Orlando Magic: Magic Must Target Trey Burke in the Draft
The Orlando Magic were hopeful to obtain the first overall pick in this year’s draft, but the second selection from the plethora of attractive talent is just as valuable. Their roster of very young talent, with an average roster age of 25, is ripe with potential, which makes their choice in the draft important to round out the team.
It must all start with Trey Burke.
The Magic have some intriguing prospects already, including Tobias Harris, Nikola Vucevic and Andrew Nicholson. Certain other players like Nerlens Noel or Otto Porter have high ceilings, but the front office must draft to accommodate the roster.
Burke had a phenomenal season for the Michigan Wolverines, averaging 18.6 points and 6.7 assists. He had a terrific 3.02 assist-to-turnover ratio, in addition to knocking down 46.3 percent of his overall shots. Burke’s 38.4 percent clip from three-point range and 80.1 percent from the free-throw line are indicative of his prowess shooting the ball and are especially important when transitioning to the NBA level.
Orlando could form a “Big Three” of Burke, Vucevic and Harris, in what is the new NBA standard of building a team. The latter duo closed the season strong, with Vucevic putting up 18.5 points and 15.3 rebounds through April and Harris averaging 19.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 44 percent shooting.
Adding a dynamic point guard to the Magic’s roster would create an effect much like what happened to the Portland Trail Blazers this past season. Damian Lillard’s arrival in Oregon didn’t ultimately translate to the success the Trail Blazers were hoping for, as they missed the postseason and finished with a worse record than last season.
It was mostly due to a 13-game losing streak to close the season, however Lillard’s effect on the team was clear. Burke could do the same with the Magic, by being thrust into the spotlight and handed the keys to the franchise.
It would be a slight reach for Orlando to take Burke with the second pick, yet the other choices on the board clash with the other players on the roster. Noel’s ability to play effectively after an ACL tear waves a red flag, and the drafting of a small forward puts a question mark above Harris’ place in the rotation after performing really well in a Magic uniform.
Jameer Nelson, Orlando’s current point guard, could provide veteran leadership and mentor Burke through his first season. Whether Nelson started and Burke came off the bench or vice versa, it would present an interesting one-two punch in the backcourt for the Magic.
Ben McLemore, a superstar talent out of Kansas, would also be a great choice for Orlando. However, the league is becoming more and more point-guard-orientated, and taking Burke allows the team to begin a proper rebuild immediately.
Adding McLemore would create discussions surrounding what to do with Arron Afflalo, the team’s current shooting guard, and the plethora of 2-guards on the roster.
He’s predicted to have a very high ceiling, but ultimately Burke is a better piece to Orlando’s puzzle.
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Trade to Orlando helped ignite Tobias Harris’ season
ORLANDO, Fla. The NBA doesn’t hand out awards based on what transpired during the final third of its regular season.
If it did, Tobias Harris would have been a prime candidate for Most Improved Player.
When the Orlando Magic acquired him and guards Beno Udrih and Doron Lamb in February from the Milwaukee Bucks, Harris wasn’t even averaging five points a game in his second season as a pro. With rookies Maurice Harkless and Andrew Nicholson having become the Magic’s starting forwards, the thought of another young player competing with them for minutes was likely not very high on their fans’ wish list.
But all that dormant potential surfaced in a hurry. After Harris had 27 points and 10 rebounds off the bench against the Houston Rockets in only his fourth game with the Magic, it became clear he belonged.
Harris made his first start March 8 and ended up averaging more than 17 points and nine rebounds during the next 20 games. Those are the sort of numbers NBA followers might associate more wi
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Orlando Magic GM Rob Hennigan Might Be a Genius After All
Following the trade of Dwight Howard, anybody who believed the Orlando Magic would be able to regroup after the loss of their franchise center was deemed crazy.
Orlando didn’t receive any star players, and the draft picks they acquired weren’t high-value.
However, Magic general manager Rob Hennigan made the deal, saying in the press conference to formally announce the deal, “And today, we feel this trade puts us in a position to build the right way, to build with flexibility and in incremental gains, and we’re excited about it.”
Initially, the move was panned by experts, including this ESPN.com article grading the deal. Fans and pundits alike criticized the organization for not forcing Los Angeles to send Pau Gasol and/or Andrew Bynum to Orlando.
Despite this, Hennigan stayed true to the philosophy he outlined in the press conference, looking like a insane fool to outside eyes. But as the season progressed, the talent Orlando acquired began to blossom, making Hennigan look like Dr. Frankenstein as he gave life to a franchise left for dead.
Arron Afflalo embraced his role as a high-scoring wing, Moe Harkless dazzled spectators with his athleticism, defensive ability and ridiculous potential and Nikola Vucevic emerged as one of the best rebounders in league and possible star at the center position.
This past season, no player in the league grabbed more rebounds in a single game than Vucevic and his 29-rebound effort against the Miami Heat. He also finished second in rebounds per game and third in double-doubles.
Then, as the NBA trade deadline approached, Hennigan was forced to make another tough trade, sending J.J. Redick to the Milwaukee Bucks.
