Team page/schedule | Stats: Preseason | Roster
Last year: 43-39, fourth in Atlantic, seventh in conference
Coach/GM: Doc Rivers/John Gabriel
Arena, first game: TD Waterhouse Centre (17,248); Nov. 4, 1989
All-time franchise record/NBA titles: 481-471/0
Notable: In 12 years, 9 have ended .500 or better

THE ROTATION
Pos	Player	Key Stat	Skinny
PG	Darrell Armstrong	7 apg	Waterbug plays too many minutes
SG	Tracy McGrady	26.8 ppg	Anyone notice he almost outscored Vinny?
SF	Grant Hill	4 games	Point forward has something to prove
PF	Horace Grant	545 rebs	Well, he's in better shape than the center
C	Patrick Ewing	.430 FG	If he can give 'em 8 boards a night...
6th	Bo Outlaw	7.7 rpg	Jumping jack blocks shots, boards well
7th	Pat Garrity	.387 FG	Someone has to log minutes at SF
8th	Mike Miller	11.9 ppg	Out a month after foot injury; he'll return

		I like the Magic's chances, although Tracy McGrady has been hurt and may sit out until the opener with a bad back. The big question mark is Grant Hill, but he seems to be running and doing all the things he once did. Although I like the additions of veterans Horace Grant and Patrick Ewing, Hill and McGrady will be the team leaders. Darrell Armstrong is an effective point. The Magic can play without a point and use either Hill or McGrady in that role. The Magic will miss Mike Miller, who's out 4-6 weeks with a foot injury. But they still have Hill and McGrady. The Magic are a deep team with experience and high-energy players like Armstrong, Bo Outlaw and Andrew DeClercq. The Magic look like the best team in the East.

By Peter May
Special to ESPN.com

There is much optimism in Hooterville this year. We now, apparently, are going to see what we all thought we'd see last year: Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady together for a full season, feeding off each like Torvill and Dean.

Hill, of course, is coming back after missing all of last season (OK, he played in four games) with foot woes. But after another operation and extended rehab, he says he is healthy. If he is, he gives the Magic another dimension, which is bad news for everyone else. That's because McGrady showed last season that he among the elite in the game. And he's getting better. And he's only 22.

A Hill/McGrady parley would, in itself, be fun and productive. But it probably would not be enough, which is why Orlando is going to make another run at Tim Duncan in a couple years. In the meantime, GM John Gabriel has brought in Patrick Ewing and Horace Grant to appease the AARP folks and, perhaps, to even play a little. Grant showed last season he still has something left. The creaky Ewing is starting to make Artis Gilmore look agile but figures to play 20-odd minutes a game.

But the old fellas shouldn't hurt the cause and there's always the Magic dirt dogs who simply outwork and outhustle you. Doc Rivers has those in abundance, from Bo Outlaw to Darrell Armstrong to Andrew DeClercq. Add sharpshooters Mike Miller and Pat Garrity to the mix and you have the potential of something very special this season.

Who's Who
Hill doesn't exactly have to pass out 'Hi! My Name is Grant' name tags to his teammates. He was around last year. The newcomers who will make the biggest impact are Ewing and Horace Grant. It's hard to see either one making as big an impact as a healthy Hill, but they both will play and each still has something left. (We suspect Horace has a little more than Patrick.) Ewing won't have to be anything less than the fourth option on offense, so if he can accept the fact that he isn't 30, he might be able to help. Orlando also likes rookie Steven Hunter, who was the team's first round pick. The Magic basically gave away Michael Doleac for nothing, unless they thought re-signing him would be an impediment to making another run at Duncan.

	FANTASY SLEEPER
	Bo Outlaw, PF -- Outlaw does Orlando's dirty work and has been a perennial fantasy sleeper because he goes about his job with an energy rivaled by few. His stat line doesn't jump out at you, but he does enough in the blocks, steals, rebounds and field goal categories that he's a Band-Aid to bring off your fantasy bench should a starter fall to injury. --Brandon Funston

The Big Question
It's not simply a matter of Hill being healthy. It's also a matter of Hill recognizing and understanding that, in the space of a year, this team has become McGrady's. Hill isn't stupid and, throughout his career, he has had to play the lead man when his makeup tends to be more in the Scottie Pippen/Kevin McHale mode as Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He never had that luxury in Detroit. So, assuming his foot is OK, he should not be the least bit concerned about playing Sancho Panza to McGrady's Don Quixote. If all that happens, the Magic will be a tough team to beat. Hill has point guard skills and vision and will be the guy with the ball. McGrady will continue to do what he did last year, be unguardable.

Best Case Scenario
A trip to the NBA Finals. The East is wide open and the Magic are in position to have a say in the outcome. If it all comes together as envisioned, Orlando would have two All-Stars playing at a high level and a supporting cast to plug every hole. Sixty wins would not be a stretch under these circumstances and 60 wins generally gets you to at least the conference finals.

Worst Case Scenario
The one burr in the saddle could prove troublesome if Hill simply isn't the Hill we all think he can be. If that's the case, either by wear or tear or simple obsolescence, the Magic will be only OK. They made the playoffs last year without Hill and did so as the No. 7 seed. They should do that again at the worst, which means 40-44 wins. But Hill would have to again be a non-factor and one of the Golden Oldies also might have to break down as well.

OVERRATED	UNDERRATED	JUST RIGHT
Patrick Ewing. Ask the Knicks and Sonics if he can contribute anything.	Bo Outlaw. A little of this, little of that and the guy gets numbers.	Tracy McGrady. Don't look for Hill to hurt TMac's numbers very much.