Orlando Magic Season Preview
By John Denton
October 27, 2009
ORLANDO – In the training room at the Orlando Magic’s practice facility hangs a picture that is strategically placed and is there for all to see. It is a shot of Magic cornerstones Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson sitting dejectedly along the bench as someone else celebrates winning the NBA championship on Orlando’s home court.
The picture is there to remind anyone and everyone of the hurt felt by the Magic players just four months ago. And it also is there to remind them of the sacrifice needed to get another shot at the title that slipped through their fingers last June.
It is a pain is seared in their memories and the picture actually isn’t even necessary at all. But that moment has pushed Orlando’s players through the offseason and it will push them through what they feel will be a championship year.
``It’s not gone yet and every day I wake up it’s still there,’’ Howard said of the pain of losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals last June. ``I’m always thinking about what happened in The Finals every day. I get a reminder when I turn on the TV and look at ESPN and the first thing I see is Kobe (Bryant) holding up the championship. I really haven’t stopped thinking about that since June. Losing something so close, it hurts and you don’t want to ever forget it or have to go through it again.’’
To that end, Orlando went to work on its roster this offseason, assembling the kind of talent, depth and firepower that could help the Magic not only get back to The Finals, but win it all this time around.
Never one to be satisfied with anything other than a championship, Magic general manager Otis Smith went to work on re-tooling the roster this summer to give Orlando more weapons. Five new players – Vince Carter, Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes, Ryan Anderson and Jason Williams – fill out the roster around the core pieces of Rashard Lewis, Howard and Nelson. Even Marcin Gortat, the blossoming center who received a $34 million offer sheet this summer from the Dallas Mavericks, is back after Orlando decided to match and retain one of their best bench players.
Whereas some might see Smith’s shuffling of the deck of a team that whipped Boston and Cleveland in the playoffs and came within three wins of a championship as a risk, Smith sees it as necessary moves. Cleveland and Boston made moves to get better, and Smith had the same thing on his mind just days after the completion of The Finals.
In Carter, he got a more dynamic wing scorer who is still in the prime of his career and hungry to win big in the NBA for the first time. Bass and Barnes give the Magic some much-needed toughness and defensive grit, while Jason Williams added experienced depth at point guard. Ryan Anderson has already proved himself to be much more than a throw in in the Carter deal and is a perfect fit for the style that Orlando likes to play.
Put those players together with Howard, Nelson and Lewis – all NBA All-Stars in 2009 – and Smith sees a team capable of accomplishing something truly special this season.
``I’m not so sure it’s a risk because we didn’t really accomplish anything last season,’’ Smith said, half jokingly, half seriously. ``We came in second and all we got for that was the silver ball. Unless that’s what the goal is, we really didn’t accomplish anything.
``We kept our core intact here with Dwight, Jameer and Rashard,’’ Smith continued. ``We moved some pieces around the core, and those pieces probably needed to be moved some. So from my standpoint it wasn’t that big of a risk. Had we traded our core guys that would have been a risk. But we changed some of our other pieces and I think that we’re better.’’
Few will argue that the Magic aren’t better this season than last year. When owner Rich DeVos and CEO Bob Vander Weide allowed the team to move into the NBA’s luxury tax realm, the Magic created an embarrassment of riches of sorts with their roster. Smith then proceeded to put together arguably the deepest roster in the Magic’s 21-season history for coach Stan Van Gundy.
Orlando has a Noah’s Arc type of roster, if you will, as in two of everything the team might need. Howard and Gortat form the NBA’s best 1-2 punch at center, enduring that Orlando should see very little dropoff even when their best player rests. Mickael Pietrus, one of the stars of the run to The Finals, will share the small forward duties with Matt Barnes. Lewis will miss the first 10 games because of a suspension, but Orlando should be just fine at power forward for Anderson’s shooting from afar and Bass’ muscle inside.
Nelson is fully recovered from the shoulder injury that kept him out for three months of last season, and he’s be backed up by the veteran duo of Anthony Johnson and Williams. And when Carter isn’t scorching foes with his ability to pile up points in bunches, J.J. Redick will provide shooting off the bench.
