Gone is Dwight Howard.  The Magic are going to go young to try to replace him in 2012-13.  21-year old Nikola Vucevic is the likely starting center for the Magic in 2012-13.  He played in 51 games (15 starts) as a rookie for the 76ers last year and he averaged 15.9 minutes, 5.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  If he gets 30 minutes per night in 2012-13, he could average around a double-double.  27-year old Gustavo Ayon will be Vucevic’s caddy in 2012-13.  Ayon played in 54 games (24 starts) as a rookie for the Hornets last year and he averaged 20.1 minutes, 5.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  22-year old rookie Kyle O’Quinn was a second round pick in last June’s NBA Draft.  O’Quinn played in 129 games in his four years at Norfolk State and he averaged 27.5 minutes, 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 2.2 blocked shots per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTERS IN 2012-13:  C

26-year old Glen “Big Baby” Davis is moving into the starting lineup this year for the Magic.  He played very well last year after Dwight Howard was injured.  Davis played in 61 games (13 starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 23.4 minutes, 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Davis has now played in 338 games (44 starts) in his first five years in the NBA and he is averaging 21.4 minutes, 7.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  32-year old Al Harrington will be Big Baby’s top backup when the 2012-13 season begins.  Harrington played in 64 games (1 start) for the Nuggets last year and he averaged 27.5 minutes, 14.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  Harrington has now played in 937 games (445 starts) in his first 14 years in the NBA and he is averaging 29.2 minutes, 13.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.  22-year old Andrew Nicholson was a first round pick of the Magic in last June’s NBA Draft.  He played in 123 games in his four years at St. Bonaventure and he averaged 29.9 minutes, 17.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game.  25-year old Josh McRoberts is going to be #4 in line for minutes at power forward for the Lakers when the 2012-13 season opens.  McRoberts played in 50 games (6 starts) for the Lakers last year and he averaged 14.4 minutes, 2.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  He has now played in 205 games (60 starts) in his first five years in the NBA and he is averaging 15.3 minutes, 4.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POWER FORWARDS IN 2012-13:  B-

33-year old Hedo Turkoglu heads into this season as the starting small forward for the Magic, at least until Moe Harkless is ready to bump him out of the job.  Turkoglu played in 53 games (all starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 31.2 minutes, 10.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.  He has now played in 886 games (568 starts) in his first 12 years in the NBA and he is averaging 28.7 minutes, 12.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.  Turkoglu’s overall game is starting to fade with age.  19-year old Moe Harkless was one of the keys to the Dwight Howard deal.  He was a first round pick of the 76ers in last June’s NBA Draft.  Harkless played in 32 games in his only year in college at St. John’s, in which he averaged 36.1 minutes, 15.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocked shots per game.  Harkless will replace Turkoglu in the starting lineup when he proves that he is ready.  23-year old Christian Eyenga also came to the Magic in the Howard deal.  He played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Cavs and Lakers last year in which he averaged 14.6 minutes, 2.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  Eyenga has now played in 51 games (18 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 21.5 minutes, 6.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Eyenga is an outstanding athlete, but he’s still a little raw offensively.  32-year old Quentin Richardson will likely be sitting near the end of the bench in 2012-13.  Richardson played in 48 games (3 starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 18.0 minutes, 4.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  He has now played in 782 games (487 starts) in his first 12 years in the NBA and he is averaging 26.5 minutes, 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS IN 2012-13:  C-

The Orlando Magic are going to have a new look at shooting guard in 2012-13.  26-year old Arron Afflalo will take over as the starting shooting guard with Jason Richardson now with the 76ers.  Afflalo played in 62 games (all starts) for the Nuggets last year and he averaged 33.6 minutes, 15.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.  He has now played in 362 games (223 starts) in his first five years in the NBA and he is averaging 24.4 minutes, 8.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  Afflalo has hit 40.5% from three point range so far in his career, and that is impressive.  He was the best player the Magic got in return in the Dwight Howard deal.  28-year old J.J. Redick will be Afflalo’s backup in 2012-13.  Redick played in 65 games (22 starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 27.2 minutes, 11.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as he shot 41.8% from three point range.  Redick has now played in 346 games (41 starts) in his first six years in the NBA and he is averaging 20.5 minutes, 8.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.  23-year old E’Twaun Moore will be #3 in line at shooting guard for the Magic.  He played in 38 games (0 starts) as a rookie for the Celtics in which he averaged 8.7 minutes, 2.9 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2012-13:  B

