Darko Milicic might have felt out of place in his first practice with the Orlando Magic on Monday.

He certainly looked the part. He resembled a tourist who had returned from a weekend in Miami, sporting a nasty sunburn and peeling face.

"I fell asleep on the beach," he said, sheepishly.

It's just one of the many adjustments Milicic will have to make now that he's playing with a Florida-based team.

Milicic couldn't help but smile. He had left the cold -- and perhaps the cold shoulders -- behind in Detroit.

He knew it was time to find a new team, a new city and a new chance to prove himself.

And if he can burn the legions of skeptics along the way, all the better.

"This is the chance," Milicic said after practice at Quicken Loans Arena, where the Magic face the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. "I feel good about it. Good guys, good players, good city. I want to show Coach how hard I want to play."