Orlando Magic

Over the next few weeks Orlando Magic Daily will be taking a look at the things that went right and wrong this season as Orlando ended its season with its first Lottery season in six years. The future for Orlando is bright. There are young players who have developed much quicker than expected and could form the backbone of the Magic's franchise. Tobias Harris, Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless and Andrew Nicholson are all players that have a future in this league. And considering they are all entering no later than their third year, they likely have the better part of a decade of good basketball left in them. Orlando hopes to be able to take advantage of that and have these players be a major part of the team when it returns to contention. The Oklahoma City model Rob Hennigan is bringing with him includes having young players grow together as the center of the team. That is where the rub is. Oklahoma City caught lightning in a bottle. Portland had to select Greg Oden ahead of Kevin Durant. The Celtics had to be willing to forego the draft mode and look for a star like Ray Allen to help the Thunder lay that foundation through the Draft. There had to be sufficient questions about Russell Westbrook and James Harden for other teams to pass them. And there had to be losing. Lots of losing for at least three years. It is hard to tell if this is Year One of that process or Year Zero. How many Draft will it take for the Magic to build back up? Can any organization really bank on the Draft Lottery for their franchise's future? Yes, good scouting and preparations will limit those mistakes in drafting and make sure each pick counts. But the bottom line is that except in very rare instances (the 2004 Pistons, for instance), championship teams need superstar players. No matter how bad his supporting cast, a healthy Dwight Howard made the Magic title threats and kept them in the conversation. In basketball more than any other sport, one player makes a huge difference and can change the game. The Magic's Tracy McGrady teams were not going anywhere near the postseason without McGrady's brilliance. So the question everyone has to ask: Are Vucevic, Nicholson, Harkless or Harris one of those players that can change the game? Maybe it is too early to tell that. Vucevic and Harris specifically have a lot of promise and a lot of areas they can improve upon to (possibly) take on that role. The future is a great unknown though. Even if the Magic get the top overall pick in Tuesday's Draft Lottery, that player is not likely to fit this necessary role to winning a championship. Even if the Magic finish with one of the worst records in the NBA (a likely proposition), there is no guarantee the Magic can strike it rich in the lottery again (again). The odds are astronomical. No matter the approach or the culture the Magic want to instill -- and by all accounts this has been very successful and has taken root -- the organization is still at the whims of the randomness of a ping pong ball bouncing in a drum. That is banking on a lot of luck -- particularly for next year's Draft when the talent pool at the top is much higher -- for your future. A lot of it seems out of the organization's control. The same could be said for many decision any franchise makes. All a team can do is research the best it can and make informed decisions. That is an approach Rob Hennigan champions. This was the first year without Dwight Howard or some other superstar. The Magic opted not to bring in an All Star to replace Howard, starting from scratch. The process of building the team back up is going to be a long one. Right now the future is extremely difficult to see. That is both the promise of what comes ahead and the risk. Some bad luck in next year's Draft could derail the Magic's slow rebuilding plan. A bad draft pick throws the plan off another year and prevents the team from c

La versión del Powerball de la NBA se lleva a cabo la noche del martes y el Magic tiene las mejores probabilidades de ganar la lotería del draft. El problema, sin embargo, es que nadie está muy seguro del tamaño del premio para el equipo.

