Tonight, the Magic start the 2005-2006 NBA season against the Indiana Pacers. To get the season started, we will cover the areas of concern and promise for the Magic's season. The Magic return 11 players from last year and add a couple new faces through free agency and the draft.
The Magic will start the season without Keyon Dooling, Grant Hill and Mario Kasun due to injuries. Tony Battie is recovering from a weekend car wreck and his status is listed as day-to-day. Kelvin Cato is making improvement from game-to-game, but will be coming off the bench, at least for a few games. Pat Garrity and Steve Francis both had off-season surgeries. So, the main question for the upcoming season has to be one of how healthy can the Magic stay?
Aside from the injuries, the Magic have a lot to improve upon from last year. The first is their defense presence. Defense has been virtually non-existent the last 4 years. Coach Brian Hill has said that the team will focus on defense this year. The big men have a lot of work to do in the middle to prevent the inside scoring we have seen in the past. The guards have to do a better job of keeping the perimeter players from penetrating. I'm sure Coach will focus on the basics, but I want to the basic of the basics. Move your feet, keep the opposing player in front you and foul hard if you have to foul.
On offense, I think the theme is pretty simple. Ye shall get the rock to Dwight Howard. No one knows just how great Howard will become, but one thing is certain - the Magic need to get Howard involved in the offense more than they did last year. At the risk of having a mediocre year, I think the Magic need to spend the next year improving the simplicity of the playbook and focusing on the development of Howard. The success of the franchise depends on it.
What can we expect from the Magic this year? Energy, effort, execution. Honestly, I am prepared for this team to use the upcoming year as a springboard for things to come. Signing Brian Hill to a multi-year contract shows the team is committed to some consistency. Let's build on what we have and add pieces over the next couple years. I think the only thing that needs to be cleared up before next summer is the General Manager fiasco. Where does this team end up this year? I don't think it really matters. While the east is fairly strong this year, I don't think it is unreasonable for a .500 year. Regardless of how I feel about the team, they will have my full support. Can we rely on you to support the Magic too?
