2009-2010 Finish: 33-49

What went bad

Does anyone really care about the Orlando Magic anymore? The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2006, hasn’t made a trade since 2008 and hasn’t had a GM for just as long. They are never bad enough for people to really laugh at, but not really good enough to get any press. Somehow, it seems the Magic lives in its own sad vacuum in the NLL.

The season began with center Chris Andersen, after his triumphant return from a drug-related suspension, leaving for Milwaukee. With many extra roster spaces to fill, the Magic brought in a who’s-who of the minimum FA market: Jason Collins, Jason Hart, Brian Skinner and Juwan Howard (who was released when the team nabbed Matt Bonner from the Thunder and retained Marcin Gortat with the full MLE.

Then came basketball, Orlando Magic style. They won some games, lost a lot of games. That’s pretty all there is to say about one of the most vanilla teams in the league.

What went worse

The Magic miss out on the playoffs for the fourth year and a row. I guess I could use this space to bemoan that Russell Westbrook for Jerryd Bayless deal again. Nice work.

Goats

- Marcin Gortat, C –

Not really a goat, but a bad investment. Gortat started at center for all 82 games last season and scored 6.5ppg and pulled in 7.6rpg. The Magic probably could have used that money on a wiser investment.




Looking to the future

The Magic had a chance to get a great player in the draft this and they went big by taking Georgetown sophomore Greg Monroe. The big guy is one heck of a scorer, something the team needs up front, and he plays unselfish ball. The Magic will want Monroe to be more aggressive if he wants to compete against the better NLL big men though. In the second round, the Magic selected guard Andy Rautins at pick 38. The Syracuse senior can shoot the lights out, offensive oomph the Magic never had off the bench. However, Rautins is not very strong or athletic and may struggle to even make the team.

The biggest news is the Magic finally hired a GM. Like Austin Powers awakened from hypersleep, the Magic bring in GM Laddas. Once part of NLL v1.0, Laddas has long carried the dubious honor of “NLL’s Worst GM Ever.” Older, more mature and balder, Laddas returns to erase his legacy. If he turns this team around, he certainly will.

Richard Jefferson took a nice reduction on his contract, allowing the Magic to enter the offseason fray with more than $13 million. But Laddas will need to use his money wisely. Blowing it all on one big player will be a big no-no. Sure, Jefferson and JR Smith are starting caliber, but then what? Bonner will want to come back, but the Magic are better off using that $3mil elsewhere. The team needs a point guard more than anything else and there will be a guy named Andre Miller who could fit right in. Trading Peja Stojakovic’s expiring deal for a few players wouldn’t hurt and moving Gortat is probably a good idea. And what about Yi Jianlian? After three injury-riddled, disappointing seasons, is time to send him on? Laddas has a big job ahead of him. Let’s hope he’s up for it.