The Orlando Magic are a very young team that has had a few setbacks this season under new head coach Jacque Vaughn. The team was able to win the game against the New Orleans Hornet. The Magic were not really able to keep a young star like Anthony Davis off of the offensive glass. A number of people are sure to speculate that if Eric Gordon had been able to play at the highest possible level for the Hornets that the result may have been different. Gordon has been struggling with a knee injury and he can not play with the same level of intensity that he would like to play with. The Magic defeated the Hornets by a 105-102 score.

Vaughn is trying to instill solid defensive principles in players like Maurice Harkless, Harkless was known as a scorer at St. John’s University and he never truly had to focus on defense. Vaughn knows how important important good on the ball defense can be.

Orlando Magic

Jameer Nelson is a leader on the floor for the Magic. You could see him working hard on both sides on the floor in order to contain a scrappy point guard like Grevis Vasquez. Nelson was able to be a floor general for the Magic and score fifteen points in the process to help the Magic win. The Magic will need a larger contribution from a player like Tobias Harris now that J.J. Redick is now with the Milwaukee Bucks. Vaughn knew that the idea of trading Redick would impact his team’s outside scoring, this is why they need to figure out how to get more consistent three point shooting out of Affalo and Tobias Harris.

Quarters

The Hornets gave up sixty nine points in the second half. Hornets head coach Monty Williams was not happy with the significant amount of points that his team gave up in the second half. The fact that Andrew Nicholson was able to roam around and get a few blocked shots may be a sign that the Hornets still do not have much of a starting front court presence at the center position.

The Hornets were not able to get any kind of contribution from Henry Sims. The fact of the matter is that if Jason Smith had not been injured, Smith could have scored some points and stopped the Magic from driving down the lane. Al Harrington was able to come off the bench for the Magic with a few quick points in the fourth quarter. Harrington is able to give the Magic a little veteran presence off the bench. Harrington’s contribution was particularly important in that that fourth quarter without Glen Davis able to play.

The fact that Affalo was able to score five points in the final thirty eight seconds may have been enough to get his squad the win on the road in Orlando. Ryan Anderson was able to hit some shots against his former Magic teammates in the four quarter, but it wasn’t enough to stop Tobias Harris from clashing the glass and getting fouled at the right time.

The better part of that is the potential for the team this year. Howard is playing as his dominant self, averaging 21.0 points and 14.8 rebounds. He has led them to a 29-18 record, good for second place in the Southeast Division behind Miami, and third in the conference. Howard has had some unexpected help from forward Ryan Anderson, who is averaging 15.6 and 7.7 rebounds per game.

This team has had some significant victories this season. Recently they posted big victories over the conference-leading Bulls and Heat. They beat the Bulls 99-94 March 8th in Chicago, and the Heat 104-98 at home. Thus, at times they have shown their capability of playing with the best teams in the East.

However, as fans have come to be familiar with over the past few years, these Dwight Howard-led Magic also have a tendency to be inconsistent. Just when it seems they are playing well together, they have a game that seems to underscore their weaknesses. In short, when they’re bad, they’re really bad.

This is evident in the games on March 18th and 19th, when they lost back-to-back games to the Heat and Bulls. The loss to the Bulls was one of the more embarrassing losses in recent years. They fell 85-59 on their home court. They turned the ball over 19 times and only shot 35.3 percent. Howard didn’t struggle, scoring 18 and pulling down 12 boards. Every other player on the roster, however, did struggle.

Jason Richardson only scored two, Jameer Nelson was plagued by turnovers, and Ryan Anderson had no answer for Carlos Boozer. The kicker is that Derrick Rose wasn’t even on the floor for Chicago. Inexplicably, he was in the lineup when the Magic beat the Bulls in Chicago.

A loss like this leaves a lot of questions in the minds of fans. Does Stan Van Gundy have control over his team? If so, why couldn’t he motivate them to play better fundamental basketball? Does this team have the capability to win a championship before Howard leaves?

As has been the case in year’s past, the story behind the team’s success this year is Dwight Howard. Howard leads the team in five major statistical categories: points (18.6), rebounds (14.6), field goal percentage (59.1), blocks (2.4), and steals (1.4). So far this year, however, Howard has been somewhat pleased with the output of his supporting cast.

