Last night, at the 2012 NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic’s first round pick at #19 was F Andrew Nicholson from St. Bonaventure. While perusing my Facebook timeline during the Draft, someone posted “NICHOLSON WHO??” in response. 10 minutes later, the same person posted Nicholson’s highlight reel, captioned, “Maybe not so bad after all”. To be fair, the guy was right. Nicholson is not so bad. Stats for the big forward’s last year in college were 18.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Additionally, Nicholson was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year last year. At 6’9, GM Rob Hennigan undoubtedly grabbed Nicholson to provide some scoring relief for star center Dwight Howard down the stretch, as Nicholson’s highlight reel shows off his on-the-block point conversion ability.
Additionally, Nicholson’s three point shooting ability gels with the rest of the team’s shooting big men. Besides the likes of LeBron James or Dirk Nowitzki, big guys who can drill from beyond the arc are a spectacle to behold.
The Magic’s 2nd round pick at #49 was Kyle O’Quinn out of Norfolk State. Standing at 6’10 and 240 pounds, O’Quinn looks to be another jump shooter who will benefit from Magic culture. O’Quinn’s stats read 15.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. He was named 2011-12 MEAC Player of the Year and a two-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Year. Finding a home backing up power players such as Howard or Glen Davis and contributing to the Magic’s lacking defense when Howard isn’t on the floor is a huge assist in keeping our 20-point leads.
The Magic look to have made some solid picks, but glaring holes such as, “Who is going to back up the point guards?” and “Where are the other shooters?” were not addressed by GM Rob Hennigan. In fact, in a post-Draft interview, Hennigan shied away from revealing any tactics going forward in trades. This leaves me to believe he is planning to snag promising back up free agents, or a total dismantle of the Magic front line is in the future. PG Jameer Nelson has until midnight today to make a decision on exercising his opt-out on the last year of his contract. Ryan Anderson was officially declared a restricted free agent, allowing the Magic to match any offer sheet he receives from another team.
Other contracts are waving in the wind. JJ Redick is signed through the ’12-’13 season, but has expressed a desire to start. The Magic may not have a choice if Hennigan chooses to move veterans such as Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu for developing younger players. PG Chris Duhon, noted for his fear of shooting the ball, combined with past draft picks such as Justin Harper and Daniel Orton could be used to grab a more fearless front court.
The Magic depth chart does not allow much room for adding without removing at least two members of the core squad we have come to know since the 2009 Finals team break up. If we are to believe in GM Rob Hennigan’s work from his Oklahoma City days, then fans should begin bracing for some sad departures, but a lot of future welcome cheering.
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