The year was 1989. I was six years old, and I had just moved to a strange new place called Orlando. I wasn’t sure what to think about my new home city, it seemed all right, but Michael Jordan was nowhere to be found, and I was missing my buddies. My dad, knowing that I was still a little sad about the move, somehow snagged two tickets to the Magic’s first ever regular season game, and figured the new team might be able to cheer me up.

It was opening night, and for the first time since we left Chicago, I felt like I might actually fit into this new place. I can still remember walking into the Orlando Arena and getting goosebumps. The place was packed, and everybody was screaming at the top of their lungs. The energy in the building was off the charts and there was a buzz in the air. I sat in awe for the rest of the night, cheering on my new team.

Over the next few years, my parents and I would always make it a point to go to the first game of the new season. There was always a sense of excitement on Opening Night; anything seemed possible when the new year started.

That’s why I was so disappointed last night after the Hawks-Magic game. For the first time that I can remember, Opening Night wasn’t fun. Sure, the Magic played terribly, which didn’t help matters, but there was something else missing. The Amway Arena (formerly Orlando Arena) wasn’t rocking, and the house wasn’t even packed. In fact, there were empty seats all over the upper deck. The energy that had been there on every other opening night had disappeared. The atmosphere was flatter than a pancake inside the building, even before the contest had been decided. The only noise that was consistently making its way through the building was coming from the JuboTron speakers.

What upset me most about the night was that the enthusiasm, which I had seen over the last two decades, was gone. As I looked around the Arena, I didn’t see crazy fans dressed up in blue and black anymore, I saw a mostly older crowd who spent the night sipping on their $12 dollar drinks and shooting the breeze with other people who seemed genuinely unmoved by the game, which was unfolding right in front of them.

This isn’t neccessarrily meant to be a knock on the Magic. The franchise made several classy throughout the night by honoring members of the inaugural ‘89-90 squad. Mark Acres, Sidney Green and Jerry Reynolds (talk about blasts from the past!) were just a few of the players who were introduced before the game. This is meant to illustrate how much different an NBA opening night has become over the last 20 years. As far as I can tell, there are very few cities in which the beginning of a new season, and regular season games in general, are cause for a celebration anymore.

——-

It seemed ironic that Freddy Krueger appeared in the stands last night in Orlando, because the game truly was a nightmare for Stan Van Gundy and company. The Magic got smoked by the Hawks, who must be salivating at the thought of having Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Mike Bibby and Josh Smith together for an entire season.

Anybody can have a bad game, and I’m sure the Magic are going to look better in the weeks to come, but in my mind, this could be the year in which bad draft picks and high-priced contracts finally catch up with Orlando GM Otis Smith.

A few notes from last’s night Hawks-Magic game:

The Magic are going to seriously miss Keyon Dooling
Smith decided not to re-sign Dooling, a combo guard, who served as a super-sub on last season’s team. After one game, at least, this looks like it could be Smith’s biggest mistake. Dooling was usually the first person off the Magic’s bench last season and also provided the team with some energy, especially on the defensive end. Last night, the first sub off the bench was none other than J.J. Redick. The words defense and energy have never been words to describe the former Duke star’s game. Van Gundy seems willing to give Redick a chance to get in the rotation this year, but after watching him fire up four bricks in almost 19 minutes of play, the coach’s patience is already running thin. To make matters worse, every time Redick stepped on the floor, the Hawks seemed to make it a point to attack him on the defensive end, something that didn’t happen last year with Dooling on the floor.

The Magic have no bench
Anthony Johnson, Keith Bogans, Tony Battie, Marcin Gortat and Redick all saw minutes off the Orlando bench last night and combined for a grand total of 11 points. This is where the lack of a good draft comes in: ‘05: Fran Vazquez (Still in Spain, may never play in the NBA) ‘06: Redick (Can’t create his own shot and doesn’t play much D … not exactly a good combination) ‘07: Traded draft pick away (which became Rodney Stuckey) for Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo. (Any one of those guys would be an upgrade for what resides on the Magic’s bench now) Rookie Courtney Lee didn’t get in the game, but will probably see some action in the next few weeks if this group can’t get things going.

Jameer Nelson is not consistent enough to be a starting point guard
Smith rolled the dice last summer by signing Nelson to a long-term, multi-million dollar extension, even though critics wondered if the St. Joe’s alum was worth it. Nelson looked frustrated all night, shooting just 4-for-12 from the field while committing three turnovers, this coming from your starting point guard, who you locked up for six years …

Pietrus is going to help Magic
The one move that seems to have looked good on this night for Smith was the signing of Mickael Pietrus. The free-agent acquisition plays solid defense and can knock down open shots, something he should get plenty of opportunities to do with Howard on the floor.

Josh Smith is may take the next step this season
J. Smith was all over the court last night, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots, several of which came against Dwight Howard himself. If Josh develops a consistent jump shot this season, the Hawks will be in business.

Superman’s kryptonite is still at the foul line
Speaking of Howard, if you look at the box score, you’ll see that he had yet another HUGE game. 22 points, 15 boards, and five blocks of his own. But, the big man was just 6-for-13 at the line. It won’t be long until teams start using the “Hack-a-Dwight” strategy.

Seriously, does anyone really think the Magic are going to make the right decision when the 22nd pick on Thursday night?

They have screwed up so many drafts in the last few years, that it has become comical. The laundry list of players they could have had is not though.

I still remember sitting at the draft party a few years ago, when I heard the name J.J. Redick announced. I knew he wasn’t going to make it in the NBA, the guy played no D in college, and that seems to be exactly what the Magic are always wanting, a guy to come in and play D, (see: Keith Bogans)

The Magic should just disband its scouting department and save the money. There has got be something else they can spend it on, because right now it’s just being flushed down a toilet.