Forward Ryan Anderson seems to be making a bid for Most Improved Player of the Year as he has gotten off to a hot start. Anderson is averaging 18.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. As a player who started out the year without even a secure starting job, he has clearly been the strongest supporting player behind Howard. Anderson is hitting 39.7% from behind the three-point line, and turned in a Howard-esque 23 point, 15 rebound performance in a win against the Washington Wizards.

Forward Hedo Turkoglu, after something of a down year last year, appears to be returning to form as well. He is averaging 13.6 points and shooting 45.2% from the three point line. They are also pleased with the emergence of new acquisition Glen “Big Baby” Davis. Davis came over from Boston in the off season, and, after a slow start has had a couple of impressive games. With the addition of Glen Davis, they had hoped Dwight Howard might want to stay because those two are buddies. In their last game against Sacramento, Davis came in to fill in for Howard, who was in foul trouble early. He was a more than adequate replacement, scoring 20 points and pulling down 8 rebounds in a win. This was certainly an exciting match up and you shouldn’t miss opportunities to see games like this one.  Coach Stan Van Gundy plans to keep Davis coming in from off of the bench, which means that the team may finally have a reliable backup to turn to when Howard gets put in foul trouble. Also, giving their star player well deserved rest between quarters will ensure that he does not burn out.

What has yet to be seen is if they can hold their own with the creme-de-la-creme of the league. Their three losses came to Miami, Oklahoma City, and Chicago. These are clearly three of (if not the three) top teams in the NBA but Orlando lost to all by eight or more points and were embarrassed by Miami 118-85. Although it’s early in the season, none of Orlando’s wins has come against a team that had a winning record when they played.

Therefore,  Howard wants to go to a team that has a legitimate shot at the NBA title. It’s difficult to make the argument that Orlando has what it takes after their showing against the Heat this year. Orlando will get another chance to prove their mettle on January 11, when they face the Portland Trailblazers. Portland has ridden the hot hand of Lamarcus Aldridge out to a 6-2 start. Orlando will need Dwight Howard to stay out of foul trouble to win the game. If Orlando can get past Portland, maybe Howard will start to look more favorably on their chances to win the title.

Superman Splits?

One has to feel sorry for Stan Van Gundy. Known for his detailed preparation, not only does he have a short training camp to get his team ready, but he has to deal with complete chaos when it comes to his roster. This is because, of course, everything boils down to whether Dwight Howard, nicknamed Superman, will be traded or not.

Howard has asked for a trade. At various points, it looked like he was headed to either the New Jersey Nets or Los Angeles Lakers. Then the other superstar looking for a trade, Chris Paul, was prevented from being traded to the Lakers when dictatorial commissioner David Stern stepped in and terminated the trade at the behest of small market team owners. Those teams considering a trade for Howard became hesitant and, for now, Howard remains playing in preseason games with Orlando. With less than one week until the actually NBA season starts, people that bought Magic tickets can breath a sigh of relief because Dwight Howard has yet to be traded.

Plan Gone Bad

The team is caught between a rock and a hard place. Instead of focusing on youth, they sought to entice Dwight Howard to stay by trading for Glen Davis, his buddy, of the Celtics and bringing back Jason Richardson, a very veteran guard. This team made a deep run in 2009 into the playoffs and the management seemed to think that Howard might stay if they loaded up to do so again. Given this, the team stuck with the old guard of Jameer Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu while even brining in 3 point specialist J.J. Redick who is only valuable if there is a dominant center drawing in the other team’s defense.

The problem is Howard didn’t bite. While he is back at the training camp for the team, he still wants a trade. The only question now seems to be whether it will come in the next week or before the trade deadline. Either way, they are in deep trouble because their entire team is built around him dominating under the basket. If Howard leaves, other teams can man up on the three point shooters and none of those shooters have the moves or quickness to create their own shots. Nobody knows who will go with Howard when he is traded or who will come to the team in the trade. Watching them prepare for the season is somewhat like watching the world’s slowest train wreck happening.

Hope?

The only real hope for the Magic to save this season and beyond is to trade Howard to the Lakers for Andrew Bynum. Bynum is a young Howard, but not as refined. It is well known that he would like to be the main man on a team, so a trade would be a move that he would apparently embrace. Throw in the fact that Bynum could step in to Howard’s role and open up the shooting lanes for the teams outside guns and this is a trade that makes sense.

The only problem is whether the NBA will allow this to happen. Commissioner Stern appears to have it out for the Lakers after squashing the Chris Paul trade. The idea that Stern would kill the Paul trade, but not a Howard trade to the Lakers seems dubious at best.

