brownmagic

Ok the magic are in a mini slump right now and a lot of you are clamoring for some wholesale changes in the team. Looking at last nights game while the effort from most of our players was sub par here are a few thoughts: 1. Most worryingly, we seemed to lack a strategy or Plan B when our usual three game wasn't falling. We did however manage to figure out albeit pretty late in the game that driving to the basket would help. Now I would chalk that up to SVG or the players not listening to SVG. 2. Our ball movement was stagnant for the majority of the game. While there is no doubt we are loaded with really good three point shooters, part of maximizing the talent we have is getting them good looks. That simply didnt happen until players started to dribble penetrate and take it to the hole, have defenders collapse around them and finish if they could or pass out to the open three. See first 3-4 mins of the fourth quarter when the ball movement was fantastic and we quickly narrowed the lead from 20 something to 12. 3. Defensive assignments,a lot of them were missed last night, simply lack of hustle because this team can definitely defend. We got burned by Steve Blake and his open threes. If people are shooting the three well, we rarely seem to play get in their face defense, instead we seem to just keep giving them space to do their thing again and again. 4. Touches for Dwight--simply put too low- so much for our inside out game. Also I must say when Dwight gets the ball deep in the paint and does his thing, the entire team just chills out waiting for him. No one slashes creating opportunities for him to pass out and no one is there to clean up in case he misses. Case in point, when the ball is not in JJ's hands--watch what JJ Redick does relative to the rest of the team. The difference is amazing. 5. Vince Carter, for all the crap he is taking, most of it is well deserved. He is trying but simply hasn't been able to get going. Has to be more selective about this shots and look to create for others after driving to the basket and having defenders collapsing around him instead of going up for the difficult shot. Bottom line: this team can play, they have shown they can, the problem seems to be consistency and the lack of dribble penetration when the 3 isnt falling. Also time has come for Dwight to start integrating the face up jumper or bank shot into his game. Seems like a lack of confidence, so the only way to build that is to actually shoot---In the games where we are playing well and up by like 10 points+ in the fourth quarter with a few minutes left to go, Dwight should be in there and shooting jumpers. Do we need major trades, not really, we could use a slashing player to help with our ball movement but I think the team has the talent to win, all they need is chemistry and for that you need STRATEGY.

Ok the magic are in a mini slump right now and a lot of you are clamoring for some wholesale changes in the team. Looking at last nights game while the effort from most of our players was sub par here are a few thoughts: 1. Most worryingly, we seemed to lack a strategy or Plan B when our usual three game wasn't falling. We did however manage to figure out albeit pretty late in the game that driving to the basket would help. Now I would chalk that up to SVG or the players not listening to SVG. 2. Our ball movement was stagnant for the majority of the game. While there is no doubt we are loaded with really good three point shooters, part of maximizing the talent we have is getting them good looks. That simply didnt happen until players started to dribble penetrate and take it to the hole, have defenders collapse around them and finish if they could or pass out to the open three. See first 3-4 mins of the fourth quarter when the ball movement was fantastic and we quickly narrowed the lead from 20 something to 12. 3. Defensive assignments,a lot of them were missed last night, simply lack of hustle because this team can definitely defend. We got burned by Steve Blake and his open threes. If people are shooting the three well, we rarely seem to play get in their face defense, instead we seem to just keep giving them space to do their thing again and again. 4. Touches for Dwight--simply put too low- so much for our inside out game. Also I must say when Dwight gets the ball deep in the paint and does his thing, the entire team just chills out waiting for him. No one slashes creating opportunities for him to pass out and no one is there to clean up in case he misses. Case in point, when the ball is not in JJ's hands--watch what JJ Redick does relative to the rest of the team. The difference is amazing. 5. Vince Carter, for all the crap he is taking, most of it is well deserved. He is trying but simply hasn't been able to get going. Has to be more selective about this shots and look to create for others after driving to the basket and having defenders collapsing around him instead of going up for the difficult shot. Bottom line: this team can play, they have shown they can, the problem seems to be consistency and the lack of dribble penetration when the 3 isnt falling. Also time has come for Dwight to start integrating the face up jumper or bank shot into his game. Seems like a lack of confidence, so the only way to build that is to actually shoot---In the games where we are playing well and up by like 10 points+ in the fourth quarter with a few minutes left to go, Dwight should be in there and shooting jumpers. Do we need major trades, not really, we could use a slashing player to help with our ball movement but I think the team has the talent to win, all they need is chemistry and for that you need STRATEGY.

quote: Originally posted by sportsfanatic: quote: Originally posted by brownmagic:I love this finally some slashing and driving. only problem is it took our special ed players 3 quarters to figure this out... Agreed although I have to say SVG should hv taken control a bit earlier and asked them to take it to the hole more often.

