Vince in Orlando Makes 2010 Orlando Magic The 2004 Lakers

So now that we have confirmed that Vince Carter is now a Orlando magic, we can now celebrate as your Orlando Magic are now 2010 NBA Champions! Hold on there Magic’s fans before you get lost in the hype let’s remember what happened the last time a bunch of All-Stars came together they were the 2004 Los Angeles Lakers! So many people won’t see the comparison but here is the reality the economy has created a NFL-like league where the premier teams that have managed the cap properly are prospering.

Orlandohas gone ahead and made a stunning move, in fact almost trumping the earlier trade of Shaq to Cleveland. So really with this move I had originally thought that Turkoglu wouldn’t be re-signed but apparently the Magic still have hopes they can re-sign him.

So…how is this potential magic team just like the Lakers? There is still one ball, and potentially 4 people that require it. So the problem is now, how many shots do you give Lewis, Carter…Howard? The Lakers had some problems in that regard and this Orl team will not be any different. Howard believes he can dominate games now, Turkoglu got accustomed to handling the ball primarily in the playoffs, and Lewis well he disappears from game to game so there may not be too much of an issue there. There will be a need to have some strong coaching in ORL this year and frankly Stan Van Gundy better keep his comments to a minimum as the stakes have been raised incredibly and failure will not be tolerated. Phil Jackson, well he is the stick by which success is measured and he didn’t do to bad with that Laker team. Another point to consider is that Carter is injury prone, Lewis disappears for looooong stretches not indicative of a $118 Million player, Howard isn’t as dominate as he thinks, and Turkoglu well he operates better with the ball in his hands…and this still without thinking about Jameer Nelson who is the actual point guard.

Can you remember that Laker team, with Payton complaining year-round, Malone oft-injured, and Kobeand Shaq doing the soap opera thing? (sigh)

Orlando is going for the kill next year. They have effectively tied up all of their cap room, and are going to pay luxury tax next year, especially if they are serious in their claims for re-signing Turkoglu. Orlando have effectively stated that they will take at least 3 chances (carter has 3 years left on his contract) to make that team work (this does not include however many years they give to Turkoglu). Good for Otis Smith in recognizing that the other contenders are being proactive in upgrading their rosters, his yeoman man work will be lauded as genius for now – only until Carter injures himself and decides he doesn’t want to be there anymore.

The NBA landscape has changed drastically over the past few days, with the Spurs, Magic, Cavs, and Washingtonattempting to upgrade the talent on their rosters I would make sure as the fans in those cities revel in their new acquisitions - Championships are not won in July.