2011-12 NBA Season: 3 Immediate Issues Facing the Orlando Magic

After officially hearing that there is going to be a 2011-12 NBA season, teams will be working hard to prepare for the upcoming season given the short notice. One team that has a lot of decisions to make are the Orlando Magic. 

The Orlando Magic have three major decisions to make regarding the future of their team. One of the decisions involves what to do about Dwight Howard, who is eligible to become a free agent at the end of the 2011-12 NBA season. The second decision which may not be as hard is which player to remove from their current roster with the amnesty exception rule that is now a part of the collective bargaining agreement.

The third decision is whether or not to somehow find a way to bring back free-agent shooting guard Jason Richardson, who can be an important part of the offensive system under head coach Stan Van Gundy.

The following slides will look at each of the three issues further.

So let’s get started!

The Dwight Howard Situation

Rumors have been floating around that Dwight Howard is going to leave the Orlando Magic and could end up with a team in the Western Conference.

The Orlando Magic will feel the rising pressure to come to some solution to the possibility that Dwight Howard may decide to leave the team during free agency in order to seek greener pastures.

Given a choice, the team would trade him, even though they will not be able to get a player or group of players in equal value (if Howard insists that he wants out of Orlando), rather than run the risk of seeing him leave them without getting anything in return. However, at the same time, it is too early to tell how Howard feels about the situation at this particular time.

The one serious disadvantage that the Orlando Magic could face is if things do not go well with the team at any point during the season, Howard could demand his way out and things could get ugly. But it is still too early to tell.

Using the Amnesty Clause on Arenas or Turkoglu

The Orlando Magic can slash their salary and look to put a better and more efficient lineup around Howard if they can let go of Gilbert Arenas or Hedo Turkoglu using the amnesty clause. Arenas may be the likelier choice since he has clearly not been the same player after the knee surgeries, while Turkoglu is familiar with the offense, and has a history of playing alongside Dwight Howard.

The Magic could hopefully then look to tinker with their roster and make moves that they feel are needed.

Re-Signing Jason Richardson Somehow

The Orlando Magic need to find some way to re-sign Jason Richardson, who will make them more athletic, and is another player who can ease pressure off big man Dwight Howard. However, it will not be easy since the Magic have already committed a lot of money to other players on their roster.

J.J. Redick was given a long-term contract extension last season, although he may be better used coming off the bench.