Could Dwight Howard and the Magic be a Championship Team?

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Could Dwight Howard and the Magic be a Championship Team?

By the time the new arena debuts in 2010, the Magic might be closing in on an NBA championship -- seriously.

Crystal balls have been known to fib a time or two, but this one makes more than a little sense.

The timing just might be perfect.

A lot can happen to an NBA roster in three years, but when the Orlando Magic open the 2010-11 season -- in their sparkling new events center with all the bells and whistles -- they could be knocking at the door of their first NBA title.

Dreaming? Maybe. But so was the notion that a state-of-the-art, finest-of-its-kind sports facility of this magnitude ever would become a reality in Central Florida .
It's happening now.

When the Orange County Commission approved the $1.1 billion venue-funding plan for a new events center, a completely renovated Citrus Bowl and a performing-arts center, it was thinking about the long, long-range significance.

But the short term might be tough to match. The first year could be a memorable one.
Twenty years ago the city of Orlando started building a scaled-back, bare-bones arena for a coming expansion team that would be filled with castoff journeymen. It looked more like a patchwork quilt than an NBA contender.

The product -- both the venue and the team on the floor -- is going to be considerably better this time.
"We're not going to be moving into this shiny new building with an expansion team," said Magic General

Manager Otis Smith, who was one of the players on that first team. "By 2010, we should be at our prime, as a well-oiled machine, a team on the way toward a championship."

When the Magic open the regular season in 2010, center Dwight Howard will be just 24 years old, only coming into his prime years. If he progresses in the next three seasons as far as he has progressed in his first three, he will be one of the most dominating players in the game.

Rashard Lewis, the free-agent forward who just signed a six-year, $123 million contract, also is certain to be on the roster. And more than anyone, he probably will be the key. The Magic are betting heavily that he and Howard can blend to become the cornerstones of a contender, the inside-outside combination that has led to so many NBA titles through the years.

Everyone else is up in the air. They are the only two players on the roster who have a contract guaranteed for that season. The rest of the roster then will be molded by what happens through the next couple of years.

Shaquille O'Neal will be a free agent the summer before and 38 years old. He has said several times that he likely will retire when his contract expires after the 2009-10 season.

But he also has repeatedly flirted with the idea of returning to Orlando to finish his career where he started it. Maybe the lure of opening a new building, in a town he still calls home, and the prospect of helping Howard win his first NBA title, could lure him back for a final encore.

He still says he wants to start a political career as the Orange County sheriff, or buy a partial ownership stake in the team. If that's still the case, returning for one season would help pave the way.
Based on the normal turnover of role players on an NBA roster, many of today's Magic players will be gone. The Magic still aren't convinced that Jameer Nelson is the long-term answer at point guard. If he struggles again this season, he is unlikely to be here in 2010.

If he proves his worth this season, guard J.J. Redick may be on the roster, based on his long-range shooting ability that will be in high demand with stars like Howard and Lewis attracting double-team defenses.

Hedo Turkoglu, because of his mid-level contract, probably will be sacrificed at some point to land a new point guard or power forward in the next couple of years. Tony Battie likely will be retired, and others, like Keyon Dooling, Keith Bogans and Carlos Arroyo, may have moved elsewhere by then.

The roster in 2010 may well include long-lost Fran Vazquez, the former No. 1 pick of 2005 who has been playing in Europe . A front line of Howard/Lewis/Vazquez is not out of the question when the new building opens. And O'Neal at any age could help a team win a championship.

By 2010, the Magic might be using a pass-first, up-tempo point guard like T.J. Ford (Toronto), who will be looking for a return to the United States by then.

They also will be looking for a workmanlike power forward like Udonis Haslem ( Miami ), who has been effective alongside O'Neal the past two years.

To offset Redick's defensive deficiencies, the Magic likely will have a defensive-minded shooting guard. DeShawn Stevenson ( Washington ) could be back on the roster.

Stan Van Gundy, hired this summer with a four-year contract to coach the Magic, is expected to still be coaching the team, but his profession is a volatile one.

The average tenure for an NBA coach is just three years. Of the last five Magic head coaches (Brian Hill, Chris Jent, Johnny Davis, Doc Rivers , Chuck Daly) only one has lasted more than two years (Rivers).

With hopes rising rapidly, Van Gundy has stepped into an enviable position by NBA standards, but any backsliding during the next few years could cost him his job, too.

By 2010, Howard will be a first-team all-NBA center. O'Neal will be retiring, or near retirement. Tim Duncan will be 34 and likely beginning to fade. The Spurs and the Suns will have given way to younger teams.

In the East, Miami will be struggling with only Dwyane Wade to carry the team.

The Detroit Pistons will have started a rebuilding effort. The Cavs, if they can find a second star to help LeBron James, likely will be the Magic's top rival in the East.

"It certainly looks at this point like things are aligning well right now for us. Going into a new building, we should be one of the best teams in the NBA,'' said Alex Martins, the Magic's chief operating officer.

"Our goal still is to win a championship before we leave the old building, but if we haven't, we'll probably be at our peak and ready to win one when we make the move."

NBA Future:
Tyler Hansbrough
Tyler Hansbrough led Oak Hill Academy to a 42-1 record as a senior (won their first 42 games) . First-team USA Today All-America selection . Averaged 23.8 points, 9.1 assists and five steals in 2006 . Shot 63 percent from the floor, including 42 percent from three-point range . Had a season-high 37 points, one of nine games in which he scored 30 or more . Had a season-high 18 assists and had double-digit assists 18 times . Played for coach Steve Smith . Participated in McDonald's All-Star Game, Jordan Classic and Nike Hoop Summit . McDonald's and Parade All-America selection . Had 17 points and six assists in Nike Hoop Summit . Also played soccer last year at Oak Hill . Most Valuable Player at Oak Hill in 2005 . Most Valuable Player at World Juniors Tournament in France in June 2005 . Attended Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Md., for two years.

NBA Future:
Ronald Steele
Ronald Steele is an American basketball player for the University of Alabama. He raised his NBA draft profile a lot during his sophomore year. He decided to return for his junior year, and will likely be a first round draft pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. He is capable from scoring inside, from the perimeter, and grabbing rebounds, proving his versatility. He attended John Caroll High School, and led the school to an undefeated 36-0 record in his junior season.

In August 2006, Steele attended a basketball camp ran by legendary basketball player Michael Jordan. After giving him tips and "a lot of compliments," Jordan invited Steele to play in a two-on-two pickup game.

Ronald Steele
Position: G
Class: Junior
Ht: 6-3 Wt: 185
College: Alabama
Hometown: Birmingham

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