PHILADELPHIA — Orlando Magic General Manager Otis Smith indicated Monday that he has no plans to make a major move to alter his team’s roster in the near future.

“If a string of losses causes you to change your plans, then I’m in the wrong job,” Smith said Monday night, before the Magic fell 74-69 to the Philadelphia 76ers to lose their fourth consecutive game.

“I think you look at your team as a whole and understand that we have to fight through whatever we have to fight through and you continue to evaluate everything top to bottom. That’s what you do. When it’s time to make a change, you make a change.”

Smith generally does not like to make trades in-season, but he did so last season after the Magic lost five of six games from Dec. 4-14, 2010.

On Dec. 18, he completed two major moves.

The Magic acquired Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus, a 2012 first-round pick and cash.

In a separate deal, the Magic obtained Gilbert Arenas from the Washington Wizards for Rashard Lewis.

This season, Smith would be hamstrung if he wanted to make a move now.

Players who were signed as free agents prior to the season — a list that includes Richardson, Clark and Glen Davis — cannot be traded before March 1.

Smith said he is inclined to put the Magic’s recent struggles into context.

On Monday, the Magic played their 10th game in 15 nights and played without their regular starting backcourt of Jameer Nelson and Jason Richardson, who are injured.

“No matter what the issue is, losing concerns me,” Smith said.

“So you have a combination of things. You have a combination of injuries. You’ve got tired bodies. You’ve got good teams [you are facing]. The schedule’s not very conducive to playing very good basketball right now. But we’ve got to fight through it.”

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

Dwight Howard is apparently hurting Jameer Nelson‘s feelings.

What a meanie.

Orlando Magic general manager Otis Smith has been through a lot with the Howard saga over the past two seasons, and on Friday he said that the issue has finally trickled down from the front office to the players. The distractions of Howard’s impending free agency and rumblings of his desire to play with Nets point guard Deron Williams are partly to blame for the underwhelming play of Nelson this season, Smith reasoned.

“You spend time talking about Chris Paul or Deron Williams, but what position do they play?” Smith said, according to the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s the same position that [Nelson] plays. So it’s not necessarily that [Howard] is directly throwing him under the bus, but he’s indirectly throwing him under the bus.”

On the surface, this looks like a defense of Nelson, whose scoring, field goal attempts and free throw attempts per game have plummeted since his All-Star season of 2008-09. Is it really, though? Smith is saying, in essence, that Nelson is a kid who can have his feelings hurt by blasphemous talk that he might not be the best point guard in the world.

At last check, Nelson, 29, was a grown man who played four seasons at Saint Joseph’s University, won the Naismith and Wooden awards as a senior, and has played in the NBA for eight seasons, including 39 playoff games. He is married and has a son, nicknamed “Deuce,” and he bravely faced the death of his father, who in 2007 was found floating in the Delaware River in Chester, Pa.

Nelson has dealt with a lot worse than a teammate wanting to walk as a free agent. He’s not playing well this season — in fact, he’s been terrible — but it’s not because of indirect speculation that Williams might be a little better than he is.

We point this out only to note that, on the most important matter of all, Smith has expertly played a potentially explosive situation. He’s done so simply by not trading Howard, who visits Boston on Monday night to take on the Celtics.

Orlando is the best place for Howard, even if he doesn’t fully realize it. 

It’s unclear what star players such as Howard envision awaits them in new locales. The Magic have spent seven years building their team around Howard, surrounding him with dangerous 3-point shooters, rugged rebounders and a point guard who has probably sacrificed his own statistics to accomodate Howard, the best big man in the game.

The other supposed suitors have, what? Howard supposedly dreams to teaming up with Williams on the Nets, but has he looked at the rest of that roster? Playing for the Lakers sounds nice until he realizes that, without Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum (at least one of whom, if not both, would have to be sent to Orlando in any trade), the Lakers are a lot like the Magic, only with a constantly disgruntled Kobe Bryant to tolerate.

With Howard, the Magic are 11-4 and arguably have better team chemistry than any of the Eastern Conference’s elite teams, save Chicago. (The 76ers and Pacers may top them all, but for now let’s hold off on calling Philly or Indy “elite.”)

Smith and the Magic clearly recognize that by keeping Howard, they stand a reasonable chance of making their second NBA Finals appearance in four years. The “trade him or he’ll leave for nothing” logic is outdated. The collective bargaining agreement gives players favorable terms for re-signing with their old teams, so most notable free agents take part in sign-and-trades. The Celtics recently exercised this option to sign unrestricted free agent Glen Davis before shipping him to Orlando for Brandon Bass.

