Hope. When all else fails, it remains. It’s what we cling to when disappointments, failures, and bad breaks constantly fly at us from every direction. It’s what keeps us from giving up, what keeps us moving forward and continuing to fight. Our situation may be bad now, but hope gives us something to believe in; a belief that someday things will be better. In spite of all the pain and turmoil, someday good fortune will find us. That is hope.

The burning questions then is this, do fans of the Orlando Magic have any hope whatsoever?

Bad breaks and injuries to key players have become the norm for the Magic this season. Only one Magic player has played in all 47 regular season games thus far. Four of the five opening day starters have missed at least four games due to injury. Glen “Big Baby” Davis recently broke his left foot and will be out for the remainder of the season. Aaron Afflalo has missed the last four games because of a strained calf and will likely remain on the sidelines for tonight’s game against Philadelphia. Jameer Nelson has had various minor injuries throughout the year and will miss his 11^th game this year tonight because of a left forearm contusion. J.J. Redick, who has been one of the more consistent contributors on the team, will also not be in action in tonight’s game. He has a sore shoulder. All the players mentioned above are arguably Orlando’s four best players. Yeah, the Magic know pain.

9 in a row. 20 out of 22. The losses are piling up, one right on top of another, game after game. At one point (22 games ago) the Magic were one game below .500 and in contention for the last playoff spot in the East. Then, as they say, “sh*t hit the fan.” Injuries piled up faster than the losses did. It was all Coach Jacque Vaughn could do just to put a somewhat competitive team on the court some nights. It is clear by this point in the season that those somewhat unrealistic- but not impossible- dreams of making the playoffs have completely vanished. The Magic now have the fourth worst record in the NBA. With only 35 games remaining to be played, Orlando is 10 games behind the Boston Celtics for the 8^th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Only 2.5 games separate the Magic and the worst team in the league, the Washington Wizards. And with the way things are going for Orlando; don’t be surprised if they wind up with the worst record in the Association by season’s end.

So with all this in mind, once again I ask- is there any hope with which Orlando Magic fans can cling to?

Yes, by golly. Yes there is. Don’t give up yet Magic fans, you still do have hope. Not for this season, mind you, but for the future. You see, because of all the injuries and horrendous losing streaks, the Orlando Magic have been set free. They have stumbled into a certain type of freedom that only a small percentage of NBA teams experience each year. Before the Magic lost 20 out of their last 22 games they were in limbo. They were winning just enough games to have an outside chance at making the playoffs. Realistically, the Magic were probably never going to make the playoffs. But without all the injuries, they might have been able to finish ninth or tenth in the East. And they wouldn’t have been free. Not good enough to make the playoffs, but not bad enough to call it a season. Stuck in mediocrity, often one of the worst places to be in the NBA.

Now that the Magic have no chance whatsoever at making the playoffs, hope is found. If the Magic were never going to make the playoffs anyway, then finishing with one of the worst records in the league is actually a desired outcome. The Magic are in a rebuilding process, and much of that process should be accomplished through the draft. The way the Magic are losing game after game right now, they will be in a prime position to get a top 5 pick in this summer’s NBA draft. And while the upcoming draft class is a little weak, there are still some good players available that could contribute right away.

The Magic already have plenty of young, talented big men, so I doubt that Nerlens Noel or Cody Zeller are viable options for them right now. The one position that the Magic have struggled all year to get solid contribution from is at small forward. DeQuan Jones, Hedo Turkoglu, and Mo Harkless have all had their turn starting at the position, but no one has played well enough to keep the spot. Enter the NBA draft. There are a couple of talented collegiate players that could probably start right away at small forward for the Magic. Anthony Bennett from UNLV is a powerful player that can dominate the paint and step outside and knock down the three. Shabazz Muhammad is a smooth scorer with a plethora of moves to the basket. The Magic would be happy to grab either one.

If the Magic are able to pick up either Bennett or Muhammad, next season could be a playoff season for Orlando fans. A starting lineup that features Jameer Nelson, Arron Affalo, Bennett/Muhammad, Glen Davis and Nik Vucevic is just as talented as this year’s Celtics or Bucks starting lineup. And most of the players on the Magic roster are young and only getting better.

