From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Orlando Magic is a National
Basketball Association team based in Orlando,
Florida.
Home arenas
- TD
Waterhouse Centre (1989-present)
History
The Orlando Magic officially entered the
NBA
as an expansion franchise in 1989. Led by former
Philadelphia
76ers general
manager Pat
Williams, the Magic hired Matt
Guokas as the team's first coach. The inaugural
team compiled a record of 18-64 with players including
Reggie
Theus, Scott
Skiles (now current coach of the Chicago
Bulls), Terry
Catledge, Sam
Vincent, Otis
Smith, and Jerry
Reynolds. In the club's first draft in 1989,
the Magic chose Nick
Anderson with the 11th pick in the first round.
The club's first game was on November
4, 1989,
at the Orlando
Arena (O-Rena). Despite playing a hard-fought
game, the visiting New
Jersey Nets won 111- 106. The Magic's first
victory came 2 days later, as the Magic pounded
the New
York Knicks 118- 110.
In the 1990
NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic selected Dennis
Scott with the fourth overall pick. Scott, known
as a sharpshooter, helped the Magic compile a 31
- 51 record. Combined with the fast-paced energy
style of Skiles, who was named the NBA's Most
Improved Player at the end of the season, the
Magic heralded the NBA's most improved record that
season.
1992
was a disappointing season for the Magic, who finished
with a 21 - 61 record. The team was hampered by
injuries, and struggled through a franchise-record
17-game losing streak.
The club's history was changed dramatically with
the 1992 Draft. With the first overall pick, the
Magic selected big-man Shaquille
O'Neal from Louisiana State University. O'Neal,
a 7-1 center, made an immediate impact on the Magic,
leading the club to a 41 - 41 record. The Magic
again were the NBA's most improved franchise, and
O'Neal garnered All-Star
starter status and the Rookie
of the Year award. However, the Magic missed
that year's playoffs, because they were tied with
the Indiana
Pacers for the 8th (and final) playoff spot
in the Eastern Conference and because the Pacers
owned the tiebreaker.
Missing out on the playoffs had a silver lining:
despite having the NBA's best non-playoff record
(and thereby the least chance of gaining the top
draft pick), the Magic once again won the NBA draft
lottery. In the draft, the Magic selected Chris
Webber, but traded him to the Golden
State Warriors for the number three pick, guard
Anfernee
Hardaway (known as "Penny" Hardaway) and three
future first-round draft picks. Prior to the draft,
Guokas stepped down as head coach, and Brian
Hill was promoted to become the Magic's second
coach. Also, General Manager Pat Williams was replaced
by John
Gabriel.
With the lethal combination of O'Neal and Hardaway,
the Magic became a dominant team in the NBA, compiling
the first 50 win season in franchise history with
a 50-32 record. The Magic were in the playoffs for
the first time, ranked the second seed in the Eastern
Conference. However, the underdog Pacers team swept
the Magic 3-0 in the first round, thus ending the
Magic's season.
However, in the 1994-1995 season, the Magic's sixth
season, after acquiring rebounder Horace
Grant as a free agent from the Chicago
Bulls, Orlando compiled a 57-25 record, best
in the East and winning the Atlantic Conference
title. In the playoffs, the Magic defeated the Boston
Celtics, Michael
Jordan's Chicago
Bulls, and the Indiana
Pacers, advancing to the NBA Finals. The Houston
Rockets, though, ended Orlando's dream of a
championship by sweeping Orlando 4-0 in the Finals
to take the crown.
In the 1995-1996 season, the Magic again dominated
the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division
with a 60-22 record, led by O'Neal and Hardaway.
However, the Magic were seeded number two, behind
the amazing 72-10 record the Chicago
Bulls accumulated under Michael
Jordan. In the playoffs, after the Magic defeated
the Detroit
Pistons and the Atlanta
Hawks, Orlando met the Bulls in the Eastern
Conference finals. The combination of Jordan, Scottie
Pippen and rebounder Dennis
Rodman was too much for the Magic, and Orlando
was swept 4-0 in the Eastern Conference finals.
