and that is to win a ring.

July 26 -- From leading the Heat to the second round of the playoffs to joining fellow rookies Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James on the U.S. Olympic team, Dwyane Wade's career is certainly on the rise. As USAB starts its pre-Olympic tour, NBA.com talked to the Miami guard about what playing in Athens means to him.

How does it feel to be a part of the Olympic team?

Wade: "It feels good. It feels good to be a part of something like the Olympics and part of a team like that with some of the best players."

Was making the Olympics a goal of yours?

Wade: "Not really a goal. The NBA was a goal, winning an NBA championship was a goal, but the Olympics are an extra and I'm honored to be on the team."

Karl Malone is reportedly leaning towards following Shaquille O'Neal to Miami.  He has also been considering furthering his ring hunt in Minnesota, but he likely feels that there is a more probable chance of returning to The Finals with the Heat.

LOS ANGELES -- The big guy had a big-hearted message for Los Angeles Lakers' fans.

Shaquille O'Neal took out a full-page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times on Sunday to thank fans for their support during his eight years with the Lakers, when he helped the team win three NBA championships.

The 7-foot-1, 340-pound O'Neal was traded last week to the Miami Heat.

"I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your incredible support over the last eight years," O'Neal said in the ad, which included a picture of him smiling and gripping a basketball in one hand. "I am moving on to the next chapter in my career, but I will never forget the support that you gave me."

The Lakers are rebuilding their team around superstar guard Kobe Bryant, who signed a seven-year contract worth more than $136 million. Rudy Tomjanovich will replace Phil Jackson as coach, and former Laker Vlade Divac, who was traded in 1996, will return to replace O'Neal at center.

Dorell Wright signed his contract with the Miami Heat.

'Wright's agent, Calvin Andrews, confirmed Saturday his client and the Heat have agreed to contract terms and all that remained was actually getting Wright's signature on the document.'

'Andrews said the two sides were never very far apart, especially considering the fact salaries for first-round picks are essentially predetermined by the collective bargaining agreement. The primary reason the contract is only now being finalized is because the Heat had been dealing mostly with the Shaquille O'Neal trade the past few weeks and put other matters on the back burner.'

''They were really more preoccupied with the whole Shaq thing, so we weren't necessarily worried about it,'' Andrews said. ``But it's important that we were able to get it done and get him ready.''

''I think [the Heat] thinks he can help them sooner than they thought when they drafted him,'' Andrews said. ``I think moving all those pieces [in the trade] was a confirmation of that. The big thing between now and October is for him to fill out [physically], and that will come.''

'According to the rookie scale, the 19th draft pick will make a first-year salary of just more than $960,000. The deal is for three years, with the Heat holding an option for a fourth.'

MIAMI -- Heat President Pat Riley has publicly expressed his sorrow and gratitude to the players he traded to the Los Angeles Lakers to bring superstar center Shaquille O'Neal to South Florida.

In a unique gesture on Thursday, the Heat invited its fans to log onto the team's Web site (heat.com) and send messages of appreciation to Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant.

About 3,000 miles west, there have been no such offers emanating from the Lakers regarding O'Neal's departure. In fact, one local radio host, Roger Lodge, has called for the public burning of O'Neal's Lakers jersey, while another has bid the Big Diesel good riddance.