MAGIC

The Orlando Magic began playing professional basketball in 1990 and by their fourth season, they were a .500 team. The following season, the team won 50 games but lost in the first round of the playoffs. During the 1995 season, the team won 57 games and steamrolled their way to the finals before being outplayed and outclassed by the Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon. Many experts thought the play of Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal would be enough to get the Orlando Magic their first title but a young O’Neal was soundly beaten by an experienced Olajuwon in every aspect of the game. The 1996 season was another good one for the Magic as they won a franchise record 60 games and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. The following off-season, O’Neal left the team via free agency to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers and the team was never the same. The Magic had been a steady team averaging almost 43 wins a year over the last six seasons before finishing last year with a 21-61 record. The team had superstar Tracy McGrady but couldn’t surround him with the talent needed to make another playoff push. In the off-season, McGrady voiced his displeasure with the way the organization was going about their business and he was traded along with Juwan Howard to Houston for Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato.

The McGrady trade wasn’t the only move the Magic made in the off-season even though that move was one of the biggest of the season. The Magic also traded away Drew Gooden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Tony Battie and signed free agent Hedo Turkoglu from the San Antonio Spurs. The team also resigned DeShawn Stevenson after averaging career highs of 11.4 points and 3.7 rebounds last season. The team finished last season with the worst record in the league and earned the number one pick in the draft. They were tore between high schooler Dwight Howard and Emeka Okefor but eventually chose Howard as the number one overall pick in the draft. The team expects Howard to team up with the newly acquired team of Francis and Mobley to form one of the better small-big combos in the Eastern Conference. Head coach Johnny Davis is optimistic that this team could be a factor in the East and although no one will expect them to make a huge impact this season, most teams agree that Orlando could be solid for many years in the future.

The Orlando Magic will be one of the teams joining a brand new division starting this season. The Magic will be teamed up with the Atlanta Hawks, the Charlotte Bobcats, the Miami Heat, and the Washington Wizards in the new Southeast division. The Heat made a gigantic move in the off-season as they were able to trade Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant to the Los Angeles Lakers for Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal is still arguably the top big man in the game and is capable of taking over any game with his force and strength down low. The Heat will be the favorites to win the division but the Hawks traded for Antoine Walker and the Wizards picked up Antawn Jamison so each of those teams should be competitive as well. Charlotte is the 30th NBA franchise and the reason for the realignment of the league this season. They’ve decided to start with a younger team and avoid large, lengthy contracts in an effort to build a solid foundation and piece together a playoff contender in the coming years. The Magic could make a run at a playoff berth this season, but they’ll need their top players to play well with each other if that dream is to be a reality. Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley will team up in the backcourt with Dwight Howard at the power forward spot and Tony Battie starting at center. The Magic will hope to get a full healthy season out of Grant Hill, the superstar out of Duke who played well for Detroit before moving to Orlando and injuring his ankle. If Hill is unable to bounce back from the injury, Turkoglu will likely start at the three.

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