For four years, the Orlando Magic have waited, in the shadows of Fantasyland, longing for Shaq Paybaq.

	Tim Duncan and the Spurs are a little short on dysfunction.

Thirsting for the sort of satisfaction only Team Sprite can quench.

Or, if you prefer a more simple description for what's happening in Orlando, try this:

Ironic.

Poof! There's the Magic, clearing out salary-cap space faster than Jerry West ever dreamed. Poof! There's the Magic, welcoming Tim Duncan and Grant Hill for a weekend in the sun within hours of free agency's opening gun. Poof! There's the Magic's third marquee recruit, Tracy McGrady, already talking about "once Grant and I get here" and how "the East is locked up."

Ironic, isn't it?

Ironic that the Magic, who fought so desperately to file tampering charges against the Los Angeles Lakers for their Shaquille O'Neal heist in 1996, are now being accused of all the same stuff. Ironic that the Magic, less than a week into this summer's free-agent frenzy, seems so close to filling their Shaq-sized void with -- borrowing from Laker terminology -- a triangle of superstar talent.

It's unlikely, say insiders in the potentially jilted cities, that San Antonio and Detroit will file formal tampering complaints against Orlando should Duncan and Hill indeed unite to form the Magic's new Kingdom. What's the point? Such charges, if proven, probably would only lead to fines, and the Spurs' Gregg Popovich isn't the sort to waste his time. Nor can we see Joe Dumars, in his first major action as the Pistons' decision-maker, thrusting all his energies into a process that won't tilt the "I'm leaning Orlando" Hill back toward Motown.

Behind closed doors, mind you, the finger-pointing has long since started. In front offices all over the league, the questions are flying.

How could the Magic trade away two lottery picks and dump Corey Maggette if it didn't already know that Duncan and Hill were coming? How could the Magic part with so much young talent at the risk of getting nothing in return? How could the Magic arrange a twin-killing visit for Duncan and Hill by Saturday lunchtime when free-agent negotiations were forbidden until 12:01 a.m. Saturday?

These, of course, are the same sort of suspicious thoughts that the Magic brass harbored in '96. Orlando was so stung by O'Neal's departure that it commissioned a full investigation, compiling its own evidence against the Lakers -- albeit mostly circumstantial -- suggesting that Shaq and the Lakers began negotiations before they were allowed.

Only deputy commissioner Russ Granik discouraged the Magic from filing formal charges, which surely would have kick-started the conspiracy-theory craze that seems to accompany every controversial NBA outcome in the new millennium. Orlando settled for forwarding its findings to the league for future reference, most notably its claims of a springtime meeting between O'Neal's agent, Leonard Armato, and Lakers owner Jerry Buss.

The biggest similarity between past and present is how the Lakers and Magic have so aggressively gutted their rosters to create cap room. In L.A., it was West's trade of Vlade Divac to Charlotte to briefly leave the Lakers without a center. West also swung a swap with Vancouver that purged Anthony Peeler and George Lynch.

In Orlando, John Gabriel has been even more aggressive ... which is probably why he's universally regarded as the heir to West's well-worn title of Game's Greatest GM. Gabriel began positioning for a potential Duncan-Hill haul last offseason, dumping numerous salaries and hiring Duncan buddy Doc Rivers as coach. Orlando also acquired ex-Spurs forward Monty Williams (another Duncan pal), hired away Spurs assistant coach Paul Pressey and even made a run at Spurs video coordinator Joe Prunty.

Prunty, in the end, wound up staying, and Duncan still might. He is close to Popovich, even closer to David Robinson and returned to San Antonio for meetings with an understandably nervous Pop on Tuesday and Wednesday. It's not the money that would bring him back, but instead San Antonio's ability to import some athletic young talent.

	Anderson

One option: The Clippers' dying-to-escape Derek Anderson, who reportedly likes the idea of playing alongside Duncan even more than the prospect of joining agent Tony Dutt's stable of clients in Denver. Another option, however unlikely, is Hill himself, who figures to at least reconsider his Orlando leanings if Duncan isn't joining him.

