NBA Season Preview - Orlando Magic

Mark Rawden, and his associates over at Examiner.com (http://www.examiner.com), are running their own NBA Season Preview for each team in the NBA prior to the beginning of the regular season. Here's a look at the the 2009-10 Orlando Magic, and a Q&A with Orlando Magic Examiner Kenny Samsel: (http://www.examiner.com/x-10630-Boston-Celtics-Examiner~y2009m10d12-NBA-Season-Preview-QA-with-Orlando-Magic-Examiner-Kenny-Samsel) What are your thoughts about the Magic as the season approaches? How do you feel about their playoff/title chances? Kenny Samsel: Obviously, the biggest thought would be the off-season trade of rookie and fan favorite Courtney Lee for Vince Carter. Of course, other pieces were involved (Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, and Ryan Anderson), but, having Vinceanity come back “home” to play definitely puts an offensive spark into the team’s already powerful defense. Having Jameer Nelson and Alston was overkill in the PG department, so it was essential for one of them to go. Personally, I’m surprised they didn’t test the waters during the regular season and instead got rid of him this early, but to receive Carter as compensation is fair enough. The biggest blow is losing Courtney Lee. As a defensive minded 2-guard, he did seem like the future starter seeing as the lineup already had the offensive likes of Rashard Lewis, Dwight Howard, and Nelson. Tack on the addition of Brandon Bass and the retention of Marcin Gortat, and Lee was in the absolute perfect situation as a player. Unfortunately, in order to get the high flying Vince, Lee had to be traded. If you’re New Jersey, you don’t give up your biggest star if you don’t get a potential All-Star in return. (After all, you have your long-term PG, and are lobbying for LeBron next year; why not pair him up with your long-term 2-guard?)As for their playoff chances? Better than ever. Even I’ll admit, the Magic shocked the world by beating the Celtics and Cavs back-to-back and were within a Lee layup from getting the ball rolling on another upset. Although they lost playoff hero Hedo Turkoglu, take a look at the numbers and it’s really not that big of a loss. He shot less than 50%, turned the ball over numerous times, and barely played any defense. Yes, he had a few big shots and provided the offensive spark, but really, they’re paying Rashard $189 bagillion dollars to be the number one shooter, putting all their reliance on Dwight to dunk it in, and even relying on Jameer to be the scrappy jump shot artist. Hedo was just the icing on the cake. When it was apparent that he no longer wanted to stay in Orlando, the Magic did the right move by nabbing Vince. So, will Orlando get back to the Finals? It will be a tougher road with the Celtics regaining Garnett and the Cavs signing Shaq, but they still have the firepower to take them all in a series.Do you feel that holes in the roster still need to be addressed, and if so, can they be addressed?KS: Well, the main problem on the roster is that they’re still a few people short of having a full team. Yes, they have the 12-men required, but, one injury, and they’re struggling to sign league minimum scrubs. Unfortunately, they’re maxed out with the cap and can’t really do much about it (short of wheeling and dealing trades…then again, with the contracts they’re bound to, I don’t think it would be in anyone’s best interests to trade). I will say, they’re a bit short in terms of big men. Outside of Dwight and Gortat, they don’t have any true centers (remember, the luxury of Battie is gone). Although Anderson and Bass (whom I’ve nicknamed “The Firm” seeing as “Anderson and Bass” sounds like the name of a law firm you’d see on TV) do serve the power forward role, they aren’t “bigs”. They did sign Adonal Foyal, but, really….it’s Adonal Foyal (check out my article I did last season on him).How do you feel they compare with the Celtics, and the rest of the Eastern Conference? To read the rest of Mark's Q&A, click here. (http://www.examiner.com/x-10630-Boston-Celtics-Examiner~y2009m10d12-NBA-Season-Preview-QA-with-Orlando-Magic-Examiner-Kenny-Samsel)