HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Despite having a very talented roster overall, the Magic could not be in a worse position right now. Their All-Star center Dwight Howard is halfway out the door, already dreaming of playing elsewhere while waiting for his trade demand to be met. The Magic are scrapping to try to keep him in town, but it’s too little too late. Dwight is as good as gone due to their inability to put a quality team around him. Everyone knows the Magic are going to have to trade him and because of that the offers are not going to contain equal value. The distractions will be plentiful early on for the Magic until Howard is traded and then depression will follow because they’ll once again watch the league’s best big man have his best years elsewhere after originally drafting him.

3rd Place, Southeast Division

- Yannis Koutroupis

Watching the Orlando Magic this season will likely be a lot like a death watch on a hospital ward. GM Otis Smith has traded himself into a corner, and the inevitable outcome seems to be a trade for Dwight Howard. All anyone will want to know this season is how soon it will happen and where he’ll be going . . .and that’s a tough way to have a season. Big Baby Davis is a solid addition, but there is a lot more work to do in Orlando.

3rd Place – Southeast Division

- Bill Ingram

It’s impossible to judge what kind of team the Orlando Magic will be without knowing whether they’ll have Dwight Howard, but the team as-is doesn’t seem particularly formidable. Dwight will dominate the way he always has, but the rest of the roster is more than a little underwhelming. With or without their franchise center, the Magic don’t appear to have a shot at getting back to the NBA Finals any time soon.

3rd Place, Southeast Division

- Joel Brigham

The Orlando Magic were surprisingly dispatched in the first round of playoffs last season by the Atlanta Hawks and that setback likely served as one of the many reasons All-Star center Dwight Howard has requested a trade from the team. Howard hasn’t been happy with the culture of the organization in the front office and also believes the team should bounce some personnel moves in front of him as the team’s franchise player. With Howard, the Magic will contend to be one of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference. Without him, expect a lengthy rebuilding project. The club acquired veteran Glen Davis from Boston, used their amnesty on guard Gilbert Arenas and re-signed swingman Earl Clark. If Howard stays a full season, the postseason is basically a certainty but another first round exodus may await.

3rd Place, Southeast Division

- Lang Greene

While many of the other teams in the Eastern Conference have taken a step forward, the Orlando Magic have taken a step back. Orlando doesn’t have the talent to compete with the conference’s top tier of teams and the ongoing Dwight Howard drama has already become a distraction. While general manager Otis Smith has worked the phones, the Magic simply don’t have the trade assets to surround Howard with help, which means his days in Orlando are likely numbered. This will be a frustrating season for the Magic and it’s unlikely that the team will make any noise come playoff time.

2nd Place, Southeast Division

- Alex Kennedy

Top Offensive Player: Dwight Howard. In the past, Howard’s offense has been criticized but he silenced many of his doubters last season when he averaged a career-high 22.9 points. He led the Magic in scoring and touched the ball on nearly every possession. This summer, he worked with a shooting coach to further expand his game. He showed off his mid-range jump during Orlando’s open scrimmage and hopes to increase his free throw percentage as well. Howard led all centers in scoring last season and all signs point to him posting similar numbers this year.

Top Defensive Player: Dwight Howard. Not only is Howard the best defensive player in Orlando, he’s the best defender in the entire league. He has won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award in three consecutive seasons and he’s arguably one of the best defenders in league history. Last season, he averaged the third-most blocks in the league with 2.98 per game and led all centers in steals with 1.34 per game. Howard singlehandedly makes the Magic one of the best defensive teams in the league.

Top Playmaker: Jameer Nelson. Even though Nelson is more of a shoot-first point guard, he’s still the best playmaker in Orlando. Last year, he averaged a team-high 6 assists and showed improvement as a facilitator. The Magic used their amnesty clause on Gilbert Arenas, which means Nelson’s minutes will likely increase again. Nelson spent the offseason working out with teammates in Orlando and hopes to have a career-year.

Top Clutch Player: Jason Richardson. While Richardson struggled with the Magic last season, he ranks as one of the top clutch players in the league every year. Last season, he averaged 42.9 points per 48 minutes of clutch time with the Phoenix Suns. He was the seventh-best clutch player in the league prior to being traded to Orlando. Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu deserve some recognition as well. Nelson has been known to step up late in games and Turkoglu was nicknamed “Mr. Fourth Quarter” during his last stint with the Magic. However, their production has dropped off in recent years and Richardson ranks as one of the top clutch performers in the league.

The Unheralded Player: Quentin Richardson. Last season, Richardson emerged as a leader for the Magic and was flexible after the team acquired Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson and Earl Clark last December. He entered last season as a starter, but was willing to come off of the bench when the Magic wanted to start Turkoglu at small forward. During the postseason, Richardson defended well and was a positive presence in the locker room.

