Magic Hope They Have Right Ingredients

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">They are still missing a few ingredients, but the Orlando Magic believe they are cooking up an appetizing pot of potential this season. "I think we're a playoff team," forward Grant Hill said.

Orlando fans haven't cheered for one since 2003. Last season the Magic missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season after posting a 36-46 record -- the same record they put together the previous year. But this time, it felt different.

After making two trades at midseason and reconfiguring this young team on the fly, the Magic won 16 of their final 22 games. Fans -- and the rest of the league -- took notice.

The Magic, who open training camp on Oct. 3 in Jacksonville, are embracing the expectations. "This group of guys will be playing with the pressure of expectations," Coach Brian Hill said. "That's part of the growth process that a team goes through."

Orlando's season largely will be determined by the growth of youngsters Dwight Howard, 20; Jameer Nelson, 24; and Darko Milicic, 21. Nelson's midseason foot injury likely cost the Magic a playoff spot: They were 5-15 in the games he missed.

Health is always a concern, particularly when the roll call includes veteran Grant Hill. Entering the final year of his contract, he is recovering from a sports hernia injury. Hill will be restricted by the team in camp, as will rookie J.J. Redick, who spent the summer rehabbing a herniated disk in his back.

Orlando returns its core players except starting shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson, who jumped to the Washington Wizards. The Magic signed Keith Bogans to help replace Stevenson and drafted Redick. Brian Hill will demand more improvement on the defensive end and fewer turnovers. And the Magic will have to learn to win on the road -- just another of the story lines to follow in their chase for an elusive playoff spot.

Can Howard dominate?
That is the question. The road to the playoffs for the Magic becomes infinitely easier if he can.

Beginning his third season since making the leap from a tiny private high school, Howard finished second in the NBA in rebounding (12.5 per game) and averaged 15.8 points last season. And he has yet to develop a pet move to become a consistent scoring threat and deliverer of easy baskets.

He might make a bigger impact at center if he concentrated solely on defense and rebounding. Said Brian Hill, "In a nutshell, that's obviously where he can make a huge contribution."

Fearing Howard would pick up quick fouls, the Magic often turned to veteran Tony Battie to defend the best big men. "Dwight is still learning, still getting better," Hill said. "Dwight had a vastly improved year from his rookie year, and I think he can make that type of improvement again."

Mystery man Milicic

He had to leave Detroit and the boo-birds behind to prove it, but the 7-foot Milicic finally began validating the Pistons' controversial decision to draft him with the No. 2 pick in 2003. Languishing on the bench in Motown, he contributed immediately in Orlando.

Playing 20 minutes per game, he averaged 7.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.07 blocks in 30 games.

Now the question is whether Milicic can perform over a full season. He still remains an X-factor. "I think that's safe to say," Hill said. "We love what Darko gave us last year, but that doesn't mean he's arrived as an NBA player. There's so many more challenges for him. Now can you do it for 82 games?"

Criticized for his work ethic in Detroit, Milicic has motivation to displace Battie at power forward: He will be playing for a long-term contract.

Grant's last hurrah -- or hurdle?

Six summers ago, Grant Hill stepped off a private plane on crutches and hobbled into the Magic's life as a prize free-agent catch from Detroit. The image forever would haunt the franchise.

Six surgeries and just 135 games played later, Hill, nearly 34, enters the last year of his mammoth contract the way he started it: recovering from injury. This time, it was a sports hernia that limited him to 21 games last season. Hill, who endured five operations on his left ankle since 2000, says he "feels really good."</div>

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