Oct 31, 2009

NBA's Magic To Open The Season With A Slim Roster

Orlando Waives Reserve Forward Linton Johnson III

The NBA's Orlando Magic will be starting the regular season with a much smaller lineup than the normal average. The Magic, who are already suffering from a lack of depth on their roster, waived reserve forward Linton Johnson III just hours before the team's opening game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. The unexpected move left the Magic's roster at just 13 players to begin the season. However, even though the technical number of players on the roster was 13, the true available number of players was actually chopped down to only 11 with Johnson's dismissal. The Magic's star forward Rashard Lewis won't be available for the first 10 games of the season due to a suspension he incurred by the league after testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone. In addition, they are also without the services of reserve center Adonal Foyle who is still recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

Although Johnson was not an impact player for the Magic, the loss of his presence may hurt the Magic in the early stages of the season. The Magic are already without their start forward Rashard Lewis, and their roster is in a depleted state so they might at some point need a few additional players to be able to step in where needed if the situation arises. Johnson was nothing special, but he was an extra body that could provide a little more depth if needed. How the first 10 games or so pan out for the Magic remains to be seen, but the sportbooks' betting line odds certainly won't be in their favor until they get their roster back to full strength.

By Bryan Jackson
Staff Writer
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