Otis, My Man

The big question going into the Orlando Magic's offseason following their run to the 2009 NBA Finals was what changes would general manager Otis Smith make to a roster that came within 3 wins of a championship minus a healthy Jameer Nelson? Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee and Tony Battie were sent away to bring in Vince Carter and a then little-known reserve named Ryan Anderson. Hedo Turkoglu, Tyronn Lue and Jeremy Richardson (the last two of whom had as much to do with the playoff run as I did) were gone via free agency; Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes and Jason Williams came in.

The team has played just 1 game at full strength this year due to Rashard Lewis' 10-game suspension to start the season and Jameer Nelson's injury late in that only game together against the the Bobcats. In spite of it, it's been the new additions, and not just the big name, who have helped the Magic run out to a 17-6 record. Smith has had many detractors during his tenure as GM (including yours truly), but he needs to be given credit for helping make the Magic arguably the deepest team in the East.

Anderson was thrust into the starting lineup immediately due to the Lewis suspension and has thrived in many ways. He scored in double figures in 5 of the 6 games he started and in 10 of the 19 games he's played in, giving Stan Van Gundy another threat beyond the arc and allows him to throw many different looks on the floor with his lineup, something that could loom big come playoff time . Anderson’s impact has been immediate as seen Thursday night in Salt Lake City as Rashard Lewis deferred to a red hot Anderson for the 2nd quarter.

Bass isn't an attention getter (averaging about 9 points and 3 rebounds a game) but the dirty work he does underneath against the likes of Shaq have helped make life easier for Dwight Howard. This is critical because while Lewis and Hedo did get their fair share of rebounds, they generally didn't like fighting for them, something Bass and Barnes have no problem doing.

Barnes is an older version of Courtney Lee. As seen during his stints in Golden State and Phoenix, he can slash and create his own shot. More importantly, he is an absolute pest on D. Typically, he doesn’t draw the best offensive player, that often goes to Mickael Pietrus, but when he’s nearly glue-like on his assignments. As the Magic are likely to face teams with many offensive weapons (Boston, Atlanta) in the playoffs, Barnes could be an X-Factor.

I’d be remiss not to mention the presence of White Chocolate. J-Will was expected to provide steady minutes in relief of Jameer (and did to start the season), but has been more than serviceable as the starting point after Nelson’s injury. Who would’ve thought we’d ever see the day where Jason Williams would be playing the role of the savy veteran? Yet he’s done just that, with an over 4:1 assist to turnover ratio. Having been a part of the Heat’s 2006 championship squad, Jason’s obviously at the stage of his career where it’s strictly a ring thing. Because of this, a Nelson/Williams tandem in the playoffs has a chance to work in a way that the Nelson/Alston duo didn’t because Skip To My Lou was more concerned about starting.

And then of course, there’s Vinsanity.

The debate raged over the summer as to whether Vince Carter would be an upgrade over Hedo and so far, Carter has been equal to the task. He’s been the most consistent scorer on the team to this point and has been able to create his own shot much like Turk. Most importantly he’s filled Hedo’s role as Mr. 4th Quarter, with his biggest moment coming in their first trip to Boston, where he scored 10 in the 4th, including the go-ahead jumper with 2 and a half to go.

The faces may change, but the roles have remained the same in the Magic’s Eastern Conference title defense. I may not always agree with some of his trades and his drafting has been suspect, but credit to Otis Smith, he’s kept this team in position to finish the job in June.