25-year old power forward Brandon Bass told the Magic during the off-season to either play me or trade me. He was upset at how little playing time he got last season which was his first year with the Magic. Bass played in 50 games (3 starts) in 2009-10 with the Magic and he averaged 13.0 minutes, 5.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. This year the Magic have given him a little more P.T. and Bass is looking good. He has played in 6 games (0 starts) for the Magic so far this year and he is averaging 18.7 minutes, 8.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. When the Magic want to add muscle to the starting lineup they should start Bass at power forward and move Rashard Lewis to small forward, where he belongs.

Dwight Howard’s minutes are down a little bit so far this year because the Magic have been blowing out teams this year. Howard has played in 6 games (all starts) for the Magic so far this year and he is averaging 30.7 minutes, 23.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.7 blocked shots per game. He is still, by far, the best center in the NBA and it looks like he’s looking for his shot more which is bad news for the rest of the NBA. The sky is the limit for Howard this year and the Magic will go as far as he takes them this season.

The Magic just were too much for the Nets to handle last night in Orlando as they outrebounded the Nets 50-31. Dwight Howard put up a monster line of 30 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot last night. He also made 12 of 16 free throws which is amazing for him. Jameer Nelson (20 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal) and Vince Carter (19 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists) gave Howard solid support. Rashard Lewis was only 5 of 15 from the floor but he still finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot in this game. The Magic are now 3-1 on the season.

The Magic came out on fire last night as they rolled to a 78-45 lead at the half. The Magic shot 50% while holding the T-Wolves to 33.3% from the floor while outrebounding them 56-40 which explains the blowout score. Vince Carter led the way for the Magic last night with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals in only 27 minutes. Ryan Anderson got the start at power forward last night with Rashard Lewis starting at small forward. Anderson finished up with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocked shots in only 19 minutes on the court. Brandon Bass also had a great game playing power forward last night as he finished up with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists in only 24 minutes on the court. Dwight Howard was unstoppable in the paint last night with 18 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 8 blocked shots in only 23 minutes! Marcin Gortat (12 points), Rashard Lewis (11 points) and J.J. Redick (10 points) also pitched in offensively for the Magic last night. The Magic are now 2-1 on the year.

26-year old backup center Marcin Gortat is off to a good start for the Orlando Magic. Gortat has played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Magic so far this year and he is averaging 16.5 minutes, 5.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 0.5 blocked shots per game. The Magic should find a way to get Dwight Howard and Marcin Gortat on the floor at the same time which would give them a set of twin towers. The Magic have enough shooters on the perimeter to make that kind of setup work.