By SAM
GARDNER
FOXSportsFlorida.com Magic
writer
Jan. 4, 2011
In a matter of two weeks, the Orlando Magic have gone from being a team on the edge of disaster to a team on the edge of greatness. Not surprisingly, a large part of Orlando's recent improvement has had to do with balance.
In the eight games since two blockbuster trades brought Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson to town, all eight players in Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy's regular rotation have averaged more than 10 points per game.
Center Dwight Howard leads the way with 19.6 points per game since the trade, and the other seven cogs in the rotation are averaging between 10 and 14 points on a nightly basis.
Brandon Bass, who has seen his role increase dramatically after the departures of Rashard Lewis and Marcin Gortat, is scoring 11.8 points per game in his new-found starting role, and in his return to the city that made him a star, Turkoglu is averaging 12.5 points per game as the starting small forward.
In the backcourt, Jameer Nelson has averaged 12 points, and Richardson has poured in 12.8 a night over the past eight games.
The bench hasn't been too shabby, either. In his first eight games as a member of the Magic, Arenas has scored 10.4 points a game. After missing the first two games of the new era of Magic basketball with a foot injury, Ryan Anderson has been productive in his role off the bench, averaging 10.5 points.
"It's great for everybody because if we're doing our job, Dwight's going to get open looks, and if we speed up the game, we're going to get our buckets," Arenas said. "Everyone coming off the bench can shoot it."
Arguably the biggest surprise for Orlando has been reserve shooting guard J.J. Redick. Many expected his numbers to decline along with his playing time once the new additions got acclimated to the Magic system, but he's been playing too well for Van Gundy to keep him on the bench.
Redick has been the team's second-highest scorer since the trades with 13.6 points per game on a scorching 53.5 percent shooting, which shows you just how deep Orlando's rotation is. On any given night, any one player can step up and hit shots.
"I don't know if it necessarily matters how you score, I just think it works for us," Van Gundy said of his team's scoring distribution. "All of those guys are capable of scoring and
