2006 NBA Preview - The Orlando Magic

The Magic did not make any major splashes in the off-season, preparing for the big free agent market following the 2006 NBA season. While they have little cap space this season, their talent is good enough to get them into the playoffs and key players are going to start developing. Brian Hill is back with the franchise, leading them to two NBA Final appearances in the 1990s. Hill is hoping to get something out of Grant Hill this season, but the important players on this team include Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and Hedo Turkoglu. With this nucleus, a big free agent in 2007 could put them over the top in the Eastern Conference.

Front Court- Power forward Dwight Howard is nowhere near his prime in the NBA but at 23 years old, he may be good enough to win the NBA Most Valuable Player award. Howard is an outstanding rebounded, a strong defender, a good presence in the locker room, and is developing a mean inside game. While Tony Battie is an experienced center and power forward, it looks likely that former Detroit Piston first round pick Darko Milicic will end up the starter at center. Milicic came on strong last season and is more athletic than Battie, giving him a shot to take over the center spot by the All Star game. Grant Hill in his heyday would have been the stone cold lock at small forward but Hedo Turkoglu is a prolific scorer and is able to stay on the court. The combo of Howard, Milicic and Turkoglu is potent and they will get a significant portion of the Magic offense in 2006.

Back Court- Jameer Nelson is a good outside complement to Dwight Howard and his second season in the league showed his promise as an NBA point guard. Nelson needs to put up the ball on a regular basis in order to maximize his threat to opposing defenses, but his ability to slash to the lane and pass down to Howard make him invaluable. At shooting guard, the loss of DeShawn Stevenson will be blunted by shooting guard Keith Bogans. Bogans can score enough to be serviceable as a starting guard, though this is the weakest spot in the Magic starting lineup.

Bench- The bench is filled with decent role players, headlined by small forward Grant Hill. Hill has missed almost every game he has been with the Orlando Magic and the repeated injuries to his legs mean that he can't get up and down the court as well. However, Hill will be a key reserve when healthy and can ease the rebounding duties off of Howard. Off the bench, Brian Hill will be able to go to solid reserve guard Carlos Arroyo, shooting point guard Kenyon Dooling, and solid forward Tony Battie.

Intangibles- Brian Hill brings a load of coaching experience back to the Magic bench and he needs to maintain a strong relationship with Howard and the other young players in order for the Magic to continue progressing. While the team seems poised to explode and become a dominant team in the East, Hill's efforts are going to be critical to the success of this franchise. Another intangible factor to the success of the Magic will be the amount of playing time they can get out of Grant Hill. While good numbers would certainly help, Hill has been on the bench too long and any effort he can give in 2006 would be a spark to the Orlando franchise.

2006 NBA Projection- While the Magic are going to be able to turn their talent into wins in 2006, the Miami Heat are too good to lose to a young upstart like Orlando. Dwight Howard should win the NBA MVP in 2006 and Brian Hill will be able to get his team to play hard throughout the season. Look for the Magic to win 48-51 games and turn in a good performance in the NBA playoffs.