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Memorable Weekend For All-Star Dwight Howard

J.C. CARNAHAN — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:02:36 +0000

( – By Josh Cohen at Orlando Magic – )

For those that normally don’t get the opportunity to watch Dwight Howard on a regular basis, the 2011 All-Star Game was another inimitable showcase for NBA enthusiasts across the world.

As part of NBA Cares Day of Service, Howard joins other all-stars to build a playground at Frederick Douglas Elementary School in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant, NBAE/Getty Images)

While it’s customary for the participants of All-Star Games to dazzle fans with a variety of spectacular acts and creative plays, Howard has a tendency to find a way to stand out amongst the other elite competitors in the NBA. Not just because of stature and size, but also because of his innate talent and freakish athleticism to inspire a crowd with just about anything he attempts to do on the court.

Just like he has done this entire season with the Orlando Magic, D12 enjoyed the opportunity to showcase these abilities in front of a national audience. Although the East had no answer for MVP Kobe Bryant, who erupted for 37 points and 14 rebounds, Howard shared the spotlight with the rest of the NBA’s elite to share in a memorable night.

Howard, in spite of not getting too many shot attempts, flabbergasted those in attendance at STAPLES Center with a couple of thunderous slam-dunks, including a breathtaking two-handed flush in the first quarter off an alley-oop pass from Amar’e Stoudemire.

The five-time All-Star even teamed up with familiar foes such as the Miami Heat’s LeBron James, who notched a triple-double, and Dwyane Wade to accomplish some of the game’s most electrifying plays.

Dwight finished with five points, seven rebounds and one assist. Big men generally do not post big stats in All-Star Games largely because the ball is mostly in the hands of the wing players.

Perhaps the most bizarre stretch of action was when Howard was on the floor alongside four members of the detested Boston Celtics in the first quarter, including Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.

On Friday, Howard kicks off All-Star Weekend visiting with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. (Photo courtesy of The Tonight Show)

The most hilarious moment from the night had to be right before tip-off when James was joined by the rest of the East’s starting lineup, Howard, Stoudemire, Wade and Derrick Rose, in doing the notorious pregame powder toss.

While the outcome may not have much significance, it’s very apparent that all of the competitors from both conferences want to prove they belong in the small, but privileged, class of NBA elite. Especially with the MVP race so competitive this season, it’s games like this that can help fans fall in love with certain players.

Every time Howard touched the ball – either off a rebound, in the open floor or when he was underneath the basket ready to slam one home – fans in Los Angeles definitely seemed to recognize what he is capable of. One fan in particular – a major celebrity in his own right – also seemed to enjoy watching Howard up close. Pop music sensation Justin Bieber, who was sitting along the sideline, gave D12 a high-five during the action.

It was definitely an eventful few days for the franchise center. After arriving on Thursday, Howard made several grand appearances, including being a special guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In addition, Superman helped build a playground as part of the NBA in the Community initiative at All-Star Weekend.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

Howard Earns Eastern Conference Player Of Week

J.C. CARNAHAN — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 07:07:42 +0000

On Monday afternoon Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. By Monday night the Magic had its four-game winning streak snapped at Amway Center during a 103-96 loss to the Detroit Pistons.

Howard finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots in the loss. Ryan Anderson led all scorers with 21 points. Three Detroit players finished with 20 points apiece, including former Orlando Magic star Tracy McGrady.

The Magic won nine in a row between Dec. 23-Jan. 8, but then went on to drop three of the next four games from Jan. 12-17.

It was that last loss on Jan. 17 to the Boston Celtics that began a monstrous week for Howard. He scored 33 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and finished with two assists and a steal in the 109-106 loss. He then recorded 18 points with seven rebounds and two blocks in a 99-98 win over Philadelphia, before helping Orlando dispose of Toronto and Houston on back-to-back nights.

Howard finished with 31 points, 19 rebounds in a 112-72 win over the Raptors and 22 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in a 118-104 win over the Rockets.

The player of the week honor is the third this season for Howard and the 14th of his NBA career.

