Don't Sleep On The Orlando Magic

It's a funny thing in the NBA. Both Cleveland and Boston seem to have forgotten about the team that beat them in the playoffs just two short months ago. Both teams are insisting that they'll make the NBA finals, and cite each other as their biggest obstacles. Ironically, the team that knocked them both out has quietly improved.

In Cleveland, all of the focus is on Shaquille O'Neal having joined the team and the impact he'll have there. In Boston, everyone's looking at veteran Rasheed Wallace's presence there and the effect he'll have on the team, especially in the event of an injury. At the end of the day, the Magic are looking as good as they did last year, and better. Here's a rundown as to the situation there:

PG: Same situation as last year. Jameer Nelson will be healthy entering the year and he's a stronger point guard than Rafer Alston. Alston was a great backup, but Nelson is younger and better, and the Magic are stronger with him.

PF. Rashard Lewis will pick up where he left off (after his suspension, of course), but the position is deeper here than it was last year. Tony Battie has always played hard, but Brandon Bass is simply stronger, younger, faster, and more valuable. Adding to some more depth, Ryan Anderson is a legitimate threat from three point land and should be an interesting complement to Lewis's abilities.

C - No changes. Dwight "Superman" Howard and Marcin "The Polish Hammer" Gortat will be holding their spots down. Enough said.

SG. While the team isn't exceptionally strong at the point, both Pietrus and Barnes are talented players and most teams would be very happy to have them as their "weakest starter." JJ Redick is improving too. Slowly, but steadily.

SF. Hedo Turkoglu is a great basketball player, there's no doubt about it. Without him, I don't think the Magic would have made the NBA finals last season. Normally, this would be a problem, but the team responded to his loss by bringing Vince Carter on board. An 8-time NBA All-Star, a prolific scorer, and a player at the point in his career where he wants to play for a winning team. This replacement is a very obvious upgrade.

Looking at the Magic, I don't see where they've gotten worse. All they've lost is Hedo Turkoglu and Courtney Lee, but there's now Vince Carter, Matt Barnes, Brandon Bass, and others. A worthy trade off if you ask me. The Celtics and Cavs should stop counting their chickens, and put their focus on figuring out how to beat a dangerous Magic team.

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