FanPost

The Orlando Magic: Playoff Bound in a Weak East?


The Eastern Conference has experienced a disparity in playoff caliber teams in recent years. Changes in the actual playoff structure have been mulled over by NBA brass (switching to Top 16 records, versus top 8 teams from each Conference), as some seasons it has gotten to the point where teams that can't even penetrate the playoffs in the Western Conference could very well be in the mix for home court in the East (Ex. The number 9 Suns in the West last season would have been a 5 seed in the East). Until that change is actually implemented though, the Magic find themselves in a particularly interesting quandary. With this team going on Year 3 A.D. (after Dwight) of its Rebuild, expectations have begun to set in for this young but talented team, particularly amongst its fan base, the organization itself, as well as observers around the League.

Orlando during the offseason proverbially handed the keys over to its young guns, waving in a new era of Magic basketball with the dismissal of fan favorite and Finals holdover Jameer Nelson, and trading borderline All Star Afflalo back to Denver for promising guards in Evan Fournier and Devyn Marble. The focus of team culture on Defense was expounded in the NBA Draft, where the Magic surprised most everyone by selecting ultra-athletic Aaron Gordon and ballhawk/playmaker Elfrid Payton. Shooting and experience was made a priority in the Free Agent market, and Orlando made some very underrated signings in Channing Frye, Ben Gordon, along with Willie Green. Significant strides and improvement is much expected from Orlando's core, including from super soph Victor Oladipo, Nik Vucevic, and Tobias Harris, among others. This along with the continuity of another year of familiarity with each other and Orlando's system should in itself provide some more W's in the win column this upcoming campaign.

How many more victories would guarantee a playoff spot though? If we use the past two seasons as any indication, the number 8 team in the East shimmied its way into the Playoffs with totals of 38 wins. As Orlando tanked its way to 23 wins last year in hopes of winning the Lottery (while throwing away many winnable games along the way), its safe to say that an improvement of 15 additional wins this season would put the Magic squarely back into playoff contention. Reaching this mark would not be impossible, and while it would require improved play on both ends of the court, this year's iteration of a team does seem to be reasonably deeper and more talented than in recent memory, which makes the light at the end of the tunnel seem that much more tangible.

Orlando's continued improvement and return to relevance is also aided by the East's lack of elite squads. Let me first present the Contenders:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers- It appears that there is a new Beast in the East. If this trade goes down as previously reported, then the Akron area appears to be the unlikely landing spot of Megatron, as Kevin Love will team up with ball magician Kyrie Irving and returning hometown prodigy Lebron James. Crazy. Until they get a rim enforcer, there remains holes in their defense, something that maybe Wiggins could have helped out with. Or maybe not. Regardless, putting this much talent on the same colored jersey does make them Finals favorites. We'll see what happens.

2. Chicago Bulls- Rose is back, and it appears just as nasty as before. Noah is a winning team's glue guy, Pau Gasol was a great pickup, along with NBA draftee Dougie McBuckets. Thibodeau defense will still be what powers this gravy train, and with some nice supporting pieces in Aaron Brooks, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson, I expect this team to make some noise.The D will be there, how much noise they make indeed will be correlated to how many points they can muster up per game.

3. Washington Wizards- Wall and Beal are quickly becoming one of the nicest back courts in the League, esp. with the way Bradley held his own in this most recent playoffs. With our former fan favorite Marcin in his much aspired position of starting pivot, along with Nene and now Paul Pierce in the mix, they have a very solid starting 5, along with some good up and comers like Otto Porter and Glen Rice Jr, this indeed has the makings of a strong team.

4. Miami Heat- I know what you're thinking, and let me tell you right now that you're wrong. Yes, Lebron's gone, and as a Magic fan I hold deep, special disdain for the Heat as our interstate rivals, but all injuries withstanding, this team will still find a way to easily slide into the playoffs, and as we all know anything is possible once that second season starts. If (and the Injury Game is always a Big If) Wade can stay healthy, he's still a HOF guard who can contribute, and with Chris Bosh in a more focal role, this should prove to be a nice dynamic still. The new additions of Josh McRoberts, Danny Granger, youngsters Shabazz and James Ennis, along with veteran Luol Deng filling the gaping hole left by LBJ, and with the way the East is set up (in my Kevin Hart voice), the Heat should look forward to home court.

The next tier of teams shall be referred to as the "I'll let you know in March" squads(The Pretenders):

5. Brooklyn Nets- For much of last season, Brooklyn pretty much looked like a team of creaky old veterans who were under performing at a historic rate in relation to their jumbo payroll. They eventually put together a few nice sequences in the playoffs, but were still bounced early in almost expected fashion. The Truth is gone, Kevin Garnett looks like a shell of his former self, Deron Williams seems to have left his confidence somewhere between Utah and the Brooklyn Bridge, Lopez seems to be perpetually injured, and you can start to see where this upcoming season may not be very pretty for them. There's a bright spot in the play of Joe Johnson, along with Mason Plumlee, but other then that, I wouldn't bet seeing them make it to the Final Dance, if the playoffs at all.

6. Toronto Raptors- The Raptors were the Cinderella story of the playoffs, a young team not expected to do much when the lights came on, but still went out and fought tooth and nail in a memorable 7 game series against the veteran Nets. Despite this potential glimmer of hope, Toronto still doesn't inspire much confidence in most as a legitimate playoff contender, as they were exposed late in the series for their lack of closers, which tends to occur with a young group of hoopers without a clear leader. They have some nice players, no doubt, as their triplet of Kyle Lowry, Demar Derozan and Terrence Ross can testify. Beyond them is where their team gets much murkier, though they might have something on their hands with center Jonas Valanciunas, but only time will tell. A low seed seems to be in their future, but check back in March and we'll see if this group has grown.

7. New York Knicks- It's hard to put your finger on the Knicks, what with their long history of talented teams and perpetual disappointment to fans in the Tri State area. Phil Jackson? Good thing. Melo with the max? Not so good thing. I'm not sure if they're done making moves, but if they are, then players are going to have to step up, including JR "I just don't give a damn" Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Andrea Bargnani. I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt, now that they're Phil Jax certified and all but, meh. Prove me wrong Knickerbockers. As a former New York resident, I know better though.

8. Charlotte Bobcats Hornets- Ah, how bringing back a team name can bring back so much nostalgia. The teal pinstripes are back, and while Muggsy Bogues won't be manning the point, a nice up and comer in Kemba Walker will. Between him and fellow New Yorker Lance Stephenson, I actually can imagine a future with this North Carolina team nowadays. Sprinkle in raw but physical specimen Noah Vonleh, and give this team a few years and they could be mainstays in the playoffs. I'm not too high on Al Jefferson myself, but maybe it's because I saw Vooch emasculate him during the season (on 18 ppg and 18.5 rpg vs 15 ppg and 9 rppg, respectively, in 2 meetings). This could be a sign of growth for Vucevic, most certainly, but it seems more a case of a player putting up statistics that look good and giving em right back plus more on the other end of the court. This team has the potential, but not sure they can put it together in time for next year's dance.

So what say you, unbiased (Magic) fan? Does Orlando have a shot at the playoffs? Do they even want to make the playoffs, or would they be better served rolling the dice one more time in the Draft Lottery?

This FanPost was made by a member of the Orlando Pinstriped Post community, and is to be treated as the opinions and views of its author, not that of the blogger or blog community as a whole.