jmmagicfan

quote: T-Mac as a starting SG or sixth man would be great. If he could stay healthy, then yes as a starting SG, or even a SG/SF sixth man. I am afraid that he can't stay healthy though. Look at his games played the last few years in Houston. He has missed about 60 games since he has been there.

quote: Originally posted by Jareth Cutestory: quote: Originally posted by SmackDaddy: quote: Originally posted by random:Shard is the only guy of those that is on a new team, with new coach, learning to play a new role. There are 9 new players on Boston's roster and they seem to be playing ok. So, what's your point? It's a little different when 2 of those players are hall of fame players and the rest are role players who play little to no minutes. I am not sure that Ray Allen is a "Hall of Fame" player, but mostly I have to agree. Also, KG and Ray Allen are playing the same positions they have always played, and their roles haven't significantly changed. In Seattle Lewis played the SF, and guarded the SF. Now he is attempting to guard the likes of KG, Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, Antwan Jamieson, Zach Randolph, Udonis Haslem, etc. Lewis is a guy who came directly from high school to the NBA, and probably hasn't played as a PF since. For the last 8-9 years, the most physical SFs that he has played regularly have been Andrei Kirilenko, Matt Harpring type players. There are some good, physical guys playing the SF, but not the kind of pounding you take night in, night out playing the PF. Also, in Seattle, he was expected to play more of an all-around game, with Ray Allen being the primary, spot-up shooter. For whatever reason, he seems to be playing more of that spot-up role. I am sure that is at least in part to draw the opposing PF out of the paint and free up more space for Dwight to operate; but it is yet another major adjustment to expect of Lewis. Are there other players who "might" have been a better fit for the Magic? Yes. Were any of them available to the Magic? Maybe. Were any of them the four in Smack's original list? Doubtful. Signing Billups would have been difficult, because of his loyalty to Detroit, and his history with Orlando. Carter is truly a SF, and would have left us in the same situation with too many G/SF players. He could not have stepped up to the PF position as well as Lewis has. Wallace is another SG/SF type. See Carter above. G Hill is a SF, and was tired of playing the SG position. Same problem as with Carter and Wallace. There were very few power position players available as free agents this past summer, and I don't know that any of them were true difference makers.

quote: Originally posted by otis_smith:Orlando sends out Garrity (exp), Arroyo or Dooling (exp) plus first round pick this year to New York for Crawford. We get a upgrade to our SG and they get luxury tax relief, expiring contracts, and a future first. Thoughts.... The men in white jackets will be along with your straight jacket shortly. Crawford is inconsistent, and too in love with his own shot. Why don't we see if Houston will give us back Steve Francis while we are at it? Then we can throw any chance at team chemistry completely out the window, and make sure that Dwight Howard demands a trade next year!!

quote: Originally posted by MagicDelight:Lewis is not playing his natural position, that would be my excuse for him not playing so well, as well as his sore neck that he has right now. He played very well the first several games of the season then went into a slump but as of late, he has been pretty solid every game, including some BIG shots in some BIG games, like against Golden State. Give it a full season before we start jumping all over Lew. Thank you! This is what I have been saying for a week.

quote: Originally posted by SauceMoney:That 4 shooters crap is terrible. We need to find a pf to put in the starting lineup. Move Lewis to the 3 and Turk to the 2. While I agree that a real PF would be a great add, the idea of playing Turk at the 2 is just silly. He doesn't have the speed to defend most of the SG's in this league, nor a consistent post-up game to take advantage of them on the other end. If you have a true starting caliber PF, you would need to move Lewis or Turk to the second unit.

quote: Originally posted by the_rocket: quote: Originally posted by richnba:Its a shame we went for flashy instead of who could help us the most. Wallace would supplament Howard and Turk and Darko, whom we would have kept had we gotten Wallace I'm not a fan of billups but he could help us more.our pg is like lottery.we never know how they'll play and they are generally like to shot often. we could have championship calibre team with billups,hedo,dwight+a good trade for pf spot Ri-i-i-i-i-i-i-ght. Are you the only person in the country who actually believed that Billups would seriously consider signing anywhere but Detroit? And even if he would, do you honestly think Orlando, who owned his rights and cut him without even letting him into camp, had a chance of a snowball in he**? Maybe we could get Utah to give us Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer for Arroyo and Lewis while we are at it?!? As I said before, Lewis is playing with new teammates, and out of position. Give him a break. Let's look at this team vs. last years for a second. Grant Hill - gone Darko Milicic - gone Tony Battie - out for the season Rashard Lewis - new, but playing out of position Adonal Foyle - new, primarily defensive And yet, this team has a better record. Lewis has not yet been playing to his potential, but his presence has opened up space for Hedo and Dwight. Maybe I need to start writing for Glass Half Full, but I think that you guys are going a little "doom and gloom" when there isn't really a cause to.

