2009-10 NBA Season Preview: Orlando Magic

Depth Chart:

C: Dwight Howard/Marcin Gortat/Adonal Foyle

PF: Ryan Anderson/Brandon Bass

SF: Rashard Lewis/Matt Barnes

SG: Vince Carter/Mickael Pietrus/J.J. Redick

PG: Jameer Nelson/Jason Williams/Anthony Johnson

Head Coach: Stan Van Gundy (3rd year)

2009-2010 Team Salary: $82.6 million

Projected 2010-2011 Team Salary: approximately $59.4 million

Off-Season Grade: Passed

Despite making it to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Magic were not satisfied with holding pat with their roster. They let Hedo Turkoglu walk in free agency and quickly replaced him by acquiring Vince Carter from the Nets in exchange for Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie. Carter has battled an ankle injury early this season, but if he is motivated and accepts not being “the guy” on the Magic, then the trade makes sense.

Why I really like the deal with New Jersey is because of the addition of second-year power forward Ryan Anderson. The former Cal Golden Bear came on strong during his rookie season and begins 2009 as Orlando’s starting power forward. He is able to help replace Turkoglu because he can stretch defenses with his three-point shooting ability.

The Magic also did an outstanding job of adding depth across the board. They signed Brandon Bass to a very reasonable 4-year, $16 million deal. He will add some toughness and energy up front. Matt Barnes was signed for a bargain deal of $1.6 million this season and brings his versatility to the wing. Orlando also added Jason Williams, who did not play in the association last year.

The only thing preventing the Magic from receiving an “Aced” grade was matching the ridiculously overpriced offer sheet for backup center Marcin Gortat. Five years at about $35 million seems like an awful lot of money to pay for a player who is going to see limited action backing up Dwight Howard. Plus, Gortat was an unknown commodity until stepping up in the post-season. I know serviceable big men in the NBA are hard to find, but Orlando grossly overpaid to keep Gortat.

2009-2010 Outlook:

When you consider the Magic were without point guard Jameer Nelson during their postseason run, you can see why there is again optimism in Orlando. Dwight Howard continues to develop into one of the best big men in the NBA and with the depth they added during the offseason, there is no doubting the fact that the Magic will be right there with Boston and Cleveland come playoff time.

The ex-factor may be Carter, who has never played with this much talent before. He is used to be the go-to guy and now must slide into a more complementary role. If he can pick up where Turkoglu left off last season, the Magic could make a repeat trip to the NBA Finals.

Looking Ahead to the Summer of 2010:

As it stands right now, with the recent acquisition of Carter, huge contract they signed Lewis to, extensions they gave Howard, Nelson, and Gortat, Orlando won’t have cap space until 2013. By no means is that a negative since the Magic have a relatively young roster that should be able to stay together and be title contenders for the next couple years.

2009-10 NBA Power Ranking: 3rd