Southeast Division

Orlando Magic Power Rankings - 2012-13

Power Ranking
WEEKRECORDRANKCOMMENT
Week 2420-6029The committee (of one) decided, in the end, that the flashes of promise from Tobias Harris and Moe Harkless, on top of all that rebounding from Nikola Vucevic, were enough to nudge Orlando ahead of Charlotte in the season's final edition of the rankings, despite a 4-18 record since March 1.
Week 2319-5930The Magic are in the rankings basement for the fifth time in 23 weeks and might be stuck there with all four games left on the schedule against playoff teams. So I'm not sure I can co-sign the claim from Jacque Vaughn about Orlando "going in the right direction ... which is great to see."
Week 2219-5530League Pass addicts will tell you that the Tobias Harris/Moe Harkless combo is enough to keep you reasonably entertained. Can't co-sign that one. I suppose I can muddle through Magic games without Arron Afflalo or Big Baby Davis, but those five games sans Nikola Vucevic were rough.
Week 2118-5229Not-so-fearless prediction: With Arron Afflalo out and Nikola Vucevic doubtful by all accounts, Orlando ain't going to be taking the Heat down to the final seconds like it did in Miami on March 6. Unlike AccuScore, we're giving El Magic nothing more than a 1.2 percent chance of winning.
Week 2018-4929Check back next Monday. If Miami can get through this week unscathed -- road games in Boston and Cleveland, followed by home dates with lowly Detroit and Charlotte -- Orlando hosts the Heat on March 25, after having nearly beaten them in Miami on March 6. The streak would be at 26 by then.
Week 1918-4627Last week they nearly sprung one of the shockers of the season by giving Miami an almighty scare that went down to the final ticks. This week it's Tuesday night's long-awaited return of Dwight Howard. After that? Orlando takes the Vooch & Tobias Show on the road for 11 of its final 17 games.
Week 1816-4429Questionable as you might find it that I included Nikola Vucevic in the MIP section of the latest Trimester report when his team is in the midst of a 4-31 free fall, but please bear in mind that he's third in the NBA with 33 double-doubles this season. After just two in 51 games last season in Philly.
Week 1715-4130Sixteen losses in the past 17 games since they shocked Indy on Jan. 16. A double-digit defeat last Tuesday at home to Charlotte in the most winnable game left on their schedule. The Magic, when you add all that up, have to sink into our cellar no matter how good Nikola Vucevic has looked.
Week 1615-3729A high lottery pick in June certainly fits right into the Magic's long-term rebuilding strategy, but the unconventional path to get there won't soon be forgotten, thanks to a 12-13 start no one saw coming, followed by a 3-24 nosedive that sets up a long spring. (Eddy Rivera, Magic Basketball)
Week 1515-3629Even though Orlando just dealt a hammer blow to Portland's playoff hopes, let's be real. All those December cracks about how Orlando was winning (or at least leading) the Dwight Deal are a distant memory now with Big Baby Davis lost for the season and just three W's in the past 26 games.
Week 1414-3330With nine straight L's, just two wins in their past 22 games and another long-term injury suffered by Big Baby Davis (broken foot), Orlando's days of being able to look at the Southeast Division standings and somehow see two teams below it (Charlotte and Washington) are numbered.
Week 1314-2930The question is not: Why can't the Magic put a halt to their hellacious 2-16 skid filled with recent losses to beatable opposition? The question remains: How did rookie coach Jacque Vaughn squeeze 12 wins out of the first 25 games? Honestly still trying to work that one out six weeks later.
Week 1214-2626Losing at home to Charlotte was no way to start a stretch of five straight games against sub-.500 foes ... especially after stunning Indy. Really surprised, meanwhile, that Professor Hollinger didn't gloat more before he left us about how emerging Magic C Nikola Vucevic was born in Switzerland.
Week 1113-2327Shocking the Clips in Grant Hill's return halted the longest skid Orlando has seen since the 10 L's in a row in the spring of 2004 that put 'em in position to draft Dwight Howard. Also: Jameer Nelson only added to Scott Skiles' rough week by passing him up for the franchise lead in assists.
Week 1012-2129Nikola Vucevic really has played better than anyone dared to imagine, but we can probably scrap the idea that Orlando was the closest thing to a team in the lead in terms of "winning" the Dwight trade. The Magic are winless since Dec. 19. No one is winning that trade right now.
Week 912-1825Think we all knew losing Big Baby Davis and his nightly 16 and 8 would be bad news for the Orlando Cinderellas. Yet I can't say that I remember hearing anyone, entering the final weekend of 2012, suggesting it would be lose-in-Washington-and-then-get-humiliated-at-home-by-Toronto bad.
Week 812-1519Jacque Vaughn's post-Dwight Magic were starting to generate comparisons to the 1999-2000 overachievers who went 41-41 under Doc Rivers with headliners like Ben Wallace and Darrell Armstrong. But they'll have to be even grittier now after losing Big Baby Davis to a shoulder injury.
Week 710-1319For all the justifiable fawning Golden State is generating in the wake of its best trip since the days of Phil Smith, John Lucas, Robert Parish, Sonny Parker and my beloved Purvis Short, let's not shortchange the one team out of seven that managed to beat the Dubs. Jacque Vaughn's Magic!
Week 68-1221The Magic are 7-2 against fellow sub-.500 teams and have squeezed nine double-doubles out of Big Baby Davis, who managed only six last season. Have to say that rookie coach Jacque Vaughn, one-fourth of the way through his maiden season, is getting as much as he can out of this group.
Week 56-1020The Magic would naturally be thrilled if Sunday night's events at Staples Center plunged the Lakers into some sort of lasting crisis. Yet even if the misery doesn't last, Central Floridians won't soon forget the night that Orlando not only beat Dwight's new crew but exposed his every flaw.
Week 45-825Devil's advocate follow-up to Week 3's comment: Any relief the Magic feel about refusing to take back Andrew Bynum in the Dwight Howard deal has to be classified as conditional. What happens if Brook Lopez, whom they also could have snagged, keeps progressing from his current groove?
Week 33-626All things considered? Pretty good week in the Magic Kingdom. That 39-point fourth quarter out of nowhere in Detroit halted a five-game skid ... and their case for finding a third team in the Dwight Howard deal so the Magic wouldn't have to take back Andrew Bynum has never been stronger.
Week 22-426The only thing faster to date than Mike Brown's firing in L.A. was the swift plummet to Earth for Dwight Howard's old team once the Magic hit the road. Gotta believe, though, that the likes of Arron Afflalo, J.J. Redick and Big Baby Davis have never been more popular with fantasy owners.
Week 12-021The Knicks and Spurs both had a case, but how can Team of the Week honors go to anyone other than Jacque Vaughn's Magic? Starting E'Twaun Moore, DeQuan Jones and Nikola Vucevic ... and sporting twice as many wins as Dwight Howard's Lakers. Both by double digits, even.
Preseason0-029Did you see Professor Hollinger's tweet late Saturday night about how the Thunder arguably got more for Harden than the Magic got for Dwight? The season you're about to watch will confirm that Professor Hollinger was being very charitable with that arguably.
Training Camp37-2927Jacque Vaughn's older brother played at Cal State Fullerton, so it'll come as little surprise that the committee (of one) not-so-secretly roots for the Magic's surprise rookie coach. But let's be clear here. A rough season awaits after they got none of the three best players in the Dwight deal.

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