ball junkie

quote: "I would like to stay here and they would like for me to stay," he said. "It's time to see if they really want me here. "If I stay, we'll have Dwight and we'll play through him. If I go somewhere else, maybe it would be different for me. I'd like to play with Dwight because everyone wants to play with a great player. But everyone wants to be the guy that the team plays through. I want to be the guy who the team depends on." Sounds to me like Darko "might" want to move on so he can be "the man" on another team. As long as he's here he will always be second fiddle to Dwight. I don't know about you guys but I was extremely impressed with Darko's play against the Pistons. He probably could be the man for other teams. The guys still only 21 years old with awesome skills for a big guy. Playing on another team where he is the sole big man threat means better stats and more money. Stay tuned as a very interesting summer unfolds for the Magic. Just my opinion. http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/...04300333/1002/SPORTS

quote: Originally posted by Nyce_1: quote: Originally posted by ball junkie:Lastly, since we haven't had much Vince talk lately, have you guys noticed the stats Carter is putting up in the last 2 or 3 weeks? He has been tearing it up. I gotta disagree with you Junkie. I've watched Vince a lot lately and, though he's still putting up good numbers, his effort is just not there. Vince has just been coasting, doing just enough to get by. My roommate and I constantly talk about how lazy VC plays during the games. This is a possible contract year and Vince looks like he just doesn't give a d@mn. He rarely drives to the hoop and settles for jumpers. If he was a deadly shooter, no problem, but what made him so great was his ability to get the rim WHENEVER he wanted. Gonna be an interesting offseason. Okay Nyce. I stand corrected. I was just going off what this article says about the Nets team play. I know Vince had that one monster game with something like 44 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. I assumed he was playing pretty well but I have not been following them. Just finding time in my busy schedule to watch the Magic is hard enough. Thanks for filling me in(Nyce) and to all the readers out there I was wrong on my assumption. With all that said I still feel like it would be worth it to sign him if he would take a paycut. Anybody agree?

quote: Originally posted by Peganite1:We would have a dominant inside and outside player in Howard and Carter. Then we would just have to put the right role players around them. Turkoglu, Ariza, Darko, JJ, Battie, Dooling, Hill, and even Jameer (can't have an allstar at every position) could be some of those role players. Exactly! I can't wait!!

quote: Originally posted by The Solution: quote: Originally posted by ball junkie:Until I hear something different I'm ready to move on in my Magic conversation. You told The Ghost of Gabriel if he didn't like a post or thread not to contribute or post. Seems to me you should follow your own advice. I didn't say whether I liked it or not. To me if it's reliable information about the Coach I want to hear or read about it. I just said what everybody else is saying in their responses. It doesn't seem very believable at all. That's it.

quote: Originally posted by The Solution:Now that we have the Brian Hill fan club accounted for, I guess we can move on. Solution, we just tire of the relentless conversation on the man. Right now there is "nothing" anybody can do. Some of you guys are "obsessed" with Brian Hill! Until I hear something different I'm ready to move on in my Magic conversation.

Solution, as soon as I read that first paragraph I knew I didn't need to read any further. To Quote: quote: dafndakata, is a young man working in film and claims to know the internal working and mind set of the management/ ownership. A young man working in films? Who "claims" to know the mind set of management? Nuff said.

quote: Originally posted by D-BoFats: quote: Originally posted by ball junkie: quote: Originally posted by Nyce_1:Jason Kidd is OLD!!!!!!!!! and can't knock down an open shot. Not to mention how expensive he is. If we want Kidd, we'd have to give up wayyyyyyyyy tooooooo much for him. And as far as defensively, we went through this whole year with Meer, Grant, and Turk as starters; that is NOT the most defensive team out there. With Miller at the 1, he plays way better defensive than Meer. JJ at the 2 is a liability, but we've done it before. And Lewis at the 3 is equivalent to having Turk there. So, IMO, we remain the same defensively but our weakness shifts to a different position. As far as my realistic wishlist, I'd like Miller, Ridnour (via trade) or draft Jarvis Crittenton. Correct me if I'm wrong Nyce but I see Rashard Lewis as a shooter who doesn't play very much defense. He is not a guy who can get to the line in late game situations. Kind of like Hedo except better. The opinions of NBA experts I have seen say he doesn't play much defense either. Defensively, I'd say Rashard Lewis is probably better than Vince Carter. Lewis averaged more steals (1.13 compared to 1.00) and blocks (.65 compared to .37) than Carter. As far as late game situations go, I can't argue there. Vince would probably perform better in the clutch. However, throughout the course of a game, I think Lewis would help the team a lot more than Vince. He would certainly take a lot of pressure off of Dwight. Basically, a team with Lewis, as opposed to Carter, wouldn't really need the clutch performance. So Debo, based on what you have said Lewis would not fit the criterion for what free agent Otis is looking for this summer. Otis has said many, many times he is looking for a guy that can get to the free throw line and break down defenses and a crunch time scorer. I think you answered your own question. How about his asking price too? It's gonna be huge!