To recap the Magic’s current options:

Keep Howard: They maintain one of the top four spots in the Eastern Conference, possibly make a deep playoff run and, at worst, sign-and-trade Howard this offseason for several young players and draft picks.

Trade Howard: First off, they lose the most dominant interior force in the NBA; plummet to the bottom of the standings; waste half a season of their young talent’s development when the coaching staff inevitably would get cleared out after a dispiriting campaign; watch those draft picks they acquired fall to the end of the first round, because Howard will single-handedly yank his new team out of the draft lottery.

Either Smith, who has made some questionable deals in attempts to keep Howard in Orlando (Hello, Gilbert Arenas!), knows this or he has advisors reminding him of this. The Magic are better for now and for the near future with Howard, and Howard will be better in the short term and in the long run as a member of the Magic.

This should be the type of disappointment even Nelson can overcome.

Otis Smith, talking (Getty Images)

Orlando GM Otis Smith gave a strange, impromptu interview on Sunday that was as odd in its execution as it was rare in its setting.

If you’ve ever covered an NBA game, and utilized access to the locker room and/or the underbelly of an NBA stadium, you’re not always likely to cross paths with an NBA GM. In a regular year, an NBA team can play nearly a hundred games once you count a good playoff run and a lame preseason jaunt, and GMs are often on the road scouting or (more than likely) ducking into a luxury suite so as to take in the NBA from a suitable distance away from credentialed punks like us.

Sometimes, though, you will see an NBA team’s personnel el jefe wandering the bowels of a stadium before teams tip off. And, sometimes, that man will be in charge of a bit of a hostage situation, when a team’s best player has gone all but public with a trade demand that everyone knows about. Such was the case with Otis Smith on Sunday.

The Magic GM admitted that nothing has changed in terms of star center Dwight Howard’s thinking, and trade request. That he hadn’t expanded his list of preferred destinations (as if that should matter to Smith), and that he still would like to be shipped out before next month’s trade deadline.

Here’s another portion, via the Orlando Sentinel:

I can’t do anything more than I can do, one. Second, my track record pretty much speaks for itself. Until we go all the way down, how can you condemn me? For what? Trying? Condemn me. If trying is a sin, then I have sinned a lot, because I’m never going to stop trying. That’s not my makeup. I don’t read what you write. I really don’t. When I say I don’t, I really don’t. So I don’t know. I get a lot of people saying, “Hang in there.” And I don’t really know what they’re talking about, because I don’t read it. And I really don’t. [...]

When we made the trades last year, I didn’t make the trades last year thinking it was going to turn us around right away. No. As a matter of fact, I think I said, “This trade is going to take some time. It’s not going to be one of those things where it’s hit or miss.” I normally do not trade during the course of the season. It’s just something I don’t like to do, because it takes a while to get your chemistry back. I knew the team that was on the floor [before the trades] wasn’t going to get it done. Also, we’d seen enough in Ryan and Brandon [Bass] to know they could hold that position down. That was enough for us. . . .

You can’t take one of these jobs, mine or Stan’s, and have thin skin. You have to have pretty thick skin. It’s not us; it’s the people around us that’s affected the most. We signed up for it. No one put a gun to our head and told us to take it. It’s our families that are affected the most.

As it is with the Magic organization, this is just completely all over the place.

Why would you have to have thick skin to put up with a gig as a GM or coach if you don’t read analysis (which can run both good and bad) from writers?

Why seem strangely defensive about what you’re either assuming people are criticizing you about (because you, supposedly, don’t read the criticism) if you’re really OK with your “track record” that “pretty much speaks for itself”?

Why point to a “track record” that “pretty much speaks for itself” when your team has gone from an NBA Finals appearance in 2009 to a mediocre team 2 1/2 years later with a franchise player that refuses to sign a contract extension while demanding a trade out of town? Why point to that track record when the player in question, Dwight Howard, wasn’t even drafted by you?

The oddest bit, which I didn’t include in the quote block, includes a reference to Smith’s family being a target of … threats? It’s hard to tell. Here’s Smith:

Smith: No, just all the comments. Just because I don’t read it, that doesn’t necessary mean that they don’t or aren’t threatened by it.

Sentinel: When you say “threatened,” you don’t mean physically?

Smith: I’ve gotten those, too.

