Last season, Jameer Nelson suffered an injury that derailed his campaign and essentially ended the Orlando Magic’s chances of winning the NBA championship. After getting hurt on Monday, the Magic recently learned that they’ll need to learn to live without their starting point guard again.
Nelson is to undergo surgery for torn left knee cartilage on Wednesday and is expected to be out as long as six weeks. In other words, it could be 2010 before the Magic have Nelson running their offense again.
An All-Star last season, Nelson is averaging 13.7 points, 5.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds, while shooting 44.4% from …read more

In a rematch of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers got some revenge against the Orlando Magic. Playing in Orlando, the Cavs got out to a 66-51 halftime lead and went on to win by a final score of 102-93.
As is always the case, LeBron James led the way for Cleveland. He had 36 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes. He hit 13-of-23 field goals and 8-of-9 free throws. Mo Williams, who joined James in the All-Star Game last season, had 28 points and six assists.
Vince Carter was the lone bright spot for the Magic. …read more

The Phoenix Suns were undefeated headed into Wednesday night’s game against the Orlando Magic. Follow the contest, the Suns had their first L of the season. The Magic were led by their two bigmen — Dwight Howard and Ryan Anderson.
Howard had 25 points and six rebounds in only 23 minutes as he battled foul trouble. Anderson, who is starting at power forward while Rashard Lewis serves a suspension, had 20 points and ten rebounds. The second-year bigman was acquired in the trade during the offseason that sent Vince Carter from the New Jersey Nets to the Magic.
The Suns, who were …read more

Vince Carter was tearing up his old team when he twisted his ankle and missed the rest of the game. Carter, now of the Orlando Magic, had 16 points in 15 minutes against the New Jersey Nets before suffering the sprained ankle.
After the game, Carter was confident that he could bounce back quickly. In fact, he’s aiming to return on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors — another of his former teams.
In the first one and a half games of the 2009-10 NBA season, Carter has been very good. He’s shooting 55% from the field and has hit 5-of-8 three-pointers. The …read more

Although we are just a couple of days into the 2009-10 NBA season, there are a few teams who are off to a great start who should be recognized. Here are the top five teams in our first NBA power rankings of the season.
5. San Antonio Spurs
In their first game of the season, the Spurs looked dominant against the Hornets. They tripped up in their second game but San Antonio should be good this season.
4. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets won both of their games in impressive fashion. First they beat the Jazz at home and then went on the road and …read more

The trip the the NBA Finals last season wasn’t a fluke. The Orlando Magic finished an undefeated preseason by beating the Atlanta Hawks by a final score of 123-86. The Magic won all eight of their exhibition contests.
Against the Hawks, Vince Carter led the way with 26 points in 27 minutes. He was 9-for-10 from the field, 5-for-5 on three-pointers and 3-for-4 at the line. Dwight Howard had 25 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. Ryan Anderson chipped in with 18 points, while Brandon Bass had 14.
The Hawks didn’t exactly end their preseason play in style. Jamal Crawford came off …read more

Last year, the Orlando Magic made an exciting run to the NBA Finals. Last year, the New Orleans Hornets got dominated in the first round of the playoffs. On Tuesday, things appeared to be the same.
In preseason action, the Magic smashed the Hornets by a final score of 121-86. Orlando was led by Ryan Anderson and Vince Carter — two players they acquired via a trade with the New Jersey Nets. Anderson had 22 points in 19 minutes, while Carter had 18 points in 33 minutes. Combined, the two players hit 9-of-14 three-pointers.
For the Hornets, David West and Chris Paul …read more

Earlier in the offseason, Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs retired. The defensive expert played a key part in three NBA championship titles. On Monday, the Spurs signed Keith Bogans — a defensive small forward who will help make up for the loss of Bowen.
Last year, Bogans played for both the Orlando Magic and the Milwaukee Bucks. With Orlando, Bogans started 15 of 36 games and averaged 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game. With Milwaukee, Bogans averaged 6.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game.
While he’s not much of an offensively, as evident …read more

With NBA training camps only a few weeks away, the picture for the 2009-10 NBA season is getting clearer by the day. Here’s a look at the best of the best in the September edition of NBA power rankings:
1. Los Angeles Lakers
The reigning NBA champions are still the best in the league. As long as they stay healthy, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers will be extremely difficult to beat.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
Although they lost to the Magic last year in the playoffs, in LeBron James the Cavs have the best player in the world. Add Shaquille O’Neal and a few other …read more

The Orlando Magic added some point guard depth to their roster by inking Jason Williams. Nicknamed “White Chocolate”, Williams retired last year after signing with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Obviously, Williams decided to come out of retirement and play for the Magic. The last time he played in the NBA, he averaged 8.8 points and 4.6 assists per game in the 2007-08 season with the Miami Heat. For his career, he’s averaging 11.4 points and 6.3 assists.
On the Magic, Williams will be the backup point guard behind Jameer Nelson. Nelson was an All-Star last season before injuring his shoulder. Williams’ main …read more