The Magic are so deep and so talented that some have even wondered if this team might have problems sharing the ball and sharing the limelight. Two players in particular, Howard and Lewis, were anxious to see in the exhibition season how the Magic would handle sharing the ball.
Lewis, who has sacrificed some of his own game the past two seasons for the good of the Magic, felt so strongly about the issue that he spoke about it during the Magic’s first team meeting just before the start of training camp.
``We have a lot of new pieces, but I really think that we’re a better team now,’’ Lewis said. ``But what I tried to express to the team was that with as much talent as we have around here, the word this season will be `sacrifice.’
``I might make the most money of anybody on the team, but I’ve sacrificed for the good of the team each of the last two years. It’s not about you or how many points you can score; it’s about the team winning games. I just feel like if I could go out there and sacrifice then anybody can do it. So `sacrifice,’ will be a big word for us this season.’’
How big of a season this one is for the Magic will largely depend on the growth of Howard and Carter’s ability to fit in with his new team. Frustrated with how he was slowed in the playoffs by Boston’s Kendrick Perkins and Los Angeles’ Andrew Bynum, Howard worked extremely hard this summer to expand his range and to add more moves to his post game.
As for Carter, he seems reborn by his return to his Central Florida roots. Carter grew up in nearby Daytona Beach and rooting for the Magic. Now, just three months shy of his 33rd birthday and 11 seasons into his NBA career, Carter has his first true chance to win a NBA championship, and he couldn’t be more thrilled about it. He knows this is a chance to change his legacy as a NBA superstar.
``As a young guy, you play because you want to show the world that you can score and do this and that. But as you get older and you’ve accomplished things, now it’s all about winning championships and helping your team,’’ Carter said. ``I’ve never had an opportunity before me like this, and before we play one (regular-season) game everybody knows that we have a great shot at winning (a championship). That motivates me more than anything because I know I can help this team.’’
And he’s hoping that this time he can help make sure that the photo snapped just after The Finals is one of Howard and Nelson joyous and triumphant.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
By John DentonOctober 27, 2009
ORLANDO – In the training room at the Orlando Magic’s practice facility hangs a picture that is strategically placed and is there for all to see. It is a shot of Magic cornerstones Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson sitting dejectedly along the bench as someone else celebrates winning the NBA championship on Orlando’s home court.
The picture is there to remind anyone and everyone of the hurt felt by the Magic players just four months ago. And it also is there to remind them of the sacrifice needed to get another shot at the title that slipped through their fingers last June.
It is a pain is seared in their memories and the picture actually isn’t even necessary at all. But that moment has pushed Orlando’s players through the offseason and it will push them through what they feel will be a championship year.
``It’s not gone yet and every day I wake up it’s still there,’’ Howard said of the pain of losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals last June. ``I’m always thinking about what happened in The Finals every day. I get a reminder when I turn on the TV and look at ESPN and the first thing I see is Kobe (Bryant) holding up the championship. I really haven’t stopped thinking about that since June. Losing something so close, it hurts and you don’t want to ever forget it or have to go through it again.’’
To that end, Orlando went to work on its roster this offseason, assembling the kind of talent, depth and firepower that could help the Magic not only get back to The Finals, but win it all this time around.
Never one to be satisfied with anything other than a championship, Magic general manager Otis Smith went to work on re-tooling the roster this summer to give Orlando more weapons. Five new players – Vince Carter, Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes, Ryan Anderson and Jason Williams – fill out the roster around the core pieces of Rashard Lewis, Howard and Nelson. Even Marcin Gortat, the blossoming center who received a $34 million offer sheet this summer from the Dallas Mavericks, is back after Orlando decided to match and retain one of their best bench players.
Whereas some might see Smith’s shuffling of the deck of a team that whipped Boston and Cleveland in the playoffs and came within three wins of a championship as a risk, Smith sees it as necessary moves. Cleveland and Boston made moves to get better, and Smith had the same thing on his mind just days after the completion of The Finals.
