| Last Season: | 36-46 |
| Preview prediction: | 45-37 |
| Oddsmakers: | 39-43 |
NBA Blog Previews head north from Miami to Orlando today, where Todd at Believing in Magic sees strength at power forward, point guard, and head coach:
TEAM’S BIGGEST STRENGTHS-It goes without saying but the Magic’s biggest strength lies in the body of Dwight Howard. Howard, who is only playing his third season this year, led the Magic in scoring with 15.8ppg and was second in the whole NBA in rebounding at 12.5rpg. And Howard will only improve as he starts to develop more offensive skills.Another big strength for the Magic is their point guard play. Jameer Nelson came on strong last season and Carlos Arroyo is such a good backup at the point that he could start for some teams. Not only that but Travis Diener shined in this year’s past Summer League.
Probably the Magic’s most unheralded strength is Head Coach Brian Hill. While Hill is not as hip as other NBA coaches like Pat Riley, he is excellent at developing young talent. Proof of that is his work with O’Neal in the 90’s and now Howard. In other words, he is perfect for this Magic team.
Of course, Hill was run out of town via a player mutiny the last time he coached the Magic, so his moderately successful return was a feel-good story for Orlando fans. In fact, 2005-06 was full of pleasant surprises for the Magic, especially after the Steve Francis trade:
- Dwight Howard has become a dominating force sooner than expected.
- When you forget where he was drafted, Darko Milicic isn't a complete flop.
- When he's healthy enough to play, Grant Hill still has skills.
- Hedo Turkoglu is finally living up to his "poor man's Scottie Pippen" expectations.
- Jameer Nelson's career isn't turning into Khalid El-Amin's.
- Carlos Arroyo is a solid backup—when he's not playing for Jerry Sloan, Larry Brown, or Flip Saunders.
It isn't too hard to imagine the good feelings continuing through the 2006-07 season in Orlando. If they can avoid major setbacks and get some productivity out of J.J. Redick, a return to the playoffs seems likely.