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With the season over for the Orlando Magic, it’s time to hand out team awards. We asked our panel to hand in their picks for the 2012-13 season.

1. Who’s the 2012-13 most valuable player?

Evan Dunlap, Orlando Pinstriped Post: Nikola Vucevic. He played nearly 300 more minutes than anyone else on Orlando’s roster, and he’s arguably its most talented player. Those two facts give him MVP almost by default. He has a long way to go as a player, particularly defensively, but his rebounding at both ends of the floor shores up one of the four factors, at least.

Sean Highkin, USA TODAY Sports: Nikola Vucevic. He’s emerged as a legit starting-caliber center and rebounding machine. Outside of J.J. Redick, who was traded at the deadline, Vucevic’s consistency was unrivaled on the Magic’s roster.

Nate Drexler, Magic Basketball: Nikola Vucevic. He was by far and away the best player on this roster (team-leading 17.8 PER). We don’t have a Wins Above Replacement stat running in the NBA yet (WARP comes closest), but just take a look at Vucevic’s Win Shares and you’ll see that there is really no argument here.

Spencer Lund, Magic Basketball: J.J. Redick. His value is directly quantifiable, due to his expiring contract, which got the Magic the excellent Harris, an overlooked Lamb, who shot over 47 percent from 3-point range in 24 games, and a solid back-up in Beno. Harris alone gets Redick the MVP.

Noam Schiller, Magic Basketball: Nikola Vucevic. Arron Afflalo has a case for the team’s best player, but Vucevic gave the most value. His emergence as an elite rebounder alone makes him a long term starter, with room to grow. To a rebuilding squad, that’s value.

2. Who’s the 2012-13 rookie of the year?

Dunlap: Maurice Harkless. Orlando has five rookies, but Harkless is the only one to really stand out. Andrew Nicholson and Kyle O’Quinn have shown some promise in their limited minutes, but Harkless has made a significantly larger impact than either of those two youngsters.

Highkin: Maurice Harkless. Andrew Nicholson would have a case here if he played more consistent minutes, but Harkless is going to be a solid two-way wing player for years to come. He really emerged in the second half of the season.

Drexler: Andrew Nicholson. Everyone saw and felt his presence in the moments when Nicholson fluidly showcased footwork, agility, and poise in the post. He’s undersized to be sure, and lacks some tools on defense, but with a 15.1 PER and the second-highest True Shooting Percentage on the team (.557), Nicholson is the Rookie of the Year.

Lund: Maurice Harkless. Five rookies were on the season-ending roster, but it comes down to Harkless and Andrew Nicholson. The latter averaged 10 minutes a game less than Harkless, but sported a better PER and better True Shooting percentage. But Harkless is a vastly superior defender, even if Nicholson has shown a deft touch.

Schiller: Maurice Harkless. He snatched this from Andrew Nicholson somewhere around February after a slow start to the season. Both have exceeded expectations, but Harkless earned a bigger role as the season progressed, and has age and athleticism on his side going forward.

3. Who’s the 2012-13 most improved player?

Dunlap: Maurice Harkless. At just 19, he never hit that rookie wall, and the growth he made, particularly offensively, was eye-opening. He’s more comfortable with the ball in his hands, particularly when it swings to him in the corner, where he can shoot a 3-pointer or drive the baseline. He made plays late in the season that he couldn’t have made in November.

Highkin: Tobias Harris. This is sort of cheating since he wasn’t with Orlando until February, but he made good on the potential he showed in Milwaukee once he got consistent minutes. He had a number of career nights in a Magic uniform and firmly entrenched himself in the starting lineup.

Drexler: Tobias Harris. He hit the ground running in Orlando and in 27 games absolutely shattered his production in Milwaukee. Maybe it was the change in scenery, maybe it was an elevated role, but with the second-highest PER on the team (17.0), and 17 points and 8 rebounds per game down the stretch, Harris improved the most.

Lund: Nikola Vucevic. He led the team in PER and Win Shares, but there wasn’t much of a change per 36 minutes from last year in Philly. But overcoming the law of diminishing returns, including finishing second league-wide in rebounds per game, can’t be ignored.

Schiller: E’Twaun Moore. He may not be much more than a fourth guard when all is said and done, but before the season he looked like a waiver wire fixture for years to come. At the very least, he seems to have a place in this league.

4. Who’s the 2012-13 defensive player of the year?

Dunlap: Glen Davis. Orlando’s defense went into a tailspin when Davis sprained his shoulder against the Wizards in late December and it never recovered, even when Davis returned briefly before suffering another injury. Davis holds his ground in the post well, and he’s generally able to do so without fouling, making him a strong one-on-one defensive player.

Highkin: Arron Afflalo. He took a step back as a shooter, but his defensive performance remained as solid as it’s ever been. He always seemed to be game to try and put up a stiff resistance against whoever he was guarding.

Drexler: Maurice Harkless. Surely his offense left something to be desired, but Harkless stepped up big time defensively and helped give the Magic a chance against several elite teams this season. I don’t think any player stood out more than he did.