quote: The Nets, according to several people with knowledge of the team

quote: Originally posted by Nyce_1:Jason Kidd is OLD!!!!!!!!! and can't knock down an open shot. Not to mention how expensive he is. If we want Kidd, we'd have to give up wayyyyyyyyy tooooooo much for him. And as far as defensively, we went through this whole year with Meer, Grant, and Turk as starters; that is NOT the most defensive team out there. With Miller at the 1, he plays way better defensive than Meer. JJ at the 2 is a liability, but we've done it before. And Lewis at the 3 is equivalent to having Turk there. So, IMO, we remain the same defensively but our weakness shifts to a different position. As far as my realistic wishlist, I'd like Miller, Ridnour (via trade) or draft Jarvis Crittenton. Correct me if I'm wrong Nyce but I see Rashard Lewis as a shooter who doesn't play very much defense. He is not a guy who can get to the line in late game situations. Kind of like Hedo except better. The opinions of NBA experts I have seen say he doesn't play much defense either.

Guys, remember first and foremost what our beloved GM Otis Smith has said many times. His most pressing need this summer is to find a wing scorer that can break down defenses, get to the free throw line, take the pressure off Dwight and others. As far as getting Miller I would love it. I have zero confidence in Jameer to lead and quarterback a team. He's a good scorer though.

Fred, you are such a Magic fan you should move to Orlando or Florida like the rest of the world.(lol) Seriously, not sure what happens in Jacksonville but I'm sure the beaches and the bikini's would always be beautiful. As for me, I plan on hanging around Central Florida for most of the summer. My wife and I have an infant child which is our third. We will probably attend a lot of the water parks and I plan on attending the Magic summer leagues in early July.

I agree with everything in your post Year, except one thing. Jameer is our starter. Until that changes or we get somebody else this summer starting Redick is a dead issue. As I'm sure you are well aware of and as I'm sure you would agree with those two(Nelson and Redick) in the back court starting would be a disaster. You may be tired of hearing about his defense(I wonder myself) but I'm still not convinced he will be more than a momentum changing 3-point gunner coming off the bench ala Steve Kerr as our GM Otis Smith has referred to him on numerous occasions.

All great suggestions. I only have one big question about it? To run up-tempo which I see posted a lot don't you have to have a point guard with great vision, leadership, ability to get teammates involved in the offense and be able to throw an accurate pass to the post? Anyone convinced Jameer is the guy? Not me.

quote: Originally posted by MagicmaninMiami:Actually Ball Junkie theres nothing in that piece that gives a ringing endorsement of Bhill. Seems like Weide is deliberately measuring his words. No one on the magic is going to suggest a change until they have some ideas of who will be available. It seems like both the article writer and yourself are spinning it to where you want it to go. We all know personnel changes are coming but we are still going to need to develop the talent we have and Hill is not the man for that. Its not even worth debating. Just as some of you guys like to spin things they way you want it to play out. Look, I'd like a coaching change. Just don't see it happening. I think they're gonna give him a chance with an up-graded roster. As far as you spinning it comment Miami, I quoted it exactly the way VanderWeide said it. He is satisfied at this time. To me that means he'll give another season to Brian and see what he can do. Vanderweide's comment that he is satisfied "right now" to me means Brian had better shore things up at the beginning of next season or he'll be gone. Just my opinion.