Sentinel: You have. But not your family?

Smith: No, I’ve gotten those, too.

Sentinel: What do you do in those cases? Do you call the police?

Smith: I just have to be a little extra cautious and let those around me know that the threat is there. But I don’t concern myself with it.

Are “fans” in the Orlando area so obsessed with a team like the Magic that they’re making threatening phone calls or sending nasty letters to Smith’s family? Or is he referring to Internet comment sections on newspaper websites or message boards?

Because, if the latter is the case, then those sorts of threats are in place for just about every public figure out there. From a staff writer cobbling together a “five ways to make the best tuna salad” post to the coach of whatever team just lost an NFL playoff game to a presidential candidate. Stuck behind the wall of anonymity, Internet losers tough guys are everywhere, commenting away. A writer covering a low-end college football team for a small paper or website you’ve never heard of gets the same grief.

And it’d be easier to know just who Smith was talking about if he bothered to admit that he clearly “reads it.” We’re not attempting to make light of the morons who have more than definitely gotten weirdly in touch with Smith or his family just because he hasn’t found a shooting guard to their liking, but if people are messing with Smith’s family? Let’s have it out, so we can start going after these morons.

Smith hasn’t had a good run in Orlando. His attempt to turn Rashard Lewis into a max-level superstar and dalliances with Vince Carter and Gilbert Arenas have more than frustrated Magic fans. And though it’s nice to see Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy finally playing Smith acquisition Ryan Anderson, you get the feeling (based on Smith’s past moves) that he treated Anderson more as a throw-in during the 2009 deal that acquired the scoring forward more than he treated him as the centerpiece his per-minute numbers suggested he should be.

Stuck with precious little trading options for Dwight Howard, Smith and the Magic have decided to forge forward in the hopes that Howard sticks around this summer once he becomes a free agent, which is an incredibly risky move. Players that issue trade demands don’t really tend to re-sign with teams once they’re allowed to go elsewhere a few months removed from that trade demand; so even if Smith’s trading options are unremarkable, he’s still playing a likely unsatisfying game by hanging on to a player he’s bound to lose with no compensation returning.

Sadly for Magic fans, this fits nicely with how Smith has run the team over the last five years. In spite of the team’s Finals appearance and continued playoff run.

At least he’s going on record during this meltdown. Even if he’s not making a whole lot of sense.

Stan Van Gundy hasn’t been shy about the Miami Heat this season. (Jacob Langston, Orlando Sentinel)

The Heat provided plenty of entertainment to NBA fans during last night’s 92-84 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

The subject of the Heat has provided plenty of entertaining dialogue from the Orlando Magic all season long.

It began before LeBron James even made his decision. The day before the draft, outspoken Magic coach Stan Van Gundy didn’t mince words about James’ hour-long special.

“It’s gotten ridiculous I think. It’s really I mean it’s almost like a parody of itself this whole situation now. Come on, an hour long? It takes 15 seconds to say I’ve decided to stay in Cleveland but we’ve got another 59 minutes and 45 seconds to, what? Promote LeBron James? As if we don’t do that enough.”
–Van Gundy

In the same interview, Van Gundy took a shot at Chris Bosh, who seemed insistent on playing with Wade. When asked about Bosh’s decision, Van Gundy responded with:

“Well, he’s been following him around for two weeks like his lapdog. So that doesn’t really surprise me.”
–Van Gundy

Then, when James decided to take his talents to South Beach, the floodgates opened. Opinions were flowing all over the NBA, as the superfriends teaming up in South Florida was one of the biggest offseason stories in years.

Magic GM Otis Smith’s words stood out among the masses with a simple, yet direct, message.

“I was surprised that he went [to Miami]. I thought he was, I guess, more of a competitor.”
–Smith

The Magic’s biggest star, Dwight Howard, didn’t even want to address the Heat. He wouldn’t talk about them till media day, when he was cordial.

“Please, no questions about the Miami Heat.”
–Howard

With the entire NBA community — which now spans the globe — talking about the three amigos in Miami for months, Heat president Pat Riley responded to Smith’s and Van Gundy’s quotes specifically. Van Gundy, of course, used to coach the Heat before being replace by Riley during the 2005-06 season. And the Magic are the Heat’s only in-state rival and primary competition in the Southeast Division.

“When Otis Smith made a point about LeBron’s competitiveness because he didn’t stay in Cleveland, I thought it was an absolutely stupid remark.”
“I don’t know what happened to some of these guys along the way.”
–Riley

The first quote was (obviously) meant for Smith, and the second for Van Gundy.