The NBA Draft Lottery will determine the order in which the 14 teams who did not qualify for the postseason will select in the 2013 NBA Draft. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, May 21st at 8:30 PM Eastern/5:30 PM Pacific. ESPN's crew of Mark Jones, Jay Bilas, and Heather Cox will provide live coverage. The Orlando Magic finished the 2012/13 season with a 20-62 record, the NBA's worst. As a result, they have the best odds--25 percent--of earning the first overall pick in the NBA Draft; in addition, Orlando can pick no lower than fourth overall. More NBA Draft coverage: Orlando Pinstriped Post SB Nation Pat Williams, the Magic's Senior Executive Vice President, is scheduled to represent his team at Tuesday's event. Williams was present for each of Orlando's three other lottery wins in 1992, 1993, and 2004. Below are the odds of earning a top-four selection for each of the league's 14 lottery teams. The rightmost column lists the odds of each team finishing outside the top four. Team No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 Outside top 4 Orlando Magic 25.00% 21.51% 17.77% 35.73% 0.00% Charlotte Bobcats 19.90% 18.81% 17.12% 31.86% 12.32% Cleveland Cavaliers 15.60% 15.74% 15.58% 22.56% 30.52% Phoenix Suns 11.90% 12.60% 13.30% 9.85% 52.35% New Orleans Pelicans 8.80% 9.65% 10.68% 0.00% 70.87% Sacramento Kings 6.30% 7.10% 8.11% 0.00% 78.50% Detroit Pistons 3.60% 4.16% 4.91% 0.00% 87.32% Washington Wizards 3.50% 4.05% 4.79% 0.00% 87.66% Minnesota Timberwolves 1.70% 2.00% 2.41% 0.00% 93.892% Portland Trail Blazers 1.10% 1.30% 1.58% 0.00% 96.031% Philadelphia 76ers 0.80% 0.95% 1.15% 0.00% 97.1001% Toronto Raptors 0.70% 0.83% 1.01% 0.00% 97.46% Dallas Mavericks 0.60% 0.71% 0.87% 0.00% 97.82% Utah Jazz 0.50% 0.59% 0.72% 0.00% 98.18% The last time the team with the best odds of winning the lottery indeed hit the jackpot was in 2004, when the 21-61 Magic scored big. The team would go on to select 18-year-old center prospect Dwight Howard ahead of the more polished Emeka Okafor in June, a decision which paid dividends over Howard's eight-year career in the City Beautiful. The Pelicans, then known as the Hornets, won the 2012 Draft Lottery, owning just a 13.7 percent chance of doing so. The longest-shot lotto victory in the last five seasons came in 2008, when the Chicago Bulls had just a 1.7 percent chance of hitting paydirt. Just three seasons later, Derrick Rose, the Bulls' selection, earned his first MVP trophy. Looking for Orlando Magic tickets? Orlando Pinstriped Post has you covered. We invite you to follow Orlando Pinstriped Post on Twitter and like Orlando Pinstriped Post on Facebook.

Here's how the NBA Draft Lottery works.

Dennis Schroeder exploded on the national scene after his stellar performance at the Nike Hoop Summit. Since then he has been catapulting up draft boards and mock drafts alike. Appearing at the NBA combine armed with a rumored "first round guarantee" he engaged in several media interviews. During a Q&A session an issue was brought up that raises some concern. This concern has led me to write this post. So here is my opinion of what transpired. In an interview at the hoop summit Schroeder who plays professionally in Germany explains how his German team is one win away from advancing to the second division "whatever the heck that means" he pronounced upon his return to Germany that he quote "try my best to win the game in Bremerhaven". Fast forward to his combine media interviews and a question was asked about a rumored issue between he and his coach. Schroeder explained with a almost condescending grin that upon the eve of this big game post hoop summit that he overslept and missed practice and during this big game his coach essentially benched him! He also concedes that in the waining moments of the game coach asked him to go in and he refused. He goes on to explain the he was cold and concerned over a possible injury. Let me break this thing down for you all. Schroeder kicks butt at hoop summit smoking projected 2014 lottery candidates NBA front office promises the young pg to be a first rounder in upcoming draft. Armed with this the nineteen year old then decides or agrees not compete in Europe for fear of injury$$$$ I know our first instinct is to say oh it's just some crap league over in Europe. I think there's more to it than that. There is a moral tug of war at play here . On one side we have honor, respect, loyalty, commitment and on the other family, future, self preservation. I leave the debate to you "dennis schroeder character issue or new norm with economics in pro sports"? Dennis Schroeder exploded on the national scene after his stellar performance at the Nike Hoop Summit. Since then he has been catapulting up draft boards and mock drafts alike. Appearing at the NBA combine armed with a rumored "first round guarantee" he engaged in several media interviews. During a Q&A session an issue was brought up that raises some concern. This concern has led me to write this post. So here is my opinion of what transpired. In an interview at the hoop summit Schroeder who plays professionally in Germany explains how his German team is one win away from advancing to the second division "whatever the heck that means" he pronounced upon his return to Germany that he quote "try my best to win the game in Bremerhaven". Fast forward to his combine media interviews and a question was asked about a rumored issue between he and his coach. Schroeder explained with a almost condescending grin that upon the eve of this big game post hoop summit that he overslept and missed practice and during this big game his coach essentially benched him! He also concedes that in the waining moments of the game coach asked him to go in and he refused. He goes on to explain the he was cold and concerned over a possible injury. Let me break this thing down for you all. Schroeder kicks butt at hoop summit smoking projected 2014 lottery candidates NBA front office promises the young pg to be a first rounder in upcoming draft. Armed with this the nineteen year old then decides or agrees not compete in Europe for fear of injury$$$$ I know our first instinct is to say oh it's just some crap league over in Europe. I think there's more to it than that. There is a moral tug of war at play here . On one side we have honor, respect, loyalty, commitment and on the other family, future, self preservation. I leave the debate to you "dennis schroeder character issue or new norm with economics in pro sports"?