So take hope Magic fans. Celebrate and applaud when your team claims a rare victory, but celebrate even harder when your team comes up short in defeat. For therein lies the real hope. Hope not for the present, but for the future. Hope that perhaps you will claim the next superstar in the draft. Hope that if all goes as bad as planned this season, next season will go better than anyone expects.

Do you believe in God? You know, the big man upstairs that controls the happenings of the universe. Well, chances are you do, at least according to most religious polls conducted in America. What about the basketball gods? You know, higher beings that control the results of the National Basketball Association.  Is there such a thing?

J.J. Redick believes there is.  After a disappointing loss to the Raptors on Thursday in which Demar Derozan nailed an impossible fadeway jumpshot at the buzzer to win the game by two points, Redick voiced his frustration, “The basketball gods have turned their backs on us. We need to get back in their good graces.” There may not actually be any basketball gods, but if there are, it does seem as if they have indeed turned their backs on the Orlando Magic.

The loss to the Raptors was Orlando’s 15^th in 17 games and the Magic have since lost 2 more in as many games. Sunday was another heartbreaking 2 point defeat to the Pistons and tonight the Brooklyn Nets completely dismantled the shunned team from Orlando. These losses move the Magic record to a dismal 14-30. Just over a month ago, the Magic were a game under .500 and challenging the Bucks and Celtics for the last playoff spot in the East. Now they are in danger of slipping to fourth place behind the Washington Wizards in the Southeast division. With the return of John Wall from injury the Wizards are surging forward and are only 3 games behind the Magic. Not that it really matters whether Orlando is in third or fourth place at this point, it just mean that yet another team would pass the Magic and would be representative of how much they have declined in the past month and a half.

To be fair, the Magic really have run onto some bad luck this season. Injuries have riddled the team from day one. Starting center Nik Vucevic is the lone Magic player to have played all 44 of their games this season. Opening day starter Hedo Turkoglu was injured in the first game, came back for 5 games a couple months later and promptly hurt himself again. Starting point guard Jameer Nelson was out for 9 games early in the season. Starting power forward, and second leading scorer on the team, Glen Davis missed 11 games right near the beginning of the Magic’s horrific slide to the near bottom of the East. Veteran forward Al Harrington has yet to appear in a Magic uniform after being acquired from the Denver Nuggets over the summer. Harrington is recovering from knee surgery and was expected to make his Magic debut about 2 months into the season, but time marches on and still no Harrington. To make matters even worse, leading scorer Aaron Afflalo strained his calf against the Pistons on Sunday and was forced to miss tonight’s game against the Nets. Afflalo is not expected to miss much time with his calf strain, but still, it’s another injury heaped on top of the many others. No wonder J.J. Redick had a hard time believing that the basketball gods had the team’s back.

So what can the Magic do to get back in the good graces of the basketball gods? Well, what does one to do receive the grace of the God of the universe? One confesses his wrongdoings. The Magic have the worst record in the league in games decided by three points or less. They are 1-7 in those games. They are also 0-3 in overtime. Better execution is needed in close games. The Magic also need someone to step up late in games and make plays. Big games and big situations call for big time players. The Magic have a team of only slightly above average players, but someone needs to step up and play at a higher level late in games. The Magic also allow their opponents to score the third most points per game in the Eastern Conference. Having less talent than most teams is no excuse to not be good on the defensive end. The Magic have played hard all season, but there needs to be more of an emphasis put on performing defensively. Maybe they need to play even harder. If they acknowledge their flaws and commit to improving them, maybe the basketball gods will smile down upon them once again.

In spite of their flaws, though, I think it is important to remember that before the season began this is about right where we expected the Magic to be. They’re actually performing better than I predicted. They’re at 14 wins a little over halfway through the season and I projected them to be at 20 for the whole season. Nobody, and I mean nobody, expected them to be one game under .500 two months into the season. Yes, they are a struggling team right now with numerous problems.  But considering the injury problems they’ve had and the youth and inexperience on the team, the Magic have endured valiantly. And it may not happen right now, but I think eventually the basketball gods will reward the Magic for their perseverance. So hang in there J.J.