Van Gundy went off on Riley when he heard the quotes.

“He goes into Charles Barkley, me and Otis and then says he doesn’t worry about what people say. Wait, you called the press conference, you went off and everybody and you don’t care what people say? Clearly, he cares a great deal about what people say. I was laughing when I saw that. … Pat getting onto people for making moral judgments made me laugh. I was with Pat when we had all of those Knicks series and he had no problem making moral judgments on my brother. What I read into that was that I guess Pat is the only one allowed to make those moral judgments and the rest of us can’t do that. I guess we didn’t realize that Pat’s the only allowed to do that.”
–Van Gundy

That’s a shortened version of the quote. Van Gundy, as we all know, isn’t shy. That was the end of the media sniping, however, for a little while.

And then came training camp, and Magic newcomer Quentin Richardson gave perhaps the most poignant, thought-out quotes of the season.

“Bleep the Heat.”
-Richardson

No other training camp quote could live up to Richardson’s self-censored declaration.

Before the Heat and Magic played on Oct. 29, Marcin Gortat expressed his annoyance at the Heat and the media’s coverage of the Heat.

“Honestly, I’m sick of listening every hour about Miami. Miami this, Miami that, how great they are, how good they are, what kind of record they’re going to have…”
–Gortat

Things quieted down for a few months after that, mostly because the Magic were involved with their own season and the Heat never really came up.

But in early January, James joked that his team should be called the “Heatles” because of their ability to sell out arenas.

Van Gundy took exception to the nickname.

“They’re pretty impressed with themselves. Maybe some places that’s what turns out. I know here it’s not. We’re selling out no matter who we play, so we don’t need to bring them in to get people into our arena.”
–Van Gundy

And to top off a season full of zingers, Van Gundy took to Miami again on March 7 when he said something about the Heat that had the nation nodding in agreement.

This quote came a day after Dwyane Wade said the world is happy his team is losing.

“I do chuckle a little bit when they sort of complain about the scrutiny when they get. My suggestion would be if you don’t want the scrutiny, you don’t hold a championship celebration before you’ve even practiced together. It’s hard to go out yourself and invite that kind of crowd and celebration and attention, and then when things aren’t going well, sort of bemoan the fact that you’re getting that attention. To me, that doesn’t follow.”
–Van Gundy

Unfortunately, the Heat and Magic never met in the playoffs. It would’ve been very interesting to see what would’ve been said between the two entertaining teams in a playoff series. But it didn’t happen.

All in all, this post is just a diversion. If you’re a Heat fan, I hope you resist the urge to go into the comments and say something along the lines of, “WE SHUT VAN DUMBY UP, GO HEATZZZ.” We get it. You’re in the NBA Finals. The Magic are not.

But as an observer, I’m thankful the Heat exist for their ability to provide constant material for Van Gundy and the Magic.

zmccann@orlandosentinel.com

So the Magic general manager is fully prepared to field more calls next season — potentially, Howard’s final season in Orlando.

“To say it hasn’t happened before is crazy, so, yes, I expect it to happen,” Smith told me Friday.

“And the answer will be the same as it always is: No.”

Imagine what somebody would have to put on the table to land Dwight.

Fantasy basketball-league geeks would be hard-pressed to come up with a big enough package.

For fun, if you had to deal him, would you take Kevin Durant? Pau Gasol? Steven Spielberg’s movie vault? Google? Bill Gates’ money?

LeBron? Even if it would pain you to send Howard to Miami, LeBron might be it.

Basically, Dwight is untradeable — in a good way.

Smith wouldn’t divulge the teams who have made a run at Howard — or the fellow GMs who tried to hoodwink him during Dwight’s raw, formative years, he said.

Smith expects clubs to come calling before the trade deadline, thinking the Magic would rather receive compensation instead of letting Howard walk as a free agent.

Smith made it clear: He’s willing to take the risk.

“Sure,” he said.

There’s a reason he feels that way.

He reiterates that teams dealing superstars never get fair value, which is true, but there’s something more.

Smith believes — and this is obviously encouraging news for Magic fans — that Howard will stay in Orlando when all is said and done, texted and tweeted.

“That’s my sense,” he said.

Smith said he feels this way because of his relationship with Howard, and the feedback he receives from Howard’s family, friends and his agent, Dan Fegan.

