ball junkie

I agree Rich. I was honestly thinking and wanting Brian to go with the Grant and Dooling backcourt that John Denton talked about in his blog today. Brian just stayed with Jameer thinking he would come out of his slump which didn't happen. Don't forget Jameer is the team captain! If you were coaching would it be easy for you to bench your team captain in the crunch time of the season or meaning the playoffs? I agree with you about Jameer hurting us. I'm thinking if I'm Brian Hill it would not be easy to bench a guy in the playoffs who is the face of your franchise. Jameer is also up for a contract extension. Your crazy if you don't think that plays into it a little bit too!

I've been saying it all along and so has Otis. Our roster has "major" flaws! The management plans on doing something about it this summer. Brian is not a great coach. He is average. He has proven when given talent he can at least take us to the Finals. Rich, I do tire of the personal attacks on the coach which I'm sure are in full bloom as we speak. It happens after every game we lose. I think my opening post summed it up rather nicely.

Brian Hill Sucks! Brian Hill is an Idiot! Brian Hill is a Loser! Fire his Azz! Brian Hill doesn't no how to make rotations! He didn't play my favorite player! Now nobody has to make any other posts tonight cause I just covered everything that will be said in the next two hours.

Great Post Gentry!!! Totally Agree!!!

It's like clockwork, Nelson comes in and we start falling behind again.

I'm not trying to pick on Jameer Nelson but did you guys notice how much better we played when he went to the bench. Sorry to say that.

quote: Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 1:50 pm Post subject: MAGIC WILL MAKE CHANGES TONIGHT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Having lost five consecutive games to the Detroit Pistons

quote: Originally posted by SmackDaddy:Junkie's stirring up the hornets nest again. LOL It's nice to see B Hill admit that he made a a mistake and that changes should be made. (Doesn't this seem to contradict the statements that many made in defense of B Hill after the game one loss?) He has made significant strides in the last month to defy some of his natural tendencies. I have been encouraged to see him try different rotations and keep his cool on the sideline. We'll see what happens tonight. I know Smack loved reading this. Yesterday on the phone Smack and I were both adamant about wanting this line-up on the court. We both just didn't think it would happen. We both felt like Brian would be loyal to the guys whom he has been loyal too all year. And honestly, there is something to be said for loyalty. Brian is willing to change to try and get a win. Let's hope it works! Is there anybody on these boards who isn't sick of hearing about Piston superiority? Dangit, I wanna beat those guys "BAD"!! Hey Smack, how bout those changes my man!!! Let's sign Brian to a 10-year extension!!!(j/k)

quote: Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 1:50 pm Post subject: MAGIC WILL MAKE CHANGES TONIGHT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Having lost five consecutive games to the Detroit Pistons

quote: AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Some of the nostalgic feelings Grant Hill might have encountered this week from being back in Detroit have been tempered by him still blaming the Pistons for improperly diagnosing the ankle injury that wiped out six prime years of his career. Hill spent the first six years of his career in Detroit, and the trouble in his left ankle first surfaced late in the 1999-2000 season with the Pistons. Hill said Pistons doctors never X-rayed his ankle late in the season even though he had constant pain in the joint, instead instructing him to rest for the final four games of the regular season. Those same doctors then convinced Hill that he could do no further damage to his ankle, and he limped through two playoff games and 55 minutes. The result, determined later when Hill had X-rays and ultimately surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, was a fractured bone on the inside of the ankle. "I didn't know what was wrong with my ankle and clearly they didn't either," Hill remembered. "So when I got back from Cleveland, that's when they were like, 'Oh, OK we believe you now (about the pain in his ankle).' Before that, there never were any X-rays, but since then I've had enough to last a lifetime." "I've learned that you can't trust some of these people and you have to take ownership of your own health," Hill said. "If something isn't right, there's a reason that it's not right. Through all my experiences in Detroit and Orlando, I've learned you have to trust your gut. Sometimes your gut is telling you something, but you put your trust elsewhere. It took me three or four times to figure that out." I was just talking this week with 3 or 4 people about Grant's situation since Darko's ankle problem arose. Man, that is unbelievable that no x-rays were taken when he initially hurt his ankle and was complaining to Piston team trainers about the pain in his foot. Smack and I had a conversation the other day about this. I'm amazed there were never any lawsuits! Seems like this circumstance could have easily earned Grant millions more. This is even more reason for the Magic and Grant to reap revenge and beat these guys tonight! http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/...04230332/1002/SPORTS

