Orlando Magic Team Preview 2010-2011
By Eric Yearian
The Miami Heat garnered more attention this offseason than the rest of the league combined and the Orlando Magic don’t understand. As far as they are concerned, the Magic should be considered the team to beat in the East this season, and they may be right. Orlando couldn’t make it back to the Finals for a rematch with the Lakers last season, but they come into this season with a chip on their shoulders. The Magic won 59 games last season, and will be looking to improve on that record.
Dwight Howard
This offseason, Orlando made a few minor moves that could end up making big differences on the court. They lost Matt Barnes, the talented forward who they counted on for solid defense. To offset their loss, they signed one of Miami’s castoffs, Quentin Richardson. Richardson provides the Magic with yet another three point shooter. The team also avoided losing guard JJ Redick, when they matched the offer sheet the restricted free agent signed with Chicago. To cap off their free agency experience, they signed Chris Duhon, who spent the last few seasons with the Knicks, to back up Jameer Nelson. Duhon played very well in The Big Apple for stretches, but seemed to wear down during the second half of the season. That shouldn’t be an issue, since Nelson will get the bulk of the minutes, and Jason Williams will also get time running the team. In the draft they selected Daniel Orton, who is the epitome of a “project” big man. He played very sparingly as a freshman at the University of Kentucky last season. The Magic are hoping to develop him into a serviceable post player to reduce the workload for Dwight Howard.
This Orlando team has been built around Howard in a way that allows them to put opposing teams in a position in which they are facing perpetual mismatches. Howard is an athletic freak down low, and the Magic surround him with shooters at all four positions. Rashard Lewis spends much of his time playing the power forward spot, and with his dangerous outside stroke, is very difficult to guard for a traditional power forward. Lewis isn’t a strong rebounder, but that fact is negated by the fact that Howard is the most dominant rebounders in the league. If opposing teams decide to play small in order to matchup with Lewis, it makes it more difficult to give defensive help on Howard inside.
Howard isn’t the only all-star on the roster, however. Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter join Lewis and Howard in the starting five. While Carter isn’t nearly the player he was when he was wowing crowds north of the border, he is still a threat to go for twenty-plus points in any game. At times during the season Carter looked uncomfortable in the Magic offense, averaging a career low in points last year. Late in the season, and in the playoffs, Carter began to understand his role in the offense and became very productive for stretches. If he can play at that level consistently, the Magic will have a chance at another Finals appearance. Nelson has had problems staying healthy over the course of his career, which makes the signing of Duhon potentially very significant. Nelson is capable of playing at an all-star level, but the key will be what happens to the team if he’s forced to the bench by injuries again. Nelson will be critical for the Magic, as he represents the one thing the Magic have that the rival Heat do not—a proven point guard. He could prove to be the difference between the Magic finishing first or second in the division this season.
Mickael Pietrus
The battle for fifth starter is expected to be between Mickael Pietrus, a defensive minded forward, and Richardson, who is more of an offensive threat. They will likely share minutes, and they both bring a unique quality to the team. They each have good size and can really help the Magic take the next step in their quest to win the championship.
The Magic have legitimate reasons to believe they can win the title this season. Then, just maybe, they’ll gain the respect that they feel the fans and media have withheld from them.
Predicted Record: 55-27 (Last Year’s record: 59-23)
Expected Team Roster
Name Height Weight School
PG: Jameer Nelson 6-0 190 Saint Joseph’s
SG: Vince Carter 6-6 220 N. Carolina
SF: Quentin Richardson 6-6 228 DePaul
PF: Rashard Lewis 6-10 230 Alief Elsik (TX) HS
C: Dwight Howard 6-11 265 SW Atlanta Christian Academy (GA) HS
6: Mickael Pietrus 6-6 215 France
7: Chris Duhon 6-1 190 Duke
8: JJ Redick 6-4 190 Duke
9: Marcin Gortat 6-11 240 Poland
10: Brandon Bass 6-8 250 LSU
11: Ryan Anderson 6-10 240 California
12: Jason Williams 6-1 180 Florida
13: Malik Allen 6-10 245 Villanova
14: Daniel Orton 6-10 255 Kentucky
15: Stanley Robinson 6-9 210 UCONN