And Smith feels this way because the Magic have tried to build a contender with him as the centerpiece for seven seasons, spending money like the Yankees, some of it foolishly.

So the Magic general manager is fully prepared to field more calls next season — potentially, Howard’s final season in Orlando.

“To say it hasn’t happened before is crazy, so, yes, I expect it to happen,” Smith told me Friday.

“And the answer will be the same as it always is: No.”

Imagine what somebody would have to put on the table to land Dwight.

Fantasy basketball-league geeks would be hard-pressed to come up with a big enough package.

For fun, if you had to deal him, would you take Kevin Durant? Pau Gasol? Steven Spielberg’s movie vault? Google? Bill Gates’ money?

LeBron? Even if it would pain you to send Howard to Miami, LeBron might be it.

Basically, Dwight is untradeable — in a good way.

Smith wouldn’t divulge the teams who have made a run at Howard — or the fellow GMs who tried to hoodwink him during Dwight’s raw, formative years, he said.

Smith expects clubs to come calling before the trade deadline, thinking the Magic would rather receive compensation instead of letting Howard walk as a free agent.

Smith made it clear: He’s willing to take the risk.

“Sure,” he said.

There’s a reason he feels that way.

He reiterates that teams dealing superstars never get fair value, which is true, but there’s something more.

Smith believes — and this is obviously encouraging news for Magic fans — that Howard will stay in Orlando when all is said and done, texted and tweeted.

“That’s my sense,” he said.

Smith said he feels this way because of his relationship with Howard, and the feedback he receives from Howard’s family, friends and his agent, Dan Fegan.

And Smith feels this way because the Magic have tried to build a contender with him as the centerpiece for seven seasons, spending money like the Yankees, some of it foolishly.

After sitting out one game, Nelson tested the knee Tuesday afternoon and participated in the Magic’s shootaround today at Philips Arena and experienced no problems.

“I’m pretty good,” Nelson said. “It felt pretty good after working out yesterday so that’s a good sign. I’ll try to go out there and try to help my team tonight and win.”

Meanwhile, Chris Duhon will not play tonight after he injured his right thumb Monday against the New York Knicks, and there is concern that he could miss an extended period of time. Coach Stan Van Gundy said Duhon will be examined by the team orthopedist and by a hand specialist when the Magic return to Florida.

“He was in a lot of pain,” Van Gundy said. “It’s not going to be anything where he’ll be back soon, that’s for sure.”

Magic President of Basketball Operations Otis Smith said Duhon’s injury, if serious, doesn’t mean he’ll go out and sign a third point guard.

“I have to look at a lot of things,” Smith said. “It’s not just Chris. There’s Chris. There’s J.J. [Redick, who is also injured]. There’s a lot of other things that you have to consider. So it would have to make some sense. You could bring in any guy to fill a roster just to fill a roster. We have not done that in the past. I don’t know if you’ve paid attention to Stan Van Gundy’s system, but we can’t just bring in a guy off the street and say, ‘OK, now play in this system.’ It just doesn’t work that way.”

Quentin Richardson, who was suffering from back spasms, was supposed to take part in today’s shootaround but did not. Van Gundy said it’s unclear if Richardson will play tonight.

As expected, Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew said he will employ a starting lineup of Kirk Hinrich, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford and Jason Collins when his team hosts the Magic.

The big frontcourt has paid dividends for the Hawks against the Magic so far this season, with Atlanta beating Orlando twice in three games.

If the current Eastern Conference standings hold, the Magic and Hawks will meet in the first round of the playoffs.

“We’ve been playing this team pretty good,” Josh Smith said after the Hawks finished their shootaround this morning. “We just want to let them know that they’re going to be in for a battle tonight and that we came to play.”

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

After sitting out one game, Nelson tested the knee Tuesday afternoon and participated in the Magic’s shootaround today at Philips Arena and experienced no problems.

“I’m pretty good,” Nelson said. “It felt pretty good after working out yesterday so that’s a good sign. I’ll try to go out there and try to help my team tonight and win.”

Meanwhile, Chris Duhon will not play tonight after he injured his right thumb Monday against the New York Knicks, and there is concern that he could miss an extended period of time. Coach Stan Van Gundy said Duhon will be examined by the team orthopedist and by a hand specialist when the Magic return to Florida.

“He was in a lot of pain,” Van Gundy said. “It’s not going to be anything where he’ll be back soon, that’s for sure.”

