Orlando Magic Tickets

Orlando Magic 2011-12 Season Preview The Orlando Magic came up short in last year's playoffs, but the good news is that All-Star center Dwight Howard seems content to stick around and build a championship contending team.

There was a lot of concern last year that he wasn't happy in Orlando and would look to land a big free agent deal elsewhere after the 2011-2012 season, but he has backed off those comments of late.

Orlando cannot afford to lose Howard, who is the backbone of their team. He is one of the top five most valuable players in the league because of his ability to dominate the boards and on the defensive end of the floor. If he found a way to expand his offensive game, he would be an unbelievable player.

The team traded for Gilbert Arenas early last year, hoping that a change of scenery might resurrect a career that had been derailed by serious knee problems and the huge locker room incident where he pulled a gun on a teammate. The trade didn't pan out, and the Magic took advantage of the new amnesty clause by waiving Arenas.

The Magic is still rolling with Jameer Nelson at point guard. He is serviceable and has his moments of brilliance, but he will still struggle mightily against the league's top point guards.

Orlando once again is considered a legitimate NBA title contender and that will likely be the case so long as Dwight Howard is patrolling the low-post area. However, it's hard to see them getting past a couple of very good teams in succession come playoff time without some additional offensive firepower. Fans need to keep the faith.