Tiki, not so much, but definitely Ronde.

What I’m not feeling so much are VC’s FT attempts.
1) Dwight – 115
2) Barnes – 30
3) Jameer – 29
4) JJ – 28
5) Pietrus – 25
6) VC – 16

When Orl gets into these offensive slumps it would be nice if Vince would take 10 FT’s so Orl can keep the game within striking distance to the very end. I think it would be better than Dwight trying to keep us in with 14 FT attempts and hitting 6 some nights and 11 other nights. Plus the negative effect I think it has on the other players watching Dwight miss 2, 3, 4 or even sometimes 5 FT’s in a row. It would also open up Dwight for a lot more offensive board put-back’s since they would have to rotate with a big to try and block/alter VC’s shot. Pretty much what Hedo did…

It’s early and I’m not overly concerned or trying to blast VC or anything, just making observations on what I’ve seen so far. Orl has 9 good shooters but only 1 guard who can create his own shot and get to the line often yet he’s not doing it. With the mismatch Howard brings & the advantages of Rashard & Anderson being able to stretch the floor at the 4 spot, if VC was being an aggressive slasher and getting to the line more often it would give Orl another huge weapon on par with those just mentioned.

I think it will all come together at some point and Orl will prove to be the dynamic team many feel they are. With Jameer down for 4-6 weeks and the time it’s going to take for the players to gel, Magic should be a really strong second-half team and hopefully peaking near the end of the season. Losing Jameer for 4-6 weeks and not being deep at PG is going to cripple the Magic’s chances for homecourt in the East and throughout. I think the Magic will again be the #3 seed in the East giving up homecourt in the 2nd rd, ECF and Finals. Like last year Orl will have to run the guantlet on the road. Maybe not a bad idea to use that $9 mill exception on a PG. If Orl could land a PG of value within the next few games I think it puts them right back into the race for homecourt. Rafer knows the system and is a beast defensively. The Boston matchup with Jameer on Rondo is brutal and it’s one Orl no doubt will have to face. Magic really should find a good defensive backup PG in my opinion.