For as good as the Orlando Magic looked over the first three games of the season, they looked just as bad or even worse over the next three games. The Magic started off the season winning 2 of their first three games and had me singing their praises and complimenting on their ability to play team basketball and win when nobody thought they could. I even asked the question, “Could the Orlando Magic be a playoff team this season?” Now obviously, I was asking that question to simply stir up some debate and get people wondering. I have never once thought that this team could actually make the playoffs. However, I do think that I may have gotten a little ahead of myself. Last week I predicted that the Magic would win 2 out their 3 next games. They had one game against the Timberwolves and two games against the Brooklyn Nets. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The Magic proceeded to lose all three games and make me look like I don’t know what I’m talking about. These were bad losses too and the Magic looked terrible. Through the first three games of the season, as a team, Orlando averaged 103.3 points per game. Over the next three games they averaged a mere 72.3 points per game. The difference is like night and day, and scoring 70 points a game just isn’t going to get the job done.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Magic either. Tonight they play host to the NBA’s only remaining unbeaten, the New York Knicks. The Knicks have come out on fire to start the year, averaging 104.5 points per game and shooting 44% from the three point line. Every win thus far has been by a margin of ten or more points and they lead the league in points per game differential with an incredible +17. Carmelo Anthony is finally the main man again just like he wanted, and he is taking full advantage and averaging 27 points per game. The Knicks are a good team, no doubt about it. Now are they the best team in the East, as their record indicates now? No, I don’t believe so. They are playing better than expected and their first loss is coming soon, but I don’t think the Magic will be the team to hand it to them. On Sunday the Magic travel to Detroit to take on the winless the Pistons. This is a game that Orlando needs to win, and should win. The Pistons have looked very bad thus far and teams have been scoring at will against their horrendous defense. The Magic have been struggling to score but I expect a big night from the offense against the hapless Pistons.

The Magic started off the season winning their first two games. But now with Orlando faltering as of late and losing four straight games, let’s take a look at both some positives and negatives we can glean from this team:

Southeast Division Standings

1. Miami- 6-2
2. Atlanta- 3-3
3. Charlotte- 2-3
4. Orlando- 2-4
5. Washinton- 0-5

Don’t look now, but this new Dwight Howard-less Magic team has a winning record and would be a playoff team if the season ended today. Granted, it has only been a week since the season started and Orlando has only played three games. But that is what is so great about a new season. A new season means that every team starts over, every team starts out on even ground. And that means that every team has hope. Past records and past performances don’t matter at the beginning of a new season. The team with the worst record from last season could potentially have the best record this season. Does that usually happen? No, of course it doesn’t, but there is hope that it could. And  there are examples of teams having horrible seasons one year and then making the playoffs the next. The Spurs went from having the third worst record in the NBA in 96-97 to making the Western Conference semifinals in 97-98. The Thunder finished with a 23-59 record in 08-09 but more than doubled that win total the next season and made the playoffs for the first in Oklahoma City. It does happen, and that is why every team starts off the season with hope.

Right now the Magic are playing like they really believe they can be a playoff team, and that should give Magic fans hope. In all reality, though, the Magic will most likely not make the playoffs and the rate at which they are winning now will not be sustained. But I highly doubt that many basketball experts expected this young team to even win two of their first three games. The Magic do not have a single star on their team, but the way they have played so strongly as a team has propelled them to a fantastic early start.

