Orlando Magic News Blog @newzblogz.com

ORLANDO - For the Orlando Magic, Thursday's NBA Draft will be the calm before the storm.

Because they have no first-round draft choice and no desire to move into the first round because of the implications it would have on their salary cap room, the Magic's draft night will be mostly ho-hum. They will pick 44th and 54th after trading their first-round pick (No. 15) to Detroit in 2006.

But soon after the draft, minutes into July 1 actually, a frenzy that could very well rival the Billy Donovan/Stan Van Gundy coaching madness from earlier in the month will begin for the Magic.

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Future Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing, who finished a 17-year NBA playing career in Orlando, could be returning to the Magic next season as an assistant coach under Stan Van Gundy.

According to those close to Ewing, he is strongly considering an offer from Van Gundy to rejoin the Magic and help coach 21-year-old center Dwight Howard.

Ewing didn't coach in the NBA last season, leaving the Houston Rockets after three years working under head coach Jeff Van Gundy, Stan's brother. He also served as an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards.

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The history of Florida players taken in the NBA draft is filled with recent first-round draft picks and some legends of eras past.

But for Gator basketball, the NBA draft has never been as fruitful as the one expected Thursday night.

Florida has never had more than two players taken in the same draft. On Thursday, three could potentially get picked among the first 10 selections.

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Contrary to their lowly, laughable place in the NBA standings, the players

on the Orlando Magic's first team really were big winners.

It just took nearly two decades for folks to recognize it.

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Corey Brewer, Al Horford and Joakim Noah composed the best frontline in college basketball the past two seasons.

All three bypassed NBA millions as projected first-round draft picks in 2006 to return in 2007, a big reason why Florida won back-to-back championships.

It's also a big reason why the three will likely go within the first 10 picks of Thursday's NBA draft in New York City.

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