Orlando Magic 2010-2011 preview
Are they one of the top-three teams in the NBA? Well the Lakers and Celtics made the finals last year and the Miami Heat now have LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Then there’s the Oklahoma City Thunder who with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook could be on the verge of a breakout year to take the No.2 seed in the west. Arguably then the Magic are the fourth best team in the NBA and for a team that didn’t make a big move in the off-season that could spell trouble.
However, the biggest move they could have made in the off-season is getting franchise player Dwight Howard to learn some offensive moves. He made some strides in that department last season but somehow ended up with only 18.3 points per game – the previous two years he had scored over 20.
If Howard hasn’t been able to add an offensive move to his game then the Magic will again struggle come play-off time, especially if they meet the Celtics again. Kendrick Perkins can shutdown Howard and so can Shaquille O’Neal leaving everyone else open to guard their man – a recurring theme in the Magic’s play-off eliminations.
And if you want a worrying trend, Howard’s vital stats have declined each year for the past two years. He’s gone from 20.7 points per game to 18.3 and his rebounds have also taken a slight dip dropping from 14.2 to 13.2. However, his blocks per game have gone up in that time from 2.1 to 2.8, indicating he’s improving his defence.
He might be the game’s best centre but foul trouble sill plagues Howard with a career high 3.5 last season. If he doesn’t learn to adapt, the Magic will need to add another NBA superstar to the roster if an NBA Finals victory is to be achieved. In fact, you could argue they need one anyway.
Off-season moves
The Magic needed a good back-up point guard due to Jameer Nelson’s injury struggles and Jason Williams’ - who they re-signed to the veterans minimum - ineffectiveness in the play-offs. So they went out and signed Chris Duhon to a four-year $15 million contract which isn’t too bad. He’ll shoot the ball well from beyond the arc and will help out on the defensive end.
They brought back JJ Redick after matching Chicago’s three-year $20million offer. Orlando had to bring him back if they wanted to keep the team at championship level and avoid making their conference rivals better. His ability to shoot the three-ball was another reason they kept Redick.
Quentin Richardson was signed to a four-years $10 million contract, adding another three-point threat to the team and at only $10 million over four years they can cut him when things turn ugly.
Prediction
Nothing has really changed for the Magic this off-season and their success will be down to how Howard manages to play against big-men in the play-offs. If he hasn’t improved, expect a near 60 win season and no trip to the Finals.
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