What is even more impressive about the Magic’s strong start is the fact that two of the team’s starters suffered crucial injuries in the first game of the season. Starting small forward Hedo Turkoglu broke his left hand and is expected to be out about four weeks. Starting point guard, and the team’s lone player to ever be an All-Star, Jameer Nelson strained his right hamstring and is day-to-day. E’Twaun Moore has stepped in at point for Nelson and has played better than anybody expected. Through the first three games, Moore is averaging 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists per game while shooting 56% from the field.  DeQuan Jones, the rookie from Miami (FL), has gotten the nod to replace Turkoglu as the starter at small forward, but is only averaging 14 minutes a game. J.J. Redick is getting most of the minutes that Turkoglu left behind. Coach Jacque Vaughn is giving Redick starter minutes as the first man off the bench and J.J. is taking full advantage of the opportunity. Redick has played like he has something to prove. Not only is he shooting the ball extremely well, which we all know he can do. He is also doing a great job of penetrating the lane and finding the open man for the jumper or layup. Redick is averaging 6.3 assists per game thus far, and is actually leading the team in that category. Arron Afflalo, whom I said would need to carry this team, got off to a rough start in his first game with the Magic scoring only 7 points on 3-13 shooting. But he rebounded the next couple games putting up 22 and 28 points respectively. Last night against the Bulls, the Magic put the ball in his hands late in the game and he delivered with two tough back to back jumpers. Nik Vucevic is playing well, as expected, and is averaging 13 points and 9 boards to go along with 1.3 blocks. Glen “Big Baby” Davis is leading the team in scoring with 22.3 per game but he is also leading the team in shots with 23 a game. He also leads the entire league in that category. Big Baby needs to be much more selective in choosing when to attack and when to pass the ball back out. It’s not a good sign when your leading scorer isn’t even averaging a point per shot. Davis is a good player and should look to be a leader on this young Magic team, but his shot selection must be better. Overall, though, it has been a very good start to this new season for the Orlando Magic. Coach Vaughn has them believing they can win and has them playing together as a team. They might not be a playoff team this year, but they could end up being a lot better than expected.

Let’s take a look at the results thus far and the upcoming schedule for the week-

The NBA in October, it’s a beautiful thing isn’t it? Last summer and into the fall as owners and players argued over who deserved to be even richer than they already were, fans were left to wonder if there would ever even be a 11-12 season. Finally, after a 149 day lockout, owner and players came to an agreement on who gets what and the NBA began their shortened 66 game season on Christmas Day. Now don’t get me wrong, the first day of the NBA season occurring on Christmas Day after months of anxiously waiting for it was probably the best gift I received last year. But thank goodness we didn’t have to wait that long this year for the start of the season. It’s October, the 2012-2013 NBA season has begun, and fans all over the country couldn’t be more excited.

Now let’s talk about the Orlando Magic. The question is, after the team’s busy off-season in which they shipped out 3 of their 5 starters and their top two scorers from last season, is there any reason for Magic fans to be even a little bit excited for the upcoming season? Superstar center Dwight Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a four team deal that also included starting shooting guard Jason Richardson being sent to the Philadelphia 76ers. In return the Magic received shooting guard Arron Afflalo and small forward Al Harrington from the Denver Nuggets, as well as young center Nikola Vucevic from the 76ers. In a separate sign and trade deal, the Magic acquired center Gustavo Ayon from the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for starting power forward Ryan Anderson. Losing Howard is obviously going to have a huge impact on this team. Howard was without doubt the best player on the Magic. He led the team in points, rebounds and blocks for several seasons in a row, and often was the only thing that made them relevant in the NBA. With Howard on the team, the Magic had a chance to make the playoffs every single season. Howard was the Magic, he was their identity. But he had to go and the Magic made the right decision in trading him. They rode his talent for as long as they could, but his negativity and me first attitude eventually became too much of a burden for the Magic. Now the team must find a new identity. No one is quite sure what it’s going to be yet, but Magic fans need to embrace the journey and trust the rebuilding process.

Below is a table showing the players that have left the Magic since last season and also those who have joined the Magic.

Those total numbers at the bottom say it all, the Magic are losing a lot. A good portion of their scoring and rebounding from last season are gone. And what they’ve added are, for the most part, a bunch of young, unproven players with whom we are not sure what to expect. However, there are a few positives to take away from the new additions to the roster. First, with the exception of Al Harrington, every new player is under 30 years old. And if you take Arron Afflalo out of that mix, every new player is under 26. Second, Afflalo is becoming one of the best young shooting guards in the league and will only get better as time goes on. Afflalo has improved every year he’s been in the league and averaged a career high 15.2 ppg last season with the Nuggets. Afflalo is certainly an upgrade at shooting guard over Jason Richardson, perhaps the only position which the Magic have improved. Look for Afflalo to the best player on the Magic this season; how he goes the Magic go. Finally, the third reason to get excited about the new additions is young centers Nikola Vucevic and Gustavo Ayon. Both players are entering only their second season in the league and the Magic have very high hopes for both of them. There are no expectations that either will replace Dwight Howard and his production, but the Magic believe that both, in time, can be nightly double-double guys. For Vucevic, the Magic believe he could average a double-double right away and has the potential to be a future All-Star.