quote: AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Some of the nostalgic feelings Grant Hill might have encountered this week from being back in Detroit have been tempered by him still blaming the Pistons for improperly diagnosing the ankle injury that wiped out six prime years of his career. Hill spent the first six years of his career in Detroit, and the trouble in his left ankle first surfaced late in the 1999-2000 season with the Pistons. Hill said Pistons doctors never X-rayed his ankle late in the season even though he had constant pain in the joint, instead instructing him to rest for the final four games of the regular season. Those same doctors then convinced Hill that he could do no further damage to his ankle, and he limped through two playoff games and 55 minutes. The result, determined later when Hill had X-rays and ultimately surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, was a fractured bone on the inside of the ankle. "I didn't know what was wrong with my ankle and clearly they didn't either," Hill remembered. "So when I got back from Cleveland, that's when they were like, 'Oh, OK we believe you now (about the pain in his ankle).' Before that, there never were any X-rays, but since then I've had enough to last a lifetime." "I've learned that you can't trust some of these people and you have to take ownership of your own health," Hill said. "If something isn't right, there's a reason that it's not right. Through all my experiences in Detroit and Orlando, I've learned you have to trust your gut. Sometimes your gut is telling you something, but you put your trust elsewhere. It took me three or four times to figure that out." I was just talking this week with 3 or 4 people about Grant's situation since Darko's ankle problem arose. Man, that is unbelievable that no x-rays were taken when he initially hurt his ankle and was complaining to Piston team trainers about the pain in his foot. Smack and I had a conversation the other day about this. I'm amazed there were never any lawsuits! Seems like this circumstance could have easily earned Grant millions more. This is even more reason for the Magic and Grant to reap revenge and beat these guys tonight! http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/...04230332/1002/SPORTS

There's not a person on these boards that doesn't love Darko and the talent he brings to the table. I was very impressed with his performance fighting through pain and loved every minute of it. The key sentence in this article is what Otis said, "let's see him have 2 or 3 games in a row now". Consistency.

quote: Originally posted by ThisIsTheYear: quote: Originally posted by MilitaryMagic:Wow, okay, listen up: Why didn't Ariza play in the 2nd half? BECAUSE HE DIDN'T DO S H I T IN THE 1st HALF. Why didn't JJ play to guard Rip? B/C JJ IS A SLOW SHORT WHITE GUY. I mean, WTF guys the rotations were solid. Hedo was so critical in the game. GHill was playing good to. We kept focus on our wing players and we HAD to give Dwight the ball because he could have won the game for us if he had pulled through a few times. But otherwise we focused on our wings AND FOR GOOD REASON. It was a good dang game, the Pistons are just a sick team that doesn't miss jump shots. Needless to say, Dwight and Darko aren't going to make a difference on whether or not Rip and TP and Billups are swishing 18 footers! I hope we play a similar game in game 2. We must tweak to find a way to reduce the t/o's. We also have to tweak to keep Dwight off the foul line - maybe less 1-on-1 and more focus on the pick and roll for Dwight. More than that though, we just have to have faith in Dwight to make some FT's and keep playing our game. You're right, they were decent.......when he MADE THEM! After we cut the lead to eight going into half time he didn't make a SINGLE substitution until there was 1:26 left on the third quarter clock! Not to mention that Darko was not in the least bit in foul trouble, yet Battie (who was utterly destroyed by seemingly everyone he was guarding) was in for the majority of the third, even though it was our bench that got us back in the game! Our coach is the sheer definition of a moron! You guys kill me. Every stinking TV analyst on the planet in there post-game comments taked first and foremost about our 1.) Turnovers and 2.) Missed Free Throws You guys have to have a scapegoat every game we lose and most of the time it's Brian Hill. Guys we lost by 7 points. We missed 18 free throws and committed 20 something turnovers. It's not rocket science here. You guys are amazing. You ruin the board with all this constant Brian Hill negativity. Here's some advice, Brian Hill will be here next year so why don't you guys make a copy of your posts and click paste every time Brian Hill is mentioned cause you guys say the same things over and over and over again.

