What could have been: The Mid-90's Orlando Magic

Recently, I came across the "ESPN 30 for 30" Documentary of the Orlando Magic from the mid-90's. Appropriately, that Magic team is known as the "Lost Dynasty" because they were the best team of that era to not win a championship. It was a fun and exciting time to be an NBA fan in general, and that squad personified it. They were a cultural phenomenon with the style of their uniforms. Next to Michael Jordan, Penny and Shaq were the most marketable stars in the league at this time. Shaq and Penny were fan favorites in the NBA Jam video games. Penny had his alter-ego Lil' Penny (voiced by Chris Rock). The Magic had all of the pieces in place to take the place of the Jordan-led Bulls as the next NBA Juggernaut. The tag-team of Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway were extremely promising. Penny was a 6'7" Point Guard that was labeled as Magic Johnson 2.0. People thought that he could even surpass Magic in some ways. Yes, Penny was that good. On the other hand, you have Shaq, who was a 7'1" Demolition Machine. O'Neal was poised to become the Greatest Center of All-Time as he was heavily compared to the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Shaq would go on to become the closest thing to Wilt in the Modern Era, so all was not lost. Since Shaq's retirement, there has not been a Center that has come remotely close to achieving what he has achieved as players of his mold have become extinct. Today's fans may only see him as an out of shape commentator joking with Charles Barkley on TNT, but Shaq was a menace in his younger days. When you are looking to build the typical basketball team, you would start with the Center and a Point Guard. Shaq and Penny fit those requirements perfectly. Orlando traded Chris Webber on draft day for Penny to create that nucleus. This team was the biggest threat for his Airness heading into the future, as they were aiming for Chicago's throne. They had all of the tools to be the 90's Hip-Hop version of Showtime. Then, you add supporting pieces around them such as Dennis Scott, Brian Shaw, Horace Grant and Nick Anderson that you could count on to get the job done. Horace provided the championship experience that they needed, as he won the first three championships being the third wheel on the aforementioned Bulls team.

Magic's Lakers and Bird's Celtics dominated and defined the 1980's. Jordan's Bulls defined the 1990's. The Shaq & Kobe Era Lakers did that in the early 2000's, along with Duncan's Spurs. Orlando fans will always live with the painful idea about what Shaq & Penny could have done for the Magic in the late 90's heading into the new millennium. The Magic had youth and a very strong upside in their favor. Shaq was one of the top two scoring leaders and a top 3 MVP Candidate in Jordan's absence. They conquered the East, as Shaq pretty much-made players like Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning his whipping boys. The Magic went through teams like the Knicks, Hornets, and the Pacers on their journey. Their shining moment came when they defeated the Chicago Bulls, who were already established as an all-time great dynasty from winning their first three titles before Michael went to baseball. In fairness, Jordan was still shaking off his rust as he was still not in the proper shape for Basketball. Unfortunately, they were also filled with immaturity. They lacked the experience and mental toughness to handle the mantle that was theirs to take. Orlando hit a brick wall in the NBA Finals, as Shaq was humbled by Hakeem Olajuwon's veteran leadership and All-World Post Moves. On top of that, Clyde Drexler & co, surprised rising star Penny Hardaway and the rest of his cast of characters as the Houston Rockets swept the Magic in the Finals. To make matters even worse, Nick Anderson bombed from the free throw line as he missed all four free throws. Anderson was not Rick Barry or Larry Bird from the free throw line, but he was passable at 71%. Suddenly, Nick transformed into Shaq when he stepped up to the line as his misses were another crack in the team's armor. Anderson fell apart psychologically and never recovered. In 1996, Orlando went 60-22 as they were right after the history-making 72-10 Chicago Bulls Powerhouse. Penny was breaking out even more into a star, as both him and Shaq would make the 1996 Dream Team in the Summer. Sadly, everything came crashing down in the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls came back with a strong vengeance, as they assassinated the team that was destined as "The Team of The Future". The Magic were beaten mercilessly, as Michael and Scottie trapped Penny on each and every side. Meanwhile, Dennis Rodman rendered Shaq as ineffective. The promise that Orlando once had was incinerated as Chicago would win three more championships. The same Bulls team that was considered a thing of the past would cement their place as the Kings of that Decade. Michael Jordan would further cement his case as the Greatest Player of All-Time.

The internal conflict would tear the team apart, as their Franchise Star would leave for Hollywood and establish his place among the great champions in NBA History with a new dynamic perimeter player named Kobe Bryant. They would become what Shaq and Penny should have become had things fallen into place. Shaq would become one of the top players of the 2000's, as he would lead the Lakers to 3-Straight Championships. Shaq's run in the Finals was comparable to Michael Jordan's first three-peat years. O'Neal was clearly a magnet to championship success, as he made any perimeter player around him better (Penny, Kobe, Wade). Shaq became the Shawn Michaels to Penny's Marty Jannetty. He is, in fact, the most destructive force on a Basketball Court that this generation has seen. On the other side of the coin, the Orlando Magic would quickly fall on their face. In the span of one season, the Magic went from being in the Conference Finals to not making the playoffs. Penny was given a larger load to carry because of the potential that he had. He was the flavor of the month. However, that flavor left a bad taste in everyone's mouth as Penny's body slowly started to break down. Hardaway would join the Phoenix Suns by 1999. He would show flashes of who he was, but was never the same player as a result of injuries. O'Neal and Hardaway would cross paths in the playoffs, as Shaq's Lakers destroyed Phoenix 4-1. Penny would look at Shaq and Kobe's duo as a reflection of what he and Shaq once shared, as well as what they could have shared.

With that being said, this begs the ultimate question: What if the Orlando Magic stayed together? The Magic were already second place in the Eastern Conference behind Chicago. Penny was coming off of his best season. Shaq was taking the throne as the Top Center in the league, as Olajuwon, Ewing and Robinson would soon fade not long after that. However, Orlando Management told Shaq that he was not worth $100 million. Yet, players like Alonzo Mourning and Juwan Howard were gettting paid that much (Zo/$105 million, Juwan/$101 million respectively). Shaq may have had his issues controlling his ego, but he was well worth that kind of money. In all due respect to Zo and Howard, but they were not even in the same category as Shaq as players. They were not even in the same library as Shaq, let alone in the same book as him. Shaq was drawing worthy comparisons to Kareem, Wilt, and Russell at the time. The NBA showed how much they invested in Shaq by naming him one of the 50 Greatest Players!! Although it was a premature move at the time, Shaq fulfilled that potential and more as he became one of the consensus Top 10 Players of all-time. With that said, Shaq was shortchanged as the team offered him $80 million instead. The way that they showed their "appreciation" or lack thereof was to underpay him. On the other hand, Jerry West offered Shaq a much greater deal that he richly deserved as the Lakers offered Diesel $120 million. The rest is history. Orlando's championships went out West. Let's say that Orlando swallowed their pride and paid Shaq what he deserved. Then, they could bring in the right role players to take the places of Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson. As long as Penny stays healthy, he could have had the storied career that Kobe Bryant has instead of becoming the urban legend of our generation like Connie Hawkins and Len Bias were to previous generations. If things continued to go well, they could have also added Tracy McGrady to the mix (somebody would have to give up the number 1 for Orlando). As long as the right personnel moves were in place, Orlando could have made their mark as one of the perennial dynasties in NBA lore. Even if they snatched at least two or three, that would be fine. Instead of joining the ranks of the greatest dynasties, this Magic team joined the ranks of the 80's Rockets, 2000's Blazers and 2000's Kings as teams that had what it took, but shot themselves in the foot. They were a walking championship waiting to happen. Once again, "What if?".