official Orlando Magic team thread

[MagicBucsWsoxFan]

Hopefully we can keep the momentum that we ended last year with!

Heres to a good season!

[zasbury25]

Re: official Orlando Magic team thread

A great way to start the season...city and county officials reach agreement on a new downtown arena.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-bk-magic09292006,0,1078507.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

Finally, all of the speculation of the Magic leaving town to KC if a new arena wasn't built can now be put to rest.

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: official Orlando Magic team thread

I can't wait to see my boy J.J. in action. He will lead us to the promise land.

[CM1847]

Re: official Orlando Magic team thread

The biggest revelation this season will bring is that management made a huge mistake not signing Darko to a long term contract this summer.

Darko is the key, if he plays like he did at the World's all year Orlando could be in contention for anywhere up to the 5 or 6 seed in the East. Nelson's play will have a big part in that as well and it is time for Howard to take the next step forward on the offensive end. Redick needs to hit shots and not be a liability on defense, Hill/Turkoglu need to combine for 82 decent games between the two.

[zasbury25]

Re: official Orlando Magic team thread

Magic start the preseason with a victory over the Bobcats 109-90 in Charlotte. Wasn't expecting much from the team with 6 players in the regular rotation not suiting up, but they came through with the W. Listened to the game on the radio and Grant played well in limited action, scoring 16 points in 18 minutes. Mr. Double Double played like he is already in midseason form, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 boards.

Stat of the night: Emeka Okafor - 0 pts, 3 rebs, 2 turnovers, and 6 fouls in 9 minutes. I know it is preseason, but those stats just blew me away.

Next up for the Magic...NO/OKC Hornets in OKC on Friday.

[zasbury25]

Re: official Orlando Magic team thread

With the season opening up on Wednesday, and having watched 4 of 8 preseason games, here are a few of my impressions of what I've seen and what to look for during the upcoming season...

-Dwight will contend for the Rebounding title and will shoot for his first All-Star appearance. From his stellar performances in the preseason, Dwight hasn't experienced any fatigue so far from playing in the WBC. IMO, he is playing with a ton more confidence and much more enthusiasm. Hopefully, he gets that "Mean Streak" that the club wants him develop, and takes his game and the team to another level. The sky is the limit for him this season.

-Is this the Year of the Darko, or will he still be the shell of what he was supposed to be? So far, he has been hampered by a sore back after taking a nasty spill from a mid-air collision with Shelden Williams. In the last preseason game, he still looked sore and was hesitant to take any contact. To open the season, Darko will be coming off the bench and try to get back to 100% health. I don't see him coming off the bench long, but Darko really needs to improve on his strength with the ball. During the preseason, he had a hard time holding onto the ball in the post, getting the ball stripped and knocked away numerous times. He also needs to a better job of concentrating and focusing during the game; he shoots way too many 20 footers 19 feet long and doesn't take the ball strong all the time. Hopefully, with this being his contract year and his impressive WBC tournament, he will step up his game and be a constant contributor this season.

-JJ Redick...don't expect much from him this season, or at least the first half of the season. He is going to begin the season mostly on the IL, unless someone else is hurt for an extended period of time. Either something is still wrong with him, or his injuries have really affected his stamina/conditioning (and the lack of playing/practice time probably hasn't helped either). The two games I saw him play, he did look out of game shape and was very hesitant to do much on the court. All of his shots weren't even close, and he is definitely going to be a defensive liability this season.

-Grant Hill...is he healthy, or a sneeze away from sitting out the season? So far, Grant has looked very healthy and seems to be primed for a injury-free season at the SG position. Grant played the first few preseason games and was quite impressive. Then, the Magic decided to sit him out for a week and the last two games it seemed like he lost his timing. If anyone has been bothered by the change in basketballs, it is definitely Grant; I can't count how many times I have seen the ball slip out of his hands. In order for the Magic to move to the next level and get back to the playoffs, Grant needs to stay healthy and be a constant contributor throughout the season.

-Jameer Nelson, self-anointed leader of the team, is ready to be the team's starting Point Guard this season. When Jameer took over the reigns last season after the Francis trade, he made the most of it and hasn't looked back. During the summer, he invited and paid for all of his teammates to come to Philly to train and practice. The team really bonded and became a lot closer from this experience. I think this really says a lot about his character and leadership skills, showing that he can provide the team with stability for the first time in quite a few years. A concussion he suffered in Training Camp kept him out of a few games, but is now looking to improve on his strong March/April from last season. Jameer needs to work on staying in front of his man and limit the opposing guards from penetrating so much, something Coach Hill has been preaching all preseason.

