Prepared For More Magic Tricks

The trade for Vince Carter made by the Orlando Magic was an obvious foreboding that Hedo Turkoglu will hook up with another team. The NBA is a tough business run by savvy owners with the objective of putting up a competitive team that will draw them revenue. Although Turkoglu would have wanted to stay with Orlando, he has to do what’s right for him and his family by signing up a long-term contract worth at least $10 million per year with Toronto. Good for the Raptors. They get a clutch performing point forward that will definitely compliment Chris Bosh.

Despite the loss of Turk, Magic GM Otis Smith did a bravura job in ensuring that the team won’t be left without a legitimate replacement for the Turkey sensation. As mentioned before, Carter still has mad hops and will be more than capable to bring in the 17-5-5 Turkoglu produced last season. The only issue would be the possible tampering of chemistry, but with Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson being the clear-cut team captains, that won’t be much of a concern.

However, Vince Carter isn’t the guy who will vault the Magic to the top of the standings, not to mention, another crack at the championship. It’s the acquisition of Brandon Bass and Matt Barnes, as well as the resigning of Marcin Gortat that clearly put the Orlando Magic back into serious contention. How the management pulled off some of the most inspired personnel moves in team history is simply beyond me. But hey, I’m not complaining.

The bench has been one of the biggest concerns that the Magic had to answer last year. Despite boasting one of the toughest and competent starting five, they only had Gortat, Tony Battie, Courtney Lee, and J.J. Reddick as their backups. (This was a time when Mickael Pietrus was recuperating from injury during the season). The second stringers are effective for a short period of time, but are simply not enough for the long haul. Now, Lee and Battie are gone. The only real keepers from the previous bench were Gortat, who has shown flashes of being a solid starting center for any other NBA team, and Pietrus, who finally found his groove as a spark plug off the bench during the playoffs. Reddick has proven that his defense is nothing to scoff at against Ray Allen in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but the need for him to consistently hit the open shot has never been more pressing.

However, their concerns for more firepower were finally addressed with the acquisition of Bass. An undersized but wide power forward, he brings a lot of energy and muscle to a team wresting solely on Dwight Howard’s shoulder. His 9-6 points-rebounds under 20 minutes of play is amazingly efficient, as he can make the most out of his playing time feeding off from double teams on Dwight and broken plays. Most importantly, this will allow the Magic flexibility with their game plan, as they can either start Bass for that orthodox lineup against bigger and stronger teams (Celtics, Lakers) or have him come off the bench to spell Rashard Lewis for the power forward slot for throw off some teams (Cleveland).

Also in the fold is Matt Barnes, a solid contributor for the Warriors and Suns of seasons past. He had an amazing run as that unknown forward playing for the upset masters Warriors during the 2007 NBA Playoffs. Similar to Pietrus, Barnes has the defense and the shooting that can play to a starting role on any other team. But from the looks of it, he will definitely back up Lewis or Pietrus at small forward and play significant minutes off the bench.

As mentioned, Gortat will play another season as second fiddle to Dwight Howard when the Magic matched Dallas’ offer to the Polish Hammer. Although he may be happier as a starter for Dallas or Houston, that opportunity could become a reality should the Magic decide to trade him for a point guard. Nevertheless, Gortat appears to be comfortable playing in Stan Van Gundy’s system, which is why I suggest to not trade him and see how his size comes into play during the postseason.

I seriously believe that the Magic will definitely cause a storm next season. They have it all: the talent, the size, the experience, the moxie, and the juju. What the hell does “juju” mean, I really don’t know. Maybe it’s a magical thing.