A year earlier, they joined together to form what figured to be the rebirth of the Orlando Magic. In two separate deals -- people forget they were officially traded from their former teams -- Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady came to Florida to give Doc Rivers an infusion of talent. Today, a year later, the Magic still don't know what it's like to have their superstars on the court together for more than a week. They're hoping this is the year.

	McGrady had his breakout season, but now Hill has returned.

So as we continue our 2001 Summer Spotlight Series, here's the deal with the Magic.

The good: While Hill came to Orlando as damaged goods, with an ankle injury from the Pistons' prior playoff exit, his partner Tracy burst onto the scene and statistically trumped his more famous cousin and former teammate, Vince Carter. McGrady was spectacular, scoring (26.8 ppg), rebounding (7.5) and flashing an all-around game with steals, blocks, everything. Did Carter do all that? Nope, but Carter's team had a better record and nearly made the East finals, while McGrady won 43 games. It was a disappointing Magic season, really, considering the promise that last summer brought.

Now that Hill is back, and so far there's no indication that the ankle isn't ready to go, how good will this team be? Don't blame Detroit for this. The Magic locked up Hill for seven years so having him for only four games last year and getting him completely healthy was more important than risking more surgery. Hill is a small forward with superior passing skills, and McGrady can play shooting guard, though he lacks outside shooting skills at this point. He's 22. We can wait.

The reason Orlando was a .500 team last year wasn't entirely Hill's fault; Rivers had nowhere to turn in the frontcourt. Bo Outlaw led the team in rebounding, with a fraction more on average than McGrady, and that's not a recipe for success. The center was John Amaechi, who turned in a horrible season in all respects. Michael Doleac? Andrew DeClercq? It's no wonder the 6-8 Outlaw saw plenty of time in the middle.

So the big priority this offseason, other than healing Hill, was to get center Antonio Davis from Toronto. Davis wanted to come to Disney World, and the Magic desperately wanted him. However, the money wasn't right, and the Magic could afford it. Davis, looking for security as well, got his millions in Canada. Luckily for Orlando, there was another legit center out there, a Hall of Famer no less! And there was also a veteran power forward with championship rings all over his fingers available? But, with only $4.5 million total to spend, how do you get Patrick Ewing and Horace Grant?

	THE FACTS
	2000-01 record: 43-39, fourth in Atlantic, seventh in East Playoffs: lost in first round Team leaders: McGrady 26.8 ppg, Outlaw 7.7 rpg; Armstrong 7.0 apg Team stats (NBA rank): Points, 97.5 (6th); Rebs, 42.9 (11th); FG %, .438 (18th) Current rotation: Ewing C; Grant PF; Hill SF; McGrady SG; Armstrong PG; Miller 6th man Spot in Summer Power Rankings: No. 6

The bad: Yes, Ewing and Grant are an upgrade over what was here a year ago. However, the Magic are about five years too late on each guy. Ewing was slowing down as a Knick, but in his lone season in Seattle he was embarrassingly unproductive. Now 39, Ewing couldn't average 10 points a game, let alone 10 boards. Of course, he does remain a presence and this isn't the West, where the big fellas lurk. But expecting more than 12 and 8 -- or even 82 games -- is asking too much.

As for Grant, he won't look as good playing next to Ewing as he was next to Shaquille O'Neal. At 36 and in his second stint in Orlando, he figures to bring that overrated veteran presence to the lineup and numbers lower than Ewing's. But, again, this remains a significant upgrade at two spots, with the energetic Outlaw now able to do his jumping jack routine off the bench.

The other main issue Rivers had with his squad was the lack of a capable backup for point guard Darrell Armstrong, who put up solid numbers across the board, but cannot effectively play 37 minutes a night again. Erratic Troy Hudson and rookie Jeryl Sasser are here to help, but with Hill playing some point forward Armstrong's minutes should be under 30 a night anyway.

The ugly: With the advanced age of two starters and the questionable health of Mr. Hill -- say what you want about his early play in practices, let's see that ankle hold up for 82 games, back-to-backs, etc. -- things could go wrong quickly. Rivers drew raves for the coaching job he did two years back when he took a team with Armstrong and little else to a 41-41 record. Did he get any coach of the year votes last year? Of course not, but if things fall apart here Rivers could take the fall, and if everyone stays healthy and does their job and you still don't see 50 wins it again points to Rivers.

Another concern is how will the two superstars share. Is there a story here or will Hill have no problem deferring to McGrady? Who takes the big shots? Who handles the ball? Neither Hill nor McGrady have shown selfish tendencies in the past, so we'll assume they'll be fine.

The future: Orlando has a good mix of young and old, and on paper there aren't any major weaknesses. Some people love the potential this squad has. Hill and McGrady figure to be All-Stars, Armstrong is extremely capable at the point, Ewing, Grant and Outlaw are workmanlike rebounders and we haven't even mentioned the reigning Rookie of the Year.

With a higher priority being placed on outside shooting this year, look for sniper Mike Miller to score what Armstrong did, in the mid-teens. Miller becomes the team's No. 3 scorer and main home run hitter, which might even be selling him short, frankly. At 6-8 Miller could be more than that. But not on this team.

We thought enough of the Magic, based on their potential, to rank them among the best teams in the East, and better than the defending conference champs. McGrady and Miller are real young, and Hill's not yet 30. Watch out, East, this team might be good for years.

So we asked you this question about the Magic: Ewing and Grant are a combined 75 years old (literally), but aren't they a significant upgrade for this team?

Check the file to the right for selected responses.

Eric Karabell is ESPN.com's NBA editor.