Orlando Magic Power Rankings Roundup: Judgment Day is near

The Orlando Magic’s season has quickly gone off the rails and change seems in the making. And change will come soon as judgment day comes next week.

The Orlando Magic dutifully went through the last week of the season saying they would continue to fight for a Playoff spot. The road was definitely not going to be easy. The team has a lot of ground to make up.

And there was precious little time to do it.

Coach Frank Vogel pointed to the run the Miami Heat made winning 13 straight games to get back into the Playoff conversation. He pointed to his Indiana Pacers team from 2015 that had a similar record through 53 games and got to within a game of the Playoffs, losing on the final day of the season to lose out on that playoff berth.

Those teams were different. But it proved this was not impossible. They just had to get that one win to get them going.

Perhaps Monday’s win over the Heat will get them going. The question is whether it is too late.

The trade rumors are flying when it comes to the Orlando Magic. The Magic completed their trade of Serge Ibaka Tuesday. That undoubtedly changes the Magic’s roster and sets their future.

So might whatever else they do. It does have a feeling judgment day for the entire roster is on its way. This feels like the last week this Magic team as presently constructed will be together.

It is hard to see what the Magic are playing for other than fleeting dreams. There certainly seems to be a change in mentality coming.

That does not mean the team will stop trying to win. But it could mean Mario Hezonja gets more playing time (that is already happening) or that Aaron Gordon shifts back to the 4. What the Magic do is determined by what they do at the trade deadline.

It continues to feel like everything is in a holding pattern until then. Meanwhile, the Magic continue to sink . . .