-Viva Arroyo! The city of Orlando and its Puerto Rican community has embraced the "throw-in" from last season's Darko trade with Detroit. Fans came out in droves supporting their hometown hero, waving flags and creating a soccer-like atmosphere in the O-rena. From a marketing standpoint, this move was ingenious, and he has also contributed a lot on the court with his flashy style and pinpoint passes. Carlos is arguably the best backup point guard in the league and adds depth to an already deep bench.

With that said, I fully expect the Magic to compete this season for a spot in the playoffs. I can see there being some bumps in the road with such a young team, but there is no reason with the talent they have that they won't be in the playoffs. I forsee a record somewhere above the .500 mark and grabbing the one of the final playoff spots.

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: official Orlando Magic team thread

Sigh...of all people to get injured, why J.J.?

[CM1847]

Re: official Orlando Magic team thread

Two lottery picks in a row will have produced nothing or next to nothing. I still can't believe they were smart enough to take Howard over Okafor.

The season hinges on Grant Hill and Darko. I fully expect Howard to become a boarderline All-Star this year as his post moves and defense continue to improve. If Nelson can repeat what he did once he became the starter last year the PG position will be fine, any improvements he may make will be a nice bonus. If they get the WBC Darko they will be in good shape. Hill is being forced out of position but is still key, he will have to be able to defend opposing two guards, have something similar to his old all around game and hopefully bring a little bit of offense. IMO they have too much riding on these two unproven players. They have no bench outside of Arroyo.

If Hill is healthy and at least a shadow of his former self and Darko plays like he has his country's jersey on instead of an NBA jersey, they will fight for anywhere up to the 5th or 6th seed in the East. If either one doesn't show up or gets hurt, they are in trouble and are looking at another chance to blow a lottery pick.

[zasbury25]

Re: official Orlando Magic team thread

What a great way to start the season! The Magic had the offense going from the opening tip and never let up on the Bulls tonight. The crowd was into it all night...it was good to see them behind the team tonight. Grant had a really good game tonight, creating mismatches on offense with the much smaller backcourt of the Bulls and playing some good D as well. Dwight was spectacular...I don't know what it is, but Big Ben always has trouble guarding Dwight. He is so much quicker and uses that to his advantage, putting Ben in the spin cycle twice in the 1st for easy dunks. Dwight also had one of the most amazing blocks I have ever seen, putting his whole hand on the backboard and the other hand swatted back a Ben Gordon layup attempt. His head looked like it was even with the rim...simply amazing.

The Bulls have very little of an inside game and it really showed tonight. The guards drove off of picks to get free for open jumpers or the occasional drive and kick for the jumper, and that was pretty much it. They really have a good defensive team, but they need some inside offense to keep the defense honest; they are going to kill their guards if they have to carry the offensive load night in and out.

Game 1 of the season was a success, but this is only the beginning and an always tough 76ers team comes to town Friday. We'll see if the team can build on tonight's game and get on a roll to start the season.

[MagicBucsWsoxFan]

Re: official Orlando Magic team thread

Great game, great victory. The future is now for Dwight. The sky is the limit for this kid.

[CM1847]

Re: official Orlando Magic team thread

I want to make the win less impressive by noting that the Bulls played a game the night before, but they won that game by 40 and the starters didn't get on the court after the 3rd. Pretty good win, they should be happy with any win over a playoff team. They should be expecting to beat Philly, it will be intersting to see how well Nelson covers Iverson

[Altimus]

Re: official Orlando Magic team thread

Just want to say great game by the Magic last night. You guys shot lights out and Howard, , wow, speechless.

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: official Orlando Magic team thread

Howard is a sick man. Jameer also had a solid game aswell, but still no J.J. .

[zasbury25]

Re: official Orlando Magic team thread

A poor showing in a game that they should have won where the Magic lacked focus and poor execution. AI and Korver were unstoppable, and in the end, the Sixers wanted it more. The Sixers did a great job of defending Dwight, showing him different looks all night. GHill had another good game, but everyone else pretty much stunk it up with poor decision making. Garrity should never be able to play meaningful minutes again...ever. This team will rarely have a problem scoring, it is a matter of defensive effort and it showed last night. We'll see how the team responds tomorrow with their first game on the road in Atlanta.

[MagicBucsWsoxFan]

Re: official Orlando Magic team thread

Things started out so well, now I can see them going down hill fast.

I was watching NFL, but the box score looked pretty bad against the Hawks yesterday.