Five Burning Questions

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<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4">1. Is Lewis worth it?</font></font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">The Magic shocked many around the NBA by awarding Lewis, arguably the best free-agent available this past summer, a staggering six-year contract that could be worth as much as $118.5 million. To put that in perspective, that's almost as much as Vince Carter and Chauncey Billups got combined from the New Jersey Nets and Detroit Pistons, respectively.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">What seems to get lost on many of the critics who have panned the Magic for spending that much on Lewis is the fact that Orlando likely would have missed on him had they not agreed to pay that much. Houston, Portland and Cleveland informed Lewis' camp up until an hour before he signed with the Magic that they would be willing to do sign-and-trade packages with Seattle, Lewis' former team.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">Adding Lewis was an absolute must because the Magic had to prove to Dwight Howard that they were serious about trying to win a championship. And the Magic certainly needed a go-to scorer like Lewis after going long stretches last season without being able to score consistently.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">Lewis is a dynamic scorer, having averaged at least 20 points a game each of the past three seasons. What makes him particularly hard to guard is the fact that he can shoot from afar (a career 39 percent 3-point shooter) and he is lethal in the post against smaller players because of his long frame.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">Lewis, 28, is coming off a career-best season (22.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.4 apg) and should be entering the prime years of his career. He's made just one all-star team in his career, but for the money the Magic are paying him, he needs to become a perennial fixture in the mid-season classic.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4">2. Is Howard ready to dominate?</font></font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">Every decision the Magic make -- from signing Lewis to drafting J.J. Redick to instructing new coach Stan Van Gundy to liven up the offense -- is based around helping Howard become the league's most dominant low-post threat.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">"No question about it, for us to get to the level that we want to get to he needs to step up his game in every area," Van Gundy said. "He has to improve offensively and continue to be a dominant rebounder. And we need him to mature as a player and a leader. That all has to happen for us to reach our goals."</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">In his three seasons with the Magic, the 6-foot-11, 268-pound Howard has already shown brilliant flashes of greatness. He's boosted his scoring totals each season, going from 12.0 to 15.8 to 17.6 points a game. He's gotten 11.6 rebounds a game in his career and remarkably he's never missed a game in his NBA career.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">But there are some flaws to his game that have to be fixed if Howard is to take the next step and become a truly great player. He led the NBA in turnovers last season, tying a franchise-record with 317. Also, free-throw shooting continues to be a major problem. He made just 58.6 percent last season and a dismal 45 percent in the playoffs.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">Howard worked with a shooting coach throughout the summer, hoping to add a mid-range jump shot to his arsenal and correct his free-throw form. (He did make 30 of 45 tries for Team USA this summer). If he can make the short bank shot, a la Tim Duncan, it could make him practically unstoppable down low. And that, in turn, could make the Magic a dominant force in the Eastern Conference.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4">3. Can Jameer Nelson bounce back?</font></font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">By his own admission, Nelson struggled through most of last season, shooting a career worst from the field (43 percent) and falling off dramatically from 3-point range (33.5 percent). Also, he was picked on at times defensively, particularly in the playoffs by Detroit's Richard Hamilton and Billups.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">And then Nelson's offseason got horribly worse. His father, Floyd "Pete" Nelson, died in late August. A welder who built ships in Chester, Pa., Pete Nelson's body was pulled out of the Delaware River after he had gone missing for two days.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">Said Van Gundy: "Jameer has been great, better than most would expect for someone going through what he's been through. I would hope if I ever had to deal with a tragedy that I'd handle it half as good as he has."</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">Not helping matters for Nelson was the fact that he and the Magic were unable to work out a contract extension in late July. General manager Otis Smith has said the two sides are far apart on the financial aspects of the deal. Nelson will be looking for a deal similar to the five-year, $42 million contract extension that Devin Harris got from the Dallas Mavericks two weeks ago. He has until Nov. 1 to sign an extension or he will go into next summer as a restricted free agent.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">More of a scorer than a playmaker in his career, Nelson might have to adjust his game this season to keep scorers Lewis, Howard, Hedo Turkoglu and J.J. Redick happy. And if his scoring numbers dip dramatically that could impact how much money Nelson gets on the free-agent market.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4">4. China trip: Good or bad?</font></font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">The Magic (and yours truly) will depart for China on Saturday, Oct. 13 for a seven-day excursion that will see them play two games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and one game against the Chinese National Team in Shanghai and Macao. Flying time will be 17 hours each direction, taking the team over Alaska and the North Pole.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">On the positive side, a trip like this might be just what the Magic need to bond with newcomers Lewis, Adonal Foyle, Marcin Gortat and an entirely new coaching staff led by Van Gundy. In past years, the Magic retreated to Jacksonville for training camp because it forced players to spend time together and come together as a team. Being together in a foreign country should only add to that dynamic.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">But the downside of taking such a trip is that the travel and jetlag tends to sap the energy and legs of a team. Two extremely long flights will assuredly take their toll on the team, and all of that flying time is time the Magic will miss on the practice court. And the effects of the trip could be felt early in the regular season when the Magic play 13 of their first 20 games on the road.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">But the NBA does cut the Magic (and Cavs) a break for making this trip. They are playing just seven preseason games instead of eight. Upon arriving in China, the Magic will have two days to practice and prepare. And after returning to Orlando on the night of Oct. 20, the Magic will have four days to recover before hosting San Antonio in the final exhibition game.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">Keep up with the Magic's trip to the Far East in FLORIDA TODAY in the coming weeks. FLORIDA TODAY is the only media outlet in Central Florida planning to travel with the Magic on this trip. We'll bring you behind-the-scenes coverage and game reports throughout the trip.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4">5. Who's the shooting guard?</font></font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">Trevor Ariza is a stellar rebounder and defender, J.J. Redick can score points in bunches and gives the Magic a deep threat when teams double team Howard, and Keyon Dooling is an ace wing defender and a capable scorer.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">All three will be playing with something to prove this season. Dooling, in the last year of a contract that will pay him $3.5 million, will be a free agent next summer. Ariza will likely opt out of his contract next summer and hope for a long-term extension from the Magic. And Redick couldn't be happier about the change to Van Gundy after playing very little for former head coach Brian Hill.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">Assuming that the rest of the starting lineup will be Howard at center, Lewis and Turkoglu at the forwards and Nelson at point guard, the leading candidate to start at shooting guard is Ariza. His all-around talents will help make up for what the Magic lose by playing Turkoglu at power forward. Dooling is too good off the bench, and Redick gives the reserves some scoring punch.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">"I'm really anxious to see how the whole thing plays out," Van Gundy said. "More than just with that (shooting guard) position, we have so many different scenarios we can go with. So it's going to be interesting."</div></font></p>

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman, serif">Source: Florida Today</font></p>