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Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Volume 24: One Draft to rule them all

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Aaron Gordon (Arizona) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number four overall pick to the Orlando Magic in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Aaron Gordon (Arizona) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number four overall pick to the Orlando Magic in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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It is amazing how many stories there are in Orlando Magic history in the short 29 years it has existed. In fact, the very story of how the Orlando Magic were created is a fascinating story. I would like to think of myself as a bit of a Magic historian, but hearing Jimmy Hewitt talk about the organization’s founding at his Orlando Magic Hall of Fame induction ceremony was fascinating.

And then you get into the stories about the 1995 team, Shaquille O’Neal‘s departure, Tracy McGrady‘s tenure, Grant Hill‘s fight to stay healthy, the 2009 Finals run, Dwight Howard‘s departure, Stan Van Gundy and then even some intrigue with how this past rebuild went wrong.

There is a lot we probably do not know about this Magic team.

But if I had the truth serum to get a straight answer from someone, I would probably want to sit down with Shaquille O’Neal.

I feel like I kind of know what happened in the Dwightmare and Van Gundy would probably be honest with me without much prodding. But I do not think we have ever gotten a straight answer from O’Neal about what happened and what his thought process was — or why he continued to needle the Magic since he left.

I mean, they made an entire documentary about the Magic’s rise and fall.

O’Neal has become a lot more contemplative in retirement. He said he was driven by youthful ego and that if he had it over again, he probably would have stayed in Orlando. There was a bit of youthful naivete in the Magic at the time anyway.

But as we know with O’Neal, he tends to embellish things and say what is most political or most opportune at the time. I do not know how much I take his “I would have stayed in Orlando” as truth.

Honestly, the Magic’s naivete as a franchise and the explosion of money into professional sports at the time did them in. O’Neal had every right to be uspet with the way the Magic treated him and tried to low ball in contract negotiations. The best player in the league deserved everything he could get.

But I would want to know from O’Neal exactly how he felt at the time and what he really thinks now that 20-plus years have passed.