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Orlando Magic: Revisiting the decade that was the 2010s

By Luke Duffy

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 23: Head Coach Stan Van Gundy talks to Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic during the game against the Boston Celtics on January 23, 2012 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Jim Rogash/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 23: Head Coach Stan Van Gundy talks to Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic during the game against the Boston Celtics on January 23, 2012 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Jim Rogash/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Orlando Magic
(Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

2015-16

What might have been for the Magic this season, had it not been for the February trade that sent Harris to the Detroit Pistons. They received Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings in return, a ridiculously short-sighted move that seemed bad at the time and has only gotten worse with age.

They finished the year 35-47, which on the surface looks like an improvement, in what was the only season under Scott Skiles. But this was because the Magic got better in the short-term, going 12-18 once they had traded away Harris. This still led to an 11th placed finish in the East, but also made them the kind of mediocre that wasn’t bad enough to tank properly.

Ilyasova and Jennings were able to help on both ends of the court, but Harris had shown real improvements and only figured to get better. To add to Hennigan’s woes, that year’s draft had not gone brilliantly, as they took Mario Hezonja with the fifth pick. He struggled, while Oladipo continued to flounder as well.

His 16 points and 3.9 assists down slightly from his numbers in year two (17.9 points and 4.1 assists), with his failure to take the next step a worrying development. Gordon was having his moments, especially at that year’s All-Star Weekend when he and Zach LaVine put on an iconic duel, but they were few and far between as he continued to adapt.

Dewayne Dedmon, who had been on the roster the previous season as well, was an underrated and cheap backup to Vucevic. Even without the benefit of hindsight, he appeared an ideal player to continue in that role for the foreseeable future, despite his clear offensive limitations. With Vucevic poor defensively, however, they made a serviceable tandem.

Skiles won the Coach of the Month award for December, as the Magic went 10-5 to keep themselves relevant in any playoff discussion. Given that the previous few seasons had seen no such talk, this was seen as a positive development. Which made the Harris trade that came six weeks later all the more puzzling.

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