– What’s Next –

The Magic go on the road to play Indiana on Wednesday, then Chicago on Friday before returning to town to host Cleveland on Sunday at 6 p.m. After visiting Memphis on Monday, Jan. 31, the Miami Heat returns to Orlando on Thursday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

Magic’s Howard Leads East In NBA All-Star Voting

J.C. CARNAHAN — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:25:09 +0000

– UPDATED on Jan. 13 –

2011 NBA All-Star Balloting

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: LeBron James (Mia) 1,518,807; Amar’e Stoudemire (NYK) 1,143,391; Kevin Garnett (Bos) 1,049,544; Paul Pierce (Bos) 578,473; Chris Bosh (Mia) 427,551; Carlos Boozer (Chi) 320,661; Josh Smith (Atl) 280,158; Danilo Gallinari (NYK) 259,619; Danny Granger (Ind) 201,653; Luol Deng (Chi) 191,312.

Guards: Dwyane Wade (Mia) 1,499,768; Derrick Rose (Chi) 1,225,575; Rajon Rondo (Bos) 1,171,311; Ray Allen (Bos) 630,588; John Wall (Was) 260,893; Brandon Jennings (Mil) 254,614; Raymond Felton (NYK) 246,208; Gilbert Arenas (Orl) 240,586; Jamal Crawford (Atl) 163,971, Darren Collison (Ind) 156,230.

Centers: Dwight Howard (Orl) 1,537,619; Shaquille O’Neal (Bos) 639,661; Joakim Noah (Chi) 291,107; Andrew Bogut (Mil) 245,253; Al Horford (Atl) 193,449; Roy Hibbert (Ind) 183,092; Andrea Bargnani (Tor) 162,364; Brook Lopez (NJ) 125,022; JaVale McGee (Was) 106,710; Ben Wallace (Det) 79,017.

2011 NBA All-Star Balloting

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: Kevin Durant (OKC) 1,270,729; Carmelo Anthony (Den) 945,720; Pau Gasol (LAL) 851,456; Blake Griffin (LAC) 702,784; Tim Duncan (SA) 663,487; Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 615,243; Lamar Odom (LAL) 364,950; Luis Scola (Hou) 347,986; Kevin Love (Min) 301,529; Caron Butler (Dal) 205,146.

Guards: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,757,216; Chris Paul (NOH) 949,049; Manu Ginobili (SA) 593,718; Steve Nash (Pho) 522,215; Deron Williams (Utah) 487,887; Russell Westbrook (OKC) 463,250; Tony Parker (SA) 355,993; Jason Kidd (Dal) 303,164; Vince Carter (Pho) 277,430; Kevin Martin (Hou) 266,037.

Centers: Yao Ming (Hou) 928,928; Andrew Bynum (LAL) 660,576; Nene (Den) 389,263; Marc Gasol 352,136; Emeka Okafor (NOH) 317,677; Brendan Haywood (Dal) 276,777; Marcus Camby (Por) 201,133; Chris Kaman (LAC) 165,684; Andris Biedrins (GS) 126,567; DeMarcus Cousins (Sac) 110,230.

( – Edited version of release from National Basketball Association, published Jan. 7 – )

The way the voting has shaped up thus far, Orlando center Dwight Howard may be the only Magic player taking part in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 20 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. What’s worse, is that he’ll likely be playing alongside plenty of rivals at the annual showcase.

Howard is the leading vote getter in the Eastern Conference with 1,205,159 votes. He is followed at the center position by Shaquille O’Neal (506,621) of the Boston Celtics. LeBron James of the Miami Heat, a two-time All-Star MVP (2006, 2008), leads forwards in the East with 1,194,091 votes followed by Boston’s Kevin Garnett (850,687), the game’s 2003 MVP. The Heat’s Dwyane Wade, last years All-Star Game MVP, paces all guards with 1,167,649 votes as Boston’s Rajon Rondo is second among guards with 929,781 votes.

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, a three-time All-Star MVP (2002, 2007, 2009), is the overall leader with 1,391,597 votes following the third balloting update. The announcement of the all-star starters will be made on Sunday, Jan. 27.

Bryant is followed at guard by Chris Paul (724,605) of the New Orleans Hornets. Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, a member of last year’s All-NBA First Team, paces forwards in the West (945,944) while Carmelo Anthony (742,284) of the Denver Nuggets is second at that position. Houston Rockets center Yao Ming (754,583) is the leading vote getter among Western Conference centers with the Lakers center Andrew Bynum (493,237) coming in second.

Among the players just outside the top-two spots at their positions in each conference are New York Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire (826,628) and L.A. Lakers forward Pau Gasol (702,859), and Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (917,753) and San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili (504,123).