The NBA’s version of Powerball takes place Tuesday night and the Orlando Magic have the best odds at winning the Draft Lottery. The problem, however, is that no one is exactly sure about the size of the prize for the team whose lottery balls are selected.

After a calendar year of franchise-changing decisions and a regular season dominated by losses, the next stage of the Orlando Magic's rebuilding process will be determined by the random bounces of 14 pingpong balls Tuesday night.

With the NBA Draft Lottery coming up on May 21, these NBA writers have have come up with an impressive preview to prepare fans for what we can expect that night.

I'm trying to get my self into the Orlando Magic writing game. I didn't pay as much attention to the 2012-2013 season as much as I wanted to. I know that the team didn't do too great and that Vucevic is pretty good. But I want to know more. If someone can help me in what I need to know going into the 2013-2014 season, or at least refer me to something that could help me out on this issue. I'd like to learn about to team so I don't look stupid when trying to interact on this site come next season. Thanks for the help! I'm trying to get my self into the Orlando Magic writing game. I didn't pay as much attention to the 2012-2013 season as much as I wanted to. I know that the team didn't do too great and that Vucevic is pretty good. But I want to know more. If someone can help me in what I need to know going into the 2013-2014 season, or at least refer me to something that could help me out on this issue. I'd like to learn about to team so I don't look stupid when trying to interact on this site come next season. Thanks for the help!

Over the next few weeks Orlando Magic Daily will be taking a look at the things that went right and wrong this season as Orlando ended its season with its first Lottery season in six years. I have already highlighted Rob Hennigan and the positivity surrounding the Magic after a 20-win season and even the youth on the roster. In fact, those are most of the things that went right for the Magic this season. It is hard to find positives in the immediate of the season. The Magic finished with the worst record in the league after all. It was expected that the Magic would finish at the bottom or near the bottom of the standings. Wins were going to be a struggle. Grasping for something positive would have to come from something intangible. That intangible might have been the youth on the roster and the hope for the future. It might have been the emergence of young players or the improved decision making that management seemed to be using. It might have been the work and effort that the veterans put in, buying into the message of a team destined to lose and develop many of the players' replacements. It was an awkward spot for them to be in. But they made the best of it and have added to the future of the franchise. That was what this season was all about to a large extent. Building the foundations for the future of the franchise. Or at least clearing the underbrush to put down those foundations with this year's upcoming draft. Pleasant surprises though made the 20-win journey a lot more enjoyable than previously expected. It made the Magic's job of selling the future all the easy. It started from the beginning of the season when Nikola Vucevic proved to be a double double machine. Unexpectedly, the Magic not only had a promising young center, but someone who could come in and be an immediate contributor. Perhaps it was because of the increased playing time and the confidence coaches put in him, or perhaps it was Vucevic returning to health after a difficult rookie season where Doug Collins said he dealt with injury for really the first time in his basketball-playing life. It continued on as Andrew Nicholson emerged as a player who could contribute on a seemingly regular basis -- certainly off the bench -- proving Rob Hennigan had an eye for talent after taking him with the 19th overall selection in the 2012 Draft. The once lambasted Dwight Howard trade, in which the Magic received no immediate star, bore more fruit in the form of Maurice Harkless. Not only did the Magic receive a productive center in the form of Vucevic, but also an athletic wing in Harkless with boundless upside at 19 years old and at least the rudimentary defensive skills to become a key player for the franchise moving forward. In case this was not an embarassment of riches (relatively) already, Hennigan traded J.J. Redick for an unknown in Tobias Harris. His research paid off as Harris ended up the Magic's leading scorer by points per game averaging 17.3 points per game in 27 games in Orlando. His strong play and confidence grew as the season went on. Opportunity was a powerful force for him. Seeing as these players, who for now form the core fo the Magic's future along with this year's upcoming draft pick and possibly their 2014 pick, are all either entering their second or third year. There is lots of optimism after these players played their first year with real playing time at the NBA level that they will continue to improve. There is no reason to think otherwise -- particularly when thinking about how the coaching staff helped Maurice Harkless improve so drastically from the beginning of the season to the end. The Magic's future is banked on how these players -- along with the future draft picks -- grow together. That is the model Rob Hennigan is bringing over from Oklahoma City. There will be hard decisions in the days ahead. But right now, Orlando is selling the fans on its