2011-12 Orlando Magic Predictions
Written by Steve Janus
The Orlando Magic have been the center of attention heading into the start of the 2011-12 NBA season, as trade talks surrounding All-Star center Dwight Howard seem to change daily. As of right now, it is believed that Howard is going to at least play out the first half of the season, then likely get traded to either the Nets, Lakers, or Mavericks. That is unless the Magic come out and play like a true contender early on. However, that scenario is hard to imagine after watching Orlando getting upset in the first round of the playoffs last year by the Atlanta Hawks.
Few believe that head coach Stan Van Gundy has enough talent on the roster to make a deep run in the playoff again this year. That’s not to say Orlando can’t surprise everyone. No one expected the Magic to make the NBA Finals back in 2009. Howard is a special player that makes any team a contender, but it’s going to be very hard for this team to handle all the rumors and media attention.
Howard averaged 22.9 points and 15.1 rebounds per game last year, but the rest of the team didn’t play up to their potential. So far the Magic have traded away Brandon Bass for Glen Davis and Von Wafer, while also waiving Gilbert Arenas. They were able to re-sign Jason Richardson and Earl Clark, but overall it’s hard to believe they have done enough to convince Howard to stay after this season.
The key to the Magic remaining a force in the Eastern Conference is the play of point guard Jameer Nelson. The 7-year veteran has the potential to be an All-Star, but simply can’t stay healthy. He hasn’t played a full season since coming to Orlando as a rookie in 2004. Last year he averaged just 13.1 ppg. For Orlando to be a serious contender he has to be scoring at least 16-18 points a game.
The rest of the starting lineup doesn’t exactly jump out at you. Richardson appears to be an over-payed veteran who is well past his prime, Hedo Turkoglu has played well in Van Gundy’s offense, but an upgrade could have definitely been used at small forward. Davis isn’t as talented as Bass at power forward, but could end up working well with Howard. All-in-all this team could have put a better starting five together if they truly wanted Howard to stay.
As far as the bench goes, I like the potential of J.J. Redick and Ryan Anderson. These two give Orlando a couple of guys who can come in and score. Chris Duhon is a solid backup point guard, who can start if Nelson goes down with an injury. They also have Quentin Richardson, but he averaged just 4.4 point in 57 games (19 starts) with the Magic last year.
Prediction: 2nd Eastern Conference Southeast Division - I am making this prediction based on the roster Orlando has at this point. While it seems very likely that they will trade Howard, it’s not for sure. With Howard this team will win a lot more than they lose, which should have them fighting with the Knicks for the 4th seed in the East. If they trade Howard, they will clearly be worse off. However, they could sneak into the playoffs depending on what they get in return.
Find out where we have all 30 NBA teams finishing in our 2011-12 NBA Predictions article.
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