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.