quote: Originally posted by Skywise316:It's just not we need. We don't need a tall point or SG like Penny, or a SF like Reuben Patterson. We need a power forward! I mean a real defending, rebounding, *gasp* shot-blocking maybe big man. Preferably with a little more athleticism than Foyle, but a stereotypical big man nonetheless. Even if it's just a one-year deal until Battie comes back healthy next season. Brian Cook is nice, but he's certainly not the type of big that Tony Battie is. Yay!!!!!!!!!! 100% Wooh, wooh, wooh!! Finally, a post that I can agree to without any reservations!! Thanks Sky! A reasonable trade for say, David Lee, might do the job, and might even put Battie as a backup for the 4/5, where his age and ability should place him. I like Battie, and he has been the best combination of abilities to start with D12 that we had; but I would prefer to have him coming off the bench. This trade might work. http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?playe...8~18~19~19&te=&cash=

quote: Originally posted by SauceMoney:We should seriously do a trade with the knicks sending Lewis there and we get Crawford, Lee and will take over Rose bad contract. Crawford and Lee is worth picking up. Crawford is that 2 guard that can create his own shots, shoot 3s and mids, quick and has great handles. Also can play pg. Lee is a walking double double when given the right amount of minutes. Turk has proven this season that B Hill is a idiot and wasnt using his players right. Nobody expected this emergence in Turks game. Turk has all around game and i cant believe im saying this. But as of now Turk has shown that hes better than Lewis as of now. We should trade Lewis and get a couple of valuable pieces for him. The Knicks wanted him bad. They might think that they can have a scoring trio in Marbury Lewis Randolph. Thats cool, as long as we get rid of Lewis and his contract. First of all, Crawford and Lee?!?! Do we really need Crawford in Orlando. He practically wrote the book on inconsistent and streaky. I do like David Lee, and he might be the answer to our starting PF gap, especially since NYK don't really utilize him with Randolph there now. I don't know that he is worth giving up Lewis for, especially if we have to take on both Crawford and another bad contract. Second, you say that Turk has emerged because B Hill used him wrong last year. I agree; but you knock Lewis, who we are using "wrong" this year! He is playing out of position because of the injury to Battie, and our lack of a decent alternative at the PF position. He started the year fairly well after recovering from the ankle sprain, but has fallen into a slump recently. Did you ever think that having to guard other teams PF may be taking its toll on him and contributing to the slump. He is on a new team, with guys he has never played with before, and he is playing out of position. Hedo is playing with two of the same guys he started with last year, and a third guy he played/practiced with for a full year; Hedo is playing his normal position, and getting more space to operate than he has seen in several years. Come on!! Give Lewis a break. At least give him through the all-star break.

