Orlando Magic By Randy Kim, NBA.com HEAD COACH Doc Rivers, (Fourth year) 2001-02 RESULTS 44-38 (Fifth in East) SEASON OUTLOOK: When discussing the Orlando Magic's hopes for the 2002-03 season, it all comes down to one thing: Grant Hill's left ankle. In his third attempt at returning from ankle surgery, Hill is more optimistic than ever. Word out of Orlando is that No. 33 is playing like the G-Hill of old; i.e., the athletic, do-it-all slasher who has career averages of 21.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg and 6.2 apg, not the cautious forward who has played in just 18 games since the Magic acquired him two seasons ago. If Hill is healthy, he'll team with Tracy McGrady to give the Magic one of the NBA's best one-two combinations. McGrady capped a stellar 2001-02 season (25.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1.57 spg) by being named to the All-NBA First Team and finishing fourth in MVP voting. If Hill returns strong, look for McGrady to play even better. Without Hill, T-Mac showed signs of fatigue towards the end of last season, culminating in a back injury during the playoffs. Hill's presence will make it tougher for teams to focus on him. It both players are on the floor for the entire season, Orlando should eclipse the 50-win mark and challenge for the East title. Beyond these two rare talents, Orlando has a core of talented role players. Veteran point guard Darrell Armstrong (12.4 ppg, 1.91 spg) is an emotional leader, a clutch shooter, and one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the league. Pat Garrity (11.1 ppg, .427 3FG) isn't a typical power forward, but he is one of the top long-range shooters in the league. Former Rookie of the Year Mike Miller (15.2 ppg) is also returning from injury, and should emerge as a strong third option on offense. Besides Hill's health, the biggest question mark facing the Magic is their inside game. Veterans Shawn Kemp and Horace Grant will try to recapture their old form while sharing low-post duties with Steven Hunter and Andrew DeClercq. VIDEO FLASHBACK: GREAT CALL OF 2001-02 T-Mac to T-Mac at the All-Star Game: "Oh my goodness! What did you think of that one there?" 905k avi | QuickTime WHO'S IN: Heady, pass-first point guard Jacque Vaughn (6.6 ppg, 4.3 apg) was brought over from Atlanta to take pressure off of Armstrong. Athletic rookie Ryan Humphrey likely won't contribute much initially due to Orlando's backlog of threes and fours, but he could factor in down the road. Ex-Sonic Olumide Oyedeji (6-10) and rookie Peter Cornell (6-11) bring much-needed size, but perhaps the most intriguing new player will be veteran power forward Kemp. Kemp struggled for playing time in his last two seasons in Portland, but he will be given every chance to contribute in Orlando. WHO'S OUT: Veteran big man Patrick Ewing called it quits after 17 seasons in the league, but he never emerged as an inside presence, so his loss is minimal. Forward Monty Williams signed with Philadelphia, but his absence will be negligible if Miller and Hill return to form. Perhaps the most intriguing departure was shoot-first point guard Troy Hudson signing with Minnesota. Hudson emerged as an underrated, explosive scorer last season, and his ability to create on offense will be missed if injuries hit Orlando again. BENCH: Orlando's reserves are strong at the skill spots, but soft in the middle. Any combination of Vaughn, Armstrong, Miller and Garrity will be coming off the bench at positions 1-4. That's more perimeter firepower than some teams' starting lineups. Hunter, Declercq and newcomer Pat Burke (6-11) will be asked to back up the Magic's big men, however, and while Hunter has shown flashes of potential, none of these players are capable of taking over a game down low. THE MAGIC MAKE THE PLAYOFFS IF ... : Hill and McGrady are on the court for at least 70 games each. THE MAGIC MISS THE PLAYOFFS IF ... : Hill's ankle deteriorates and T-Mac's back goes out again.		T-Mac and G-Hill are out to make believers of the East. Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images P R O J E C T E D   S T A R T E R S POS PLAYER SCHOOL YRS PG Jacque Vaughn Kansas 5 SG Tracy McGrady Mt. Zion H.S. 5 SF Grant Hill Duke 8 PF Shawn Kemp Concord H.S. 13 C Horace Grant Clemson 15 S C O U T ' S   T A K E "Their top six guys are as good as anyone in the East. ... The issue with Orlando, as always, is if they can stay healthy. ... The biggest question is Tracy McGrady. Word out of Orlando is if he plays 70 games this season, it'll be a good year. His back may be more hurt than they're letting on, and it could be an issue the rest of his career. ... They may be sugar coating Grant Hill, too. They're saying he's quicker than he's ever been, but people are skeptical. ... When they're healthy, they may be the best two guys on the game team. But, this is their third year together and they've played less than 20 games together. ... Jacque Vaughn is a decent point guard. They'll probably bring Darrell Armstrong off the bench, which is a good move. He could be the Sixth Man of the Year, and he'll take less of a beating. ... Mike Miller is an enigma. He'll have one good night, then disappear for four nights. And how does Hill's return affect him? Last year, Miller was the second scorer, can he be the third if Hill is back? ... Shawn Kemp and Horace Grant are serviceable, and Grant is still a great defender, but Kemp is the wild card. If they rely on him a lot, he may break down, unless he's lost a lot of weight no one knows about. ... Ryan Humphrey and Pat Garrity are nice off the bench, but beyond that, they don't have much. They may bring a bunch of players to training camp to find two or three more bodies that are decent." -- Eastern Conference assistant coach 2 0 0 1 - 0 2   L E A D E R S PPG Tracy McGrady 25.6 RPG Tracy McGrady 7.9 APG Darrell Armstrong 5.5 SPG Darrell Armstrong 1.91 BPG Tracy McGrady 0.96 G A M E S   T O   W A T C H 10/29 Philadelphia 7:30 ET, TNT 11/14 at L.A. Clippers 10 ET, TNT 11/27 L.A. Lakers 7 ET, ESPN 12/25 Detroit 2 ET, ESPN 1/16 at Washington 7:30 ET, TNT F A N T A S Y   S L E E P E R Shawn Kemp - Forward Kemp has been less than impressive over his last two seasons in Portland (16.2 mpg, 6.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg), but there are three things to take into consideration regarding his fantasy status. One, if Hill is healthy, the middle will be opened up for Orlando. Two, someone has to play down low for the Magic. Other than Horace Grant, Kemp is the only proven big man on the squad. Three, despite having been in the league since 1989, Kemp is only 32 years old. If things go his way, Kemp could average close to 12 ppg and 8 rpg. T H E   S T A T 4 Total number of players (Armstrong, Garrity, McGrady, Miller) on the Magic roster who hit 100 or more three-pointers in 2001-02. Only Dallas had as many, and two of their players (Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz) weren't on the team the entire season.
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