And although the team didn’t get a first-round pick, Hennigan again proved his penchant for evaluating young talent, stealing a likely star in Tobias Harris from Milwaukee. Harris, a threat to score from anywhere on the floor, crashes the boards and seemingly improved after each game; he has one of the brightest futures in the NBA.
So what will Hennigan and the Magic do for an encore?
Well, with a plethora of draft picks in the coming years as well as several talented veterans and partially guaranteed contracts that contending teams could be interested in acquiring, Hennigan has plenty of assets he can move as he continues to rebuild the team.
And after finishing the season with the worst record in the NBA, the team has the highest probability of winning the NBA draft lottery, and the pick is guaranteed to be a top-four selection. Making a selection so early in the draft can be intimidating to some, and there’s always a chance the player ends up being a bust.
But given Hennigan‘s track record to date, Orlando can have faith in their general manager.
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2013 NBA draft lottery odds: Orlando Magic top field
Orlando has the best shot at landing the No. 1 overall pick in June’s draft.
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Orlando Magic season review
ORLANDO, Fla. As a team with a first-year head coach and a first-year general manager that finished the NBA season with five first-year players, the Orlando Magic were certainly expected to go through some growing pains.
And to be sure, the bulk of the past four months were painful. As one of their rookies, backup center Kyle OQuinn, put it succinctly, if not quite elegantly: Losing sucks.
But the Magic would prefer to look beyond the 20-62 record and see ample reason to believe things will soon improve.
We feel good about how were positioned for the future, general manager Rob Hennigan said Wednesday after he and coach Jacque Vaughn held their end-of-season exit interviews. We feel good about the players we have. But every man knows we have a lot of work to do still. And were excited about that. We know we have a challenge ahead of us. We know we have to get better. We believe we will get better. And the group that we were able to establish this season is a real good starting point for us.
When the sea
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Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic: Postgame Grades and Analysis for Boston
In a clash between Eastern Conference foes, the Boston Celtics dominated the Orlando Magic en route to a 120-88 win. Seven Celtics scored in double figures, and Boston held the Magic to 42.2 percent shooting from the floor.
Boston now moves to 41-39, while Orlando sits at 20-60.
Courtney Lee led the Celtics with 20 points while coming off of the bench. Kevin Garnett, in his return from an ankle injury, complemented Lee with 14 points and nine rebounds in 19 minutes.
So how did this dominant win transpire?
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Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic 4/13/13: Video Highlights and Recap
The Boston Celtics welcomed back stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce on Saturday night when they traveled to Florida to take on the Orlando Magic.
Having lost their last two, the Celtics were desperate to get a win here and ensure their seeding for the upcoming playoffs was as high as possible. The Magic, on the other hand, were simply playing for pride and no doubt wanted to give their home fans something to cheer about.
Let’s take a look at how these two Eastern Conference teams fared on Saturday.
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Orlando Magic vs. Chicago Bulls: Postgame Grades and Analysis for Chicago
In what was nothing short of a defensive slugfest, the Chicago Bulls outlasted the Orlando Magic by a score of 87-86. Nate Robinson led the charge with 19 points, thus leading an effort which overcame the injury absence of Joakim Noah.
Robinson was complemented by 12 points and nine rebounds from Carlos Boozer and 11 boards from Nazr Mohammed. The Magic, meanwhile, were led by 16 points and 15 rebounds from Nikola Vucevic and 27 points from Beno Udrih.
So how did it all transpire?
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Orlando Magic vs. Chicago Bulls: Live Score, Results and Game Highlights
In an Eastern Conference showdown, the Chicago Bulls will host the Orlando Magic. This is the third of four regular-season games between the teams in 2012-13.
So how will it all transpire?
The Bulls enter this game at 41-33, thus resting at fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Orlando Magic are 19-57 and numerically eliminated from postseason contention.
Nevertheless, tensions will be high as the young Magic attempt to take down the injury-depleted Bulls. The question is, who will emerge victorious?
Check back at 8:00 p.m. EDT as Bleacher Report provides live coverage for this Eastern Conference clash!
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Recommended Next Steps in Rob Hennigan’s Epic Orlando Magic Overhaul
Year 1 of the post-Dwight Howard era for the Orlando Magic has probably gone as well as could have been expected.
On the floor, it’s been an exhaustive effort for the Magic faithful, who stuck with the franchise during its nightmarish one-year divorce from its former star. Orlando will need to win two of its final seven games to avoid the second-worst season in franchise history.
But this season was never one focused on wins and losses.
First-year Orlando general manager Rob Hennigan made that abundantly clear when he returned a package for Howard largely built around young, raw talent and draft picks.
Player development trumped Eastern Conference standing gains. Moral victories became a tangible goal, both for reinforcing coach Jacque Vaughn’s positive message (via Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel) and for keeping the Magic well-positioned in the upcoming draft lottery.
But what’s next on Hennigan‘s to-do list? What does he need to do put the emphasis back on the floor?
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