In the offseason, in a huge blow to the Magic franchise,
O'Neal left as a free
agent to the Los
Angeles Lakers. However, the Magic still mananged
to compile a 45-37 record, led by Hardaway, Darrell
Armstrong, the team's emotional leader, and
newly-acquired free agent Rony
Seikaly. In the playoffs, the Magic came close
to stunning the heavily favored Miami
Heat in the first round, extending the series
to a classic game five, even after losing the first
two games. In the middle of the season, though,
urged by player discontent, management fired coach
Brian Hill and named Richie
Adubato as interim coach for the rest of the
season.
The Magic then hired Chuck
Daly to be head coach for the 1997-1998 season.
In addition, Hall of Famer Julius
Erving joined the Magic's front office, giving
Orlando immense hope for a successful season. However,
the season was hampered by injuries, as Hardaway
sat out the majority of the season . Anderson, combined
with newly acquired free agent Bo
Outlaw, led the team to a respectable 41-41
record, just out of reach of the NBA playoffs. In
addition, Rony
Seikaly was traded during the season to the
New
Jersey Nets for three role players and a future
draft pick.
In 1998-1999, with the acquisition of Matt
Harpring and Michael
Doleac and a healthy Hardaway and Anderson,
the Magic tied for the Eastern Conference's best
record in the lockout-shortened season, 33-17. Armstrong
again led the team emotionally, winning the NBA's
Sixth-Man
and Most
Improved Player awards. In addition, Orlando
also acquired brothers Dominique and Gerald Wilkins,
who were past their primes but were still regarded
as NBA greats. In the playoffs, though, the Magic
were seeded number 3 because of tiebreakers and
faced the Philadelphia
76ers. The 76ers, led by Allen
Iverson, upset the Magic 3-1 in the first round.
In 1999, the Magic, under General Manager John
Gabriel, who was later named Executive of the
Year, hired rookie-coach Doc
Rivers. Gabriel dismantled the previous team
and acquired multiple future first round draft picks.
With a team with virtually no name players and little
experience, Rivers and Armstrong, the team captain,
led the Magic to a 41-41 record, barely missing
out on the playoffs. At the end of the season Rivers
was named Coach
of the Year by the NBA. This year was characterized
by the slogan "Heart and Hustle", as the team was
known for its hard-working style.
In the following offseason, Gabriel, with millions
of cleared salary cap space, attempted to lure three
of the NBA's most prized free agents: Tim
Duncan, Grant
Hill, and Tracy
McGrady. Despite Duncan opting to remain with
the San
Antonio Spurs, the Magic acquired Hill, a perenial
All-Star,
and McGrady. However, Hill was limited to 4 games
because of an ankle injury. McGrady blossomed into
a star during this season, becoming one of the NBA's
top scorers. With the addition of Mike
Miller from the draft, the Magic compiled a
43-39 record, which included a nine-game winning
streak, and once again made the playoffs. Miller
won the Rookie
of the Year that season.
In 2001-2002, McGrady lead the Magic to a winning
record of 44-38. However, Hill was still severely
limited by his ankle injury and did not play for
the vast majority of the season. McGrady, combined
with Armstrong, Miller, and 3-point sharpshooter
Pat
Garrity, formed the core of the team that season.
However, the Magic were defeated 3-1 by the Charlotte
Hornets (the team has since relocated, becoming
the New
Orleans Hornets).
In 2002-2003, with the acquisition of Gordon
Giricek and Drew
Gooden, McGrady once again led the Magic to
a 42-40 record. Despite still not having Hill due
to injury, the Magic entered the playoffs for the
third straight year. However, after taking a 3-1
lead in the best-of-seven first round series, the
Magic faltered and fell to the Detroit
Pistons 4-3 in a heartbreaker.
The Magic's 15th season in 2003-2004 proved to
be one of its toughest ever. Even with the acquisition
of veterans Tyronn
Lue and Juwan
Howard, the Magic struggled early. After winning
its first game, the Magic lost 19 consecutive games,
setting a franchise record. The Magic finished with
a disappointing 21-61 record, the worst in the NBA.
In the middle of the 19-game losing streak, coach
Doc Rivers was fired, and assistant Johnny
Davis was promoted. In addition, general manager
Gabriel was replaced by John
Weisbrod.
In the offseason, Weisbrod dismantled the team.