Lund: Glen Davis. This team finished 25th in the league in defensive efficiency, so it makes sense to nominate a guy who only played 34 games this season. Orlando allowed 6.1 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, per NBA.com. And the Magic were actually winning on occasion. Maybe it’s the Garnett affect?

Schiller: Glen Davis. He missed a huge chunk of the season, but the Magic’s defense went in the tank when Davis went down. On a team lacking experience and execution on the defensive end, Davis was as close a thing to a stopper on the roster.

5. Who’s the 2012-13 sixth man of the year?

Dunlap: There are only three reasonable responses to this question, given that the Magic traded J.J. Redick, and they are Nicholson, E’Twaun Moore, and Beno Udrih. None of those three players stands out as a real sixth man, however. Nicholson played only spot minutes, Moore played poorly as a backup, and Udrih did his best work as a fill-in starter.

Highkin: J.J. Redick. Before he was traded to Milwaukee, he was the Magic’s most consistent, reliable scorer and easily the team’s top sixth man. He’s improved greatly over the last three years as both a ballhandler and defender as well.

Drexler: Andrew Nicholson. With 29 different starting lineups, it’s difficult to point to a true sixth man, but Nicholson always seemed to pack the most punch off the bench when he got playing time. I’m throwing him the award.

Lund: Andrew Nicholson. He started 28 games, but he had a decent year after staying all four seasons at Saint Bonaventure. The rook is old as far as rookies go, but he’s got one of the smoothest hook shots with either hand in the league. It’ll be interesting to see how much further he can progress if he keeps working.

Schiller: J.J. Redick. He was arguably the team’s best player off the bench. Even while spending the last two months of the season on another team after getting traded, nobody else came close to his bench production in those first four.

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AP Photo/John Raoux

The 30-year-old whippersnapper general manager of the Orlando Magic, Rob Hennigan, was brought in to lead the Orlando Magic brain trust in their attempt to remake the roster through draft picks, not with the usual flashy free agent signings. It’s a track similar to the one navigated by his mentors — Sam Presti in Oklahoma City and R.C. Buford in San Antonio.

There will be no Rashard Lewis signing or other overpriced free agent bluster debuting at Amway Center next year, but that’s fine because the rebuilding process begins with the ability for Hennigan and his staff to identify draft diamonds and facilitate adroit trades, which have brought his tutors in Oklahoma City and San Antonio multiple playoff berths and championships.

That could be the Magic’s future as well, because Hennigan has already proven himself to be an astute judge of talent with his acquisitions over the first year of his tenure.

Hennigan’s transactions thus far have included trading the unhappy Dwight Howard and the expiring contract of J.J. Redick for solid returns on investment, even with a cloud of initial skepticism hovering over the former. 

It doesn’t require a stretch of the imagination to believe that he’ll do the same in the 2013 draft, regardless of what the ping pong balls spit out on May 21 when the lottery takes place. Hennigan has earned the trust of the Magic fanbase by the deft way he’s handled this first post-Dwight season despite finishing with the worst record in the league (20-62).

Orlando has got some great, young talent in the frontcourt, a stable of draft picks coming over the next four or five years as part of the Howard trade, and assuming they waive Hedo, they’ll be eight figures under the cap next season. He’s effectively gotten the franchise back to the tabula rasa setting fans have wanted since Dwight first called that awkward press conference with Stan.

The post-CBA NBA demands that general managers draft smartly and trim the fat off a payroll and Hennigan has done so adequately — if not above the mean — since getting hired last June. That’s why Magic fans should trust his judgement this summer when Orlando’s draft picks are announced. Right now, the Magic will have the best chance at landing the coveted top pick in the draft on June 27th.

Lets say the ping pong balls fall Orlando’s way and Hennigan drafts the ostensible number one pick in this “down year,” Nerlens Noel, despite already having a good base of talent in the front court. Woe is the man who repeats past mistakes, like drafting a specious college player (played 24 games before going down with an ACL tear) after another player drafted out of high school left on such bad terms.

So maybe Hennigan — weary of the maturity level of Noel — elects to draft someone else with the top pick. Or, learning from the cagey executives he worked for previously, he trades down from the top perch on the draft board and grabs one of the available backcourt players. Trey Burke, out of Michigan, might be a good choice, and even though Jameer Nelson has been extended through the 2014-15 season, he’s past the traditional peak years for NBA players at 31 years old. So it makes sense to draft a guard like Burke who can shoulder some of the workload at point in case the oft-injured Nelson again goes down.

Marcus Smart has elected to stay at Oklahoma State for another year, as he’s only just-completed his freshman year in Stillwater. But there are other choices for the parsing: Ben McLemore out of Kansas is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard that was clearly the best player on Kansas’ team this season even if he appeared, at times, differential to his older teammates and didn’t show an ability to create his own shot. Victor Oladipo, out of Indiana, is probably one of the most athletic players in this year’s draft, and his shooting has improved even if his size has not.

But the best thing about this year’s draft, is it may just be a precursor to next summer, when players like Canada’s Andrew Wiggins and Duke-bound Jabari Parker could be available. If Orlando exceeds expectations next season and doesn’t get a shot at those top two players most likely coming out in 2014 — considered to be some of the best prospects since the ‘Melo/Wade/LeBron triumvirate in 2003 — then Hennigan has innumerable trade options to move up. For next year, and the year’s beyond, the Magic are already pretty set because of Hennigan’s prescient planning.