Hedo is having a career year, there is no doubt about it. Is he better than Lewis? I think we need to give Rashard until at least the all-star break before we get too harsh. After all, he is playing with a whole new team, and at a different position. Even though the offense/coach are new, Hedo has been playing with the rest of the starters for a couple years. Lewis has only had a couple of months. As far as Hedo being the Magic MVP, what is that stupid bimbo smoking, and can I get some?!?! Does she actually ever watch the games? To paraphrase the old SNL bit; J you ignorant ****. Please,allow me to introduce you to the Eastern Conference player of the month, the leading rebounder in the NBA, and one-man wrecking crew, DWIGHT HOWARD!!! Without Howard drawing the attention inside to free up Hedo, he is reduced to last year's version of Hedo. Also, how old was Shaq before he led the league in rebounding? Oh wait, I don't think he ever has! Yet another Hill that we here in Central Florida should say "good riddance" to. I am not a Hedo hater, in fact, I am very pleased to finally see the rest of his game; which we haven't seen the last few years. I am also glad that he seems to be finally over the "mystery flu" from last year. I would still prefer to see us get a true PF to start, and bringing either Turk or Lewis off the bench; I think their games are too similar to be at their best on the floor together, but I can't argue with the results so far. I do wonder if playing so much PF is beginning to take its toll on Lewis; and if that is contributing to his slump. As I said prior to the Battie injury, I think playing a guy out of position when you signed him to a $118M contract to play SF is kind of bizarre; but the injury has caused that problem. Here is hoping that we can plug the PF hole, either through a trade, or through the draft. I don't think we currently have the answer on our roster now, and I'm not sure we have the rights to our answer either. Fran isn't playing that great in a lesser league in Europe. How does that make him the answer here? In point of fact, although I would hate to see him go because I like Hedo, trading him for a true starting PF might actually be the best option for the team now. His value has never been higher, and it would free up the SF position for Lewis. Part of the reason that G Hill left was because he didn't like playing out of position; and didn't expect that to change if he stayed. Do we really need to make that same mistake a second time??

quote: Originally posted by emory889: quote: Originally posted by Live or Die Magic:Come on Knappy! Only three consecutive posts to end this thread? You're off your game! He did manage to state the exact same thing in those 3 posts that he has in every Jameer/Carlos related thread (and some non related threads). That in itself is fairly impressive. Knappy clearly has a one track mind. Now that Hill has been fired he can focus all his energy on the pg debate. He is printing up the tshirts as we speak. I refuse to get caught up in this debate but Jameer had a whale of a game tonight. 12 assists and 2 to's is a statline I never thought I would see from him. If he can keep up anything close to that level of performance the rest of the league had better watch out. Carlos didn't have a bad game either although his assist to to ratio wasn't good. Jameer has had two better statistical games than Carlos. Unfortunately, I didn't get to the actual games, and as usual, stats don't always tell the whole story. Having said that, I don't think Jameer has ever had 12 assists in his pro career before - let's give him his props for a good game. How was his defense? With both PG's averaging 22.5 mpg, hopefully this debate can be settled by the time the real games start. Either way, GO MAGIC!

And Tracy McGrady wasn't exactly a household name before the Magic signed him either.

I agree with you about liking Dooling's game, but that he is a swing 1/2, not a starting PG. Here is an idea, we use the injury exemption to sign Earl Boykins to compete for the starting PG against Jameer; and use a combination of Arroyo and expiring contracts to try to trade for a big. Playing against Boykins will show Jameer how a little guard can defend well enough to make even big guards leery.

I am afraid that PJ Brown is going to retire. I don't expect him to sign up anywhere. I really think we need to pursue a trade for a big, using Hedo Turkoglu or Carlos Arroyo as the centerpiece, and expiring contracts (Garrity, Bogans) as we need. (PS I only say Arroyo as his is almost a mid-level contract, and is set to expire; not as a comment on the Jameer/Carlos starter debate). I think Stromile Swift from Memphis may be pursuable, or David Lee from New York (now they have Zach Randolph). IF we receive an injury exemption for Battie, we might be able to sign someone that is still available, but I am not holding my breath for David Stern to approve one. (see Grant Hill's history for why) Plus, what is available are going to bench guys - this is pretty much what is left right now. Michael Sweetney from Chicago Marc Jackson from New Orleans Michael Olowokandi from Boston Kevin Willis from Dallas Dale Davis from Detroit Alan Henderson from Philadelphia Pat Burke from Phoenix (yes, that Pat Burke, ex-Magic man) Danny Fortson from Seattle All are unrestricted free agents Anderson Varejao from Cleveland (restricted) Maybe with a sign & trade deal?!?

