<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">ATLANTA -- It's chic in NBA circles to portray the Orlando Magic as an extremely made-over club whose time has come for its big unveiling. ESPN The Magazine even has been following them around to capture in words their expected rise. It still might be true. But right now, the Magic haven't wasted any time getting to the hard times. After a 95-82 loss to the perpetually dour Atlanta Hawks on Sunday -- a no-fluke defeat, at that -- the Magic (1-2) are only ahead of schedule when it comes to addressing adversity. It's arrived. They don't resemble the cohesive crew that finished last season on a roll, having been undone by their carelessness. Their 6-foot-11 star center is spinning his size 18 wheels. And their frustrated coach already is threatening to bench players after saying they're not trying hard enough at the start of games. Yeah, and this comes with 79 left to play. "If it happens again, they won't be on the floor," Magic Coach Brian Hill said. "I'll find five people who will play hard at the start of games." Hill had said moments earlier that only Grant Hill looked ready to play at tip-off at Philips Arena. It's only Game No. 3, but it's clear that the coach's frustration reflects the heightened expectations heaped on this team. What burns Hill is that the Magic stumbled out the same way in their last game Friday. They couldn't recover against the Philadelphia 76ers, although they at least had a shot at the end. Not this time. The Magic came out half-asleep, stubbing their toes and banging their head into Zaza Pachulia. They committed 22 turnovers, bringing their three-game total to 68. Center Dwight Howard, who overpowered the Chicago Bulls, again found foul trouble and turned in a second consecutive meek effort (11 points and eight rebounds). His three-game scoring slide: 27 points, 14, 11. Howard also followed up a six-turnover game with five more in just 24 minutes, 36 seconds. The other young cornerstone, point guard Jameer Nelson, shared the pain with just four points and five turnovers in 22:41. Nelson found himself watching Carlos Arroyo keep the Magic close in the second half. Arroyo had 22 points on 9-of-9 shooting, a statement that could cut into Nelson's stranglehold on the job. Hedo Turkoglu's funk continued with a 1-of-10 horror show. Grant Hill added 14 points, and Darko Milicic had nine points, six boards and three blocks. "Everybody was slow from the beginning," Howard said. "I came in sluggish. Coach is right. We didn't have the right effort."</div> Full Story
Dwight is turning the ball over too much. I saw that he was averaging 8 FGA/G, but that's definately a reason why. His shot blocking has been impressive though, and obviously we know he'll rebound, but he needs to pick it up on offense. Against the Wizards he should've eaten guys alive down low.
<div class="quote_poster">og15 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Dwight is turning the ball over too much. I saw that he was averaging 8 FGA/G, but that's definately a reason why. His shot blocking has been impressive though, and obviously we know he'll rebound, but he needs to pick it up on offense. Against the Wizards he should've eaten guys alive down low.</div> 6 shots and 5 FT's won't allow you to eat anyone alive. He only had 2 turnovers that game too. He did seem a little passive offensively downlow, but he didn't really get the ball that much. 11 total attempts(FG's + FT's) for your superstar player is absolutely dreadful though.
