As the San Antonio Spurs prepare to battle the Orlando Magic at the TD Waterhouse Centre tonight, some Magicfans are still dreaming about seeing Tim Duncan in a magic uniform next season. Well, they need to keep dreaming because Duncan ain't coming.

Jerry Brewer of the Orlando Sentinel reports: The Orlando Magic simply won't have the salary capspace.

Duncan can opt-out of his contract this summer, and the Magic once estimated that they would have enough cap space to make another run at him, especially after they came close to getting him three summers ago.

However, The Magic figure to have only the Mid-Level Exception ($4.5 million) and the Million Dollar Exception ($1.5 million. They originally had thought that they would have $13 million in capspace.

When he visited the Magic and struggled with a stay-or-go decision, Magic General Manager John Gabriel knew it would be tough to get the 7-foot, 260-pound forward. "Tim Duncan wasn't a free agent," Gabriel said."He was a guy who only wanted to visit one place."

In the end, Duncan didn't come then and he won't come now.

Who says that NBA players are greedy?  Realising that this is Michael Jordan's final All-Star game Orlando superstar Tracy McGrady has offered to forfeit his starting position on the Eastern Conference squad to make way for Jordan, ESPN.com is reporting.

"I have thought about this for a while. I'll do it, absolutely," McGrady told the newspaper. "For what Michael Jordan has done for this league and this game, I'll do anything.

"It's his last All-Star Game. I don't have any problem with that. I'll get in the game. I'd love to see it. I have to call the league office to see if I can do it."

"We'd consider it,'' league spokesman Michael Broeker said. A Wizards spokeswoman said Thursday that Jordan had no immediate comment.

"T-Mac wanting to do that doesn't surprise me," Magic coach Doc Rivers said in the Sentinel. "As aloof as he looks, he has a real sense for the history of the game. And he doesn't look at it like he's kissing Michael's butt. He wants to beat Michael's butt any other time."

"That's a terrific gesture from Tracy," said the official who requested anonymity. "We'll have to see. We've made exceptions before."

As the Sixers continue the ups-and downs of an inconsistent season, Larry Brown may be contemplating getting off the ride. Bernard Fernandez of the Philadelphia Daily News reports that Brown talked about finding a replacement to lead his team after a disappointing 97-83 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in front of the home fans.

One night after blowing out the Bucks in Milwaukee, they were dominated by the Hawks in Philly. Brown doesn?t understand the inconsistency.

"I hope some of the guys we've gotten will improve," Brown said. "If not...I don't know where we are. Maybe we get somebody in here at my position that can do a better job. I don't know. I think the way this league is, that's the way it goes."

Brown is a well-documented wanderer, but his six years in Philadelphia is the longest of his NBA coaching career. His players have heard him talk about stepping down before, but it might be more serious this time.

Allen Iverson, who scored a game-high 37 points, said he hoped Brown was just venting after one of the team's tougher, more unfathomable losses. "I just hope it's coach being coach," he said. "I can't tell you what he's thinking. I can't say what's going on in his head."

Eric Snow, who tied a career high with 15 assists, is also frustrated with the Sixers? woes. "Everything we did against Milwaukee, we didn't do tonight," Snow said. "That's why you get beat the way we got beat. We've talked about this I don't know how long. We know what we have to do, and we're obviously not doing it. The organization has to decide if this team is good enough to win. If not, they have to make changes."

Brown clearly misses character guys like George Lynch and Tyrone Hill, who willed themselves to give their best for every minute of every game during the more halcyon days of the Brown regime. "We got a lot of new guys who are different than we had before," Brown said. "I think their mentality's different. George Lynch, Tyrone...people like that wouldn't let this happen. Maybe we'd have lost, but it wouldn't be this way."

Asked whether the Sixers were "schizophrenic," Brown said: "Maybe. I watched 'A Beautiful Mind' before the game. I wanted to see Marilyn Monroe, and Phyllis Diller was out there."

In a related story, Stephen A. Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Brown is unhappy with the makeup of his team and is looking to make changes.

The prevailing rumor has them sending Derrick Coleman and his ending contract to Atlanta for ex-sixers/defensive stopper Theo Ratliff. Brown misses the hustle and defense of his 2001 Finals team and bringing Ratliff back would improve their interior defense immensely.

Before the Atlanta trade talks, they talked to the Knicks about trading Keith Van Horn for Latrell Sprewell. Before that, it was Van Horn to Orlando for injured Grant Hill, months after vowing that Van Horn was the answer to their prayers.

Orlando star Tracy McGrady will be back in uniform Wednesday night against Cleveland following the birth of his child at an Orlando hospital, John Denton of Florida Today is reporting.

McGrady will rejoin his teammates today for practice after missing the Magic's loss to the Celtics Sunday in Boston.