I think they're gonna upgrade the roster this summer. I think Brian will be back coaching this team in the fall. If we start stuggling in the initial part of the season I think he will be let go then.

quote: Grading Brian Hill After the game, team president Bob Vander Weide indicated that Coach Brian Hill will be back next season, but said the Magic must make some personnel upgrades after being swept by the Pistons. When asked if Hill would return as coach, Vander Weide said, "Let me just say I'm satisfied with where we are right now.'' However, Vander Weide said "nobody is happy with being swept" and pointed out that the Magic have to get better during the offseason. "I'm proud of the fact that we came in with full passion and energy and nobody on this team quit," Vander Weide said. "Down 3-0, it would have been very easy for a young team to lay down in Game 4. But we have some things we have to work on during the offseason. We have to go out and find some more pieces to complement what we already have." There you have it. And that's coming from the man himself. Look, in critiquing Brian Hill and his adjustments, motivation and so forth I would definitely like to see an upgrade. He does quite a few things that I would do differently. I also am a believer in what Vanderweide is saying here about our personnel. I have steadfastly maintained that they both need improving. Coaching and personnel. I am going to gather more infomation on this subject and post it at a later date. Anyway, it is what it is, to borrow a line from Doc Rivers. Looks to me as if he's coming back. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/local/orl-mnotes2...orl-sports-headlines

quote: Fri Apr 27, 2007 2:24 pm Post subject: MAGIC'S HOWARD UNHAPPY WITH LACK OF SHOTS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Orlando Magic franchise center Dwight Howard said a lot Friday about his frustration level by saying very little at all. When I asked Howard point blank if he was frustrated about his lack of shots in the Magic

What about Jameer guys?(asking conspiculously) Is anybody convinced he is our point guard of the future? I worry this season will repeat itself without a better quarterback on the team. He's a great scorer. But playing the point requires much more than that. If something came up would Otis do it? Or is Jameere's spot on the team a foregone conclusion?

What player or players that were on the Magic roster today do you think will be in a different uniform next season?

I'm with you Magic 31! Your boy played awesome!! You should have seen me and my family jumping up and screaming when he took charge in the 4th quarter. He's fixing to get a big payday. I loved his "passion" tonight! Now what do you think about that Magic31?(smiling)

quote: Originally posted by Osprey23: quote: Originally posted by ThisIsTheYear:Nice game or not, we had it, and we just couldn't buckle down and finish it. Hey what did you all think about J.J.'s shot? I thought we could have used that earlier in the series, don't you? That shot was vintage Duke JJ Redick. I just hope it wasn't his last in a Magic uniform. His offense will never be a problem. He's still got a long way to go defensively. That's why he didn't play a lot. Don't forget he didn't play in the summer, he had no pre-season camp which when your a rookie is extremely important cause of his injuries. Can't wait to see how he looks next year. If he stays healthy all summer and into next season that is when we should see in full what he is capable of.

Darko Milicic just earned a big payday! Great game from him today. Even sweeter being against the Pistons. I'm still pissed we lost.

quote: Originally posted by MagicFanBen:Hey Ball Junkie, here is the major problem with your arguement. You say it is 50-50 coaching/young players. Well you may be right, but until you fix the coaching part your young players will never reach their potential. Lets just look at the big men for a second. We had Clifford Ray as a coach. If you look at Ray's track record he has been able to take ANY big man and make them over achieve. The 2 most noteable was Foyle and Dampier when he coached them at Golden State. Those 2 guys over performed and got paid. Now look at what he is doing in Boston. It goes without saying if the floor was spread more for Dwight to work he would score more and his game would develop quicker. Right now with the rotation Hill uses and the players that play along side Dwight, it puts Dwight in a straight jacket so to speak and he is fightinging 2-3 guys every night just to bet a bucket and most of the time he ends up on the free throw line. SO you can take your 50-50 opinion and smoke on it cause until the coaching gets fixed, I am not piling on the players for not performing. This coach also has them running a slow offense, which is a horrible idea when you have a stable full of stallions. This team is made up of players that should run a Suns type offense not the one they run now. Darko is our slowest young guy and he can beat 80% of the big men down the floor. I've seen so many people post that about we need a different offense kind of like the Suns run. To me that is laughable. It doesn't matter what offense you run, Jameer Nelson would still have to be the quarterback. He would have to make decisions on the floor. He would still have to get his teammates involved in the offense. He would still have to learn to feed the post cause to me he still can't do it! I sat courtside Thursday night and I don't know how many times Dwight was calling for the ball and he was open and Nelson didn't throw it. Either Jameer doesn't have confidence in Dwight to score or make his foul shots or he is afraid of throwing it in there cause he doesn't want to take a chance on another of his turnovers. Man, I still shudder thinking about that Celtics game a couple of weeks ago. Specifically in the 4th quarter. That was the most pitiful display of point guard play and leadership when your team's season was on the line. Against a team that was basically wanting to lose! To me, if we ran a Suns style offense we would have more turnovers. At times this year we have tried to pick up the pace and when we do there are just as many turnovers if not more. Do I think coaching adjustments are a problem? Definitely. Would I like a new Coach? Definitely. But, anybody who thinks the problems of this team can be solved by firing Hil and getting a new coach are sadly mistaken. We need some roster adjustments and a new coach! It's 50-50!

