Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard has won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award for the third consecutive year.  He played in 78 games (all starts) for the Magic during the regular season and he averaged 22.9 minutes, 14.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.4 blocked shots per game.  He is quite simply the best center in the NBA, period!  He proved it again in Game #1 against Atlanta when he finished up with 46 points, 19 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot.  Howard rules the paint for the Magic and he deserved this award.

Starting power forward Brandon Bass will miss the next 1-2 weeks due to an ankle injury.  Bass has played in 49 games (26 starts) for the Magic so far this year and he is averaging 24.8 minutes, 11.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Bass has done a really solid job since entering the starting lineup as he gives Dwight Howard some inside support.  Ryan Anderson will likely replace Bass in the starting lineup.  Anderson has played in 31 games (4 starts) so far this year and he is averaging 19.5 minutes, 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  Anderson will do a good job for the Magic but they will need someone to step up off the bench to replace Anderson’s offensive spark.  Gilbert Arenas might be that guy.

The Orlando Magic have waived 35-year old point guard Jason Williams.  Williams played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Magic this year and he averaged 10.7 minutes, 2.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  He only shot 34.2% from the floor this year and he decided that he didn’t want to travel with the team on the 2-game road trip they were about to embark on and that led to his release.  Williams played in 98 games (18 starts) in two years with the Magic and he averaged 19.1 minutes, 5.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.  The Magic won’t miss him at all as they have a lot of depth at point guard.

The Orlando Magic have acquired 29-year old SG Jason Richardson, 31-year old small forward Hedo Turkoglu and 22-year old power forward Earl Clark from the Suns for 33-year old SG Vince Carter, 26-year old center Marcin Gortat, 28-year old small forward Mickael Pietrus and a first round pick in 2011.  Jason Richardson was the key to the deal for the Magic.  Richardson played in 25 games (all starts) for the Suns this year and he averaged 31.8 minutes, 19.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  Richardson was also shooting 41.9% from three point range, giving the Magic another weapon from the outside.  Richardson has now played in 696 games (684 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 35.0 minutes, 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  Hedo Turkoglu played his best basketball in Orlando and they hope a return will give him a spark.  Turkoglu played in 25 games (16 starts) for the Suns this year and he was averaging 25.2 minutes, 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  Turkoglu is shooting 42.3% from three point range so far this year and the Magic hopes he keeps up the good work.  Turkoglu has now played in 777 games (459 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 28.1 minutes, 12.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.  Earl Clark was a first round pick of the Suns two years ago but he hasn’t played up to his ability as of yet.  Clark played in 9 games (0 starts) for the Suns this year and he averaged 8.0 minutes, 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  He has now played in 60 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 7.6 minutes, 2.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.

Vince Carter played in 22 games (all starts) for the Magic this year and he was averaging 30.2 minutes, 15.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.  Jason Richardson should be a nice upgrade over Carter.  Marcin Gortat played in 25 games (2 starts) for the Magic this year and he was averaging 15.8 minutes, 4.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  This is the only guy in this deal that I think the Magic are going to miss.  Mickael Pietrus played in 19 games (0 starts) for the Magic so far this year and he is averaging 22.0 minutes, 6.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. 

I like this deal for the Magic as Jason Richardson & Hedo Turkoglu should give them some offensive firepower from the outside.

The Magic have acquired 28-year old SG/PG Gilbert Arenas from the Wizards for 31-year old “power” forward Rashard Lewis.  Arenas played in 21 games (14 starts) for the Wizards this year and he was averaging 34.6 minutes, 17.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  Gilbert “Agent Zero” Arenas has now played in 486 games (453 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 37.2 minutes, 22.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  It will be interesting to see if Arenas plays shooting guard or point guard with the Magic.  Either way, he’s going to make teams pay big-time for doubling Dwight Howard in the paint.

Rashard Lewis played in 25 games (all starts) for the Magic at power forward this year and he averaged 32.4 minutes, 12.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.  He was softer than a roll of Charmin so the Magic just got a lot tougher by sending Lewis out of town.

The Magic have sent rookie center Daniel Orton to the New Mexico Thunderbirds of the D-League.  Orton got off to a slow start this year due to injury so he didn’t really have a chance to make the Magic out of training camp.  Orton should get some quality P.T. in the D-League and he will need to get some experience before he’s ready to take on NBA centers.

The Magic have signed 32-year old power forward Malik Allen. Allen played in 51 games (3 starts) for the Nuggets last season and he averaged 8.9 minutes, 2.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. He has now played in 460 games (125 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 15.4 minutes, 5.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Allen will likely be nothing more than a big body at the end of the bench for the Magic.

The Magic have re-signed 34-year old point guard Jason Williams to a 1-year, $1.35 million dollar deal. Williams played in 82 games (18 starts) for the Magic last season and he averaged 20.8 minutes, 6.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. I’m surprised that Williams re-signed with the Magic after they signed Chris Duhon as Williams will be the #3 point guard in 2010.

The Bulls had made a 3-year, $19 million dollar offer to 26-year old shooting guard J.J. Redick and the Magic matched it. Redick played in 82 games (9 starts) for the Magic last season and he averaged 22.0 minutes, 9.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Redick shot 40.5% from three point range last season as he is one of the sharp shooters on the team. He has now played in 222 games (14 starts) in his four years with the Magic and he is averaging 17.2 minutes, 7.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Although a tad pricey I think it was a good move to bring Redick back by the Magic.

The Magic have signed 30-year old SG/SF Quentin Richardson to a multi-year deal. Richardson played in 76 games (75 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 27.4 minutes, 8.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He has now played in 677 games (465 starts) in his 10 years in the NBA and he has averaged 28.0 minutes, 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. You have to wonder if the Magic are going to match J.J. Redick’s offer sheet as Q-Rich is more than capable of replacing him.