Best New Addition: Glen Davis. Prior to the lockout, Dwight Howard met with Magic general manager Otis Smith and gave him a list of free agents that he wanted the team to pursue. Davis was one of the players on that list, and Orlando was able to acquire him in a sign-and-trade with the Boston Celtics. Davis will play minutes at power forward and center, and Howard believes he’ll bring championship experience to the Magic. In Boston, Davis was a reserve behind Kevin Garnett, but he’ll have the opportunity to compete for a starting job in Orlando.

-Alex Kennedy

# 1 – Dwight Howard – "If we were to lose Dwight, we’d be at the bottom of the barrel,” Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing said last season. That pretty much sums it up. Without Howard, Orlando has a bunch of role players and questionable contracts. He’s their best offensive and defensive player and the Magic would likely be a lottery team without him, which is why the organization needs to do anything they can to keep Howard in Orlando.

# 2 – Ryan Anderson – Last year, Anderson played a reserve role behind Brandon Bass. This season, he may have to come off of the bench again behind Glen Davis. Whether he’s starting or not, Anderson will be a significant contributor for the Magic and provide instant offense. He led all scorers in the team’s first preseason game, finishing with 22 points and 8 rebounds. Anderson may be the best shooter in Orlando, which means he’ll fit right in with Stan Van Gundy’s offense.

# 3 – Earl Clark – The Magic re-signed Clark to a two-year deal this offseason and the 23-year-old couldn’t be happier. He loved playing for Stan Van Gundy and felt at home in Orlando after joining the team last December. He quickly became a fan favorite with his intense defense and high-energy game. Clark still has plenty of potential and could play a bigger role in Orlando this year as he continues to develop his game.

# 4 – Stan Van Gundy – While Van Gundy’s constant barking sometimes gets on his players’ nerves, there’s no question that he’s one of the best coaches in the league. If he ever leaves Orlando, there will be a long line of teams interested in hiring him. Van Gundy has helped Orlando become a perennial contender and the team has won at least 50 games for the last four seasons. Van Gundy has a .691 regular season winning percentage with the Magic.

# 5 – Alex Martins – Magic general manager Otis Smith has made some questionable moves in recent years, which has caused many fans to lose faith in Smith. Martins, the team’s new CEO, has met privately with Dwight Howard and will have a larger role going forward. He’ll be involved in the team’s decision making process and he has made it clear that he’ll listen to Howard’s input before making any moves. Howard was encouraged after meeting with Martins last week and feels that he could help change the culture in Orlando.

-Alex Kennedy

The Magic were the fourth-best defensive teams in the NBA last season, holding teams to just 93.7 points per game and a .436 field goal percentage. However, that could change if Dwight Howard is dealt at some point during the season. Orlando was also one of the best rebounding teams last year – another Howard-led accomplishment. Offensively, the Magic made the most three-point shots of any team in the league last season, a number that will remain high with or without Howard.

-Alex Kennedy

Orlando averaged the sixth-most turnovers in the league last season and also led the NBA in technical fouls. The Magic also finished with the worst free throw percentage in the league (.743). The team lacks a back-up center after trading Marcin Gortat last season and doesn’t have many players who can create their own shot. If Howard is dealt, the team will have many more weaknesses, especially on defense.

-Alex Kennedy

No matter what happens on the personnel front, we were a postseason contender last year, and I expect we can be one this year. The big distraction that everyone is talking about can distract them, but it can’t distract us. Each of you as a reason to be invested in how good a team we can be this year. For many of you, it’s all about the future. And that’s ok. But while it can be about the future for you, it’s all about us here and now. We will be one of the league’s best defensive teams without a doubt, and if we can return to just a little of the offensive efficiency we had a few years ago, folks will need to account for us on every possession. Each of you needs personal goals to stay focused. Ryan, I’d like to see you take more of an active role for us offensively. For example: Can you stretch your productivity out over more minutes and give us more volume? Let’s let that be the driving force for our year, and then we’ll see where our team defense takes us.

- Anthony Macri

Will Dwight Howard stay in Orlando?

Last week, Howard was nearly traded to the New Jersey Nets and trade rumors will continue to surface throughout the season. The superstar center has made it clear that he’s open to staying in Orlando, but only if a number of changes are made. The general consensus around the league is that Howard will be dealt by the trade deadline on March 15, but the Magic are holding out hope that they convince him to stay. With Chris Paul traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, this will be the NBA’s top story throughout the season and all eyes will be on Howard.

-Alex Kennedy