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"I think our team has the chance to go all the way. We got all the tools," Dwight Howard said, straight-faced. "I think this year we can go all the way." To clarify himself, Dwight Howard continued, "All the way to the championship," he said. The prediction sets the bar ridiculously high for a team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2003, and has been to the NBA Finals just once, in 1995, during the 16-year existence of the franchise. The Magic have had three straight losing seasons, bottoming out in 2004 when they went 21-61. That season allowed them to win the draft lottery when they selected Dwight Howard with the first overall pick, the third time they had received the top overall pick in franchise history. Orlando has lost in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in six of their eight trips into the postseason. However, the Magic did vastly improve after they traded for Carlos Arroyo and Darko Milicic from the Pistons and dealt disgruntled superstar Steve Francis to the Knicks at the trade deadline. Behind Brian Hill, the Magic righted the ship and finished third in the Southeast Division. With young players like Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and Darko Milicic blossoming and with the new addition of the sharp shooting J.J. Redick, the Magic certainly have a bright future. If the always-injured Grant Hill and Hedo Turkoglu can bounce back and contribute, the Magic could be a threat out of the East. But with the Heat returning nearly everyone from their championship team, the Bulls bulking up with the addition of Ben Wallace, and the Pistons always lurking not far away, the Magic will still have an uphill climb to get to the top of the NBA mountain.
Still, with two years under his belt, Dwight Howard says he's ready to make a big statement this season. He's worked on his outside shooting after spending most of his time inside the paint in his first two years in the NBA. He also wants to improve on his free throw shooting where he's shot 60 percent for his career. One thing Howard has done extraordinarily well throughout his time in the NBA is rebounding. He finished second in the league in the category. Howard is 6-11 and has gotten his weight up to 270 pounds. He told the Sentinel he's ready to become an enforcer on both sides of the floor. "I don't think anybody should get in the paint as easy as they did last year." Howard had a great experience playing along side some of the NBA's biggest superstars in Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony at the FIBA World Championships this summer. He told the Sentinel he learned a lot playing with some of his most elite peers. "I had a great experience, being the youngest player," said Howard, who averaged just three shots a game but was an effective rebounder and defender. "I was able to see how the veterans control their teams and me being one of the leaders for the Magic. . . . How I need to step up and be a leader." The NBA season is just around the corner. The Magic will play their first preseason game on October 10th in Charlotte. The season officially begins on October 31st. NBA Future: |
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