What kept Orlando from being smashed worse? Who is playing well?

Dewayne Dedmon‘s hustle, rebounding and energy also helped keep the Magic in the game, as he was one of three Magic reserves to post a +5 mark for the first half, coming up with two steals and two offensive boards that gave the Magic second chance opportunities. He finished with a team-high nine rebounds in 20 minutes of play.

Dedmon, Nicholson and Harkless played the best of all Magic players in the loss — and all but Dedmon had been failing to see the court during Vaughn’s time as head coach.

And so, there have been moments of seemingly everyone playing good in stretches. But it is not forming a full picture. Oladipo, Vucevic and Harris were the three starters on the court with Green and Gordon in the loss to the Hornets.

In the loss to the Hawks, Payton stayed on the court with Green and Oladipo, but it was a mixture of Harris and Channing Frye over the final five minutes at the 4-spot.

Coaches often stick with the players performing best for the crunch-time minutes, but how does that explain Borrego’s decision to just randomly run with Ben Gordon over the final entire period Sunday?

It is just hard as an observer to find any real rhyme or reason to some of these substitutions, and as a player it is doubly confusing. When guys are not sure if they are going to get their number called or not, it leads to a certain complacency. With units that are not typically on the court together, offensive cohesion and structure is hard to come by.

It is worth noting that Vucevic seemed a little in disarray without Payton on the court. While Gordon and Green are both established vets capable of playing valuable NBA minutes, it has to be wondered how giving either or both big minutes benefits a young team trying to grow together.

Also, neither are true point guards. And for all Luke Ridnour may have been at one time over his NBA career (by that we mean “about average”), Payton is the only guard on the team capable of consistently creating something out of nothing.

Borrego started out 4-2 as head coach, but this week’s 0-3 mark puts back into question his status as anything more than an interim coach. After a three game win streak, the Magic found a way to drop the next three.

It is just part of the roller coaster of being a young rebuilding team, but compounding the problem by giving guys hazily defined roles does not help — at all.

There is something to be said for being innovative and trying new things, but at some point that interferes with any drive for stability.

Since the Magic blew an eight-point lead in less than a minute against the Heat, fell behind by 10 points in the first two minutes of the Hawks contest and was utterly destroyed in the second half by the Hornets, it has to be wondered how any of the changes have contributed positively at all.