30-year old point guard Jameer Nelson is going to run the Magic offensively, and I look for his numbers to actually improve in 2012-13, due to the fact that the Magic don’t have a go-to man anymore with Dwight Howard out of town.  Nelson played in 57 games (all starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 29.9 minutes, 11.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.  He has now played in 527 games (432 starts) in his first 8 years in the NBA and he has averaged 28.2 minutes, 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.  24-year old Ishmael Smith will likely be Nelson’s caddy in 2012-13.  He played in 26 games (1 start) for the Warriors and Magic last year in which he averaged 9.0 minutes, 2.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.  Smith has now played in 69 games (4 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 9.8 minutes, 2.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.  J.J. Redick could also get some minutes here, but he’s better at shooting guard.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POINT GUARDS IN 2012-13:  B

25-year old center Dwight Howard is ready for what could be his last season with the Magic. Howard played in 78 games (all starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 37.6 minutes, 22.9 points, 14.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.4 blocked shots per game. Howard has now played in 567 games (566 starts) in his first 7 years with the Magic and he is averaging 36.0 minutes, 18.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steal and 2.2 blocked shots per game. Daniel Orton might get a chance to backup Dwight Howard. Orton didn’t get into any games as a rookie for the Magic last year. He did play in 2 games for the New Mexico Thunderbirds last year and he averaged 21.0 minutes, 10.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game.

26-year old Brandon Bass and 23-year old Ryan Anderson teamed up to give the Magic outstanding production in 2010-11 at power forward and they hope that it continues in 2011-12. Bass finally got his chance to play a lot last year and he started to show what he can do. Bass played in 76 games (51 starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 26.1 minutes, 11.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. He has now played in 336 games (59 starts) in his first six years in the NBA and he is averaging 18.4 minutes, 7.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Ryan Anderson gave the Magic quite a jolt off the bench. Anderson has played in 64 games (14 starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 22.3 minutes, 10.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Anderson has now played in 193 games (50 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 18.9 minutes, 8.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. 22-year old rookie Justin Harper out of Richmond will be #3 in line at power forward for the Magic. They acquired him in a draft day deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Orlando Magic need 32-year old small forward Hedo Turkoglu to step up in 2011-12. He played in 81 games (72 starts) for the Suns & Magic last year and he averaged 31.4 minutes, 10.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Turkoglu did shoot 41% from three point range last year and the Magic need him to shoot like that again this year while averaging 15 or more points per game in 2011-12. Turkoglu has now played in 833 games (515 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 28.5 minutes, 12.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. 31-year old Quentin Richardson will be Turkoglu’s backup once again in 2011-12. Richardson played in 57 games (19 starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 16.8 minutes, 4.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He has now played in 734 games (484 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 27.1 minutes, 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

27-year old J.J. Redick might finally get his shot to be a starter in the NBA this year for the Orlando Magic.  Redick played in 59 games (5 starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 25.6 minutes, 10.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.  He has now played in 281 games (19 starts) in his first five years in the NBA and he is averaging 19.0 minutes, 7.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  Redick has shot 39.4% from behind the three point line so far in his career, so he will be able to help spread the offense and help open the paint more for Dwight Howard.  29-year old Gilbert Arenas will likely back up Redick in 2011-12.  Arenas played in 70 games (16 starts) for the Wizards & Magic last year and he averaged 25.7 minutes, 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  He has now played in 535 games (455 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 35.8 minutes, 21.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

29-year old Jameer Nelson will be back as the starting point guard in 2011-12 for the Magic.  He played in 76 games (all starts) last year for the Magic and he averaged 30.5 minutes, 13.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Nelson also shot 40.1% from three point range last year, which is impressive.  Nelson has now played in 470 games (375 starts) in his first seven years with the Magic and he is averaging 28.0 minutes, 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

29-year old Chris Duhon will be Nelson’s caddy again in 2011-12.  He was terrible in his first year with the Magic.  He played in 51 games (5 starts) last year for the Magic and he averaged 15.2 minutes, 2.5 points, 1.0 rebound and 2.3 assists per game.  Duhon has now played in 497 games (301 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 27.1 minutes, 7.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.  The Magic need Duhon to earn his paycheck in 2011-12.