Magic Malaise
Monday, 23. November 2009
The Orlando Magic are riding a five game winning streak which included wins against a struggling Celtic team on the road and another three against sub five hundred ball clubs. With Jameer Nelson, the fragile starting point guard out once again for a long duration, things could take a turn for the worst if the Magic don’t pick up their defensive intensity and start executing better offensively as well. If Hedo Turkoglu was considered lackadaisical on the court at times, Vince Carter is now filling his shoes quite nicely.
There is no real true leader on this group, especially, with Nelson out of the line up, who is capable of inspiring championship caliber effort. While Stan Van Gundy may be perceived by some of his players as negative or too hard on them, the fact of the matter is if he doesn’t try to get the most out of his players, the majority will just accept a mediocre effort. Dwight Howard should try and assert himself as a leader and increase his game day intensity. Instead, he chose to ask coach Van Gundy to lighten up on the guys, especially, newcomer Vince Carter. Basically, summing up his lack of dedication to winning and improving his all around game, which is evident in his glaring offensive deficiencies soley relying on brute strength and athleticism, making him a liability in close games. I keep hearing the praise for Patrick Ewing when it comes to Dwight Howards growth as a player, yet I don’t see any significant progress. He is still a horrendous free throw shooter with zero post moves, relying instead on lowering his shoulder and trying to overpower his defender. No wonder he continues to struggle with foul trouble. Marcin Gortat has actually showed a more reliable offensive touch and much better feel for the game. Kudos to Otis Smith for retaining Gortats services.
The Magic still have one thing going for them that will not change for the remainder of the season. They are playing in the National Basketball Association, where there are still only a few teams that actually have a realistic chance of contending for a Championship. This group does have a good core and there does seem to be an excellent chemistry amongst the players. If there is a player out there that the Magic can plug in to bring some grit and fight into the equation, I still believe they have the potential to be playing in June. Pardon me for being redundant, considering my previous post, but Allen Iverson is just the kind of player who could light a fire into this team. Jason Williams is proving to be serviceable, but lets be honest, he’s no where near the player of A.I. and he has a history of inconsistent play and bonehead decisions. Remember Rafer Alston’s performance in last years playoff run. He brought a swagger that was missing all year and disappeared in the Finals when Jameer Nelson tried to force his will on the series when he clearly wasn’t ready to play.
That is exactly the reason the Magic need to make something happen now. True, the NBA season is a long one, but time has a way of flying by. I hate when GM’s wait until after the All-Star break to add a player, never allowing enough time to gel and build that necessary chemistry. The elite teams in the eastern conference are all struggling out of the gate and have serious deficiencies which are becoming more and more evident with each passing game. Why not trump the competition and add the final piece to the puzzle. The Lakers grabbed Pau Gasol early last season, and look at how the dividends payed off on that move. Remember Otis, the early bird gets the worm, or in this case the Crown!
