After watching a frustrating, yet understandable loss at Utah last week, followed by another heartbreaker the following night in Phoenix against the Suns, I decided to take a few days off to see how the Magic would respond.
As expected, they returned home Monday night and won and ugly game against the very physical Indiana Pacers. Followed by an unimpressive dismantling of the feeble Toronto Raptors last night.
I think we can all agree that a couple of victories at home against the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors is not quite an accurate barometer of where this Magic team is at.
So I waited on the outcome of tonight’s rematch against the Miami Heat, who narrowly escaped Orlando’s Amway Arena with a victory less than a month ago, courtesy of a last second put back shot by Michael Beasley off an errant D Wade Jumper.
Before giving out my humble assessment of this Magic Team as presently constructed, I want to go on record as having taken into account the Magic are playing 3 games in 4 nights after returning from a long West Coast road trip.
Having said that, I was still completely frustrated by the performance the Magic put on against the Miami Heat tonight. They were simply out-hustled, out-muscled and out-manned. They showed absolutely zero signs of life and continued to struggle against teams who have any low post presence. Amazing, we actually consider Jermaine O’Neal, Udonis Haslem, Dorell Wright, Michael Beasley and Jamaal Magloire a formidable front line. Where have all the good Big Men gone?
Dwayne Wade was efficient and continued his dominance of the Magic, which previously hadn’t always coincided with a Heat victory, pouring in 25 points to go along with 7 assists.
Dwight Howard, who usually has monster games against the Heat, was held pretty much in check, even though he did attempt to assert his aggressiveness. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly enough, especially, when none of his teammates bothered to step up. Which is abnormal for the Magic, who usually find contributions from the bench on off nights by the Superstars.
Vince “Cupcake” Carter is starting to show his complacency once again and seems to be losing the desire to attack the rim. I guess with the rest of the Magic jacking up 3 pointers, it can be contagious. Carter and Lewis average a mere 4.4 and 2.9 free throws per game respectively. Rather startling when compared to slow footed and athletically challenged JJ Redick who averages 2.3 free throws per contest, coming off the bench in a limited role.
What boggles my mind is why Stan Van Gundy refuses to utilize either Brandon Bass or Marcin Gortat. Both have played well when called upon and have also demonstrated a willingness to play physical. Something you will NEVER hear me saying about Rashard Lewis, who seems immune to going anywhere inside the arc.
With Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis , Mickael Pietrus and Company continuing to hoist up 3′s at will, the Magic are non-existent on the offensive glass
Jameer Nelson will be back in a week or so, however, I’m not sure that will be enough to keep the Magic in the NBA’s upper echelon with the Lakers and Celtics.
If the Magic aren’t going to incorporate Brandon Bass or Marcin Gortat in their regular rotation, they should look to trade one of them for a player who better fits whatever coach Van Gundy is trying to do. Which at this point I can’t quite figure out. The Magic have no identity and are living and dying by the long range jump shot.
The Magic aren’t getting it done on the defensive end and that is in direct correlation with their lack of sustained intensity and effort. Isn’t that a reflection on the coaching staff?
I’ve said it all along and will continue to harp on the fact that the Magic need to address the deficiencies in their roster if they are planning on a repeat of last seasons successful playoff run. They need a rebounding power forward and a low post scoring threat. On second thought, the Magic already have both of those types of players in Brandon Bass and Marcin Gortat. Maybe they should actually insert them into the game.
With the economy in the toilet and many teams bracing for the worst, and let us not forget the impending 2010 free agent class, there are key players available and deals to be had. Otis Smith needs to come off his wait and see approach to things and start being aggressive.
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