I ran across Chad Ford's chat wrap a few hours ago and seeing that I'm a curious person, I decided to check and see what he had to say. Needless to say, a certain Q/A exchange caught my attention.
Boon (Eastlake): What moves do the Magic need to make at the deadline to compete with the Cavs and the Celts come playoff time? Do they have the resources to pry Brad Miller out of Sacramento?
Chad Ford: You're moving down the right path. They need depth on their front line in the worst way. The problem is they don't really have any great assets to land a player like that. J.J. Redick isn't going to do it. Turkoglu might be able to, especially with his expiring contract, but I doubt it. With that said, I need to eat my words on the Magic. They are better than I thought they were. Not in the league of the Cavs or Celtics. But after that, the best in the East.
I wanted to bold what struck me in his answer. Maybe I'm crazy, but that statement reads a lot like a guy who's still not willing to give credit to the Magic when credit is due. Especially when evidence (a 30-8 record, 2nd place in the East), as well as praise from a fellow colleague (and other mainstream media outlets), lend credence to the fact maybe Orlando is in the league of the Cavs or Celtics.
What does everyone think? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
One last thing, I'll add that he's wrong about the Magic's need for front-line depth. We all know what the team really needs (hint: starts with back-up, ends with point guard).