NBA: Deep Breaths

As the year 2000 comes to a close, with it - a myriad of emotions for fans of the Orlando Magic. The past year has not been quite a roller coaster ride. It's been more like a bungy jump... euphoric ups and downs - sometimes with the feeling that you are going to never return to the ground and than immediately being hoisted up to the point where you feel you can survive and conquer anything.

- The run for the playoffs last season, highlighted by some unique team basketball that made most pundits around the NBA run for cover.

-A much anticipated draft night that had many scratching their heads, yet resigning themselves to the fact that we traded potential for cap space.

- An off season of wining, dining, yes's, no's and maybe's followed by a BIG No (Duncan) , a BIG Yes (Hill) and a let me make them all sweat Yes (McGrady). Than a few "welcome backs" and surprise good byes from the Heart and Hustle Nucleus.

- A Pre season that looked like the Eastern Conference would be the Yellow Brick Road to the Finals

- And Finally, A regular season that has been less than the expectations and the hype -

Now we come to the end of the year, and an announcement that Grant Hill will sit out the rest of the season and undergo a second corrective surgery to repair his troubled ankle. A surgery that will require 8 months of rehabilitation. Do the math - that means all should be complete by the time 2001-02 camp is ready to open next fall.

For Magic Fans - This is a good thing.

Part of what has made this situation so frustrating is that Grant Hill has a burning desire to play - and in the four games he played in this season - though he did not look like the all star caliber player that was purchased this summer - it was obvious what he could contribute to the team. And the debate began - play him every other day? Bench him permanently for the season?

The bottom line is that Hill was still in the midst of the prescribed rehabilitation from his first surgery - a surgery that occurred after Hill played on the injury during the 99-2000 playoffs. He was trying to come back to full speed basketball in the 6th and than the 8th month after the surgery. Grant gets an A+ for desire, but not high marks for protecting the long term investment

That is where the Magic come in. This move was a smart one. I dismiss the idea that the Magic knowingly purchased damaged goods by signing Hill. I don't think that John Gabriel believed he would have Hill at 100% this season and that explains the pre season rhetoric about it taking time to build the championship team. Grant himself would not trip the light fantastic - and discussed the fact that he signed a 7 year deal designed to bring future glory to Central Florida.

OF course you still have to reckon with the Magic Fans. Most fans, hungry for something to happen, have been spinning every mutinous idea out of the box and many of the cranky conspiracy theorists are already burying the Magic for this season. Than there are the corporate-haters - the guys who will hate owners and blame them for everything that goes wrong. These are the same guys who complain about how much money the players make, despite the fact that they don't take the risks that pay the salaries. Grant Hill's departure for the season should not be the catalyst for anyone to abandon the team. Not when Tracy McGrady has exceeded all the expectations of the experts who said that he wasn't ready for prime time. Apparently, this includes Doc Rivers.

There is reason to believe that this move will benefit the team at this juncture in the season, more than hinder it. Much like the expert's crap that bandied about prior to the 99-00 season, Hill's departure could serve as a rallying point for the team. A team that is taking hits every day about it's non-aggressive, inconsistent and under-potential play.

The tentativeness with which Hill's status has created with the fans and the media, has had to have played a part in the scheme of things for the Magic's offensive attack. An attack that was designed to have McGrady and Hill playing the wings and creating at least half of the scoring attack. It is an approach that has placed Darrell Armstrong and John Amaechi's roles in a state of limbo.

If Amaechi has an effective defensive game, he is not a factor on the offense. If Darrell isn't scoring, and is forced into a situation where he is putting up errant 3-pointers and passing the ball into oblivion - the Magic generally lose. In the past week, these factors, couples with a mostly ineffective bench - have seen Tracy McGrady carry the burden on both ends of the court.

Now - Doc Rivers needs to find a 11-12 man rotation that works. A rotation that allows Meech to get shots off early with Bo Outlaw working the boards. A rotation in which Mike Miller can come in and spot McGrady - getting Doc's continued confidence. Run plays for DA - run them for Miller and Meech and make the offense multi-dimensional.

This is an opportunity for Mike Miller to step up and elevate his game to the next level. So far, we have seen a lot of good stuff from the rookie. He gets into some foul trouble and he makes some bad decisions with the ball at times - but when he is on - he is on and there is no denying him the ball. Miller could at this poiint, be the X factor in how far the Magic can go for the balance of the season.

Trades? Maybe. But I am not sure that there is anybody out there who can have an impact moreso than anyone we have. Doc has recently all but benched Andrew DeClercq, who could provide the rebounding necessary to open up the inside game for Meech. Not quite the same as Ben Wallace did for him - but enough to get Meech going early.

A back up point guard? - Dee Brown is due to come off the IR soon and with Hill out the Magic have some room to put a few more pieces together. In any event, Darrell needs to be playing less minutes if he is going to return to his effective status form the last few seasons.

Now that Hill's status has been determined, Gabriel and Rivers can pursue these ideas with a little more confidence - both over the trade wires and on the court. That has to benefit the players - knowing where they stand.

The most important thing is to know where they stand with the fans. The Magic can make the post season in a conference beleaguered by mediocrity and injury. From Philadelphia to Miami to Cleveland - the same issues that now plague the Magic have those teams in a state of stress. But the players have to know that the fans are behind them. They will get enough shit from the media to stir them up - the fans need to solidify between the soon to be all-star Tracy McGrady and the rest of the team

In the mean time, this is one observer who writes this proudly clad in his Grant Hill Magic Replica Jersey, #33 needs to take the time to get better. To help us build a franchise that has worked too hard to turn back from the ultimate goal of an NBA Championship. With Hill at 70% - It was not going to happen this season. .

With Hill and McGrady at 100% it is the Magic's destiny. Happy New Year!