ORLANDO – When he heard last week about veteran guard Arron Afflalo wanting to set an example for the Orlando Magic’s young players by dropping 15 pounds and ramping up his offseason workouts, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman smiled and felt a great sense of pride.
Charged with re-tooling both the Magic’s roster and its culture this offseason, Weltman and new GM John Hammond set goals of acquiring experienced players who possess as much character and grit as they have talent. The two executives, who have a combined 54 years of experience at the NBA level, know that the Magic’s fortunes in the season ahead will depend largely on the squad’s ability to come together quickly and establish a culture of selflessness and hard work.