The Magic have made no secret that they plan to be competing for championships.
Even as the team has sunk to the depths and won just 43 games in the last two years (the worst current two-year stretch in the league), the end goal has always been a championship. Every time Rob Hennigan or Alex Martins speaks about the long-term goals of this team it is about building “sustainable success” and winning a championship.
The taste of 2009 is still pretty strong in this franchise’s mouth. There remains a hunger to get back there again. And stay there.
The Magic are playing the slow rebuild. They opted in that transformative Dwight Howard trade to eschew potential all-star building blocks in Brook Lopez and Andrew Bynum and went for young prospects and a chance at some lottery picks. This was how they were going to rebuild.
Two years in, the end does not seem in sight.
The Magic wanted two draft lotteries to try to get a franchise-caliber player. They have had that come and go. Victor Oladipo and Aaron Gordon are firmly entrenched as key pieces for the franchise’s future. It is tough to tell at this stage whether that gets them to a championship. There is still some growing and developing to go through.
Year three though is generally the year fans and management want to see the team take some steps forward and push for wins. Patience only runs so far with a fan base before they become blase.
This year is that year for the Magic. There is going to be a growing hunger for the team to show tangible signs of improvement as the year goes on.
It will come from fans. It will come from the media.
Let Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel fire the first salvo on one of the key storylines of the season:
"But if they are really paying attention to their franchise history, the Magic know that they’ve seen to it that their truly lean times have lasted no more than three years. Then they spring back — upright and often relevant again.The Magic have made the playoffs 14 times in 25 years, and were at .500 or better 16 times.In other words, they have never let you down for long.They need to be held accountable to that plan.It’s Year 3 of their rebuilding project, and the grace period for the Magic should end after the season."
Listening to Schmitz, a longtime writer of the Magic through many of these phases and rebuilding cycles, is willing to give the Magic one more year. The headline to his article (granted, the writer does not always write those) suggests the Magic need to start using their cap room and make aggressive moves toward the Playoffs.
This is where Magic history though begs to differ.
Yes, there comes a point where winning has to take over. You cannot be stuck in a losing rut forever waiting for the Draft Lottery to strike your way. The NBA is a business too and you cannot hold your fans hostage with losing season after losing season for so long. They lose interest and hope.
That time is slowly coming for the Magic. It might be after this year. It might be another year down the road after one more try at the Lottery wheel.
The one thing the Magic have consistently done throughout franchise history was make a move too quick. They oftentimes went for the big splash to stay relevant and did not really have a championship plan.
They struck it big on Shaquille O’Neal. When they lost him and then Anfernee Hardaway, they quickly struck for big-name free agents in Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill. That was supposed to usher in a whole new era of Magic basketball. That never came as the Magic were forced by being so close to the salary cap to keep a revolving door of supporting players while they waited for Hill to get healthy.
Then when that flamed out, the Magic opted for All-Star Steve Francis to pair with Dwight Howard in his early years. It did not quite work out.
In the 25 years, the Magic have rarely been going through a long-term rebuilding project with a clear goal in mind. The team’s best years have been built on the luck of the Lottery and the desire to stay relevant. That has not delivered a championship, leading to this new path the Magic are trying.
Patience though lasts only so long.
The belief in the NBA is that mediocrity is the netherworld of the NBA. You do not want to be too good to eke into or just miss out on the Playoffs. You either have to be championship good (or getting there) or horrifically bad. That is the going thought at least or how the rules set up.
The Magic have spent a good chunk of their existence in that middle netherworld.
And so Rob Hennigan came in willing to sink to the bottom to build back up to the top.
For sure, the Magic have to start making progress and figure out which players are part of their future. If someone does not fit that master plan, there is no reason to further spend time on them. That is a big part of this season in turning the team over to the young players.
Everyone is expecting the Magic to make some tangible steps forward. It is hard to say what will happen this year.
When do you abandon the plan and give in to the need to give the fans something for their dollars? That is a time coming for the Magic. That is part of the calculus of the process. It has to be.
When does the patience run out and the team decide to win for winning’s sake, and not necessarily for a championship?
The Magic have already shown incredible patience (compared to their team history). When does that patience run out?