Head coaches in each conference will vote to determine the remaining all-stars in their respective conference, which will be announced Thursday, Feb 3.

The NBA All-Star Game makes its fifth trip to Los Angeles and its second appearance at STAPLES Center, which last played host in 2004. The game also was played in Los Angeles in 1963, 1972, and 1983.

Orlando is scheduled to host the all-star game at Amway Center in 2012.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

Enemy Strikes Back: Miami Heat Embarrass Magic

J.C. CARNAHAN — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 06:22:14 +0000

The new kids on the block marked their territory Friday night. And hardly anyone in Orlando saw it coming.

As sick and tired as Magic players have been of fielding questions about the Miami Heat, they did nothing to fend those off. The question now is, will they come away from this experience as adamant in their collective opinion that the Boston Celtics are still the team to beat in the East?

Miami led Orlando just 51-46 at halftime before going on to embarrass the visiting team 96-70.

The Heat outscored Orlando 28-10 in the third quarter in what clearly put the rest of the NBA on notice. Miami improves to 2-1 following a loss to the Celtics and win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Orlando drops to 1-1, and plummets back to Earth a little bruised from the inside on out.

Vince Carter suffered an injury after being knocked to the hardwood while J.J. Redick took an elbow from LeBron James, which drew blood from near one of his eyes. The pain was likely minimal compared to what the team suffered through.

The rematch will be a highly anticipated one. It goes down on Wednesday, Nov. 24 in Orlando.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Austin Rivers Joins Redick’s Blue Devil Fraternity

J.C. CARNAHAN — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:43:16 +0000

With the pro basketball season officially upon us it won’t be long before college and high school teams take to the court to begin their 2010-11 campaigns.

In Central Florida, UCF has a new head coach and is gearing up for a matchup with the University of Florida at the new Amway Center. But at the high school level, all eyes will be on Winter Park senior Austin Rivers, considered the top prep player in the nation.

Rivers has already committed to Duke University, where current Orlando Magic players J.J. Redick and Chris Duhon once starred. He also considered North Carolina and Kansas after previously pulling out on a verbal agreement to join the Gators. With the college recruiting process wrapped up, the son of Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers can now focus on defending the Wildcats’ Class 6A state title before going on to suit up for Mike Krzyzewski.

In the Oct. 18, 2010 edition of Sports Illustrated, Dan Patrick featured Doc in his Just My Type column and asked about Austin’s recent college decision.

Dan Patrick: … your son Austin has committed to Duke. Did Coach K have to recruit you, as well as your son?

Doc Rivers: No, not really. I know Coach K, and I knew Roy Williams (UNC) and Bill Self (KU) and Billy Donovan (UF), so it was almost an uncomfortable… . It was not uncomfortable—it was different, when they come into your house and they’re selling their program. I go on a golf trip every year with Roy Williams, and he comes into my house with a suit and tie on. And I’m laughing! It was pretty interesting to watch, to actually watch guys you know do their job. So it was different. I’ll put it that way.

Patrick: What did Austin say your role was going to be when they came to the house?

Rivers: Be quiet! No, you know what we did? We had dinner with each guy, each coach and his assistants. And we’d just sit around the table and talk basketball and every other thing. And I thought it gave Austin a chance to see every coach as a human being, because I don’t know if we’re viewed as that when we’re coaching.

It won’t be long before Rivers and Redick are someday sharing stories of their experiences playing for the Blue Devils.

“I’ve always said that Duke is for some people and it’s not for other people, and Duke was the perfect fit for me,” said Redick just days before Rivers made his decision a month ago.

“I relished the challenge of playing there. It’s a challenge. You’re going to get every team’s best shot. Every practice is a challenge and you’re going to have to be on your game everyday and for me that was perfect. I loved that. I just had the most incredible experience there.”

He says he still very close to Coach K and the teammates he played with at Duke.

“Even the guys I didn’t play with, it’s like a fraternity,” he said. “If I see Elton Brand or Carlos Boozer, those guys, it’s like we played together because we played at Duke.”

Winter Park opens up the season with practices beginning on Nov. 1.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Previewing Magic Opponents – Southeast Division

J.C. CARNAHAN — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 06:35:50 +0000

Last season the Orlando Magic (59-23) finished with the second-best record in the NBA and another Southeast Division title by six games over the Atlanta Hawks (53-29).

