2011-12 NBA Preview: Orlando Magic
The 52-30 Orlando Magic were upended by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1st-round of the NBA playoffs last season, leaving a terrible taste in the collective mouth of the franchise. When will Dwight Howard lead his team to the promise land? It is a question the man has been asking himself, amidst mass trade rumors this off-season.
Orlando’s future success is predicated around Dwight Howard. If he is traded away, you can kiss Orlando’s title hopes away. Superman is a newer, more athletic version of Shaq in his prime. He almost followed in Shaq’s footsteps by moving to Los Angeles. In the end, he will stay in Orlando and try to win in the town of the franchise that drafted him. If Howard wants a ring, he needs to get the ball more.
Jameer Nelson is a strange player. Some years he plays out of his mind and puts up huge statistical seasons. However, some years he disappears and his numbers don’t represent the talent or skill he possesses. Last season was the ladder, as Nelson struggled to find his jumper. That hindered the offense, and distracted the team from their top priority….feeding Howard. If the Magic are going to win, they need their point guard to exemplify some consistency.
After losing Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu is expected to step into their scoring role’s. Hedo the Head is a multi-positional player with good size, creating tough match-ups for opponents on the defensive end. On defense, Hedo is a liability.
Jason Richardson needs to be a vocal leader for this outspoken team. He still has tons of raw scoring ability and can jump out of any arena. J-Rich needs to be more consistent and contribute to the offense on a nightly basis. If he can find a way to stay healthy, he is the x-factor for this Magic squad.
The 3-point specialist who has developed his game into something more is Quentin Richardson. The Chicago native is going to be a huge role player for the Magic, alongside other 3-point artist J.J. Redick. The two can single handedly take over a game when they get hot from behind the arc. Orlando will be impossible to defend if these two remain reliable.
The Magic can make a play for an NBA title any given season, so why not in 2011-12? They still have Dwight Howard and a talented supporting cast around him. If this teams keeps health a priority, I don’t see many getting in their way. I predict an Eastern Conference semifinal exit to the in-state rival Miami Heat, but they won’t go down without a fight.
Follow Tony Piraro on Twitter @TonyPiraro
One Rant to “2011-12 NBA Preview: Orlando Magic”
Leave a Rant
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
FEATURED PARTNERS
- 13 Tips To Help You Stop Procrastinating
- Is William Shatner In "Ghostbusters 3"?
- What Happened To Zac Efron's Left Arm?
- Wayne Gretzky's Daughter Paulina ... IN LINGERIE
- MLB Superstar Torii Hunter -- Cops Drew Guns on Me!
- Tim Tebow -- Hey Coach, Check Out My Toes!
- Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino Placed On Leave, Admits ‘Inappropriate Relationship’ With Staffer
- Paulina Gretzky Left a Club Wearing Black Lingerie
- Alcohol Abuse: Foul Ball Causes Beer Explosion
Quentin Richardson a valuable bench player huh? Might want to double check that one with reality. Q Rich is one dimensional, washed up, and barely plays. His days of being a starter have long passed to say the least.
But you at least nailed it on Redick. His continued improvement (not to mention Ryan Anderson who just completely ignored) will be a big reason the Magic are going to be able to make waves this season. Losing Bass for Big Baby probably wasn’t the smartest move, but Dwight wanted Baby, so that’s why they did it.
Basically, the entire franchise effort at this point is focused on getting the players Howard put on his “wish list” of teammates. If the Magic fail to do that, they’ll do whatever it takes to keep fielding good and competitive teams; Rich DeVos is not interested in rebuilding at age 85.