Courtskils

quote: Outside of the 1 or 2 hundred people that visit this website nobody else in Orlando even knows who the guy is! Nobody knows who he is? How old are you. The majority of the ticket buying public knows who he is. Anybody who was old enough to watch basketball in the 80's knows who he is. He even had his own video game on Super Nintendo. Bill Laimbeer is very well known.

I think Laimbeer's ego is to big to take a assistant coaching job. I think he would make it a point to prove that a women's coach can coach the men just the same. If he took an assistant coaching job he would prove that the WNBA is "inferior" to the NBA. He is also one of the few faces of the WNBA, and I doubt the Excecutive teams would like their top coach relegated to assistant coaching duties in the NBA. Just thinking about some politics and perceptions. If all is untrue, Laimbeer would be an excellent assistant coach. I think he would rather sign on with a team like Miami or Golden State where he could be a coach in line to take over the team.

quote: "Coaches get fired because players give up on the coach," said Laimbeer. "You have to be straight with people and hold them accountable. But you want to have fun, make it exciting. Players have to want to play for you. There is nothing worse than boring basketball for the fans and the players. Defend and run. You can't win if you can't get easy baskets, and both leagues are moving that way." This is a great quote and shows that Laimbeer gets it. A player's coach and a fans coach and the most intimdating SOB on the sidelines.

Here's the problem the list of qualified coaches with former head coaching is very slim. Larry Brown and the Van Gundy brothers are left out there. Brown and Jeff V. are going to give you the same "type" of coach as Hill, defensive minded disciplinarian. So your choices are down to Iavoroni and other assistants or college coaches such as Donavon. There are coaches like Fratello, Hubie Brown, and Lenny Wilkens, but those coaches are all long in the tooth and would be a short term fix and only Brown has been successful as of late. I was a big Adelman fan and still am a Iavoroni fan but you must consider more than choice as coach. Iavoroni will likely has his pick between the current vacancies.

My top choice to coach the Magic is Iavaroni, not my only choice. My dream choice would be coach K. Another good choice is Bill Laimbeer. One of the Magic's biggest criticism's is a lack of mental toughness. If anyone could show the Magic the ropes it would be Laimbeer. Laimbeer was a better basketball player than most remember, during his prime Laimbeer gave the Pistons 17 pts, 12 rebs. Laimbeer also hit over 200 3's in his career. He also was the centerpiece in the pick 'n roll offense the Pistons displayed. Many people claimed Laimbeer was a thug, I however believe he was smart. He played mental games with the opposition and many times came out on top. He even had his own video game, Bill Laimbeer's combat basketball. Laimbeer was a winner, helping the Pistons to two championship along with making 4 all-star appearances. Laimbeer's life after basketball is interesting as well. He started a successful company which is now ran by his brother and he kept up his X's and O's as a Piston's broadcaster. He accepted a coaching assignment for the WNBA and in his first season took a team that finished in last place (9-23) to a league best (25-9) record along with the WNBA title. Laimbeer made several personnel changes, which proved he not only had a vision for his team but also proved he had an eye for talent. He guided the team to playoff births in both 2004-2005 before leading the Shock to their second championship in 2006. I know many people will argue, the NBA is different from the WNBA, but Laimbeer has shown uncanny leadership abilities. He

Ellis is going no where, Richardson would be moved in order to resign Pietrus, but it will be hard because of his contract. Pietrus is likely the odd man out since he is a free agent.

From a chat transcript on ESPN. Dave: I'm curious if you got to play against Fran Vasquez while in Spain... the guy the Magic wasted their lottery pick on a few years ago. Also, I'm a guy that's getting tired of the same mainstream music, but don't have much time to explore for the lesser known stuff. Any suggestions on some must-have albums or bands to get me started? Thanks! Paul Shirley: (3:09 PM ET ) I actually did see Sr. Vazquez in Spain. We played his team, FC Barcelona, in my first weekend in the country. First of all, that dude is odd-looking. (Giving thanks for being normally-proportioned.) Secondly, he's about the third-best post player on that team. But he is young. And his buyout is only like 6 zillion dollars. Kudos to some scout somewhere. ______________________________________________ I would take this as a good opinion. It doesn't say Vaz is horrible, but it does state he has a long way to go.