Seven years patience finally paid off for the Milwaukee Bucks this past draft when they traded the rights to former University of Wisconsin center Rashard Griffith along to the Orlando Magic for Jamal Sampson in return.  Milwaukee had waited seven years for Griffith to arrive in town, but the center instead decided to take his game to Europe.

In a deal which Bucks GM Ernie Grunfield reports was completed within minutes Griffith became the property of the Magic while the Bucks received the 19 year old 6-11 Sampson, and they immediately get to see what they got.

With center Joel Przybilla placed on the injured list with foot problems, Sampson finally was promoted onto the active roster and now patiently waits for his opportunity.

"It was fun," the 19-year-old Sampson said about being part of the active roster. "Getting out there for the first time was exciting."

"Everybody wants to play," he said. "But I realize I have a lot of time. I'm young and this gives me a chance to see what I can do."

If you are planning a trip to Orlando do not forget your ankle brace.

Jerry Brewer of the Orlando Sentinel reports that the Magic's "other" small forward Mike Miller did not play Sunday after spraining his right ankle during practice the day before.

Unlike his teammate Grant Hill, Miller is hoping to be back on the court for the Magic's next game, but according to Brewer his ankle is rolled pretty severely.

"I'm always looking to play in the next game, but we'll see," said Miller.

"That's just bad luck," Miller said. "If there was something wrong structurally, I'd be concerned. But it's just a sprain."

Jerry Brewer of the Orlando Sentinel reports: After yet, another game in which Magic forward Grant Hill played limited minutes and left because of soreness in his left ankle, Magic Head Coach Doc Rivers said that Hill might get a extended rest. Rivers even used the words "until the playoffs."

"This ain't working," Rivers said of Hill's in-and-out status and what it is doing both to Hill's confidence and the team's. "It ain't."

Rivers said he plans to speak today with General Manager John Gabriel, who did not make the trip, and begin discussions on a more drastic approach.

"We're back down that same road," Rivers said. "It's a decision we really have to make very soon. I told Grant at halftime, "Even if you don't play again until -- if we make -- the playoffs, then you won't play until the playoffs.' We might have to do that."

Last night, Hill was limited to only 12 minutes of action and just two points, two boards, and an assist against the Washington Wizards.

Grant Hill continues to struggle with his injury. He left last night?s loss to the Wizards in the second quarter and did not return because of soreness in his left ankle. Jerry Brewer of the Orlando Sentinel reports that Magic coach Doc Rivers said the team will decide whether an extended rest for Hill is in order.

"Extended" could mean "until the playoffs". "This ain't working," Rivers said of Hill's in-and-out status and what it is doing both to Hill's confidence and the team's. "It ain't."

"We're back down that same road," Rivers said. "It's a decision we really have to make very soon. I told Grant at halftime, "Even if you don't play again until -- if we make -- the playoffs, then you won't play until the playoffs.' We might have to do that."

How do trade rumors affect a player both on and off the court?  Do feelings of beign unwanted go through their heads?  Can they look their coach and teammates in their eye?  Does their performance on the court suffer as their mind wanders through the insecurity?

Kwame Brown of the Washington Wizards is learning first hand how it feels.  Steve Wyche of the Washington Post writes that the second year phenom is not happy and quite bothered about the recent trade rumors that have involved his name.

"I get phone calls from people who say. 'You're getting traded,' " Brown said. "I get frustrated hearing it. To hear that, it's like 'They don't want me?' " Brown said.

According to Wyche Brown has been assured that he won't be dealt, with Wyche himself claiming that a Wizards source has as much to him.  The source also confirmed a report by the Orlando Sentinel on the Magic's offer of draft picks and cash in exchange for Brown and said that teams have been calling about Brown, only to be rebuffed because management feels he is on track to developing into a star.

According to Jerry Brewer of the Orlando Sentinel, the Magic see Brown as a future star who is in an impossible situation.  If he can escape the grasp of the ever-demanding Jordan he could quickly develop into a star.  For this reason the Magic may just sweaten their deal to a combination of Mike Miller and draft pick(s)/cash.  The team, however, is reluctant to do this with question marks still lying over Grant Hill and his problematic ankle.

The latest strategy being employed by the Orlando Magic in the never ending saga which is Grant Hill's ankle is to keep their star grounded.  Literally.

John Denton of Florida Today writes that the belief around Orlando is that airline travel has an adverse affect on the painful joint.

"Maybe the one thing we know for sure about this is that flying absolutely affects his ankle," Magic coach Doc Rivers said. "If he had flown up here, there would have been a chance he couldn't have played. And then he might not have played (tonight) against Detroit either."

As it stands Hill missed the Philadelphia game after not travelling with the team, but now is a chance to suit up against his ex-team the Detroit Pistons at home.

"It's no coincidence that's he's struggled on all of our West Coast trips after all of those five-hour flights," Rivers said.