We’re not going to be discussing Stan Van Gundy. No point in that. No collapse can undo the smooth serenity that was brought upon our minds and souls as we heard that 1-inside-4-outside machine hum, or the magnificent dominance behind a defensive juggernaut that was as much fat-mustachioed-coach as it was physical-specimen-superstar.

We’re not going to be discussing Otis Smith. Poor, foolish, naïve little Otis Smith. “Gilbert can do it! We’re friends!”, “Big Baby can do it! Him and Dwight are friends!”, “Hedo can do it! Him and pizza are friends!”. I will defend the de facto Hedo for Vince trade until the day I die – 2009 Hedo was a mediocre player who just happened to work at a flukishly high capacity when the cameras were on for a two month stretch, while 2009 Vince was a legitimate all-star player everywhere on the floor – but it just so happened that he was also Vince Carter. And that was the best Otis move of them all. Frightening.

We’re not going to be discussing Dwight’s leadership, whatever that hyperbolic 10 letter bundle even means. Not because it isn’t the story. When the best defensive player in the entire league stops trying on defense, it’s a story. When the second best player in the league seems follows the exact path of the best player in the league even though it made him the biggest villain in modern sports, it’s a story. When your franchise player takes a good hard look at his friends being blown out by one of the worst teams in the league, shakes his head, and pulls off Eric Cartman’s “screw you guys, I’m going home” – it’s a story. It’s just not my story.

No, the end of a Magic era that was but a few breaks away from being a true dynasty isn’t about the main characters. At least not for now. Because even though it’s Dwight’s own whims that will ultimately send him away from central Florida, it’s hard to ignore the fact that this team just isn’t good enough to do actual damage. Even with the big fella still roaming the corridors of the Amway Center. The supporting cast that did so much for that 09 Finals run and that dominant 09-10 campaign (I still hate that we didn’t get a Cavs-Magic rematch that year. They really were the two best teams) should, on paper, be stronger than ever, yet has unceremoniously dissipated as time went by.

“Should, on paper, be stronger than ever”?

Typically, when contenders die, they die old and feeble, bereft of alternatives. A 34 year old shooting guard there, a 35 year old backup center here, with no replacement in sight other than the 38 buyout candidate. We saw it in Cleveland, where LeBron James was surrounded by a prime Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao to go with an assortment of over-the-hill veterans, and one Shaquille O’Neal, who at that point may have well been the actual hill. We’re seeing it now in Boston, with the Jeff Green youth infusion sadly being denied by factors far more important than basketball, leaving Rajon Rondo to shoulder the entire burden of internal development unless Avery Bradley decides he’s going to be good.

Orlando has gotten internal development. Limited volumes of such, to be sure, but amounts unheard of for the dying giant that Orlando is in today’s landscape. Ryan Anderson has internally developed into something that is either an all-star or the best role player ever, playing the Rashard Lewis role at a level that Rashard Lewis never even approached. J.J. Redick, after exhausting years of hard work and refusal to accept his fate as an NBA non-factor, overcame last year’s injury problems and is working at the capacity of a very good NBA starter. Even Von Wafer has been less Von Wafer than usual, doing a good job creating shots and making them at a solid rate.

If you add these two and a half improving youngsters to what used to be a solid array of role players and semi-stars, this should be a far better Magic team than last season. Maybe not Chicago or Miami level, but as close as it gets out East.

Of course, that’s contingent on the non-youngsters as well. And that’s where, umm, sad.

Jason Richardson made his name as a volume scorer, an elite outside shooter, and one of the best rebounding guards in basketball. Well, after his move to Orlando saw him lose 2 of those 3, he got a 4 year $24 million (sorry, some Otis Smith talk will inevitably get in here), he stopped making threes as well. The result is 9.9 points on 48.5% true shooting, and a rebound rate lower than the likes of Jannero Pargo. It boggles the mind, but to the naked eye, it seems as if a 31 year old who is less than 2 years away from being a major playoff factor is now virtually useless as a basketball player. Looks like Kevin Pelton was right after all.

Parker went missing on Nov. 17, shortly after an appearance on “The People’s Court’’ aired. Police are searching the lake, located behind a now-defunct nightclub in Orlando, according to a report in The Orlando Sentinel. In December, Parker’s iPhone was found by divers under a bridge in Belle Isle. It was last active at 8 p.m. on the day she disappeared.