I will again refer to Carter, since that is where all the rumors are focusing, not saying Carter is the best option. I read all these scenarios about giving up Darko, it's unlikely to happen. - It happens if Darko goes to management and says he does not want to play in Orlando. - It happens only if someone offers him a max deal and Orlando does not want to match, which I wouldn't blame them. In Orlando's case, the teams with cap space seem set at the 4 and 5 positions. - It happens only if Orlando gets exactly what they want in return. My guess is they will not give him up for Ray Allen, R. Lewis, VC, etc. I think they would give him up for someone like Pau Gasol, which too is unlikely. - I hear a lot of scenarios, like Brian Schmidtz post about essentially trading Darko for Carter. Not going to happen, here's why. If Orlando renounces Darko, they have the cap space to sign Carter outright and they have nothing to gain from helping New Jersey. Orlando has the advantage in this situation. I also don't see New Jersey giving up any more than Carter for Darko. With sign and trades one team always has the advantage. The advantage, today, is Orlando's. New Jersey would have to give much more to get Darko. The trade is unfair, but that's the price you pay to get what you want. Problem is I doubt New Jersey is that high on Darko (they have Kristic coming back). - Next problem: Carter is in the driver's seat as well. He will be an unrestricted F.A. (not like Milicec). Carter can walk for nothing if he chooses. If Carter says he wants to play in Orlando, New Jersey loses him for nothing, (assuming Orlando can offer him a deal that he wants). After Orlando resigns Darko most liekly, they will not have enough cap space to sign Carter and New Jersey is then needed. If Carter plays it right and has been good to Orlando, he can keep the advantage in Orlando's hand. Orlando has to keep with the idea, we have options. G. Wallace, J. Rich, Pietrus, R. Lewis whoever (rumor mills start) so New Jersey still risks Carter walking for nothing. (If New Jersey unloads Kidd they will probably let Carter walk for free). Assuming Kidd is still there, New Jersey will still need some offense to replace Carter. New Jersey has to ask what will you give us to do a Sign and Trade? You can't value Vince as a trade, if your New Jersey you have to ask Orlando, what will you give to get Carter. That is how the bargaining will work, not like these reporters are reporting, making trades of "equality" That will only happen in the form of draft picks. If New Jersey doesn't like the pieces offered, no deal. They have to ask themselves does taking back these players make us better? I keep stating it will be Hedo Turkoglu for Carter (or any other player the Magic desire). The theory the Magic have to place in people's head is Hedo has all the talent in the world just doesn't fit the offense. This is one reason they might be holding up on the firing of Brian Hill. Hill is a traditional half court coach, who exploits 1 on 1 matchups. This is why a "scorer" is such a need. Hedo is better in a open offense one with a lot of screens and ball movement (Sacramento Days). This is something you can "sell" to other teams. The end of last season was a perfect example. Brian Hill had to scratch play book and Hedo was allowed to play his game. If someone like Adelman is hired, you can't implant these thoughts in another GM's head. This is one theory I have on retaining Hill. Their is more at stake with Hill fired. Hill may be used as bait to land a new player, simply because Hedo is the only trade bait that the Magic are willing to give up. The only way to get the player is to keep the coach and his "philosophy". the "Philosphy" that Turk struggled with.

From a chat transcript on ESPN. Dave: I'm curious if you got to play against Fran Vasquez while in Spain... the guy the Magic wasted their lottery pick on a few years ago. Also, I'm a guy that's getting tired of the same mainstream music, but don't have much time to explore for the lesser known stuff. Any suggestions on some must-have albums or bands to get me started? Thanks! Paul Shirley: (3:09 PM ET ) I actually did see Sr. Vazquez in Spain. We played his team, FC Barcelona, in my first weekend in the country. First of all, that dude is odd-looking. (Giving thanks for being normally-proportioned.) Secondly, he's about the third-best post player on that team. But he is young. And his buyout is only like 6 zillion dollars. Kudos to some scout somewhere. ______________________________________________ I would take this as a good opinion. It doesn't say Vaz is horrible, but it does state he has a long way to go.

