FanShot

Magic battling fatigue and identity crisis

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"It seems like the Magic have manufactured upside from a roster that seemingly had none, and could coalesce into an efficient squad that features the contributions from its youngest players while veterans fill in the gaps. These seem like mundane observations, but when you consider the players who are giving the Magic a spark right now, you realize the organizational rift that will have to be repaired if the Magic want a shot at contending now or keeping Dwight Howard in pinstripes. Put simply: the players giving the Magic a prayer right now are players developed by Stan Van Gundy and the Magic organization, while the players who seem stuck in molasses are endemic of the strategy the team has pursued the past two seasons and has said it will pursue in the future. If the Magic continue to devote resources to veteran retreads who don’t fit their team, then the fresh legs and minds which might otherwise have weathered the upcoming fatigue will fail just the same."