Orlando Magic
What went right:
Mickael Pietrus signed
One of the few Warriors to flash an interest in playing defense, Pietrus soon found himself fighting for minutes with Don Nelson's Warriors. Now in the land of no state income taxes and playing for a coach who appreciates defense as much as Nelson ignores it, Pietrus not only will help the Magic chase the LeBrons and Paul Pierces, but also help space the floor for Dwight Howard, courtesy of a respectable 35 percent stroke from three.
They made a sensible draft pick
Maurice Evans, Keith Bogans and J.J. Reddick are no way to stock a shooting guard position. Likely starter Pietrus and rookie Courtney Lee are a lot closer to what a conference contender such as the Magic needs. While the former Warrior will handle the heavy lifting, Lee promises to star off a thin magic bench with a shooting stroke that was accurate from long range 40 percent of the time as a senior with Western Kentucky.
Dwight Howard went to school
Credit coach Stan Van Gundy for not genuflecting last season before his franchise center, who was sent to the bench after making a sharp comment to Van Gundy late in a loss to the Cavs. "His focus is on the offensive end," Van Gundy said to reporters after the game. "He gets discouraged when he doesn't get the ball. I think the numbers prove that what we need him to focus on to win is defensive rebounding, but that's not what he wants to do right now and we've got a little bit of a conflict." Howard's summer in Beijing soaking up the lessons of team-first preaching of Coach K and sharing the ball with his Team USA mates should reinforce Van Gundy's lesson.
What went wrong:
Jameer Nelson is still the point guard
Yes, he may be a good guy, and yes, he may organize offseason workouts, but good intentions don't necessarily equal good production. And after four years in the league, Nelson has yet to provide consistent play at the point. One night Nelson is connecting on six of his 10 shots; the next he is missing 10-of-11. As anyone without a LeBron James or Kobe Bryant can attest, you can't win without consistent play from the quarterback.
Where's the beef?
The ranks are dangerously thin behind Howard. Tony Battie missed all of last season after rotator cuff surgery. Adonal Foyle might as well have embarked on his future political career for all the help his two points and three rebounds a night has provided the last two seasons. And Brian Cook is, well, Brian Cook. Those aren't the types of safety valves that will let Van Gundy sleep well at night or give Howard much of a breather.
The East reloaded
With Jermaine O'Neal partnering with Chris Bosh in Toronto, and Elton Brand providing a low-post complement to Philly's athletic slashers, playoff seeds in the East will not be so easy to secure. And for those who do garner them, those cushy first-round matchups against .500 or worse teams are long gone. Getting into the postseason shouldn't be a problem for a team that won 52 games last year; getting past the first round might be.
Grade: B-
Quietly adding Pietrus should pay off in numerous ways this fall on both ends of the floor while expanding a talent base that needed growth. But this team is still missing one major piece to tie an Eastern Conference title together. There isn't a lot of fat on the roster to make it happen through trade, so unless someone gets desperate at the trade deadline, the Magic may have done little but secure another 52-win campaign.
Orlando: B minus.
Charlotte: B
Washington: C
Atlanta: C minus
Miami: D