I will again refer to Carter, since that is where all the rumors are focusing, not saying Carter is the best option. I read all these scenarios about giving up Darko, it's unlikely to happen. - It happens if Darko goes to management and says he does not want to play in Orlando. - It happens only if someone offers him a max deal and Orlando does not want to match, which I wouldn't blame them. In Orlando's case, the teams with cap space seem set at the 4 and 5 positions. - It happens only if Orlando gets exactly what they want in return. My guess is they will not give him up for Ray Allen, R. Lewis, VC, etc. I think they would give him up for someone like Pau Gasol, which too is unlikely. - I hear a lot of scenarios, like Brian Schmidtz post about essentially trading Darko for Carter. Not going to happen, here's why. If Orlando renounces Darko, they have the cap space to sign Carter outright and they have nothing to gain from helping New Jersey. Orlando has the advantage in this situation. I also don't see New Jersey giving up any more than Carter for Darko. With sign and trades one team always has the advantage. The advantage, today, is Orlando's. New Jersey would have to give much more to get Darko. The trade is unfair, but that's the price you pay to get what you want. Problem is I doubt New Jersey is that high on Darko (they have Kristic coming back). - Next problem: Carter is in the driver's seat as well. He will be an unrestricted F.A. (not like Milicec). Carter can walk for nothing if he chooses. If Carter says he wants to play in Orlando, New Jersey loses him for nothing, (assuming Orlando can offer him a deal that he wants). After Orlando resigns Darko most liekly, they will not have enough cap space to sign Carter and New Jersey is then needed. If Carter plays it right and has been good to Orlando, he can keep the advantage in Orlando's hand. Orlando has to keep with the idea, we have options. G. Wallace, J. Rich, Pietrus, R. Lewis whoever (rumor mills start) so New Jersey still risks Carter walking for nothing. (If New Jersey unloads Kidd they will probably let Carter walk for free). Assuming Kidd is still there, New Jersey will still need some offense to replace Carter. New Jersey has to ask what will you give us to do a Sign and Trade? You can't value Vince as a trade, if your New Jersey you have to ask Orlando, what will you give to get Carter. That is how the bargaining will work, not like these reporters are reporting, making trades of "equality" That will only happen in the form of draft picks. If New Jersey doesn't like the pieces offered, no deal. They have to ask themselves does taking back these players make us better? I keep stating it will be Hedo Turkoglu for Carter (or any other player the Magic desire). The theory the Magic have to place in people's head is Hedo has all the talent in the world just doesn't fit the offense. This is one reason they might be holding up on the firing of Brian Hill. Hill is a traditional half court coach, who exploits 1 on 1 matchups. This is why a "scorer" is such a need. Hedo is better in a open offense one with a lot of screens and ball movement (Sacramento Days). This is something you can "sell" to other teams. The end of last season was a perfect example. Brian Hill had to scratch play book and Hedo was allowed to play his game. If someone like Adelman is hired, you can't implant these thoughts in another GM's head. This is one theory I have on retaining Hill. Their is more at stake with Hill fired. Hill may be used as bait to land a new player, simply because Hedo is the only trade bait that the Magic are willing to give up. The only way to get the player is to keep the coach and his "philosophy". the "Philosphy" that Turk struggled with.

From: Skywise quote: Hmmm.. pretty much the same thing I was thinking of for Darko. 8-10 million dollars. The biggest question of the day is, how much does Gerald want to play for Charlotte? By the way.. something about what Jordan said strikes me funny. Why is it that teams seem to think a player is still theirs after they opt out? They aren't! When players opt out of their contracts, they're free game. But for some reason GMs/owners (Jordan and Rod Thorn come to mind) treat these players like they're restricted FAs or something. Just something that seemed wierd to me. Posts: 365 | Location: Cocoa, FL | Registered: October 24, 2006 ________________________________________________ Even if your over the cap, you can resign that player, which is a big reason he is not a "free" agent. You can also offer him more than any other team. Since you can exceed the cap to resign that player you have leverage in the trade market. Over 80% of the teams are over the cap which means a Sign and Trade is the only way to sign the "Free Agent". They consider them R.A.'s because they know it's not likely to lose them for nothing.

