No one is sure what to expect from the Orlando Magic as they open up the preseason. Scott Skiles seems to recognize it may take some time to build fan trust
The Orlando Magic will open their preseason Saturday night on one of the biggest sports days on the Orlando calendar.
Even if it were not such a hugely monumental and important game for the Lions, a true six-pointer that could determine whether the Lions stay in the Playoff race or get eliminated from consideration, it would have been tough for the Orlando Magic to pull many people away from a MLS regular season game for a preseason game, even if it was the first one.
Then there is the general malaise that comes with a team who has not won much in three years. Fans are a little hesitant to jump back on the bandwagon again.
Should fans be excited and come out Saturday? Even Scott Skiles is realistic about it:
“I guess the correct marketing answer would be, ‘Yes,'” Skiles said. “I’m really positive on this team. But they have been through a lot. People have tough decisions to make with their money. If somebody wants to sit at home and wait and see what happens, I wouldn’t blame them for that. But I would also say they might be missing something.”
There is a lot of promise and potential in the Magic for sure. But not a lot of change from a 25-win team that was so disappointing to a fan base hungry to see the team start turning the corner. No one in the organization and certainly not the fan base wants to suffer through another disheartening 30-win season.
And so there is trepidation to see what this team can become.
The Magic ranked 23rd in overall attendance in the NBA last year. That is not terrible considering the team’s record, but the numbers could also be fudged. The Magic are not exactly a draw on their own.
It is going to take some time to turn some heads around the league and, once again, in the city.
Skiles seems to understand that it may take some time to get everyone on board if they have to spend some money to come to the Amway Center. It is his job to make people believe again.
So what to expect Saturday? Not even Skiles knows.
“I have no idea [what to expect],” Skiles said. “I’ve had many teams, where I feel like boy we’re ready and we’re really going to play well in our first exhibition game and we haven’t and vice versa. If we play anything like we’ve played here, we’ll play really hard and try to share the ball and look fairly organized. Again, you just don’t know.”
And that is the mystery of the season. Those answers start coming Saturday.
