In brief: Magic get Arenas in big shakeup

NBA: So much for another tweak.

A rough patch early this season was enough to convince the Orlando Magic that perhaps they weren’t good enough to contend in the Eastern Conference after all. They acquired troubled guard Gilbert Arenas from the Washington Wizards and Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson from the Phoenix Suns in a major roster shakeup Saturday.

The Magic sent forward Rashard Lewis to Washington and Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus and Marcin Gortat to Phoenix in a separate trade. Orlando also gave Phoenix its 2011 first-round draft pick and cash and received Suns forward Earl Clark.

“We needed a little bit more punch,” Magic president Otis Smith said.

“All those guys coming in have an ability to move the ball. After looking at our team through 25 games, we were missing a little something. I thought change was needed.”

The overhaul was a major move for a franchise that began the season believing it had all the pieces for its first championship.

Instead, Orlando had lost five of its last six games to drop from first to fourth in the Eastern Conference.

Associated Press

Past stars Dropo, Cavarretta dead

Baseball: Walt Dropo, who played 13 seasons in the majors and won the 1950 American League Rookie of the Year award with the Boston Red Sox, died Friday. He was 87. In his rookie year batted. 322 with 34 home runs and a league-best 144 RBIs.

• Phil Cavarretta, the 1945 N.L. MVP who led the Chicago Cubs to their last World Series appearance, has died at 94. A first baseman and outfielder, Cavarretta played 22 seasons, 20 with the Cubs.

Associated Press