The Magic would lose in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Boston Celtics after doing away with the Hawks in the second round. Atlanta advanced after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Miami Heat (47-35) lost to the Celtics in the first round while the Charlotte Bobcats (44-38) also lost in the first round, to the Magic. The Washington Wizards (26-56) rounded out the division.

It seems the landscape in the Southeast has changed quite a bit since then.

– Local Flavor –

Atlanta Guard/Forward Maurice Evans appeared in 68 games with the Magic during the 2007-08 season… Atlanta Center Zaza Pachulia started his career in Orlando in 2003-04, playing in 59 games… Miami Guard Carlos Arroyo spent parts of three seasons (2005-08) with the Magic… Miami Forward Juwan Howard played in 81 games in Orlando in 2003-04… Miami Forward Mike Miller began his career with the Magic in 2000 and lasted through 49 games of the 2002-03 season.

––– Previewing the Southeast Division –––

Below, Jeff Clark at CelticsBlog offers up a collection of Southeast Division previews for the upcoming season.

– Bobcats: Rufus on Fire | Hoops Addict | SBN Recap

– Hawks: Peachtree Hoops

– Heat: Peninsula Is Mightier | SportsAgentBlog.com

– Magic: Orlando Pinstriped Post | Magic Basketball | Orlando Magic Daily | Orlando Sports Central

– Wizards: Bullets Forever | Sparty and Friends | Truth About It | SBN Recap

––– MORE PREVIEWS –––

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Previewing Magic Opponents – Central Division

J.C. CARNAHAN — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:05:23 +0000

Last season the Cleveland Cavaliers finished with the best regular season record in the NBA at 61-21 and won the Central Division in the Eastern Conference by 15 games over the Milwaukee Bucks (46-36).

The Cavs went on to lose in the second round of the playoffs to the Boston Celtics while the Bucks lost in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks as the No. 6 seed. The Chicago Bulls (41-41) finished third in the division and also lost in the first round, to Cleveland, as the No. 8 seed.

Rounding out the rest of the Central Division were the Indiana Pacers (32-50) and Detroit Pistons (27-55).

– Local Flavor –

Cleveland Guard/Forward Joey Graham played his first two years of college ball at UCF before transferring to Oklahoma State. He enters his first season with the Cavs… Milwaukee Coach Scott Skiles played for the Magic during the team’s inaugural season in Orlando (1989) through 1994… Bucks Guard Keyon Dooling played for Orlando as a reserve from 2005-08… Bucks Forward Drew Gooden played in Orlando between 2002-04… Bucks Forward Corey Maggette spent the 1999-00 season with the Magic… Chicago Guard/Forward Keith Bogans spent two stints with the Magic, first in 2003-04 and again from 2006 through 36 games in the 2007-08 season… Indiana Forward Solomon Jones played his high school ball at Mount Dora… Former Orlando Magic Coach Brian Hill is an assistant with the Pistons. He spent two stints in Orlando from 1993-97 and 2005-07… Guard/Forward Tracy McGrady is entering his first season in Detroit. He played for the Magic from 2000-04… Detroit Center Ben Wallace started 81 games for the Magic during the 1999-00 season.

––– Previewing the Central Division –––

Below, Jeff Clark at CelticsBlog offers up a collection of Central Division previews for the upcoming season.

– Bucks: Brew Hoop | NBAMate | SBNation Recap

– Bulls: Blog-A-Bull | SBNation Recap

– Cavs: Fear The Sword | WaitingForNextYear

– Pacers: Indy Cornrows

– Pistons: DetroitBadBoys | Detroit Basketball | Need4Sheed.com | SB Nation Detroit

––– MORE PREVIEWS –––

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Previewing Magic Opponents – Pacific Division

J.C. CARNAHAN — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 05:35:14 +0000

Last season the Los Angeles Lakers finished with the best regular season record in the Western Conference at 57-25 and won the Pacific Division by three games over the Phoenix Suns (54-28).

The Lakers would go on to advanced to their third-straight NBA Finals and capture their second title in a row with a win over the Boston Celtics in seven games. Rounding out the Pacific Division were the Los Angeles Clippers (29-53), Golden State Warriors (26-56) and Sacramento Kings (25-57).

