2012-2013 Magic Win-Loss Record Prediction

Well Rob Hennigan didn't take very long to announce the finalized 15-man Orlando Magic roster over this past weekend. Gone are Chris Johnson, Justin Harper, and Quentin Richardson. A massive congratulations to DeQuan Jones for beating the odds and impressing the coaching staff and front office so much that the Miami product was worth dipping into pockets and shelling about $5.4 million to Q-Rich (If no one picks Q up off waivers which is unlikely to occur). Josh McRoberts' contract situation, player capabilities, height, and athleticism were deciding factors in surviving the chopping block. 'McBob' should thank Gustavo Ayon for spraining his left thumb. We've also found out that Nikola Vucevic's option has been picked up by the Magic and he'll be under contract until the summer of 2014. So here's what the depth chart will look like once Harrington and Harkless come back healthy:

PG: Jameer Nelson/Ish Smith/E'Twaun Moore
SG: Arron Afflalo/JJ Redick/DeQuan Jones
SF: Hedo Turkoglu/Al Harrington/Maurice Harkless
PF: Glen Davis/Andrew Nicholson/Josh McRoberts
C:  Nikola Vucevic/Gustavo Ayon/Kyle O'Quinn

The backup PG spot is the only truly debatable competitive minutes situation at this moment. The wonderful thing about having versatility is you have guys that can contribute at multiple positions. That's something that last year's Stan Van Gundy squad badly needed and didn't have. Until Al and Maurice come back, I expect DeQuan to be the backup small forward. Keep proving the doubters wrong. 

Who will provide the 3-point air guitar celebrations?! Who?! This current 15-man roster has been extremely supportive of one another throughout training camp. There are few egos to worry about, and anyone affiliated with the franchise seems eager to prove the basketball world wrong and spoil the hater party. 

So I've decided to go out on a limb and not only just predict our record, but I also noted which contests we'll win and lose. I have Jacque Vaughn's first season as Magic Head Coach as a major success. 39-43, 3rd in the Southeast division (behind Miami and Atlanta), and reaching the playoffs as the 8th seed. The Magic can squeak past the likes of Milwaukee, Detroit, and Philly (Bynum may be injured quite often) for the final East postseason ticket. Orlando's schedule is quite favorable with only 13 back-to-backs. I get pessimistic with a 6-game losing streak and a few 4-game skids thrown in among a few small win streaks. As a disclosure, anything can happen on any night. I have Orlando losing basically all of their 'heavyweight' battles, which thankfully are not many. Again, David Stern has gifted us a friendly schedule. The risk of looking like a dumbass doesn't exceed my belief in this new front office, new coaching staff, and a roster that has only 5 returning players from 6 months ago. That's right, five. At the very bottom of this posting you'll see that nabbing a playoff spot with just 39 wins is more than feasible based on past NBA seasons' standings. 