Due to the amount of requests I have had to update the blog, I figured it was about time to do it.

This will give you something to laugh about:

HAHAHA

“Soriano is a proven hitter,” manager Lou Piniella said. “And he has that ability to stay up and keep trucking, keep performing.”

Lots of people don’t seem to be too high on Soriano at the moment, but that was a big hit tonight.

In a couple years, I think he will end up somewhere else, but for right now, the Cubs need him if they want continue to contend. He is too good of a hitter not to produce at this stage of his career.

The blog currently finds itself in Chicago, looking for a sublet, and maybe, just maybe, a full-time job. In my last three days though, I have gotten to see the Dodgers-Cubs series.

The Cubs have now won three in a row, more importantly though, they are winning games they never would have won in years past. Take tonight for example, they tie it in the bottom of the ninth off one of the best closers in baseball, and then win it in the tenth.

This team has a chance to do something special this year. The pieces are in place, and if Jim Hendry makes a couple of good moves at the trade deadline, they could really be in good shape.

Even when the Cubs lose, I still think this team is going to win the next day. It’s the first time in a while, maybe ever, that I have actually felt this way.

“Like a fat person on a diet, it sucks.”——–Charles Barkley

The Chuckster said this during an interview on Inside the NBA with Ernie Johnson. He was referencing his recent gambling problems.

Hang in there Chuck.

“They didn’t do anything that beat us, we just made too many mistakes,”—-Hedo Turkoglu after the Magic got beat, once again, by the Pistons, this time ending Orlando’s season.

Hedo, my man, the Pistons forced you into making a lot of those mistakes. You made the same mistakes the entire series, but hey, there’s always next year…

Seriously, did anyone really think the Magic were going to beat the Pistons? Sure, they had their chances throughout the series, Game 2, Game 4, and Game 5, all could have gone the Magic’s way. But the problem is that the Magic don’t know how to win yet, the Pistons do.

Until the Magic can find a way to beat the Pistons, they shouldn’t even think about a championship. The team’s only goal in the off-season should be to build a team that can compete with, and beat, the Pistons.

Here’s a list of things, the Magic should do to give themselves a better chance next season:

Find a new point guard: I’ve already gone on the record saying the Magic need to find a way to get Derrick Rose. While they may not get him, they need to find a taller point guard, who has the ability to create for all of his teammates. Jameer Nelson is not the answer. This was driven home during the final two minutes of last night’s game, when Nelson inexplicably dribbled the ball off his leg, and turned it over when the Magic were in desperate need of a basket.

Trade Hedo: It kills me to write this, but Hedo really didn’t show up consistently throughout the playoffs. You could argue that he was the MVP during the regular season though, and the Magic would not have come close to where they were without him. His trade value will never be as high as it is right now, and his contract will be very attractive to some teams. If you can trade Hedo, for a solid point guard, you have to make the deal.

Forget about signing Mo Evans: Evans only made 1.5 million in the final year of his contract, and you know that he will be looking for much, much, more. The Magic should not be the team to give him the contract he is looking for. His shot was not consistent, and his defense was off and on. The Magic will be able to find somebody better, for a cheaper price.

Move Rashard Lewis back to his natural position: Lewis is a 3, not a 4. During the regular season, he did a fairly decent job of playing defense against bigger, stronger players in the post, but his natural position is not in the blocks, it is outside the three-point line. Lewis was exposed in the playoffs, especially against the Pistons. He was manhandled inside several times. The move back to the 3 position, should also get him some more open looks at the basket.

Give Gortat some more time, and see if he can play during an entire season: Marcin Gortat sure looked pretty good in limited action in the playoffs. He look a lot more mobile than Adonal Foyle. The Magic are hoping that Tony Battie comes back at full-strength, and are also hoping that Fran Vazquez can find a way out of his contract and come play in Orlando. The thing is, the team still needs another big man to Howard a rest, and Gortat may be that guy who can give 8-10 solid minutes a night.

Keep Dooling and get rid of Arroyo, Bogans, Redick, Garrity, and whoever else is taking up space on the Magic’s bench: It was clear, especially during the end of the season, that Stan Van Gundy really only trusted Keyon Dooling and Keith Bogans off the Magic’s bench. The Magic should sign Dooling because he can help them at several different positions, but they should get rid of everybody else, including Bogans. The Kentucky product is one of the Magic’s best defenders, but his shot is not consistent, and with the amount of open looks the Magic can get their 2/3 guards during the year, they need to bring in someone with a more consistent shot. Redick simply can’t play defense on the NBA level so he’s got to go, and Garrity should probably just retire and go coach at Notre Dame.

See if Brian Cook can play: Otis Smith traded away Trevor Ariza for Evans and Cook, and with the real possibility that the Magic won’t be able to sign Evans, Cook is all they will have left. Yes, he can shoot, but can he do anything else? The Magic better find that out quick, because he could also give them some minutes off the bench. If not, how bad will that trade look, one year from now….

Bring Hakeem Olajuwon in to teach Dwight Howard some post moves: Talk about being exposed, the hype machine was in full-force after the dunk contest, about how Dwight Howard was the best big man in the league. Sadly for Magic fans, this is simply not the case. The Magic would be wise to bring in Olajuwon and have him tutor Dwight on offensive moves in the post. Almost every time he got the ball in the Pistons series, he looked uncomfortable, and unsure of what to do. When was the last time during that series when you saw him smile? Dwight plays best when he is running up and down the floor, and making things happen.