– Local Flavor –

Lakers Forward Matt Barnes played for the Magic last season… Phoenix Forward Grant Hill spent six injury-plagued seasons with the Magic from 2000-07… Forward Hedo Turkoglu enters his first season with the Suns. He played in Orlando from 2004-09 before moving on to the Toronto Raptors a year ago… Forward Brian Cook entered the preseason with the Clippers. He spent parts of the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons in Orlando…

––– Previewing the Pacific Division –––

Below, Jeff Clark at CelticsBlog offers up a collection of Pacific Division previews for the upcoming season.

– Clippers: Clips Nation | SBNation Recap

– Kings: Sactown Royalty | Cowbell Kingdom | SBNation Recap

– Lakers: Silver Screen and Roll | Forum Blue & Gold | NBAtipoff | SBNation Recap

– Suns: Bright Side Of The Sun | SB Nation Arizona | ValleyoftheSuns | SBNation Recap

– Warriors: Golden State of Mind | SBNation Recap

––– MORE PREVIEWS –––

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Previewing Magic Opponents – Atlantic Division

J.C. CARNAHAN — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 03:09:59 +0000

Last season the Boston Celtics finished with just the fourth-best regular season record in the Eastern Conference at 50-32, which was still good enough to win the Atlantic Division by 10 games over the Toronto Raptors (40-42).

The Celtics would go on to knock the Orlando Magic from the postseason in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games. Rounding out the Atlantic Division were the New York Knicks (29-53), Philadelphia 76ers (27-55) and New Jersey Nets (12-70).

– Local Flavor –

Boston Coach Doc Rivers coached the Magic from 1999 through the first 11 games of the 2003-04 season. He still calls Winter Park home… Boston Center Shaquille O’Neal enters his first season with the Celtics. He played for the Magic from 1992-96… Boston Guard Marquis Daniels played his high school ball at Edgewater High School… New York Center Amar’e Stoudemire played his senior year of high school at Cypress Creek. He enters his first season with the Knicks… New York Forward Patrick Ewing, Jr. is on the preseason roster with the Knicks. His dad Patrick is an assistant coach for the Magic… Philadelphia Center/Forward Tony Battie was with Orlando from 2004-09… New Jersey Forward Stephen Graham played his first two seasons of college basketball at UCF before transferring to Oklahoma State.

––– Previewing the Atlantic Division –––

Below, Jeff Clark at CelticsBlog offers up a collection of Atlantic Division previews for the upcoming season.

– Knicks: Posting and Toasting | Bandwagon Knick | KnickerBlogger.Net | Straight Bangin’ | SBN Recap

– Nets: NetsDaily | NetsAreScorching | Fanway | SBN Recap

– Raptors: Raptors HQ | Hoops Addict | Hip Hoop Junkies | SBN Recap

– Sixers: Liberty Ballers

––– MORE PREVIEWS –––

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Orlando Magic – A 2010-11 NBA Season Preview

J.C. CARNAHAN — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 20:51:34 +0000

– Team Name: Orlando Magic

– Last Year’s Record: 59-23 (Lost in Eastern Conference Finals)

– Key Losses: Forward Matt Barnes (6-7, 226) signed as a free agent on July 22, 2010 with the Los Angeles Lakers.

– Key Additions: Guard Chris Duhon (6-1, 190) signed as a free agent on July 8, 2010 after two seasons with the New York Knicks. Guard/Forward Quentin Richardson (6-6, 228) signed as a free agent on July 13, 2010 after one season with the Miami Heat.

– 1. What Significant Moves were made during the off-season? –

The opening of the new start-of-the-art Amway Center in Orlando will be the talk of the league this season. But the roster moves made by the Magic this offseason will be what this team is ultimately judged by down the road.

New additions Quentin Richardson and Chris Duhon (Photo by J.C. Carnahan)

Last season Matt Barnes helped provide the Magic with an added level of toughness, which was lacking on a finesse team that finished as runners-up to the Los Angeles Lakers following the 2008-09 campaign.

He quickly became a fan-favorite for his gritty play, finishing out the year by appearing in 81 games (58 starts) while averaging 8.8 points and tying a career high with 5.5 rebounds per game.

Once Orlando struck deals to land Chris Duhon and Quentin Richardson over the summer, Barnes went on to sign with the two-time defending champions.

