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Via Matt Moore of CBSSports.com:
As Courtney Lee hung in the air, anticipating the incoming lob for a last second shot in the NBA Finals, he likely didn’t know anything of what would happen as a result in the next 1.5 seconds. He would miss the alley-oop, a nearly impossible shot that he deserves credit for simply for managing to execute. He would wind up traded to New Jersey which would go on to be one of the worst teams in NBA history, then be traded to Houston. The [Orlando] Magic would swap out Hedo Turkoglu for an upgrade at shooting guard in Vince Carter. And the Magic’s best chance at an NBA championship would be snuffed out.
So the question has to be: Does Orlando still have a window open to win an NBA championship? [...]
Think of what they need in order to return to the championship if they don’t make a major trade this season. They need Carter to play better than he did last season, have everyone stay healthy, repeat last year’s performance, then overcome Boston’s defense and Miami’s starpower… just to make the Finals where barring a gigantic upset they’ll then face the same Lakers team that overwhelmed them two years ago. Orlando’s ownership group has commendably committed money to the team as it enters a new arena with a contending team. But unless it takes a major step back up the ladder, it may just be spinning its expensive wheels as the rest of the league continues to stay one step ahead of them.
Rest assured, I’m going to answer this question next week.