There are a couple other reasons for Magic fans to be excited about the future of their team. The first is Glen Davis. Last season, Davis averaged only 7.6 ppg coming off the bench. But with Dwight Howard injured, Davis averaged 15.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in 13 starts in the regular season. With Howard also out for the playoffs, Davis stepped up and led the team in scoring and rebounding, putting up 19.0 ppg and 9.2 rpg. Now both Howard and Ryan Anderson are gone and Big Baby will step in to the starting role for the entire season. I expect Davis to fully take advantage of the opportunity and have a breakout season. Another reason for Magic fans to be excited about the future is the chance to receive a high lottery draft pick. In all reality, the Magic are not going to be a very good team this year. There just simply isn’t enough developed talent there yet. And with a new coach and so many new pieces, chemistry could be a problem too. But management isn’t expecting their team to be good now and neither should fans. The Magic are in the process of rebuilding and the draft is a crucial part in that process. There are many talented players expected to be in next summer’s draft and the Magic will most likely have a good opportunity at picking from the very best. Rebuilding is never what any organization really wants to do, but sometimes it is necessary in order to get where a team needs to go.

Below is the expected starting lineup for the start of the season and how I expect each player to perform.

My Predictions for the Southeast Division

1. Miami Heat – 64-18
2. Atlanta Hawks – 42-40
3. Washington Wizards – 27-55
4. Orlando Magic – 20-62
5. Charlotte Bobcats – 14-68

It has been reported by several sources that the Orlando Magic have finally traded away their oft-complaining superstar Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers. The four team blockbuster trade is expected to be finalized on Friday. The deal would send Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson to the 76ers while the Magic would receive Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, rookie swingman Moe Harkless and three first-round draft picks. The Lakers would receive Howard and the Denver Nuggets would acquire Andre Iguodala from the 76ers. Many Orlando Magic fans will be sad to see Howard go, but I’m sure management is happy to finally find a deal in which they could move the star center.

 Dwight Howard was drafted by the Orlando Magic in the 2004 NBA draft as the number one overall draft pick. Howard was drafted directly out of high school and came into the league with high expectations heaped upon him by coaches and scouts. He was given several player of the year awards in high school, including the Gatorade National Player of the Year and the McDonald’s National High School Player of the Year honor. In some ways, Howard did not disappoint. In other ways, he most certainly did disappoint. In his very first NBA season, Howard averaged a double with 12 points per game and 10 rebounds per game. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and his future looked bright. However, Howard never really made the vast improvements that were necessary for him to achieve in order for the Orlando Magic to be a championship team. Howard’s athleticism is off the charts and he uses that athleticism very well. But he has yet to develop an effective low post game. His jump shot has been absolutely horrendous from the very first day he entered the league, and he has yet to improve it to any degree. He cannot make a free throw to save his life. Last season he shot below 50% from the free throw line. That is horrendous. There are  guys in the league who could make over 50% with their eyes closed.

For all of those weaknesses, though, Howard has had a very successful NBA career. He is a 6 time NBA All-Star, 3 time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Slam Dunk champion in 2008 and he’s made the All-NBA First Team five times and the All-NBA Third Team once. He has led the Magic to the playoffs 5 times out of the 8 seasons he has been with the team, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2009, which they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games. He has managed to average 18 points and 13 rebounds per game for his career despite not having anything close to a polished offensive game. And he has the ability to completely change a game with his defense and rebounding. He has been a very good player in the NBA thus far, no doubt about it, but that is all he has been.  The Orlando Magic needed more than just very good from Dwight Howard. The Orlando Magic needed Dwight Howard to be truly great; they needed him to be one of the greats. They needed him to commit to making major improvements in his game and to the Orlando Magic. It appears that Dwight Howard has been unable to do either, and the Magic are finally moving on to a future without him.