Orlando

Vander Weide Industries


Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services 

Orlando Magic president Bob Vander Weide expects a dramatic turnaround this season. "This wasn't a tuneup," he told The Orlando Sentinel. "It was an overhaul." The overhaul's biggest impact may be placed squarely on head coach Johnny Davis's shoulders, as he now has to integrate lots of cliques from various teams into one unit. How is he going to do it?

First of all, he's going to get to know his players. He has reportedly logged over 12,000 miles visiting players this offseason, jetting from Houston to Toronto to LA to the fly-over states and to D.C. and the rest of the Northeast. His hands will be full trying to decide where and how to play his players.

He is getting a fairly deep team at wing with an important rookie at the power forward spot. Davis has two options: build around Dwight Howard, or build despite Dwight Howard.

Building around him will probably mean having Jameer Nelson man the point more often than Steve Francis, perhaps bumping Francis to the two-guard. Francis is one of the league's best one-on-one players, and he will also spot the open man on a drive-and-dish, but it is sometimes difficult for him to feed the post. If Davis wants Howard doing the post-up work, he will have as tough a time as Jeff Van Gundy did last year in trying to get the ball inside.

Building despite him may be the better option for now. It means teaching Howard defense and honing his rebounding, and letting his offense subside on a steady diet of offensive rebounds. If that's the route he takes, then this will be a long-bomb shooting team. Cuttino Mobley and Francis both have great range, not to mention Hedo Turkoglu.

And if Pat Garrity and Grant Hill are even half as healthy as expected, that's another couple of long-range bombers.

In the middle and in the post, Davis has centers who are better at rebounding and put-backs than back-to-the-basket post-up moves.

Does this mean the Orlando Magic will be long-range bombers next year?

Quite right.

TEAM NOTES
The Suns signed former Magic Steven Hunter. Here is what Paul Coro ofThe Arizona Republichad to say: Hunter said he was told that the Suns center spot is wide open and that he intends to be the starter. His ability to block shots and run the floor on fast breaks makes him a strong candidate for plenty of minutes at the least. He played a career-high 59 games last season, starting 23. Had he qualified to be among league leaders, Hunter would have finished third in the NBA with 4.44 blocks per 48 minutes.That would have put him behind only Portland's Theo Ratliff and Denver's Chris Andersen. "I've made a lot of strides," Hunter said. "My first three years in the league supplied me with a lot of knowledge. The Phoenix Suns got a better player than was with the Orlando Magic."

NEWSLINES

Joe Davidson ofThe Sacramento Beewrites: This is how Johnny Davis is getting to know his players, some new, some old. He's flying cross country for in-person hugs and chats.The Orlando Magic coach flew to Houston to meet with Cuttino Mobley, then to Toronto to see Michael Bradley, then Los Angeles to talk to DeShawn Stevenson and Stacy Augmon. Davis went to Colorado to talk to Pat Garrity, to Washington, D.C., to meet with Steve Francis, and concluded by jetting to Philadelphia to meet with Jameer Nelson. Total mileage: 12,000.

Tim Povtak ofThe Orlando Sentinelwrites: The Magic local television schedule is coming out this week, and still no one is talking about what they will do with their broadcast crew.Jack Givens, who has been the basketball analyst since the first season, is facing sexual battery charges. Neither he nor the Magic will comment on his future. The most likely scenario is that he will take a leave of absence this fall until his case is settled, and they will start the season with either Jeff Turner or Matt Guokas in his seat. The boss has spoken. And he expects quick results this season.

Tim Povtak ofThe Orlando Sentinelalso writes: Bob Vander Weide, Orlando Magic president and son-in-law of owner Rich DeVos, authorized this summer's reconstruction of the franchise by his new general manager, but he also made clear that he expects an equally dramatic turnaround.After 11 consecutive seasons at or above the .500 mark, the Magic plummeted to a league-worst 21 victories last season, prompting one of the biggest roster demolition projects in NBA history. "This wasn't a tuneup. It was an overhaul," Vander Weide said. "But I think now, with just a smidgen of good health, we should be a very good team. I'd say twice as good as last season. I absolutely think so."