Hill, in fact, could easily change his mind a time or three in the 20-plus days to go before contracts can actually be inked. As recently as last Friday, Hill was working out at the Pistons' training facility, raising hope yet again that he'd stay for at least one more season. No one will be surprised Thursday if Hill, once he gets face-to-face with Dumars, again starts telling Piston people that he's staying put. That's Grant -- he's a pleaser. Unless your notion of pleasure is getting past the first round of the playoffs.

At this early juncture, remember, no destinations are final. Only a few things are certain.

A.) Nobody can sign nothin' until Aug. 1.

B.) There won't be a poll in the San Antonio Express-News in which 91 percent of respondents say Duncan isn't worth the money, as seen in a July '96 anti-Shaq edition of the Orlando Sentinel.

And C.) The only way the Magic can silence tampering tattle on the rumor mill is if it fails to land one or both of the Sprite-ly stars.

Call it a hunch, but we're guessing Gabriel will gladly take Duncan, Hill and a tamperers' tag over the more honorable distinction of being tagged failures. Again. Just like four years ago.

Out West?
Rumblings in Los Angeles, incidentally, are growing ever stronger that West will resign -- perhaps even sometime this month. As always, it is impossible to know exactly what West is thinking, but those who know him best insist it was indeed those never-filed but widely circulated tampering accusations in 1996 that soured the Lakers GM forever.

West acknowledged after the Lakers' long-awaited return to championship glory last month that his job has gotten "pretty old," in part because he continues to read his mail every day ... even the inane letters from fans who complained throughout the title run. Although West would be walking away from his $4 million salary -- after being underpaid for years by Buss -- this finally might be the time.

Just keep in mind what West said in '96, shortly before signing Shaq: "I never quit on a low point. I would only walk out on a high point."

Clip ship still has no captain

	Odom

As for L.A.'s other team, the Clippers -- surprise, surprise -- are still without a coach. But for once, Clip-bashers don't seem to care. Not with so much young talent to fawn over. Lamar Odom. Darius Miles. Keyon Dooling. Quentin Richardson. Maggette. The underrated Brian Skinner.

Suddenly, it's no biggie that Mo Taylor and Anderson are gonzo. And they are gone, certainly, because sign-and-trades -- unlikely when the Clippers had mounds of cap room -- are even more of a long shot now that the roster is so full.

Regarding the coaching vacancy, there are reports that negotiations with former Georgetown guru John Thompson have or will be re-opened. Thompson and Elgin Baylor are boyhood friends, and the Clippers need a commanding presence to keep watch over this college-aged collection. The sticking point, as always with owner Donald Sterling, would be money.

Money is not so much of an issue with eager assistant Dennis Johnson or Denver assistant John Lucas. Superagent David Falk -- who represents Miles and Taylor -- has been openly lobbying for Lucas, his first NBA client.

Isiah no sure bet in Indy
The league's other coaching vacancy is in Indiana, and, no, selling the CBA apparently isn't the only hurdle Isiah Thomas must clear to get Larry Bird's old job. Pacers president Donnie Walsh is suddenly admitting that he might consider new candidates, with Thomas reportedly getting some less-than-hearty recommendations from Bird and Pacers assistant Rick Carlisle also raising what Walsh termed "issues."

2001: A (salary-cap) space odyssey
As Orlando's Gabriel has proven, it's never too early to plan ahead. So, just what awaits Miami, Atlanta and Dallas -- three teams expected to have significant salary-cap room in the summer of 2001? Unfortunately, the crop of 2001 free agents isn't anywhere near as deep as the first free-agent class of the new millennium.

Sacramento's Chris Webber, the Mavericks' own Michael Finley and Atlanta's aging Dikembe Mutombo are the headliners ... unless Hill reverses field and signs that one-year deal with the Pistons.

Marc Stein, who covers the NBA for The Dallas Morning News, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.