The new additions for Orlando should thrive under Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy, who preaches defense first and foremost while encouraging players to shot away from beyond the three-point line.

Duhon will step in as the No. 2 point guard and Van Gundy has already been impressed with the way he runs the team. Richardson, who brings a combination of defense and shooting to the fold, is a guy Van Gundy has always wanted to have on the roster and is already becoming a player the coach can trust while out on the floor. An added bonus for Orlando is that Richardson’s presence will allow Van Gundy to tinker with his lineup on any given night, unlike a season ago with Barnes in the mix.

“I like the new additions we have,” said center Dwight Howard. “I think [General Manager] Otis (Smith) did the right thing. He wasn’t out trying to get any big names, but we needed the right pieces for our team and I think he did an excellent job.”

– 2. What are the team’s biggest strengths? –

Orlando enters the season with 10 returning players from last year’s squad. That bodes well for this team, as they possess the kind of flexibility on the roster this time around that will allow Van Gundy to play big or small as he sees fit.

“Our depth going down through 13 guys is pretty good,” said Van Gundy. “All these guys have proven they can play in this league.”

The central figure among the moving parts is Rashard Lewis. Upon signing with Orlando in 2007, Lewis was moved from his natural small forward position to power forward in order to help fill a void at that spot.

Van Gundy entered the preseason hoping to experiment a little, though, by giving Lewis the chance to ease back into the three spot while providing extra playing time for Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass at the four, alongside centers Howard and Marcin Gortat.

Anderson is the one benefiting most as he’s been credited by Van Gundy for his rebounding skills in preseason games as well as in practices thus far. How Lewis performs on the defensive end should dictate how much time he gets at small forward.

With the versatile Richardson joining returning players in Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus and J.J. Redick, the shooting guard and small forward positions should be in good hands.

– 3. What are the team’s biggest weaknesses? –

If there is a weakness for the Magic heading into the season, aside from which Vince Carter shows up at the tale end of his career, it’s the team’s depth at point guard. Yet even an improvement was made at that spot over the summer.

With the addition of Duhon, starter Jameer Nelson now has a proven and reliable backup to take control of the offense should he be forced to miss any time due to injury.

Nelson missed 40 games during the 2008-09 season and 17 last year, when the Magic turned to veterans Jason Williams and Anthony Johnson to pick up the slack.

With Johnson no longer around, Williams moves to third on the depth chart. He will also turn 35 next month after play in 82 regular season games for the first time in his career last season, shooting a career-best 44-percent from the field. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery at the end of September and has yet to see action in the preseason.

Adding to the uncertainty at that position is that fact that every time Nelson turns around anymore he’s the focal point of trade rumors involving the Magic, most recently over the summer with Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets being positioned to join Orlando.

Although Nelson has never seemed to be overly concerned by those reports, it will be interesting to see how he and Duhon perform during the season.

– 4. What are the goals for this team? –

Same as it was last year – winning an NBA title. Anything short of reaching the NBA Finals will be viewed as a disappointment to this group, and even the newcomers realize that.

“We definitely have to be one of the teams that I view as a potential contender,” said Richardson. “We want to win a championship. We know it’s a lot of hard work, blood, sweat and tears and that’s what we’re preparing for.”

Although not much has changed internally for an organization that has appeared in the last two Eastern Conference Finals, plenty has changed in the conference itself.

Several players have acknowledged the improvements made in the East by the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls, leading most to realize that the road to the finals will be a tougher one to travel this time around.

“The window of opportunity opens and closes, and right now the window is still open for us,” said Lewis. “We’re here again this year just fighting to get back.”

– 5. Can the Magic keep up with the Miami Heat? –

Standing in the way of both a fourth-straight 50-win season and Southeast Division title is a new-look Miami Heat team featuring Dwyane Wade and two new recruits in LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

Orlando is hoping the experience they have with one another, and the deep bench that has been built into this team, will prove to offset that trio of stars from down south.

“Everybody is going to talk about Miami, but most important for us is to stay together,” said Pietrus. “Right now we are still the underdog. We are going to have to stay together through the entire season and make sure that every time we come out here we work hard.”

– More Orlando Magic –

Visit Orlando Pinstriped Post, Magic Basketball and Orlando Magic Daily for more Orlando Magic season previews. Previews of every team in the NBA are available at CelticsBlog.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –