Magic open camp with lofty goals
ORLANDO (AP) – Orlando general manager Otis Smith only had to look at the Eastern Conference championship banner that hangs above the team’s practice facility if he had any regrets about overhauling a roster that got the Magic to the NBA finals last season.
Just another sign that Orlando wasn’t good enough.
Smith had a summer full of bold moves for a team fresh off a finals appearance – moves that will either be a big payoff or just a big bust for the Magic. Orlando’s architect isn’t backing down from his decisions, arguing change is necessary to remain a contender.
“Mark my words right now: When we win the NBA championship, the chances are pretty good, almost guaranteed, that I’m going to change the roster again,” Smith said.
“So write it down right now. It’s probably going to happen again.”
Though Smith says “when,” not “if,” the franchise will win its first title shows where the Magic feel they belong. Getting there is something else.
Tuesday’s practice was somewhat of a meet-and-greet session, considering all the moves the Magic made during the offseason.
The biggest acquisition was getting Vince Carter from New Jersey in a trade that sent promising rookie Courtney Lee, point guard Rafer Alston and power forward Tony Battie to the Nets. Orlando also parted ways with forward Hedo Turkoglu, who led the team in scoring in the finals and was perhaps as important in last year’s run as center Dwight Howard.
The Magic gave backup center Marcin Gortat a $34 million, five-year deal and acquired Matt Barnes, Brandon Bass, Jason Williams and Ryan Anderson among others. Quite an overhaul for a franchise that made it to the finals for the first time since 1995.
“We got a taste of it, and that’s not good enough,” Magic point guard Jameer Nelson said. “Getting a taste of it was a tease. The team that we have, we all want to win, and we know we have a chance to win it all.”