Though he kept Davis at coach, he shook up the player
roster, only keeping a few of the players from last
season. The most significant trade was that of Tracy
McGrady. McGrady, discontent with the Magic, wished
to move on; Weisbrod accused McGrady of "slacking
off" and not attending practices (McGrady later
admitted that he did not give 100% percent during
the 2003-2004 season). The Magic traded McGrady
to the Houston
Rockets for Steve
Francis, Kelvin
Cato, and Cuttino
Mobley. In addition, the Magic acquired center
Tony
Battie from the Cleveland
Cavaliers (in exchange for Drew Gooden, Steven
Hunter, and the draft rights to Anderson
Varejao) and signed free agent Hedo
Turkoglu. With the number one draft pick, the
Magic selected high-school phenom Dwight
Howard and traded for point guard Jameer
Nelson. Nelson, who most scouts speculated to
be a top-10 pick, fell to the 20th pick, and the
Magic traded a future first-round draft pick to
the Denver
Nuggets for Nelson.
After a promising 13-6 start, the Magic began to
fall apart. First, Weisbrod traded Mobley for Doug
Christie from the Sacramento
Kings. Christie, because of his emotional ties
to the Kings, at first refused to play for the Magic.
Later on, Christie claimed he had bone
spurs and was placed on the injured list after
playing only a few games for the Magic. Near the
end of the season, with a playoff-push faltering,
Weisbrod fired Davis after leading Davis to believe
he was going to be the team's head coach for the
entire 2004-2005 NBA season. He then promoted Chris
Jent to interim head coach.
Throughout the season, bolstered by Hill's return,
the Magic played spectacularly, defeating top NBA
teams such as the San
Antonio Spurs and the Detroit
Pistons. However, led by the erratic play of
Francis, the Magic also lost to league bottom-feeders,
such as the expansion Charlotte
Bobcats and the Atlanta
Hawks. However, Howard showed great promise,
becoming one of the few players to average a double-double.
Howard was a consistant rebounder and scorer, becoming
the first rookie to start and play all 82 games
in a season. In addition, Nelson, after a slow start,
developed into a talented player, taking over the
starting point guard position. Hill also returned
and averaged 19 points a game. Hill was chosen an
All-Star starter by NBA fans, and Dwight Howard
and Jameer Nelson were named to the All-Rookie first
and second teams, respectfully. Howard was an unanimous
selection.
The Magic finished the season with a 36-46 record,
disappointing after a strong start. Their playoff
push was hampered by injuries in the last quarter
of the season: a season-ending broken wrist for
sixth man Hedo
Turkoglu, a shin injury to Grant
Hill, a rib cage injury to Nelson, and a three-game
suspension to Francis for allegedly kicking a photographer.
In the end, the Magic ended a few games out of the
playoffs. However, the promise for the future is
great, as the club hopes to build around Howard,
Hill, Francis, and Nelson and become a playoff contender
with a new coach.
On May
23, however, the Magic's plans were disrupted
by the abrupt resignation of General Manager and
Chief Operating Officer John
Weisbrod. In addition, the Magic announced the
following day that Brian
Hill, the coach who led the Magic to the NBA
Finals under O'Neal and Hardaway, would return
as head coach.
The Magic drafted Spaniard Fran
Vazquez with the 11th pick in the 2005
NBA Draft. On July
28, Vazquez stunned the team after announcing
that he will remain in Spain
to play for Akasvayu
Girona.
Owner Rich DeVos announced on October
21 that he was transferring ownership to his
children, with the official owner role moving to
son-in-law and team President Bob
Vander Weide. The transfer is supposed to be
complete by the end of the year. [1]
On February 15 the Magic announced that they have
acquired Darko
Milicic and Carlos
Arroyo from the Detroit
Pistons in exchange for Kelvin Cato and a 2007
first-round draft pick.
On February
22, 2006,
the Magic traded Steve
Francis to the New York Knicks for Anfernee
Hardaway and Trevor
Ariza.
Players of note
Not to be forgotten
List of Magic players who previously starred with
other teams
Retired numbers
6--The Fans
Current stars
Current Roster
Staff (as of the end of the 2004-2005 season)
Current coaching staff
Note: The Magic have hired former Magic coach
Brian
Hill to be head coach again.
- Head Coach: Brian
Hill
- Assistant Coaches: Note: The Magic's Coaching
Staff for the 2005/2006 Season is complete.
;)
;)