I don't have a problem with Vince "taking what the defense gives him", his assist numbers were high and New Jersey dominated the game. Had the game been close and Carter was needed for offense, I then would have a problem with the comment. New Jersey has the advantage of having Jefferson and Kidd, two all-stars capable of handling the load. Being unselfish on that team is different from Kobe Bryant being unselfish.

Kidd has a year on Nash. Kidd is 34. At $20 million I don't think he can win the championship in the next 2-3 years (we would have to give up to much to get him)

I think Vince is worth it at the right price, refer to my prior post. Even a deal like Kirk Heinrich would work, one that lowers as time goes on. Is Vince is added he will be added as part of the team, he will not be expected to carry the load like Lebron, Kobe, etc. which is another reason he is not worth a max deal.

I think the debate will start with JJ as soon as a F.A. is signed. Ariza and Redick will both be competing for a starting position. Redick can realistically only play the 2 gaurd (at least for extended minutes) as Ariza is only suited for the 3. If the player brought in is versatile to play the 2 or 3, the debate would be who is better suited to start along side Redick or Ariza. I think G Hill will accept a bench role if he is brought back. I also think Turk will be moved and if not will most likely be the starter. The bench would get very crowded if a F.A. is signed, Grant resigns, and Dooling does not opt out.

People complain about a player like Vince Carter, but what has J. Rich done to prove he is any better. They both have bad knees, they both have never lead to dominate teams. And if the warriors want to give him up there is something wrong. The only reason the Warriors want to give him up is so that they can clear room for Pietrus. The Magic could offer Pietrus a deal and sign another player like Nocoini for the price of Richardson, G. Wallace, and Carter. Pietrus is the next star. Buy low sell high. remember that. You could add Pietrus and McDyess for the price you pay Richardson, Carter, and Lewis. I will post new Magic scenarios later today.

Don't get me wrong, I would still like to have Carter, but I don't think he is worth the kind of money it might take to get him.

Why would you take on J. Richardson's bloated contract? He is way to much of a risk and no where near consistent enough. He is the third option on his own .500 team. Pietrus is a much better option, he is a F.A. and will be much cheaper. He is a better defender, and still a good shooter. Pietrus has shown the ability to score when given the opportunity. Think Gerald Wallace with a better outside shot. Not quite as athletic but a player who will do all the dirty work. I would even take Pietrus over Wallace. Wallace will get overpaid this summer why Pietrus will likely get underpaid.

I was in the middle of the following post when this was posted. First let me say, Vince Carter looked old and run down last night. I am a Vince to Orlando supporter, but team doctors better do a good job at assessing Carter

Many fans think the Magic need a PG and a scorer, but the Magic might not be able to get both.

Many fans think the Magic need a PG and a scorer, but the Magic might not be able to get both.

Hater in the House

You know how Shaq makes players around him better. Steve Nash and the Suns offensive sets make Diaw look better. Look how good Tim Thomas looked with the Suns last year. I think Diaw is a bit overrated compared to his contract of 9 million a year.

I think Luke Walton is a mediocre player. He benefits from playing with Kobe Bryant. I would like him as your 7th or 8th guy on the roster. J.J. Redick has more of those qualities than Walton. And I would be more confident handing him the keys, than Luke Walton.

The Magic have Brian Hill. The problem I see is Hill is not a young coach, in fact he is the 6th oldest coach in the league. 4 of the 5 coaches his age or older will be in the HOF- Nelson, Popovich, Riley, and Jackson. At this point of his career, Hill should be recognized as being able to pull a team together and make them a winner. I am not sure how he is given such a long leash given his tenure and experience. Has any team in Sport's history ever fired a coach and then rehired them? I'm not talking about a coach who resigned, but one that was fired. The Magic signed Keith Bogans for the second time, do you think anyone would be against trading him/ releasing him for the second time if the Magic could upgrade? If rules allowed, do you think the Magic would not cut Jameer Nelson and bring in Steve Nash. You have to earn loyalty in this sport, it is not given. Sports is a cutthroat business. The only way I would keep coach Hill is if the players truly had confidence in him. If the players and Hill are on the same page, it doesn't matter what we fans think. If not, how does Brian Hill help you?