I love this finally some slashing and driving.

quote: Originally posted by GhostAnime: quote: Originally posted by robotmaster:Why werent we playing this smart in the first half? Idiots need to be down to show up. the shots are just going in. the offense is the same. I respectfully disagree, the offense while it was working initially was more of players penetrating into the paint, engaging in good ball movement--something that was completely absent in the first half as we fell in love with dribble to the top of the perimeter, make one pass and shoot

quote: Originally posted by Darthmagic: quote: Originally posted by brownmagic:For all the talent this team has, what it really needs is a slasher, too often we just settle for jumpshots instead of taking it to the hole. Carter tries but settles for tough shots instead of making that extra pass and being more selective in what he launches. Also Jameer needs to do more than just dribble to the perimeter and pass, he needs to create, show some urgency and get others involved. Steve Nash was fantastic earlier this night, just focused on penetrating into the paint and getting his team the ball in the first quarter and slowly worked himself into the offense as the game went on. Kinda like what J-Will does? Yes, only problem is J-Will given his age cant play starter minutes to carry this team. At the moment he is doing way more than being a back up outplaying Nelson on a consistent basis. Jameer is our supposed starting all-star point guard, he needs to step up.

For all the talent this team has, what it really needs is a slasher, too often we just settle for jumpshots instead of taking it to the hole. Carter tries but settles for tough shots instead of making that extra pass and being more selective in what he launches. Also Jameer needs to do more than just dribble to the perimeter and pass, he needs to create, show some urgency and get others involved. Steve Nash was fantastic earlier this night, just focused on penetrating into the paint and getting his team the ball in the first quarter and slowly worked himself into the offense as the game went on.

Tonight is exactly what I was talking about. JJ stepping up from the bench and deciding to shoot rather than pass and cut all night long. Great job, helps our second unit be all that more potent and productive.

quote: Originally posted by Rob:2nd unit is ok. I never liked Johnson but that's just me. I thought Redick should have played more. Anderson sometimes need to stop rushing shots off. But other than that the 2nd unit is pretty solid. I agree with you..the second unit is solid in terms of talent but I think they are not meeting their full potential. I just feel that with some direction they could be a more potent group. Johnson is kind of like our last resort point guard, I am not a big fan but given our situation our hand are tied unless like you have suggested on a few occasions we sign Iverson to a short term deal and if it doesnt work we cut him loose.

quote: Originally posted by Jackie Treehorn:Proven scorers like Redick and Anderson? Surely you jest. Nope. Probably a bit misleading. Lets put it this way..guys who have shown they have the ability to score contribute 10 points a night if they actually take a few shots.

I feel that SVG really needs to chalk out a strategy for our second unit. At the moment I see tons of talent not gelling together. When the second unit comes out they are all over the place. No one seems to have taken on the mantle of being a scorer, they play decent defense with bass gortat barnes and reddick really hustling out there but I feel the offense is really hurting them. There are proven scorers out there like reddick and andersen but they seem to be content passing the ball around rather than shooting it. We need to establish a solid scoring 6th man--at the moment there are a few candidates but no one has stepped up. What do you guys think?

I feel that SVG really needs to chalk out a strategy for our second unit. At the moment I see tons of talent not gelling together. When the second unit comes out they are all over the place. No one seems to have taken on the mantle of being a scorer, they play decent defense with bass gortat barnes and reddick really hustling out there but I feel the offense is really hurting them. There are proven scorers out there like reddick and andersen but they seem to be content passing the ball around rather than shooting it. We need to establish a solid scoring 6th man--at the moment there are a few candidates but no one has stepped up. What do you guys think?

I think we are being too hard on the magic...for heavens sake they will prolly end up with a 7-3 record after 10 games without playing a single game with the squad that Otis put together to win a championship. Now that in my opinion is impressive especially when you think they have lost to subpar teams like the pistons and thunder. We need to give them some time to gel together and play as a unit. Once Rashard comes back this is a different team not because Rashard is our savior but because the team will finally be able to operate according to a game plan as a unit. If anything I think the biggest positive from the first 10 games is the quality of our bench. Last year the starters used to come in build a 15 point lead only for the bench to blow it. This year we have seen games where bass, anderson, reddick, williams, gortat and barnes have stepped up. That second unit is going be nasty. I think we have a great squad. Lets give them 30 games before passing any major judgements. So far it is looking good.

D-A-M-N..that was nasty...but why don't we see this kind of aggression when he plays for the Magic? When Hedo drives its normally 99% of the time for a layup..but looks like hes got some hidden leaping ability...let the NBA get a taste of it!

quote: Originally posted by 30Assists:There's also the point that a few people are missing: If JJ is making his man run all over the place to defend his shots, or keeping his man honest and out of the lane, that's contributing. If his guy is worn out from chasing JJ, his guy isn't going to be so effective on the other side of the ball. Hamilton and Reggie proved this, and that's the way JJ plays. Besides, why do we need JJ to be a lock-down defender? Seriously, everyone's harping on the guy's defense: did we pick him up because he was "the greatest defender in college ball history?" No. We picked him up because, in college, he scored more points than anyone else. We got JJ so he could score, not lead the league in steals. Sheesh. I agree, but the point here is not your opinion or my opinion, it's SVGs and we have seen he is a stickler for defense. IMO I believe JJ should be used according to your rationale, let him score freely and run around, maximize his value. JJ is very fast, and should be the go to scorer on the second unit.