Howard Stays

The final alternative is to just refuse to trade Howard. Nearly everyone, including the Magic, agree that this would be a very bad strategy. An unhappy Howard would be bad in the locker room, kill team chemistry and turn the season into a grim grind to the end. To top things off, he could then leave the team at the end of the year as a free agent and they would get nothing in return.

Season Prediction

It is going to be an ugly season one way or the other. They built the team around Howard in an effort to get him to stay. It didn’t work. Without Howard, their roster is going to be unable to score unless they find another dominant center. Expect them to play .500 ball at best and start rebuilding in the off season. I am sure you will be able to find plenty of cheap Magic tickets this season. We can only hope that they are able to do something before the trade deadline is finished.

2011-2012 plans for the Magic

Now that the team has a new arena, Amway center, it seems as if the team is also ready for a new look. This was very evident when the team traded Rashard Lewis for the once prominent Gilbert Arenas. Since the team is excited about the new arena, they are also set to host the 2012 All Star game. This just might be a sign that Magic tickets will be headed towards a brighter future.

Key Players

Jameer Nelson

The 6’0 guard from St Joseph has been the catalyst for the team for quite some time now. He has been able to lead the team to a conference title in 2009 and back-to-back division titles in 2009 and 2010. If Jameer continues to be one of the best guards in the league, he can very well take this team back to the Finals.

Dwight Howard

In order for them to truly become a team to be reckoned with, they must fully rely on “Superman.” Dwight is a young 6’11 center and he has been the second coming of Shaq. He is one of the strongest and most athletic centers in the league and if he can develop a decent mid range shot, he can be a candidate for next year’s MVP award. Though many people criticize Dwight as a young and immature player, if he is able to hone his skills, he will definitely lead his team to the finals.

Key Role Players

Just like any other team, they will not be complete without key role players. Chris Duhon will be the backup point guard to Jameer Nelson and when Jameer is on the bench, it is up to Chris to take over and lead the team. When the organization traded Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat and Marcin Gortat, they received some great role players in Jason Richardson, Earl Clark and the player that led them to the 2009 finals, Hedo Turkoglu.

As the team prepares for the 2011-2012 season, the league is definitely taking notice and realize that they are a legit title contender. The team will just need the leadership of their star players and the contributions of the key role players. If Stan Van Gundy can control all his players to continue to play his in system, they will definitely headed towards the right direction. Fans should realize the potential of this team. They should go out and support their team by purchasing Magic tickets now.

The best team that Orlando has ever witnessed was created when the team drafted hall of fame center Shaquille O’neal. Shaq was the first pick in the 1992 draft and was able to completely turn the team into a playoff contender. The 7’1 center immediately made a difference for the team and even the league itself. After Shaq’s first year, the Magic were able to have a %500 win percentage and they won the NBA’s most improved team that season. Though the team was able to improve almost 20 wins compared to the last season, they still were not able to make it to the playoffs.

This is when the organization realized that they were missing one more superstar and when the team was able to acquire Anfernee Hardaway, the organization knew that they now have a legit combination in Shaq and Anfernee. With the amazing one two punch, they were then able to receive the first 50 win season in franchise history. In their very first playoff appearance, they were swept by the Pacers in the first round.

By the organization’s sixth season, they were able to make it to the NBA finals with the help of Forward Horace Grant. The newly revamped team was able to fight their way to the finals before they were swept by the Houston Rockets. One year later, they then were able to win 60 times, the first time in franchise history. As the team continued to get better, they were seeded number two that year, only second to the Chicago Bulls. They fell short once again in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the number one seed Chicago Bulls. After the 1996 season, they lost one of the best players of all time to the Los Angeles Lakers as Shaq packed his bag for California.

After only one playoff appearance after Shaq’s departure, the team then welcomed its prolific scorer Tracy Mcgrady. Tracy Mcgrady was able to take the team to the playoffs a few times, but injuries were what really held the All Star guard from taking the team to the finals.

By 2004 the Magic then drafted what many called “the next Shaq.” Dwight Howard is now the face of this team and has been able to take them to the finals in 2009. The team is now packed with amazing young talent and a classy point guard in Jameer Nelson. With great role players in Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson, Stan Van Gundy might be able to lead this talented team to their first ring in franchise history.

