All 'O' in Orlando

High-scoring team needs to get tougher to win big

John Hollinger, SI.com

Magic at a Glance Head coach: Doc Rivers 2002-03: 42-40 2002-03 Stats Key Additions PG Reece Gaines (draft) PF Juwan Howard (Nuggets) PG Tyronn Lue (Wizards) PF Donnell Harvey (Nuggets) Key Losses SF Grant Hill (injury) PG Darrell Armstrong (Hornets) PF Shawn Kemp (free agent) PG Jacque Vaughn (Hawks) PG Chris Whitney (Wizards) Projected Lineup Starters Reserves PG  T. Lue R. Gaines SG  T. McGrady G. Giricek SF  D. Gooden J. Sasser PF  J. Howard D. Harvey C  A. DeClercq S. Hunter

The bad news is that the Magic won't have Grant Hill this year. The good news is that the Magic have finally acknowledged this fact and moved on.

After three straight years of relying on Hill and then getting heartbroken when his ankle failed, the Magic come into this season assuming from the outset that Hill is done for the year. That allowed them to pursue some alternate strategies this offseason, and the result should be one of the league's highest-scoring teams.

The Magic's key acquisition was forward Juwan Howard, who will add some versatility to what had become an almost entirely perimeter-oriented offense. Howard also provides a reliable second option after last year's scoring champ, Tracy McGrady; Orlando lacked a solid Plan B when McGrady checked out of the game last season.

The backcourt also underwent a facelift. All three of last year's point guards were shown the door, including crowd favorite Darrell Armstrong. In their place is waterbug Tyronn Lue and first-round draft choice Reece Gaines, who is especially intriguing because he can shoot and is big enough to play both guard spots. The Magic also added defensive ace Donnell Harvey to the frontcourt.

Scoring. Orlando had a solid offense a year ago -- only five teams scored more points -- but they should be much better this year. It all starts with McGrady, who is the class of the Eastern Conference. He led the NBA in scoring last season with 32 points a game -- the highest average in a decade. He did it while shooting 45 percent from the floor and dropping off 5.5 assists a game, and perhaps most amazlingy he committed just 2.5 turnovers a night despite initiating nearly every Orlando possession while he was on the floor. The scary part is that he's still just 24.

McGrady guarantees the Magic will get their points, but what makes the team lethal is the supporting elements they've added over the past year. Drew Gooden came over from Memphis midway through last season and used his quickness to abuse opposing power forwards on drives to the basket. Heading into his sophomore campaign, Orlando will look for him to improve his jumper to keep defenders honest and keep finishing passes from McGrady around the basket.

Howard will also make a huge impact. Averaging 18 points a game and shooting 45 percent despite facing nightly double-teams on a hopeless Nuggets team, he will welcome the single coverage he'll get in Orlando. Gaines and Lue are both capable 3-point shooters who will help stretch the offense and keep defenders from swarming toward McGrady. Gordan Giricek, acquired in the same deal that brought Gooden, is a brutal defender but also a natural scorer who can drop in 3-pointers. Lurking deeper on the Magic bench are Pat Garrity, a career 41 percent 3-point shooter, and Steven Hunter, an offensively skilled center who was injured most of last season.

Interior Defense. One thing that stuck out as the Magic were losing a 3-1 lead to Detroit in the first round of last year's playoffs was how easy it was for the Pistons to get to the basket. Only the Knicks and Sonics blocked fewer shots than the Magic did a year ago, and Seattle's big men were practically enbalmed. Even that figure overstates the contribution of Orlando's big men -- McGrady led the team in blocks by a wide margin despite playing guard.

Orlando's lack of interior strength showed up in other ways. Only three teams allowed opponents to shoot more free throws, a sign that Orlando's opponents had an easy time getting close-in shots. And only four teams allowed a higher field-goal percentage than Orlando's 45.5 percent. The lone thing saving the defense was that the guards forced so many turnovers -- just three teams forced more -- but that may decline with the loss of Armstrong's manic defensive pressure.

So it's imperative that Orlando's frontcourt show some life. DeClercq and Howard don't block shots, but each is physical enough to make life a little tougher for opponents at their respective positions. They ought to provide more resistance than the Pat Garrity-Shawn Kemp combo that played much of last season. Behind them the cupboard is nearly bare. Hunter has potential as a shot-blocker but has been hugely mistake-prone, while raw second-round draft choice Zaza Pachulia is the other option at center. Gooden will also see minutes in the frontcourt but at 230 pounds will be overmatched defensively by the stronger power forwards, while reserve Donnell Harvey is an outstanding perimeter defender but at 6-foot-8 is a bit small to stop power players.

Can Howard and Gooden play together? After McGrady, Howard and Gooden are the Magic's two best players. The problem is that they both play the same position, power forward. Thus, in order for Orlando to get its best lineup on the floor, one or the other will be forced to play out of position.

How the Magic line up will depend partly on matchups. Against smaller teams, Howard is likely to play center. While his 260-pound frame can support the pounding, Howard lacks the disposition to battle on the glass (his career rebounding average is a modest 7.5 a game) and is a total non-factor in terms of shot-blocking (just 0.4 a game). However, that lineup allows Gooden to play his natural power forward spot, and both players could torment bigger opponents off the dribble.

Alternatively, against most lineups Orlando will have to play DeClercq at center and use Howard and Gooden as their two forwards. That allows Howard to play his natural power forward spot, but it raises problems for Gooden on two fronts. First, he doesn't have the agility to chase more active small forwards around the perimeter. Second and more important, he lacks enough of a perimeter game to spread the floor. With Howard, Gooden and DeClercq all playing around the basket, McGrady could find himself operating in much tighter quarters.

One way or another, however, these two have to find a way to co-exist. Orlando's success this year depends on it.

A rising force. The Magic have the best player in the East, and they've added a few other weapons to the arsenal. They were already improving rapidly at the end of last season, and since then they've added Howard and Gaines and lost little of consequence. They're not ready to challenge the Nets and Pistons yet, but they're one player away.

John Hollinger covers basketball for SI.com and is the author of Pro Basketball Prospectus. Click here to send him a question or comment.