Solving the Magic's New Problem at the Point

Chris Paul's groin should be fine for the All-Star Game, which is good news for Hornets fans and anyone planning to watch the ASG. But Jameer Nelson, who also left the game with an injury, didn't get off so easy. The verdict: torn labrum, might miss the rest of the season, depending whether Nelson opts for surgery or rehab.

We can pretty much count on Jameer out for the ASG Weekend. This clears the way for Mo Williams to step in and claim an All-Star spot; this makes perfect sense, since Williams is lighting it up, and this would give Cleveland a second player besides King James. The top teams in the East would each have two representatives, thus restoring harmony to the land. Pay no attention to Doc Rivers's lobbying to have Nelson replaced with two Celtics of his choice.

More pressing, though, is what exactly the Magic plan to do going forward. Heading into this year, they got rid of semi-competent point guards Carlos Arroyo and Keyon Dooling to prove that Meer-Meer was their once and future starter. The confidence boost worked, obviously, except now the Magic's starting point guard is probably Anthony Johnson, most famous for once scoring 50 points. Dwight Howard, the team's unquestioned super-weapon, isn't as dependent on Nelson as you'd think. But the team's 50 three-point marksmen depend on Nelson's ability to penetrate. Johnson just isn't drawing that kind of attention when he puts the ball on the floor.

So what's the third-best team in the East to do? The answer might be Hedo Turkoglu, who has finally come into his own with this team and should've been an All-Star last season. Turkoglu isn't a real point guard, and doesn't intimate with his drives like Nelson. But he's a very versatile offensive presence who can handle the ball, pass extremely well, and get inside much better than you think. Putting the ball in his hands won't compensate for the loss of Nelson, however long it turns out to be. But it would allow them to keep their offense intact, and Hedo's certainly capable of upping his production. Turkoglu can't keep up with any truly quick PG's, something that would irk the defensive-minded Stan Van Gundy. Putting a smaller, more athletic shooting guard on the opposing PG would be an acceptable compromise.

In 2007-08, Hedo averaged a robust 19/5/5 as Nelson struggled. The Magic bowed out in the second round to the Pistons. Certainly, the Magic would've ideally gone into this postseason with their All-Star point guard. Instead, a much-improved, more cohesive team just might have to settle for trying with last year's personnel.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.