Orlando Magic: What Qualifies As A Good Season?

For the Orlando Magic, their time as a rebuilding team is not done yet. However, they are a much improved outfit than they were even this time last year with the acquisitions they made this summer.

Nevertheless though, they find themselves in a bit of a strange place. Nobody really expects them to make the playoffs or win 35 games, yet the roster they have would suggest the second of those two goals is attainable. With the team clearly moving in the right direction though, exactly what to you will constitute a successful campaign this coming year?

Let’s start with a scenario some people believe is possible, and why it may not be the best thing to happen to this team. The Magic are young, athletic and have little expectation across the league in terms of being a team to watch.

Sound familiar? That’s because the Phoenix Suns found themselves in the same position last year, when that carefree attitude the young team was allowed to play with made them one of the most exciting teams in the league.

Up until the last week of the year they were in with a shout to make the playoffs, and they became everybody’s second team in the progress. It was impossible not to like them, and if you did, you at least had to respect what they were doing out on the court.

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Can the Orlando Magic do something similar this season? Absolutely, but is it for the best if they are able to catch teams off guard and win a lot of games? There are no

or

on this team, but the Eastern Conference in general is weaker so that doesn’t necessarily matter. Besides, in

the Magic have what is potentially a budding star.

But what would that mean long term? It might help them attract a couple of free agents next summer, but is this team really ready for playoff basketball? Of course the city and fans would love to have postseason ball back, but rebuilding projects are meant to take time for a reason. Exposing young players to the playoffs is a great experience for them as well, but they would get humbled in the first round.

Equally concerning though, is another trip back to the lottery what the fans want to see? It’s been a few years since Dwight Howard skipped town, and paying fans want to see a competitive team sooner rather than later. They have been patient and stuck with the team as it has dipped into the lottery for the last couple of years, but how much longer is that the target for this organization?

Make no mistake, this team is improving every year, it’s just nowhere close to being the finished article yet.

So it seems that this team is in a weird sort of nmo man’s land, despite the fact the future is so bright for this team. A core of Oladipo, Nikola Vucevic (if he re-signs), Elfrid Payton and Channing Frye (for a couple of years) is certainly intriguing and capable of panning out really well.

So it’s not all doom and gloom. It just seems that at this particular junction, no matter what this team does, it will annoy some of it’s fans.

I have always been a fan of winning as many games as you can, no matter what the situation. The idea of tanking repulses me, it’s not noble and it’s not what sports is about. It’s part of the reason I loved the Phoenix Suns last year.

But putting my fan hat on for a moment, I’m not sure I like the idea of the Magic valiantly fighting through the season, only to come up just short and miss out on the lottery themselves. It goes against what I believe in and, and yet I totally understand why losing may be a viable option one final time for this Magic team.

That being said, being a doormat of a team who lets teams come into the Amway Center and hammer them without playing with much pride turns me off the team as well. If I feel this way, the supposed sane and rational fan who tries to understand why the Magic do what they do (Yes, even signing Ben Gordon) then the real diehards would surely go ballistic.

So there you have it, it could be a strange one this year in Orlando. There’s a logic in winning and losing, but there’s also reason to hope this team doesn’t win or lose too many games. There’s plenty of ways to approach this year.

What do you want to see from the team though? Every fan is unique, and will look for different things. Leave your opinions on what will qualify as a good season for the Orlando Magic in the comment section below.