Magic Preview by Ice <div align="center"></div> by Ice After a terrible 2003-2004 season, Orlando?s only ray of hope was the 2004 NBA Draft. Once the Magic landed the number one pick, their future looked bright. In a wise, yet controversial decAision, Orlando selected Dwight Howard. He is currently one of the many fresh faces on the new look Magic roster. That very night, Orlando also acquired Jameer Nelson, an experienced college point guard. Although he lacks the size, many considered the acquisition a steal. With the Tracy McGrady era running on short strings, Rookie GM John Weisbrod had several tough decisions ahead of him. He was looking to deal a franchise player and get something solid in return. After weeks of rumors, a deal was finally triggered. Orlando acquired All Star guard Steve Francis along with Kelvin Cato and Cuttino Mobley. Although Steve Francis was offended by the Rocket organization when he discovered he was traded, he slowly adjusted and handled the situation like a professional. The core of Francis, Cato, and Mobley has added depth and the Magic?s future looks very bright. Depth Chart Steve Francis/ Jameer Nelson With All Star Francis at the Point, it appears Orlando finally has a player willing to create for himself and others. Francis can put up 20, 5, and 5 a night ? which is something Orlando has been vying for since the McGrady trade. Nelson coming off the bench could provide Orlando with a true point guard, as he is always willing to set up for others. Cuttino Mobley / Keith Bogans Cuttino Mobley is a consistent player who could drop 15 points on any given night. With him added to the roster, Orlando now has another reliable scorer who could help carry the scoring load. Keith Bogans is his backup, and he is a defensive minded player and looks to lock up the top scorers. Bogans is also an underrated offensive player as well. If given the ball, he can produce. Hedo Turkoglu/ Grant Hill A healthy Grant Hill nowadays still isn?t as strong as the mid-90?s G-Hill. So regardless of health, I?d put Hedo ahead of him for the starting position. Hedo provides for teams in more than one way because of his balanced game. He?s capable of doing all of the ?little things,? and he?s a superb 3 point specialist. As for Grant Hill, look for him to continue to a lesser version of his old self. Dwight Howard/ Pat Garrity Orlando?s number one draft pick, Dwight Howard is still somewhat of a mystery. No one really knows how well he?ll contribute, but the Magic organization agreed it would be best if he was thrown out there immediately to begin learning the game. His backups will include Garrity and at times Battie, Hedo, etc. Pat Garrity is rather weak for a forward, but he keeps teams on edge with his 3 point range. Opponents are forced to step out and defend him or else he will make them pay. Kelvin Cato/ Tony Battie At 6'11 and 275 lbs, Kelvin Cato is a much needed big man down low. He's very capable of rebounding the basketball, and could average some steady numbers for the Magic. Tony Battie is another defensive minded player, and between the two of them Orlando will hopefully improve in rebounds, blocks, etc. per game. Offseason Player Movement Additions Hedo Turkoglu - Free agency Tony Battie - Trade Michael Bradley - Free agency Stacey Augmon - Free agency DeShawn Stevenson - Re-signed Kelvin Cato - Trade Steve Francis - Trade Cuttino Mobley - Trade Subtractions Drew Gooden - Trade Steven Hunter - Trade Anderson Varejao - Trade Tracy McGrady - Trade Juwan Howard - Trade Reece Gaines - Trade Tyronn Lue ? Trade This upcoming season is about building for the future. After finishing in last place, Orlando is looking to slowly climb back to the top. It won?t be an easy task, but with the newly added depth Orlando can now depend on more than one player to win ballgames. Look for the Magic to have several players averaging double digits, and more than one ?go-to guy? when the game is on the line. My predictions for the upcoming season will be for Orlando to just barely make the playoffs, after going on a streak of W?s in the final stretch to climb in standings. Once entering the playoffs, I predict Orlando to lose in the first round. The ?X? factor for the entire season (and playoffs) depend on the development of Dwight Howard. If he can produce and become an impact player earlier than anticipated, Orlando could climb into a higher seed in the weak Eastern Conference. If Dwight slowly develops like expected, look for Steve Francis & co. to bring the Magic to mediocrity.
I'm gonna add more to it by the end of the week, I just gave you a quickie in case I had no access to JBB.
Magic starting lineup is different than that preview. Davis is trying out several options. I'll try and edit it tomorrow if I have time.. if not it doesn't matter. Also.. It says New York Rangers..
