April 20, 1998
Following consecutive losses this past weekend to the Boston Celtics and
the Chicago Bulls, the Orlando Magic have found themselves out of playoff
position for the first time since the 1992-93 season. Considering the
incredible number of injuries, first year Magic coach Chuck Daly must be
amazed that the team finished as well as it did, playoffs or not. All-Star
guard Penny Hardaway battled with injuries for most of the season, playing
in only 19 of the 82 games. To compound the injury woes, both Nick Anderson
and Derek Strong were each sidelined for two dozen games, and sparkplug
guard Darrell Armstrong played in only 48 games before going down with a
season-ending shoulder injury. To make matters worse, veteran players
Horace Grant, Derek Harper and Mark Price all fell to injuries during the
season that sidelined them for a combined 40 games. In desperation, the
Magic brought in a variety of players on 10-day contracts, trying to fill
the depleted roster, including Spud Webb, Vernon "Mad Max" Maxwell, Carl
Thomas and CBA player Kevin Ollie, only the latter of which succeeded in earning a roster position.
Beyond the injury situation, Penny Hardaway found himself in the heat of
controversy this season. He took a great deal of criticism by coming off of
the injured list in time to play in the All-Star game, and then immediately
going back on the list. His heart and intentions have been questioned,
leading to his name being mentioned in several mid-season trade discussions.
Hardaway, however, insists that his loyalty lie with the Magic. "I bleed
black and blue. (The Magic team colors)" He stated in a recent interview,
affirming his desire to stay in Orlando with the Magic. Hopefully, the
Magic organization can work through this situation with the superstar
Hardaway. NBA players rarely make statements of loyalty in this day and
age. Today it appears that players spell team $$$$.
The highlight of this season for the Magic would have to be the play of
forward Bo Outlaw, who has amassed a huge fan following with his "balls to
the wall", all-out effort that he exhibited in every game. Outlaw was
signed as a free agent before the season, a steal at $1 million. He is
finishing his first Magic season ranking 3rd in the NBA in Field-Goal
Percentage (.554) and ranks 11th in the NBA in Blocks Per Game (2.19).
Now, with the season drawing to a close, the organization looks forward to
a summer with a decent crop of free agents available to sign, and the
possibility of 3 first round draft choices. True Magic fans realize that
there are always ups and downs, and unfortunately the cards were stacked
against them this season. Good news is, there's less than 180 days until
the new season starts! Go Magic.
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