After franchise center piece Dwight Howard asked for a deal, the Magic have since been the focus of attention heading into the beginning of 2011-12 NBA year. Trade conversation has centered around Dwight Howard as several trade rumors seemed to come up every single day. But trade conversation has since calmed down and we may see Howard in an Orlando uniform until likely half the season, and then he would probably be dealt to the Nets, Lakers or Mavs. If the Magic start out fast and play well to maintain their identity as championship competitors, then they may be able to convince Howard to remain in town. As it looks now though, it’s hard to see them regaining their momentum after being taken down by the Atlanta Hawks in the opening round of the postseason last season.
Stan Van Gundy has his work cut out for him this season, because the Magic do not have a lot of skill on their team to make a long run in the postseason again. But Orlando still has a chance if they keep Howard on the roster. During the 2009 season, no one thought they could reach the Championship series but Howard showed that he is the top tier player capable of making his team a legitimate threat. It’s going to be very difficult to repeat that level of success this season though, as the trade of Howard weighs on the team.
Howard averaged 22.9 points and 15.1 rebounds per game last year, but the rest of the team struggled and failed to reach their potential. The Magic traded away Brandon Bass for Glen Davis and Von Wafer, they waived Gilbert Arenas and his atrocious contract and were able to re-sign Jason Richardson and Earl Clark. But the overall team make-up may just not be enough to convince Howard to stay after this season.
Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson is the anchor that can bring Orlando back to the top tier. He has the skill to be an all-star but he needs to stay on the corut. He hasn’t stayed injury free for a full year in seven seasons that he wore a Magic uniform. Last season he put up just 13.1 points/game. For the Magic to be a serious threat he has to be putting up at least 16-18 points a night.
The rest of the starting five leaves a lot to be desired as they contain high-priced, over the hill guy in Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu. Although Turkoglu has done well in Van Gundy’s offense, an upgrade would only have helped at the three spot. Glen Davis is not a better player than Bass but looks to be a better compliment next to Howard, overall the team should have tried to find a better starting lineup if they really wished Howard to stay.
The Magic do have some interesting pieces off the bench. They have J.J. Redick and Ryan Anderson who are capable scorers. Backup point guard Chris Duhon is a solid player that can start if Nelson gets injured, and they also have Quentin Richardson who can still shoot the ball despite struggling last year.
Pick: 2nd in the East's Southeast Division - Our top NBA handicapper says this pick is based off the notion that Howard stays in Orlando this year. Although he could very likely be dealt by the deadline, it’s not a foregone conclusion. With Howard, this team can still win a lot of contests and battle for the fourth seed versus the Knicks in the East. If they do trade Howard, they will clearly be worse off, but they can still creep in to the postseason depending on what they get back.
Stan Van Gundy has his work cut out for him this season, because the Magic do not have a lot of skill on their team to make a long run in the postseason again. But Orlando still has a chance if they keep Howard on the roster. During the 2009 season, no one thought they could reach the Championship series but Howard showed that he is the top tier player capable of making his team a legitimate threat. It’s going to be very difficult to repeat that level of success this season though, as the trade of Howard weighs on the team.
Howard averaged 22.9 points and 15.1 rebounds per game last year, but the rest of the team struggled and failed to reach their potential. The Magic traded away Brandon Bass for Glen Davis and Von Wafer, they waived Gilbert Arenas and his atrocious contract and were able to re-sign Jason Richardson and Earl Clark. But the overall team make-up may just not be enough to convince Howard to stay after this season.
Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson is the anchor that can bring Orlando back to the top tier. He has the skill to be an all-star but he needs to stay on the corut. He hasn’t stayed injury free for a full year in seven seasons that he wore a Magic uniform. Last season he put up just 13.1 points/game. For the Magic to be a serious threat he has to be putting up at least 16-18 points a night.
The rest of the starting five leaves a lot to be desired as they contain high-priced, over the hill guy in Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu. Although Turkoglu has done well in Van Gundy’s offense, an upgrade would only have helped at the three spot. Glen Davis is not a better player than Bass but looks to be a better compliment next to Howard, overall the team should have tried to find a better starting lineup if they really wished Howard to stay.
The Magic do have some interesting pieces off the bench. They have J.J. Redick and Ryan Anderson who are capable scorers. Backup point guard Chris Duhon is a solid player that can start if Nelson gets injured, and they also have Quentin Richardson who can still shoot the ball despite struggling last year.
Pick: 2nd in the East's Southeast Division - Our top NBA handicapper says this pick is based off the notion that Howard stays in Orlando this year. Although he could very likely be dealt by the deadline, it’s not a foregone conclusion. With Howard, this team can still win a lot of contests and battle for the fourth seed versus the Knicks in the East. If they do trade Howard, they will clearly be worse off, but they can still creep in to the postseason depending on what they get back.
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