Let's put aside the Darko talk (if possible) in this thread.

Orlando is more likely than Detroit to finish higher in the NBA Draft next season but they showed some serious game late last season..

Of course, we get Orlando's pick in what is being called a VERY deep draft. Providing they do not end up with a top 5 selection in the lottery.

And that pick can be used as a trading chip with the Pistons own pick to move up even more, possibly looking to grab a franchise big man.

So do you really think the Magic will make the playoffs and get us a middle of the road pick? Or do you think their late season run was a mirage and the Magic's winning spell will be cancelled.

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I think they snag the 7-8 seed.

Hard to judge right now. Some teams get on a hot streak during part of the season and their decent look can be a ruse as some teams could have taken the Magic for granted down the stretch and shut down their intensity during those last 15 games giving the Magic false hope.

I know they beat Pistons, Heat and I think the Mavs, during that late stretch but I still think they are a team that finshes right out of the top 16 playoff teams. Maybe they can grab the 8th seed if an injury takes out a key player on one of the "pretenders"

I think they are going to have a nice team. We should get a middle of the road pick. If anything, I'm afraid they will do a little bit too well. I think they will make the bottom end of the playoffs, but if not, they won't have many lottery balls although they have a history of getting "lucky" in the lottery, if I recall .

I'm rolling my eyes because I honestly wonder if the lottery is fixed since they do it in such secrecy. Makes no sense to me.

Anyhow, they had a nice run at the end. Darko and Arroyo are fitting in really well and Howard is awesome. They've had all summer to compliment what they had at the end of last year with new talent.

We should get a decent pick... for Joe to mess up.

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I think Orlando will make the playoffs, almost a lock if DHoward, Darko, and Jameer improve their games from last year and JJ Redick can do anything. Especially Darko, which would allow Orlando to bring, a former starter, Battie off the bench along with Arroyo, Ariza, and Redick.

Which leaves Detroit with two picks in the 20's, in a deep draft. Have a feeling Joe will trade one, if not both of them, especially if there is an opportunity to move up. Though Joe has to be a little gun shy about the draft, he has either drafted guys who suck or guys that his coaches refuse to play. It would be nice to see Joe draft a guy with talent that the coach also wants.

Darkhorse, tinfoil hat, trade prediction: Rip and the Orlando pick to the Bobcats and move up into the top 5 to grab a bigman. Rip's contract is cheap (relatively speaking), the bobcats are cheap, and the Pistons are cheap. Also Jordan may be regretting the the Rip trade.

I think the pick should be in the 6-10 range. Orlando isn't a playoff team yet.

Orlando has a very good team... 3 players who will be in the Olympics (how many NBA teams can say that?)

Turkoglu is awesome. Nelson is too. And enough has been said about DHo.

Also, they really gelled in the last 1/3 of the season last year. Making the NBA playoffs means that you have to break .500. The pace that they won last year after 1) dumping Stevie Franchise 2) getting Nelson back from injury, and 3) grabbing the victory cigarl and Carlitos was almost the best winning % in the NBA. I don't know why they wouldn't be able to maintain a breakeven record.

They have too many point guards and too many Centers... while the pistons have too many shooting guards and power forwards.

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"I’ll just say this: We’re not talking to teams about their second- or third-best players." Joe Dumars talking about his plan to get other teams' 4th best players.

Sounds about right to me. They have quite a bit of talent, but they are still young and inexperienced. If they can keep the team together and continue to improve, they may be a real force in the future.

The pick is top-5 protected for 2007, and completely unprotected for 2008. So how likely is the 2008 scenario?

The Magic would have to miss the playoffs, and then either move up in the draft lottery to grab one of the top three picks (against long odds for the better lottery teams), or be so wretched that they have a top-5 pick without moving up in the lottery. Both of these possibilities seem unlikely given that they had the eleventh-worst record in the league this past season, and everyone expects them to improve this year.

I don't see much chance that the pick will turn out to be higher than 10 or so, but in a deep draft you might get really lucky at 10.

Orlando missed the playoffs by 4 games last year.

They had a stretch mid-season where they went 2 and 19.

Late in the year, they had a 12 and 1 stretch.


It was a completely different team because of trades and injury. Don't base your expectations on last year's overall record.