The 34-year-old mother of 3-year-old twins was last seen dropping her children off at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 17 at the home of their father, Dale Smith II. Police have searched Smith’s home and his parents’ home since Parker went missing. Authorities have named Smith, 40, the prime suspect in her disappearance but have not charged him with any crime.

Rooney most recently played with Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls, who claimed him in the second round of the 2011 draft. Rooney appeared in five games for the Bulls and made two US Open Cup appearances, where he scored his lone goal of 2011 against FC New York.

“Cinematic Spectacular” will celebrate a century of Universal Studios movie memories with a nighttime water show that features film clips projected on 30-foot-by-30-foot waterfall screens and colorful fountains that rocket 100 feet into the air along with laser lights and pyrotechnic displays on the Orlando theme park’s central lagoon.

The president was met by a large group of local people who had been waiting to see him since the early morning hours.Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer was also on the plane with the president. Mayor Dyer was in Washington, D.C., for the national conference of mayors and took the flight back to Orlando with the president.U.S. Secretary of Commerce John Bryson was also on the flight.Before heading to the Magic Kingdom, Obama shook hands and greeted the group who had been waiting to meet him.The motorcade is traveling from the airport, down State Road 528, which is the Beachline, to I-4 and then to the Magic Kingdom.Slow traffic is expected until his departure on those major roadways.Obama will speak at the Magic Kingdom on streamlining visa regulations for countries with emerging economies like Brazil, India and China.The president will depart from Orlando International Airport at 2:35 p.m.

Lewis was back in the arena that he helped get built on Wednesday, wearing a Wizards T-shirt and warm-ups during shootaround. But he still has a deep connection with the Magic, stays in contact with several of his former teammates, and was even upset when the team lost in the first round to Atlanta Hawks last postseason.

“I still felt like I was a part of the team. I thought they should’ve beat them,” Lewis said of the Hawks. “I still have close friends on the team and you know I have a lot of respect for the organization.”

His former coach, Stan Van Gundy, certainly has a lot of lot of respect for Lewis and believes that there is a direct correlation between the success of the franchise and his arrival.

The season before Lewis came, the Magic won 40 games. The next season, the team won 52. And before Lewis left, the Magic had won three Southeast Division titles and reached the NBA Finals.

“I think he’s been given credit. But I don’t think he’s still gotten nearly enough credit for what he did,” Van Gundy, mentioning how the personnel wasn’t much different than the season before Lewis arrived. “I thought, in that turnaround, when he came, really, a lot of it revolved around him. Clearly, Dwight [Howard] was the best player and Jameer [Nelson] was here and [Hedo Turkoglu] played well. But what changed was Rashard Lewis.”

“He was the major addition and I think on top of that, the guy came to a new team, changed positions, had to battle bigger guys at the four, so we could get our best players on the floor and really changed the whole way that the Magic played, because of his skills,” Van Gundy said. “And on top of that, maybe the best team guy I’ve been around. Was never a guy that complained about shots, changing positions. Never made excuses about playing against bigger guys. He just went out, competed and played at a high level every night.”

The Magic recognized Lewis with a video montage when the Wizards visited last season, but he was unable to play. Fans still gave him a loud and appreciative ovation. “That meant a lot,” Lewis said. “Made me feel that we did have good times when I was here. The fans did appreciate me. Even though I was traded, they welcomed me back with open arms.”

As he giddily strolled through Amway Center before the Wizards’ shootaround, Lewis gazed as the banners and went searching for any Magic staffers to catch up with.

“I’m just looking for people to talk to,” Lewis said. “It was fun, it was cool, coming back to Orlando. I think at the beginning of the game, I’ll be nervous coming back to play. I’m not only excited to play against the Magic, but to play in front of the fans that I grew to love when I was here the last three or four years.”

At Disney World, park officials said the holiday season is always busy for them but they had not experienced this many people at one time in a while.

“I’ve never seen so many people in one park in my life,” tourist Nick Blois said.

Huskers Get Bowl Gift Bags

Every bowl gives out gifts to the players. The Capitol One Bowl has given the players a watch and a $420 Best Buy gift card that must be used during a team shopping spree in Orlando.Running back Rex Burkhead said his teammates are taking advantage of the cards.”I think TVs are big. The Dr. Dre headphones are a big item and yes, videogames too,” said Burkhead. “There’s a Norelco shaving and grooming kit I was thinking about getting. It seems like a good investment.”The Capitol One Bowl kicks off at 12 p.m. on Jan. 2.