quote: Originally posted by MilitaryMagic:Wow, okay, listen up: Why didn't Ariza play in the 2nd half? BECAUSE HE DIDN'T DO S H I T IN THE 1st HALF. Why didn't JJ play to guard Rip? B/C JJ IS A SLOW SHORT WHITE GUY. I mean, WTF guys the rotations were solid. Hedo was so critical in the game. GHill was playing good to. We kept focus on our wing players and we HAD to give Dwight the ball because he could have won the game for us if he had pulled through a few times. But otherwise we focused on our wings AND FOR GOOD REASON. It was a good dang game, the Pistons are just a sick team that doesn't miss jump shots. Needless to say, Dwight and Darko aren't going to make a difference on whether or not Rip and TP and Billups are swishing 18 footers! I hope we play a similar game in game 2. We must tweak to find a way to reduce the t/o's. We also have to tweak to keep Dwight off the foul line - maybe less 1-on-1 and more focus on the pick and roll for Dwight. More than that though, we just have to have faith in Dwight to make some FT's and keep playing our game. Military Magic, the more I read your posts the more I like the way you think. Totally agree with this post.

I'm glad to see your back to your senses This is the Year. We win the game if we correct those free throws and turnovers. Look, not only is Redick a rookie he hasn't played a whole lot this year either. Honestly, he gets lost defensively any time you put him in a pick-an-roll situation. The best way to play him would be call a timeout after we score and then put someone else in there when the Magic are on defense.(lol) Truthfully, we didn't need his shot anyway. We shot as a team something like 60% from the field. The initial part of your post was the problem, turnovers and free throws.

quote: Originally posted by ThisIsTheYear:After watching this game so far, I've now concluded that B. Hill is the worst coach in the NBA. This guy is a fool, an idiot, whatever you want to call it. I hope he gets fired at the end of the season, otherwise Otis is a huge pushover. You gotta be kidding me This is the Year! You don't think all the turnovers and missed free throws had something to do with it? Amazing.

I cannot believe we are still in this game and only down by 8 points! I mean are you kidding me, 6-20 from the foul line and double digit turnovers. If we fix those things we can win this game. Once again though our point guard play scares the crap out of me. Arroyo did better than Nelson. The offense is just real shaky with turnovers to boot.

quote: Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:51 pm Post subject: MILICIC NOT LIKELY TO PLAY IN GAME 1 FOR MAGIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Darko Milicic is planning to test out his sprained right foot later this afternoon and hopes to play when the Orlando Magic face the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. But the odds of Milicic playing tonight don't look good. Milicic sprained the middle of his right foot Tuesday against the Washington Wizards when he tripped over former teammate DeShawn Stevenson

quote: Originally posted by emory889:BJ, you are jumping to a lot of conclusions based on very little. There is no way you can know if Darko is healthy or not. Even Schmitz and Denton don't know. In fact, they said as much in their articles. It should be fairly obvious why the Magic are pushing for Darko to get out there. The idea of Garrity and Outlaw playing significant minutes against the Pistons frontline scares the crap out of them. It should because it scares the crap out of me too. The only one that is truly going to look out for Darko is Darko. You said that you have experience with sprained ankles when you played college ball. You no doubtly know then that there are different severities to these kind of injuries. A player might be able to get right back into the game or it might take a month. It all depends on the injury. I don't know the details of the injury but if its the type that could get worse then I don't blame Darko for being cautious. Its his career that would be at stake BJ not yours or Brian Hills or anyone else for that matter. I seem to remember another guy on our squad that pushed himself into the lineup with a bad ankle during a playoff run. As I remembered it destroyed his career. My good friend Emory, first I'll give you this quote for the morning Sentinel: [Magic Coach Brian Hill said Friday that he expects C/PF Darko Milicic to play in Game 1 tonight despite that right ankle "sprain" he sustained Tuesday in Washington. Milicic practiced lightly on Friday.] The fact that the coach expects him to play is evidence enough for me that he can do it. If you notice it says a "sprain". He's also had 3 days to get treatment. Come on man, it's the playoffs! Get out there and do your best to help your team. Give me a break with the take a month thing. For a sprained ankle? get real. Secondly, Grant Hill played when his ankle was already broken. Now I don't remember who's fault it was when he played with the Pistons that year. I do know Darko's ankle is not broken. He needs to be out there giving it his best.

