Last Season: In early February All-Star PG Jameer Nelson suffered a torn labrum that ended his regular season. The Magic were able to regroup and they finished with the third best record in the East. The Magic fell down 2-1 to the 76ers but won the final three games to advance to the second round. Many thought their road would end there but they beat the Celtics in seven games, winning the final in Boston. Then, they surprised everyone by beating the Cavs in six games and advancing to the Finals. They played the Lakers close but a couple of overtime losses led the way to a quick five-game series.

Acquisitions: G Vince Carter, G Jason Williams, F Brandon Bass, F Matt Barnes, F Ryan Anderson

Departures: F Hedo Turkoglu, G Courtney Lee, G Rafer Alston, C Tony Battie

Starting Five: F Rashard Lewis, F Mikael Pietrus, C Dwight Howard, G Vince Carter, G Jameer Nelson

Bench Mob: Matt Barnes, Marcin Gortat, Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, Anthony Johnson, J.J. Redick, Jason “White Chocolate” Williams

Most Interesting Man in the World: Dwight Howard – He filled the shoes left by Shaq years earlier in Orlando both on the court and off it and actually does a mean impression of The Big Aristotle. Howard can also impersonate his head coach, Stan Van Gundy. He's one of the most charismatic players in the NBA and is an absolute freak of nature. He endeared himself to the most casual NBA fans with his performances in the slam dunk competition when many superstars were shunning the event.

Over the Hill: Jason Williams – White Chocolate is back after taking a year off but don’t expect to see the highlight-producing White Chocolate from 10 years ago. In fact, don’t expect to see Williams much at all. He will probably be third on the depth chart at PG behind Nelson and Anthony Johnson. Good to see him back in the league though.

Ready to Break Out: Mikael Pietrus – Pietrus is the Magic’s best perimeter defender and should get the starting nod over Matt Barnes. The Magic won’t rely on him as a scorer but he will have plenty of open looks because of double teams on Howard and Carter. If he can improve his three-point shot just a little bit he could become a big factor in getting the Magic back to the Finals.

Outlook: The Magic come back ready to return to the Finals. They have significantly bolstered their bench with the additions of Barnes and Bass. They re-signed Gortat to back up Howard and signed Carter who they think will be an upgrade over Hedo Turkoglu.

I think Vince Carter will fit in fine. He actually had a better field goal percentage and was slightly more accurate from three-point range than Turkoglu. There will be games where Carter will be off and could single-handedly cost them a few games but Carter wants to win and I think he will check some of his ego at the door.

The biggest question mark is team chemistry. Can Stan Van Gundy keep this lineup happy? Vince Carter, Dwight Howard, and Rashard Lewis all will need to be involved in the offense to be happy. Gortat expressed frustration about his playing time last year but the Magic re-signed him again this season. But if the Magic get off to a hot start than winning will solve all those problems.

NBA Team Previews