Orlando vs. Denver            11/2/2012 Loss
Orlando vs. Phoenix           11/4/2012 Win 
Orlando @ Chicago            11/6/2012 Win 
Orlando @ Minnesota         11/7/2012 Win 
Orlando vs. Brooklyn          11/9/2012 Loss 
Orlando @ Brooklyn           11/11/2012 Loss 
Orlando vs. New York         11/13/2012 Loss 
Orlando @ Detroit              11/16/2012 Loss 
Orlando @ Toronto            11/18/2012 Win 
Orlando @ Atlanta             11/19/2012 Loss 
Orlando vs. Detroit            11/21/2012 Win 
Orlando vs. Cleveland         11/23/2012 Win 
Orlando vs. Boston            11/25/2012 Loss 
Orlando vs. San Antonio     11/28/2012 Win 
Orlando vs. Brooklyn          11/30/2012 Loss 
Orlando @ L.A.Lakers         12/2/2012 Loss 
Orlando @ Golden State      12/3/2012 Win 
Orlando @ Utah                12/5/2012 Loss 
Orlando @ Sacramento      12/7/2012 Win 
Orlando @ Phoenix            12/9/2012 Win 
Orlando vs. Atlanta           12/12/2012 Loss 
Orlando vs. Golden State   12/14/2012 Win 
Orlando @ Charlotte          12/15/2012 Win 
Orlando vs. Minnesota       12/17/2012 Loss 
Orlando vs. Washington     12/19/2012 Win 
Orlando @ Toronto            12/21/2012 Win 
Orlando vs. Utah              12/23/2012 Win 
Orlando vs. New Orleans    12/26/2012 Win 
Orlando @ Washington      12/28/2012 Loss 
Orlando vs. Toronto          12/29/2012 Win 
Orlando vs. Miami             12/31/2012 Loss 
Orlando vs. Chicago          1/2/2013 Loss 
Orlando vs. New York        1/5/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Portland           1/7/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Denver             1/9/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ L.A.Clippers      1/12/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Washington      1/14/2013 Win 
Orlando vs. Indiana           1/16/2013 Win 
Orlando vs. Charlotte         1/18/2013 Win 
Orlando vs. Dallas             1/20/2013 Win 
Orlando @ Detroit             1/22/2013 Loss 
Orlando vs. Toronto          1/24/2013 Win 
Orlando vs. Detroit            1/27/2013 Win 
Orlando @ Brooklyn           1/28/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ New York         1/30/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Boston             2/1/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Milwaukee        2/2/2013 Win 
Orlando @ Philadelphia      2/4/2013 Win 
Orlando vs. L.A.Clippers     2/6/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Cleveland         2/8/2013 Win 
Orlando vs. Portland          2/10/2013 Win 
Orlando vs. Atlanta           2/13/2013 Loss 
Orlando vs. Charlotte        2/19/2013 Win 
Orlando @ Dallas              2/20/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Memphis           2/22/2013 Loss 
Orlando vs. Cleveland       2/23/2013 Win 
Orlando @ Philadelphia      2/26/2013 Win 
Orlando vs. Sacramento    2/27/2013 Win 
Orlando vs. Houston         3/1/2013 Loss 
Orlando vs. Memphis         3/3/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ New Orleans     3/4/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Miami              3/6/2013 Loss 
Orlando vs. Indiana          3/8/2013 Win 
Orlando vs. Philadelphia     3/10/2013 Win 
Orlando vs. L.A.Lakers       3/12/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Oklahoma City   3/15/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Milwaukee        3/17/2013 Win 
Orlando @ Indiana            3/19/2013 Win 
Orlando @ New York         3/20/2013 Loss 
Orlando vs. Oklahoma City  3/22/2013 Loss 
Orlando vs. Miami             3/25/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Charlotte          3/27/2013 Win 
Orlando vs. Washington     3/29/2013 Win 
Orlando @ Atlanta            3/30/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Houston           4/1/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ San Antonio      4/3/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Chicago            4/5/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Cleveland          4/7/2013 Win 
Orlando vs. Milwaukee        4/10/2013 Win 
Orlando vs. Boston            4/13/2013 Loss 
Orlando vs. Chicago           4/15/2013 Loss 
Orlando @ Miami               4/17/2013 Loss 

39-43 Prediction for the 2012-2013 Magic Regular Season.

Basketball games that actually count are finally here. The Dwight saga is behind this Orlando franchise and they're ready to only be judged and critiqued on the court. No more drama or worries about embarrassing interviews. Forgive me if I don't want to tag along with the 69-defeat, 16-victory, or 22-win prognostications. I deem them vastly incorrect. This Orlando team has too much veteran leadership, athleticism throughout the bench, a chip on their shoulders to earn respect and show off pride, and enough talent to exceed those low-ball predictions. Even if Rob Hennigan makes a few trades, I expect continuous nonstop effort every night. No more lollygagging and displaying inconsistency, just fabulous ball movement and an underrated efficient offense with potential to also become a mediocre defensive squad. 39-43 isn't even 'mediocre', it's a notch below it. So in reality, this shouldn't be a grotesquely wild prediction on my part.