With legendary center Patrick Ewing as one of his assistant coaches, it is not a secret that Stan Van Gundy focuses on his big man Dwight Howard to help lead the team back to the playoffs. The team likes to work in and out, as Jameer Nelson would be the main facilitator as opposing big men clog the middle to help stop Dwight. As teams funnel in to the middle, this leaves shooters like Hedo and JJ Redick to have their way from the three point line. They have been able to build a solid system and it seems like they have all the right pieces. Jason and Quentin Richardson are solid role players, who both play the shooting guard and small forward spots.

At 52 years old, the head coach started as an assistant at the University of Wisconsin under Stu Jackson and he eventually became the head coach. He had a record of 135-92 in 8 years of college coaching.

Though Van Gundy does not have a laundry list of coaching awards in the NBA, he certainly has respect in the league as a legit coach. He started in 1995 as an assistant for the Miami Heat. He stayed as the Heat assistant for 8 years before he became their head coach. After just three years as the Heat’s head coach, he moved to Orlando to take over for Billy Donovan.

Now that the Orlando Magic are revamped with a new look and they have some fresh faces, Van Gundy hopes to implement a few new strategies to help take this team back to the Eastern Finals and hopefully to the Finals. Van Gundy knows that in order to get to the Finals, he will have to ultimately beat the Big Three in Miami. As Orlando seems to be missing a third member, Jameer Nelson, Dwight Howard and Jason Richardson will need their role players to step up during each game. They have some great young talent in Cal big man Ryan Anderson, who is proven to hit the three pointer. The Magic were also able to get one time prominent scorer and All Star Gilbert Arenas. As Van Gundy feels he has enough players, Orlando fans are buying their Magic tickets now in the hope of another great season.

With a overall price tag of $480 Million, this arena came within $10Million of estimated cost, a success to good financial management when cost overruns plague so many of these type of venues.  Part of the deal was that Amway had the naming rights to the new venue and exercised those rights under a 10 year, $40 Million naming deal.  Amway Center was officially named Aug 3, 2009.  In addition, a complex financing deal was arranged between the three parties.  As with of many of these type of deals, there has been financial hurdles to overcome.

Today, Amway Center is known as one of the most technologically advance venues in the world.  A unique 50 foot cable center hung structure littered with stainless steel “raindrops” in the 80 foot tall main lobby, tallest in any of the NBA venues, is found inside the building.  The creative programming options are maximized by the use of high resolution, 6 mm-pixel technology on each of the 18 displays.  As well as additional displays, the largest being a 360 degree, 1,100 foot display surrounding the entire seating bowl,  with the ability to display exciting motion graphics, real time content including in-game statistics, out of town scores and closed captioning information.  Not to be outdone, the outside of the Center, hosts a 46 foot by 53 foot video display, which can be viewed by millions of motorists traveling on interstate 4.

Amway Center’s floor is designed much like an arena football, featuring retractable sections that permit squared end zone corners which make your Magic tixs all have great sight lines.  With a square footage of 875,000, it accommodates approximately 18,500 in the  various functions of sports and  concert areas.  It is home to a variety of mid-level luxury seats, as well as luxuriously appointed Founder and Presidents suites which offer the ultimate in private viewing and include a wide range of VIP benefits such as top-flight cuisine, concierge services and access to VIP bars, lounges and restaurants including VIP elevators.  The Helistop is designed so that helicopters can land on its top level or 8th floor with “prior permission required.”  The Courtyard and Superstar area offer wide and comfortable exclusive seatings with intimate access to the NBA action.  The roomy 68 loge boxes combine first class perks and privileges for those whom want to be close to the court.  In the 2 Legend suites, capable of each holding 161 guests, one’s afforded the luxury of a private suite with the accessibility of being in a premium club.

Further club seating is provided on various decks.  Three Club hospitality rooms are available for special events and private functions.  There is 5 concourses which an average 35 foot width.  Exclusive restaurant,  bars and lounge add to the facilities assets, with a commitment to provide a safe and enjoyable atmosphere.   The entertainment areas include a children’s play area, as well as other facilities designed to engage the fans.  With the size of this type of complex, public washrooms can adequately handle the large number of attendees with 18 men’s and 19 women’s.  The concession points of sales has a ratio of 1.150 spectators.   Three Retail Stores provide for shopping, one being the Orlando Magic Team shop.  However, this is not just a major sport venue, it also host a museum-quality $1 Million art collection.  Officially opening Oct 1, 2010, Amway Center, without a doubt, is a world class venue.