In exchange for Dwight, the Magic got five draft picks. Three of those picks are conditional first rounders including Denver’s in 2014. Denver also has a first round pick coming from New York next summer, so the Magic will get the lesser of the two.

The other first round picks Orlando picked up, from Philadelphia and Los Angeles, are contingent on a few factors as both teams have to satisfy prior obligations from earlier deals (the Lakers with the Suns as part of their Steve Nash deal and the Sixers with the Heat). Even though 2017 or 2018 — when the Magic might finally collect on those other two first-round picks from Philly and Los Angeles, not to mention the two second round picks Orlando accrued in exchange for Dwight — seems like a long way off (Hennigan might even by gone by them) the Magic have a trump card or two in case things fall apart.

Hennigan’s tenure so far lends credence to the idea that while Orlando is currently a team at the bottom of the standings, they’re also looking towards a brighter future. One where they won’t have to swallow another 2012-13 campaign.

By bringing in Tobias Harris, Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless and Andrew Nicholson on rookie deals under $2 million a year and signed through next season, with team options for 2014-15, the Magic are set to hit their stride in those years when they’ll need the Lakers and Sixers picks because their own won’t be very good: they’ll be winning too much. That’s neglecting to mention Doron Lamb and Kyle O’Quinn, both of whom are set to make less than $1 million through the 2014-15 season.

All that available cap space and with a base of solid front court players comes because of the clairvoyance of Hennigan. So it stands to reason he’ll make excellent choices on draft day as well. And maybe even in free agency.

Like his mentors, Hennigan’s taking the long view, and it’s going to pay dividends for the Magic regardless of who they snag in this June’s draft. While it’s tempting to hope for a Nerlen November next season, Hennigan isn’t thinking about what’s right around the corner, but what’s three or even four blocks past that corner.

The spring has brought a lot of overcast days for the Magic this year (they only had 2 wins since March 10), the horizon is looking sunnier, and they’re only just beginning the resurrection of the Orlando Magic.

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Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images

Miami Heat

105

Final Recap | Box Score

93

Orlando Magic

	Nikola Vucevic 9-13 FG | 2-3 FT | 1 STL | 13 REB | 20 PTS | -1 Not his usual 20-20 game against this Heat team, but Vucevic did manage to score 20 points and grab 10 rebounds before the fourth quarter. He looked really comfortable working against the undersized Udonis Haslem in the post, but the Birdman snuffed out a lazy offensive rebound putback near the end of the second quarter. It was a solid game for Vucevic, but against inferior competition.
	Tobias Harris 7-16 FG | 5-11 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 19 PTS | -8 On defense, Harris needs to make sure he’s not getting caught in the paint too often because it meant open 3s for Miami. He was his usual slashing self, able to get a good look in the lane a handful of times, but his defense was lackadaisical and he almost fouled out. His 5-for-11 performance rom the line would be worse if the whole team hadn’t been so bad.
	Beno Udrih 5-8 FG | 2-4 FT | 3 REB | 14 AST | 13 PTS | -12 Udrih was part of the reason the Magic had 10 first half turnovers. And he got caught watching the ball a couple times defensively, with Mike Miller knocking down open 3s in the corners. He also struggled to guard Wade, but that’s to be expected. He shot the ball decently enough, but was primarily concerned with dishing the ball to his teammates.
	Andrew Nicholson 6-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 12 PTS | -10 Nicholson only played 10 minutes, but during that brief spurt, he was 6-for-8 from the field. You got to love his hook shot, which he’s equally adept at making with both hands, but most of his buckets came during garbage time. He must’ve pissed head coach Jacque Vaughn off or something to only get 10 minutes of playing time, so that’s a demerit.
	Miami Heat Dwyane Wade shook some of the rust off that accrued during his sabbatical (to rest a sore right knee) and the Heat controlled this game from the outset. They even held Vucevic — their nemesis on the boards — in check. Wade looked explosive with the time off, and had 21 points and 10 dimes. Mike Miller chipped in with 21 by going 6-for-9 from deep.

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• Teams: Orlando Magic at Miami Heat
• Date: April 17, 2013
• Time: 8:00 p.m.
• Television: Fox Sports Florida
• Arena: AmericanAirlines Arena

Records

• Magic: 20-61
• Heat: 65-16

Probable starters

Magic:

• Beno Udrih
• E’Twaun Moore
• Maurice Harkless
• Tobias Harris
• Nikola Vuvevic

Heat:

• Norris Cole
• Dwyane Wade
• Mike Miller
• Juwan Howard
• Udonis Haslem

Advanced stats

Magic:

• Pace: 92.2 (15th of 30)
• Offensive Rating: 101.6 (27th of 30)
• Defensive Rating: 109.1 (25th of 30)

Heat:

• Pace: 90.6 (23rd of 30)
• Offensive Rating: 112.3 (2nd of 30)
• Defensive Rating: 103.8 (9th of 30)

Read about the Heat

Heat Index

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