quote: Originally posted by The Ghost of John Gabriel: quote: All of the people that were sitting around me all said the same. Personnel and Coaching, 50-50. All the guys that work with me say the same thing, 50-50, coaching and personnel. This board is the only place that thinks "everything" is Brian's fault. LMAO, Why do you want to hi-jack this thread and turn this into a thread about Brian Hill??? Based on the posts I see about Jameer & others I don't think anybody thinks "everything" is Brian Hill's fault or that we don't have personel issues. Please recognize how childish your posts are becoming. If somebody says the issues are 50-50. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that support the position that coaching is a problem??? Hey Ghost, just to give you some background on my posts in this thread to possibly help you understand. On one of Smack's threads I told them I was gonna respond to some of their comments when my job would allow me too. I was gonna start my own thread about Game 3 and my thoughts on the coaching situation. As I was browsing the web I came across this blog by Denton complete with Steve Kerr's analysis of Dwight Howard. I posted his blog to tie it into my own thoughts cause I didn't want to start two threads at the same time. My point was that Hill and the Magic's personnel are both the problems. And yes I agree, coaching is "definitely" a problem. I'm not going to repeat my thoughts. You can read this thread again if need be. You said you didn't think "anybody" thought everything was Brian Hill's fault. I just now counted the top ten threads on this forum and 8 of them are about Brian Hill. Nine if you count mine. I think that suggests "most" people think Brian Hill is the problem. Sorry if you think my post's are childish. I speak from what my heart and brain are telling me. And frankly, as I have posted other times I am growing very weary of all the Coach Hill talk. Mostly the name-calling is what bothers me. In the future, if you don't mind me making a suggestion, if you don't like what someone is posting then don't respond. It works for me.

quote: Originally posted by Live or Die Magic: quote: Originally posted by ball junkie:See, here is an ex-NBA player having doubts about Dwight and his low-post game. I wouldn't put too much stock into the fact that he is an ex-NBA player. After all, Amal McKaskil and Reece Gaines are ex-NBA players. quote: Originally posted by ball junkie:I talked to an assistant of Todd Lewis last night. He's the guy who does the Sports for WKMG News. So the assistant to the WKMG sports guy is suddenly a recognized authority figure? My guess is that most of us are more knowledgeable about the NBA than this guy. Much like the columnists, the only thing these guys have on us is better access. Sorry for ganging up on you Junkie....its been a rough week. No offense taken at all Live or Die. In fact I'd like to pay you a compliment. Last night after my hour drive home from the game I was extremely tired. I still wanted to just check the boards and see all the negativity. Most of the posts were of course bashing Brian Hill. I can't remember which thread it was but some Deroit guy was bashing the Magic and Live or Die banned him I think. I was just so impressed with your spirit you displayed for the team. I think your comment was, "I'm very depressed right now so this is not a good time to pick at Magic fans". That shows me how much you love your team in spite of the coaching or other problems we have right now. Live or Die also went on to say he was hoarse from screaming for the Magic last night. I was impressed with your passion for your team! It reminded me of someone else? Me.(lol)