I'm sitting here watching the Bulls-Heat and I'm paying close attention to Nocioni since he was rumored to be a guy we might get in exchange for Darko. Man, is he "tough" guy or what! The announcer just said he thought Nocioni would make a good fullback in the NFL. The guy is out there hitting 3's and taking the ball to the basket like a "madman"! Man, could we use a tough guy like him on our team or what!!

No question, Grant Hill. Particularly down the strech.

I see the bottom line like this. I don't care how the writer's are trying to spin it. Darko is healthy enough to play. He's just not 100% yet. He's also thinking about that big payday he wants this summer and the playoffs are a big platform to increase that check. If he plays but is limited it will obviously effect his stats and possibly his new contract. I know he's healthy enough to play because Schmitz blog and Denton's blog both insinuate Magic coaches expect him to play. I really don't think they would put him on the floor if they didn't think he was capable. There is a lot of posturing going on here and I don't like it. Particularly before a game of this magnitude. I bet you Darko's agent is in his ear too! Again, anybody can play on a sprained ankle. Probably most of you guys on this board have played hoops with a sprained ankle before. You should have seen some of my college teammates. Big swollen ankles! They just told our trainer to wrap it up tightly and they were out there performing pretty doggone good. Get on the floor Darko and give it your best shot!!!!!!!

quote: Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:51 pm Post subject: MILICIC NOT LIKELY TO PLAY IN GAME 1 FOR MAGIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Darko Milicic is planning to test out his sprained right foot later this afternoon and hopes to play when the Orlando Magic face the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. But the odds of Milicic playing tonight don't look good. Milicic sprained the middle of his right foot Tuesday against the Washington Wizards when he tripped over former teammate DeShawn Stevenson

This is Howard talking about the first time he watched a playoff series in 2005 between the Pistons and the Heat in which Detroit won: quote: "I always told myself after watching that first playoff game that if I ever got to face the Pistons that I would have the time of my life," Howard said, unable to contain the smile that splashed across his face. "I've always pictured myself playing in games like this. Now, it's my time." quote: "I love the role we're in because we've been underdogs all season with people saying we weren't going to make the playoffs," Howard said. "We just have to go play with great confidence. I've faced bigger mountains than this before. God has never put me in a position I couldn't handle." This is talking about the game last week when the Magic visited the palace: quote: Detroit coach Flip Saunders even had this cryptic message after the April 11 game, seemingly talking about Howard: "We learned some things. If we get them in the playoffs, we'll know what to do." "No question about it, their message was if they play us this is how it's going to be," Hill said of Detroit's game plan against Howard. "They were not going to let Dwight beat them. And they were going to make Dwight go to the line and earn his points." Howard stressed that he will be ready for the physical play Saturday and will come with a "hit first" attitude when Pistons defenders try to rattle him. And he vowed that missing free throws is not something that will detract from his confidence. "They were going to send me to the free-throw line and not let me dunk," Howard said. "That game really made me angry and I'm looking forward to redeeming myself." Dwight getting angry! Look out world. Seriously, as big and as fast as Dwight is I would not want to get him mad. For the God-fearing people on these message boards how can you not like our star player giving credit to the Lord and saying he will empower him to handle the task that is before him. I mean look at the top players in the NBA and the league. How many of them talk about Christ in an interview. I'm praying for our team to have success and for God to use Dwight to further his Kingdom. I am just hoping that Dwight doesn't get to amped up cause we all know how young he is and how veteran-laden the Pistons are. I can already visualize the "flopping". I know you guys know what I'm talking about! As far as the series,has there ever been a bigger mountain for a team in the NBA? I think not. This is what makes me think we have an ever-so-slight chance. It's human nature. Specifically us Americans. You guys know what happens when you tell someone there is "no-way" you should even be here much less a chance for your team to win. It creates great focus and team camraderie! A rallying cry so to speak. Time will tell. I'm tired of talking already, let's get this game started now! http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/...04200356/1002/SPORTS

