Orlando Magic Daily
Fansided

Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag: Our long, national nightmare is almost over

By Philip Rossman-Reich

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 3: Evan Fournier #10 of the Orlando Magic reacts after shooting a free throw during the game against the New York Knicks on December 3, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 3: Evan Fournier #10 of the Orlando Magic reacts after shooting a free throw during the game against the New York Knicks on December 3, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The NBA season is nearly here. In two weeks training camp will open and the Orlando Magic will hit the floor again. We open up the mailbag to get ready.

It has been a long time since we have seen Orlando Magic basketball.

Sure, there was Summer League, but that is never the same. And April 11 seems like forever ago when the Orlando Magic walked off the floor with a victory over the Washington Wizards at Amway Center.

There are 189 days between the end of last season and the Orlando Magic’s Oct. 17 home opener against the Miami Heat. That seems like a lot shorter time than it actually is. It feels like a lifetime. And you know you have missed Magic basketball — no matter how difficult the last six years have been.

Good news then. Media Day is Sept. 24 and training camp starts the next day. Only two more weeks to go.

When a team is 0-0, it is hard not to get excited. That is the optimism of a new season and new beginnings. Expectations around the Amway Center are admittedly very low. The team is not exactly screaming Playoffs. And after a 25-win season, no one could blame them. Especially when the Magic did very little to change or improve the roster.

Jeff Weltman promised his first year as president of basketball operations would be one of evaluation. He certainly got a close look at many of the players on the roster.

His second year appears to be the beginnings of the foundations he hopes to lay. That came in the form of sixth overall pick Mohamed Bamba and the healthy return of last year’s sixth overall pick Jonathan Isaac. It also came in the form of re-signing Aaron Gordon to a four-year contract (a team-friendly one at that).

But the Magic were not able to do a whole lot more thanks to their bloated cap situation. They moved some deck chairs around to find Jerian Grant hidden between the cushions. But Orlando is still looking for some flexibility and still remaining patient to get there.

The Magic are waiting for the right opportunities to come around. They have shown they are not going to make moves simply to make moves. Weltman’s process is to find the right guys and strike when they come around.

Who is to say when that will happen. But despite the complacency this summer, there is still that whiff of change in the air.  It will be a story that carries through the entire season.

But now is the time to get ready for the season. And it is time also to open up the Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag. Submit your questions to me on Twitter @omagicdaily, in the comments below or by e-mail at omagicdaily@gmail.com.

Next. Orlando Magic Daily Podcast: Searching for Grant Hill's legacy. dark

I will come back and answer your questions in about a week!