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Orlando Magic history is a giant ‘what if?’

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Mar 19, 2016; Des Moines, IA, USA; CBS announcers Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Jim Nantz after the game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Connecticut Huskies during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2016; Des Moines, IA, USA; CBS announcers Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Jim Nantz after the game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Connecticut Huskies during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Orlando Magic’s history is a giant “what if?” full of players who struggled with injury and were not paired with players to feature them best.

The first lines for the seminal documentary on the early years of Orlando Magic history — or at least its first rise to notoriety — were about a central question. A central question that continues to haunt the Orlando Magic with each stage of its history.

Shaquille O’Neal asks his former teammate Anfernee Hardaway: “A lot of what ifs between you and me.” They then proceed through the two central questions of the Magic’s first decade — what if O’Neal never left Orlando and what if Hardaway never got hurt?

These are not the only two big questions facing the Magic. Not the only what if that has faced the Magic looking back at their franchise history.

This is not even a question of “What if this deal fell through?” Every team has free agent near misses — although no one nearly caught Tim Duncan like the Magic nearly did. This is a matter of talented players on the Magic roster that failed to meet their expectations through no fault of their own.

The Magic have always thought big and been relevant — this recent four-year stretch is a new feeling for Magic fans and the franchise as a whole — and they have taken a few risks in the process. Many have worked out. Several worked out and then fell flat.

The Magic have had to deal with some of the greatest what-if players in league history.

Brad Callas of The Cauldron constructed an All-NBA What If? Team. Four of the five players on the team have an Orlando Magic connection.

Anfernee Hardaway leads the list. Grant Hill lands on there. Tracy McGrady is not too far behind. Even Chris Webber, the player the Magic traded to acquire Hardaway is on the list. All struggled with injuries far before their bodies were supposed to break down.

Hardaway was a revelation — a mix of speed, size and power — in his early years with the Orlando magic. There had simply never been a player capable of playing point guard like him since Oscar Robertson in all reality. He had Magic Johnson‘s size with speed to match.

Hardaway averaged 19.0 points per game, 4.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game in his six seasons with the Magic. He was dynamic and popular. A perfect complement to Shaquille O’Neal in the post. Hardaway was a four-time All Star. In the Magic’s 1995 season, he posted 20.9 points per game and 7.2 assists per game. He backed that up, taking a more featured role with Shaquille O’Neal injured early in the season, with another 20-7 season with points and assists.

His knee though began to go out. He played just 19 games in the 1998 season and was never quite the same. He played all 50 games in the lockout-shortened season but never was the same production wise. It became easy to forget just how dynamic and great Hardaway was as a player.

Grant Hill perhaps is the greatest what if player in Magic history.

Before joining the Magic, his statistics were talked in the same breath as Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. He was a playmaker and scorer from the small forward position and one of the 10 best players in the league. The year before joining the Magic, Hill averaged 25.8 points per game and was on a string of five straight seasons averaging more than 20 points per game and five assists per game.

There was no doubt the Magic still got a tremendous prize in Hill in free agency that summer. Even though he showed up on crutches.

That did end up being a bad omen for his time with the Magic. He averaged a still respectable and strong 16.4 points per game, but played only 200 games in six seasons with the Magic — just 33.3 games per season. Hill just could not stay on the floor.

And the domino effect of his injury had effects on Tracy McGrady.

McGrady had to step into the forefront with Hill on the shelf. He flourished as the Magic’s best all-time scorer. McGrady averaged 28.1 points per game in his four seasons with the Magic. He was literally carrying the team on his back.

More from History

And it was not surprising the back injuries seemed to begin pretty quickly. McGrady had good years in Houston after forcing his way out of Orlando.

At his peak, though, McGrady was the best perimeter player in the league. A player who Kobe Bryant said was the toughest for him to defend. There were legitimate debates about whether McGrady or Bryant were better. It was not clear who was better.

McGrady just never had a team around him good enough to truly claim that top status his play deserved.

Every team will have these situations. Every team has moves that do not work out or fail to build around stars. It seems the Magic have some on a spectacularly large level.

The Magic’s franchise history is full of these what ifs as players left just as they were hitting their prime or as the team was unable to put together the right players around them to fully feature them.

The Magic’s entire franchise history seems to be seen through this prism of missed opportunities and botched plans. They have had great players taken from them by injury and some poor team management putting too much pressure on star players.

Next: Orlando Magic Top 25: Players Nos. 21-25

There are certainly plenty of frustrations in Orlando’s history. And plenty of questions of “what if?”