Orlando Magic must earn respect and attention by beginning their future

The Orlando Magic are met with skepticism at almost every turn in the national media. To regain respect, they must begin to build their future.

Expectations for the Orlando Magic are admittedly low both in Orlando and around the league. They have done little to build faith and credibility in the last six years. The team has gotten lost in the wilderness of a rebuild.

Their original plans fell apart through a combination of horrible luck — despite league-worst records, the Magic have just one top-three pick in the last six years thanks to the Lottery — and poor roster decisions — letting Tobias Harris and Victor Oladipo go and getting essentially nothing in return still haunts.

The NBA with its guaranteed contracts and focus on singular stars is unforgiving of mistakes. Orlando has made plenty of them, burying the team in a deep hole. And those mistakes seem to beget more mistakes, at least in the public eye.

The Magic are starting to rebuild themselves. They have collected some intriguing young players, spending money to keep 23-year-old forward Aaron Gordon after his breakout season and drafting long-armed big men in Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba.

The B-I-G core has Magic fans excited. But unlike other franchise’s with unproven young cores, there is doubt the Magic will be able to turn things around.

That doubt is seen throughout the Internet these days. This is a Magic team that is seeking respect and has lost all benefit of the doubt.

ESPN’s Power Rankings had the Magic No. 28 in their preseason power rankings citing the uncertainty of the team’s top-heavy approach. Sports Illustrated had the Magic dead last in its preseason power rankings mocking the Shelvin Mack tweet from last offseason.

Even Zach Lowe, a perpetual semi-believer of the Magic, has jumped off the bandwagon, putting the exciting highlight-creator of Gordon along with the team’s excellent broadcast and the return of the classic pinstripes 28th in his League Pass Rankings.

Somehow he has the Chicago Bulls in his top 10 with an equally unsettled core and future.

There are other factors. Steve Clifford did not create a super exciting brand of basketball in his time with the Charlotte Hornets. But all these seem to undersell just how good the Magic can be.

Sure, the team is not likely out of the bottom 10 in the league. No one will likely argue that and so these gripes are small potatoes.

But it is hard to imagine the team being worse than it was last year when it lost more than 200 games to injury and had the statistical profile of a team with 28 wins. The team still lacks depth but has quality NBA-level players in Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic along with Jonathon Simmons and Terrence Ross along with the core the team wants to grow with.

There might be a desire from some fans to scrap that talent and just let the young guys go, allowing losses to pile up to pick up a new player in the Draft. That might still essentially be the plan. But it is hard to see the team being that bad. There are worse teams out there — look at the Atlanta Hawks roster.

Orlando Magic

The NBA GM survey did little to inspire confidence either. The Magic did not get any votes for most promising young core — although they did get at least one vote for team to make the biggest turnaround this year.

It is no surprise. The Magic have operated on the fringes and in the laughingstock of the league for a while now. There is a general assumption because of their own misdealings that everything they do is wrong. Even with the new management group in place. And fan frustration that this might be the beginning of another rebuild process has everyone restless for success.

No one can sit here and say the Magic are close to making the Playoffs. If every big thing goes right for the team then maybe the team could be the surprise team of the league. But those odds seem long. No one is likely betting on that happening.

The real goal for the season is to establish the base and foundation for future growth. The path back to respectability and confidence the Magic have lost in the last six years.

Orlando does not deserve much respect. The team has not earned it. The Magic have been down for a long time and are almost forgotten in the league.

No one here is asking for the team to get national TV appearances. The national disrespect is warranted with the team’s lack of direction. They have not earned those either.

Orlando has likely not earned anything close to the benefit of the doubt either. The Magic have made too many mistakes to inspire confidence. No one will believe what they see with this team until it gets put out onto the court.

That is what a history of frustration will get you. It will make you lose any faith and belief.

This year for the Magic, they have to show that they are back on the right track and restore that belief. They have to show that they do have a positive direction they are heading and a young core to build around.

More than anything, divining a future — even with another high draft pick — is important for this season. It is the main purpose for the upcoming year.

It is the only way to build back respect and optimism within the franchise.