quote: Milicic should play Magic Coach Brian Hill said Friday that he expects C/PF Darko Milicic to play in Game 1 tonight despite that right ankle sprain he sustained Tuesday in Washington. Milicic practiced lightly on Friday. Milicic, the backup for both Dwight Howard and Tony Battie, is key in providing some depth in the front court. Without Milicic, the Magic would have to play undersized Trevor Ariza or Bo Outlaw in the front court. quote: According to the NBA, the Magic attendance increased 9.9 percent this season, the largest increase of any NBA team. On needing Jameer to steady this inexperienced team: quote: "I don't have butterflies," Nelson said. "It's a different stage. I'm going to be excited, not nervous." "That's going to be Jameer's job. . . . He'll respond," Hill said. "We need to get off to a good start. Everybody will have some jitters, but after that first basket, first couple of passes, they'll be fine. "Their mentality will be to try to intimidate you a little bit, talk to you, give hard fouls. You can't let that rattle you. So we have to have a hit-first mentality." quote: Perhaps Nelson doesn't have butterflies flapping because he realizes he'll be getting assistance. The Magic will attack Billups by committee. In their last game against the Pistons, in Auburn Hills, Mich., they used 6-3 Keyon Dooling and 6-8 Grant Hill on him. "Sure, you could see some of that," said Brian Hill, along with a few other wrinkles designed to defend pick-and-rolls, a seasonlong Achilles for the Magic. quote: "There's no reason to be tense; it's a basketball game," Nelson said. "Everybody is counting us out." "I've been through tougher things," he added. "People passing in your life, family issues. . . . To me, this is the easy part of my life." So says Never Nervous Nelson. Tim Povtak's "Key's to the Series": quote: Can Grant Hill turn back the clock? For the Magic to have a chance against the heavily favored Pistons, Hill has to become the late-game go-to guy they have lacked. It's their only hope. Maybe his return to Detroit will prompt a storybook series for him, a reward for all the problems he has endured. They need him strong every night. The Magic -- especially Dwight Howard -- must make free throws. At 70.2 percent from the line, they are 28th in the NBA, which won't cut it with all the fouls that will be called in the playoffs. Howard was woeful in the latter part of the season, and the Pistons plan to make him live at that free-throw line. They've done it to Shaq, so they can do it to Howard. Chauncey Billups vs. Jameer Nelson During the regular season, this point guard matchup was no matchup because Billups destroyed him, getting 31, 28, 17 and 28 points, respectively. Nelson must avoid any kind of personal duel because he can't win it. Billups wasn't the Most Valuable Player of the 2004 Finals by accident. Can the Pistons avoid relaxing against a lesser opponent? The Pistons are well aware they haven't swept a playoff series since their 1989-90 championship season. This group that reached the NBA Finals twice tends to lose focus. They sounded Friday very determined to avoid that trap this time. Not good for the Magic. Darko Milicic needs to get healthy and play big. The Magic really need his skills -- the shot blocking and ability to score inside -- as a third big man. It's inevitable that Dwight Howard and Tony Battie will get in foul trouble trying to slow the Pistons. So they need Milicic in the lineup, not bench guys who hardly played all season. Very glad Darko will be available to give the Magic some minutes. Even if his mobility is limited he's still a valuble big body under the basket altering or blocking shots. Good news here. Was glad to see the Magic's big rise in attendance although I'm really not surprised. Any team that features Steve Francis like we did last year is bound to have struggling attendance. We gotta make a good showing in these playoffs to keep attendance increasing. Glad to hear Jameer won't be nervous. It would be hard to convince me of that after the 4th quarter of the Celtic game. Nevertheless, his leadership will be crucial. Forget the regular season, the playoffs is a "new" season! Lastly, but "definitely" not least, I'm praying for Grant to exorcise all the demons that have plagued him since his last fateful playoff game with the Piston's when he actually played in the last two games of that series with a broken ankle. Lately when the Magic come down to crunch time I've found myself yelling for Grant to get the ball or for someone else to pass it to him. He just doesn't seem to get rattled, is a great decision maker, can get to the basket or draw fouls. Good things usually happen. Can you imagine the stories that will be written if Grant could somehow step up to lead us to victory against his old team? I cherish those thoughts! Go Magic!!! I'm ready for tip-off!!!!! http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/local/orl-mkeys21...orl-sports-headlines http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/local/orl-magic21...orl-sports-headlines http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/local/orl-mnotes2...orl-sports-headlines