An expert diagnosis of what is ailing the Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy says his slumping team is "feeling sorry" for themselves. It could be worse.

They could be the dysfunctional Washington Wizards. The Wizards' last great franchise move might have come in 1997, when they changed their name from the "Bullets" as part of an, ahem, anti-violence campaign.

Not that these Wizards (11-22) --- the Magic's opponent tonight --- display any amazing brilliance, speaking of gunner Gilbert Arenas.

So it could be worse. The Magic are no longer under the radar, even though it appears they are working their way back to being undetectable by sonar after losing three consecutive games and four of their last six.

Everyone simply expects more now, especially after they declared they were all-in with an expensive offseason. Asked what's plaguing the Magic (24-11), J.J. Redick half-joked, "I think the main problem is everybody."

We take a look at what seems to be ailing them.

Vin-sanity…. or insanity?

Vince Carter's is giving doubters plenty of ammunition (blame Arenas for the poor puns) to criticize his acquisition.

He's not only shooting at a career-low 39.2 percent, but he's taken questionable shots --- and 172 more shots than Dwight Howard.

In the past four games, Carter is an alarming 10-of-47 and has made it to the line just 14 times.

Wednesday night against Toronto, Carter simply stopped shooting (seven shots), leaving coach Stan Van Gundy to find other crunch-time options. What to do?

Van Gundy can limit his touches and direct him to drive more --- or demand players stop deferring to him so much, right?

But Van Gundy tip-toed around a Carter question, saying he didn't want to "single out" players (anybody miss the old politically incorrect Stan?)

General Manager Otis Smith says his faith in Carter is unshakable. He reminds everyone that Carter has played less than half a season and it took Hedo Turkoglu a long time to blend with Howard and Co.

Offensive ills

The Magic's offense is sputtering and leaking oil.

It is built on the power of Howard and deadly 3-point shooters, a pick-your-poison philosophy. If unable to play off Howard consistently, the Magic become jump-shot-happy. Outcomes then depend on whether they have defensive energy to counter-punch.

"There's obviously some frustration offensively," Redick said. "Nobody is really shooting well and I think that affects our whole game."

Perhaps with Nelson returning from injury, another transition was in order. With four pure scorers in the lineup, the Magic have looked uncomfortable tailoring their games. Turnovers mount.

"We're thinking a little too much, not sure of ourselves at times," Nelson said.

With five new players and injuries, Redick says, "It hasn't been seamless. There hasn't been much flow to it."

Lately, Howard has been held in check because of foul trouble, turnovers, double-teams and his own limited arsenal, scoring 11 or fewer points four times in the last six games (with the Magic going 2-4).

He can overpower most centers, but has become predictable. When mediocre opponents can play him without double teams, they can better defend the 3-point line.

Weight of expectations

Howard has frequently talked of "expectations" weighing on the Magic; Redick labels them "unrealistic."

Well, welcome to life as a contender.

The Magic are coming off a surprise season in which they reached the NBA Finals against the L.A. Lakers.

With their slow starts and losses to sub .500 teams, you can make a case that they have struggled adjusting to the life-after part. They've often looked uninspired by the regular season and unprepared to be the hunted, caught up in their ascent.

"That definitely might be part of it," Redick said.

Thirty-five games in, Nelson conceded his team was "lifeless" and "shell-shocked" to be in their "funk" after losing to Toronto Wednesday.

Last season the Magic didn't lose their 11th game until winning 37 times. "It's a new year," Nelson said. "It's different. Things happen."

Smith says the swoon is part of a learning process that will "help us more than hurt us" at playoff time and preaches patience. "Has anybody ever won the championship in December?" he said.

Read Brian Schmitz' blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/Magic blog and e-mail him at orlandosentinel.com.