In Carter, he got a more dynamic wing scorer who is still in the prime of his career and hungry to win big in the NBA for the first time. Bass and Barnes give the Magic some much-needed toughness and defensive grit, while Jason Williams added experienced depth at point guard. Ryan Anderson has already proved himself to be much more than a throw in in the Carter deal and is a perfect fit for the style that Orlando likes to play.
Put those players together with Howard, Nelson and Lewis – all NBA All-Stars in 2009 – and Smith sees a team capable of accomplishing something truly special this season.
``I’m not so sure it’s a risk because we didn’t really accomplish anything last season,’’ Smith said, half jokingly, half seriously. ``We came in second and all we got for that was the silver ball. Unless that’s what the goal is, we really didn’t accomplish anything.
``We kept our core intact here with Dwight, Jameer and Rashard,’’ Smith continued. ``We moved some pieces around the core, and those pieces probably needed to be moved some. So from my standpoint it wasn’t that big of a risk. Had we traded our core guys that would have been a risk. But we changed some of our other pieces and I think that we’re better.’’
Few will argue that the Magic aren’t better this season than last year. When owner Rich DeVos and CEO Bob Vander Weide allowed the team to move into the NBA’s luxury tax realm, the Magic created an embarrassment of riches of sorts with their roster. Smith then proceeded to put together arguably the deepest roster in the Magic’s 21-season history for coach Stan Van Gundy.
Orlando has a Noah’s Arc type of roster, if you will, as in two of everything the team might need. Howard and Gortat form the NBA’s best 1-2 punch at center, enduring that Orlando should see very little dropoff even when their best player rests. Mickael Pietrus, one of the stars of the run to The Finals, will share the small forward duties with Matt Barnes. Lewis will miss the first 10 games because of a suspension, but Orlando should be just fine at power forward for Anderson’s shooting from afar and Bass’ muscle inside.
Nelson is fully recovered from the shoulder injury that kept him out for three months of last season, and he’s be backed up by the veteran duo of Anthony Johnson and Williams. And when Carter isn’t scorching foes with his ability to pile up points in bunches, J.J. Redick will provide shooting off the bench.
The Magic are so deep and so talented that some have even wondered if this team might have problems sharing the ball and sharing the limelight. Two players in particular, Howard and Lewis, were anxious to see in the exhibition season how the Magic would handle sharing the ball.
Lewis, who has sacrificed some of his own game the past two seasons for the good of the Magic, felt so strongly about the issue that he spoke about it during the Magic’s first team meeting just before the start of training camp.
``We have a lot of new pieces, but I really think that we’re a better team now,’’ Lewis said. ``But what I tried to express to the team was that with as much talent as we have around here, the word this season will be `sacrifice.’
``I might make the most money of anybody on the team, but I’ve sacrificed for the good of the team each of the last two years. It’s not about you or how many points you can score; it’s about the team winning games. I just feel like if I could go out there and sacrifice then anybody can do it. So `sacrifice,’ will be a big word for us this season.’’
How big of a season this one is for the Magic will largely depend on the growth of Howard and Carter’s ability to fit in with his new team. Frustrated with how he was slowed in the playoffs by Boston’s Kendrick Perkins and Los Angeles’ Andrew Bynum, Howard worked extremely hard this summer to expand his range and to add more moves to his post game.
As for Carter, he seems reborn by his return to his Central Florida roots. Carter grew up in nearby Daytona Beach and rooting for the Magic. Now, just three months shy of his 33rd birthday and 11 seasons into his NBA career, Carter has his first true chance to win a NBA championship, and he couldn’t be more thrilled about it. He knows this is a chance to change his legacy as a NBA superstar.
``As a young guy, you play because you want to show the world that you can score and do this and that. But as you get older and you’ve accomplished things, now it’s all about winning championships and helping your team,’’ Carter said. ``I’ve never had an opportunity before me like this, and before we play one (regular-season) game everybody knows that we have a great shot at winning (a championship). That motivates me more than anything because I know I can help this team.’’
And he’s hoping that this time he can help make sure that the photo snapped just after The Finals is one of Howard and Nelson joyous and triumphant.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