Magic President of Basketball Operations Otis Smith said Duhon’s injury, if serious, doesn’t mean he’ll go out and sign a third point guard.

“I have to look at a lot of things,” Smith said. “It’s not just Chris. There’s Chris. There’s J.J. [Redick, who is also injured]. There’s a lot of other things that you have to consider. So it would have to make some sense. You could bring in any guy to fill a roster just to fill a roster. We have not done that in the past. I don’t know if you’ve paid attention to Stan Van Gundy’s system, but we can’t just bring in a guy off the street and say, ‘OK, now play in this system.’ It just doesn’t work that way.”

Quentin Richardson, who was suffering from back spasms, was supposed to take part in today’s shootaround but did not. Van Gundy said it’s unclear if Richardson will play tonight.

As expected, Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew said he will employ a starting lineup of Kirk Hinrich, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford and Jason Collins when his team hosts the Magic.

The big frontcourt has paid dividends for the Hawks against the Magic so far this season, with Atlanta beating Orlando twice in three games.

If the current Eastern Conference standings hold, the Magic and Hawks will meet in the first round of the playoffs.

“We’ve been playing this team pretty good,” Josh Smith said after the Hawks finished their shootaround this morning. “We just want to let them know that they’re going to be in for a battle tonight and that we came to play.”

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

Duhon, who injured his right thumb on Monday, sat out Wednesday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena.

The Magic plan to have their team orthopedist and a hand specialist examine Duhon.

“It’s not going to be anything where he’ll be back soon, that’s for sure,” Van Gundy said.

Van Gundy said that he and Magic President of Basketball Operations Otis Smith have discussed adding another player to the roster. Not only is Duhon out, but backup shooting guard J.J. Redick now has missed 10 consecutive games with a strained muscle in his lower abdomen.

Backup small forward Quentin Richardson also has been bothered by back spasms lately, and second-string point guard Gilbert Arenas missed two games this month because of left-calf problems.

When asked about the situation, Smith didn’t rule out adding another point guard to the roster if doctors determine that Duhon’s injury is serious.

“I have to look at a lot of things,” Smith said.

“It’s not just Chris. There’s J.J. There’s a lot of other things that you have to consider, so it would have to make some sense. You could bring in any guy to fill a roster just to fill a roster. We have not done that in the past. I don’t know if you’ve paid attention to Stan Van Gundy’s system, but we can’t just bring in a guy off the street and say, ‘OK, now play in this system.’ It just doesn’t work that way.”

The injuries to Duhon, Redick and Richardson have made it difficult for the Magic accomplish much during practices.

“Right now, it’s frustrating for me,” Van Gundy said. “We’re just not getting anything done.”

Out again

Richardson missed his third consecutive game Wednesday.

Richardson did not participate in the shootaround, which surprised Van Gundy, who had expected Richardson to be available.

Statement game?

The Magic and the Hawks are almost certain to face each other in the playoffs’ first round.

So was Wednesday’s matchup a statement game or not?

Even Hawks players, who remember how the Magic spanked them in last year’s playoffs, weren’t sure.

“With this being a potential first-round matchup, obviously, we want to go out and make a statement,” shooting guard Joe Johnson said after the Hawks completed their shootaround.

Forward Josh Smith predicted that Wednesday’s game wouldn’t carry over into the postseason.

“The playoffs and the regular season are two totally different beasts,” Smith said.

Layups

• Jameer Nelson started at point guard for the Magic after he missed Monday’s game in New York because of a sprained left knee.

• The Magic hadn’t played the Hawks in Atlanta since Dec. 20, two days after Orlando added four key players and traded away four others. The Hawks won that night 91-81 in a game more lopsided than the final score indicated, and apparently it left a bad taste in Magic players’ mouths. “You know, they rubbed it in a little bit,” Nelson said. “They rubbed it in. They were showboating and celebrating a lot. That’s one thing we do remember.”

• The Atlanta Braves played exhibitions at Turner Field on Tuesday night and on Wednesday afternoon, but Van Gundy couldn’t attend either event even though he is good friends with the Braves manager, Fredi Gonzalez. Van Gundy said he had too much work to do.

• Nick Buchert, one of the referees Wednesday night, introduced himself to Magic television broadcasters David Steele and Matt Guokas before tipoff. Buchert told them he was born in Orlando.

• Ryan Anderson, who has become adept at drawing charges, took another charge late in Wednesday’s first quarter. Atlanta’s Jamal Crawford was called for the foul.

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.