All across the Eastern Conference this summer, former All-Stars and future Hall of Famers made the move to new teams. Chris Bosh and LeBron James signed with Miami. Shaquille O’Neal and Jermaine O’Neal went to Boston. Amare Stoudemire left Phoenix for New York. Carlos Boozer inked a deal with the Bulls.
But in Orlando, despite trade rumors around the likes of Gilbert Arenas and Chris Paul, the offseason was mostly quiet. While there is a major circus accompanying the Heat wherever they travel, and while the Celtics have gained attention for some shots across the bow delivered to the hubbub in Miami, not many are taking notice of the Magic. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“We understand that no one is really talking about us,” guard Chris Duhon, one of the Magic’s few offseason acquisitions, told Sporting News Feed. “But we have no problem with that. This is a veteran team. This team was in the Finals two years ago. We know we can be as good as Miami, as good as Boston and all the teams in the East. If no one else is talking about it, that’s all right.”
Perhaps this team shouldn’t be so far under the radar, though. If Boston and Miami figure to be the class of the East, then Orlando certainly matches up well against either. Duhon should help the team as a perimeter defender, addressing a concern the Magic had about their ability to slow guards like Boston’s Rajon Rondo and Miami’s Dwyane Wade. Wing Quentin Richardson was Orlando’s other offseason signing and his ability to knock down 3-pointers (he shot 39.7 percent from the arc last year) fits the Magic offense, and his defensive ability should help against the likes of Paul Pierce and James.
Beyond that, though, the Magic think the bulk of their improvement will come from within. “For most teams, an unwillingness to change keeps them from going from good to great,” general manager Otis Smith told SN. “There are a lot of good teams in the NBA. There are a lot of teams that get to good and become satisfied and just try to maintain the status quo. I think we have the personnel to be a great team. But I think for us to really be great and to go out and win a championship, we need to look on the inside of each individual and we need them to come out and bring something different to the table. I think we have the ability to do that.”
The Magic do have talent, starting with center Dwight Howard, who has come into training camp with a more businesslike mindset than in past years. Howard was stellar last year, but was up-and-down in the Magic’s loss to the Celtics in the conference finals -- he had 13 points in the opener and just seven in Game 3, both losses. As big a concern is power forward Rashard Lewis, who scored just 15 points total in the first three games of the Boston series. For the Magic to be a great team in the playoffs, those two have to be consistent producers. They must, as Smith puts it, bring something different to the table.
In the meantime, though, Orlando is an especially motivated bunch. They may not be grabbing headlines like the Heat, but they are noticing just how much ink is being given to their division rivals. “We want to win the division,” Smith said. “So we’re going to be watching the standings every day, we’re going to see where Miami is, where Atlanta is. But we’ve always done that. What is different, maybe, is that this year, there will be extra motivation because of what you guys in the media are writing about Miami. We don’t need to be on the front page every day, but people do like their egos stroked every now and then.”
The last time the Magic were an under-the-radar team was in the 2009 playoffs, when most of the league’s attention was centered on the postseason roll being enjoyed by James and the Cavaliers, who entered the conference finals with an eight-game playoff winning streak. But the Magic won the series and went on to the Finals. “Not getting the attention is not necessarily a bad thing,” Smith said. “It worked out pretty well for us before.”