quote: Originally posted by Arroyo fan: quote: Originally posted by Live or Die Magic:The problem is that for the last season and a half, we haven't had a starting point guard. Instead, we have had two players basically splitting the position, each of whom feel they should have the job to themselves. SVG needs to quickly decide who his starting point guard is and give him starting point guard minutes. Anything less than 35 minutes a game will not do. Neither player received enough minutes to develop any kind of consistency...the kind expected of a starting PG. So regardless of which player it ends up being (Nelson or Arroyo), or another player entirely, we need a starter, and we need a back-up. That back up PG, should be getting 10-12 minutes a game, tops. I'm with you here they have to make clear who the starter is. I have not felt the need in the past to weigh in on the BHill bashing, but here I go. The offense last year stunk because of the way it was designed and that is part of the reason both Jameer and Carlos had poor seasons. The other part was BHill's rotation. Neither really had a chance to get into a good flow in most games last year, because they didn't know from one night to the next who was going to get what minutes. That meant they were spending too much time thinking about minutes, not enough thinking about the game. Carlos was the lesser of two evils defensively last year; but with the off-season actions Jameer has shown himself to be more of a team leader. He has worked to get the team together in the off-seasons to build team chemistry. I honestly think that SVG might be better off deciding who is the starting PG, asking Otis to trade the other one, and plan on using Dooling as the backup PG. For the sake of team chemistry, and team consistency, that may be the best option. Remember how difficult it was when you had the Scott Skiles/Sam Vincent battle for starter minutes going on back in the day.

Offensively that starting lineup is absolutely fantastic - defensively I am not so sure. While I have no doubt that Lewis has the ability to defend most of the PF that he will face, I am concerned with the effect it will have on him. It is not the position that he is accustomed to playing, and certainly more than he is used to defending. (did he even play defense in Seattle, did anyone?) I think the loss of Battie is bigger than most of us give it credit for. I hope that he is able to come back quickly and we can move Lewis back to the SF, and Hedo to the bench as our 6th man.

quote: Originally posted by jack daniel 999:Here's SVG's comments on Rashard's defense day 2; Coach Van Gundy commented that as aggresive as Rashard is on the offensive end, he works his tail off on the defensive end. Rashard is working hard defensively, taking what the team is trying to do on 'D' to heart. "He is a pretty quiet guy," said Van Gundy, "but in these two days I think it is clear to everybody Rashard's effort and intensity. He is really serious about winning." ________________________________________________ Sounds like we're not going to be saying... Lewis can't play DEFENSE. While I have never questioned Lewis' ability to play defense, it has been his desire to play it that most have questioned. Looks like he is intent on answering that question. I am a little concerned about him getting worn out trying to defend at the PF, as he has not really played there, and there are a good deal of tough covers there now in the East; Garnett, Wallace, Bosh, Jamieson, just to name a few of the better ones.

quote: Originally posted by Rob:Well since Rashard Lewis is going to be playing majority at the pf, i just dont agree with having 2 players with the same style game in the starting lineup. I would like for the Magic to trade Hedo Turkoglu for Ricky Davis and Chris Richards. Ricky Davis is a slasher type scorer that can defend and shoot 3s good. Better than Hedo. The stats dont lie. Hedo Turkoglu for Ricky Davis and Chris Richards then we can talk championship Hedo isnt what we need anymore. And if i can get a Ricky Davis type player that shoots better than Hedo and pickup Chris Richards, then that would be a successful deal. T wolves dont have that many shooters and they dont want Davis for some reason which is stupid. Sorry Rob, but I think you may have missed the boat on this one. Stats do not lie, but they don't always tell the whole story. The knock on Ricky Davis has always been that he is a "me-first" player, and his stats are as good as they are because he doesn't always play within the team concept. That has been the whispered reason every other time he has been traded. Do we really want/need that attitude on our team?

Darko Milicic v. Marcin Gortat Enigma v. Unknown Darko can shoot out to 20 feet, is an good off-the-ball (team)defender/shot blocker, a decent passer, and only 21; so presumably still has a lot of room to improve. His eruption at the FIBA Europe shows that he has passion, so why didn't we see it consistently? He couldn't get on the floor in Detroit, even though he was their #2 pick, and they "loved his upside". At what point do we categorize him as the second coming of Brian Williams/Bison Dele? I am not sure that we have reached that point yet. He is still a guy with a ton of talent, but he just can't seem to consistently get it all together on the court. Was I disappointed the Magic were not able to keep him? Yes. Do I think he will become an all-star that got away (a la Ben Wallace). Jury's still out, but I am beginning to think the mental aspect may not let him. Maybe he just doesn't practice well, and will only shine in real games. If that is the case, he will never get the time he needs under most NBA coaches. You need to get your head into practices (unless you are Iverson), if you want your coach to trust you in the game. Marcin Gortat - showed some offense from the 12-15 foot range, rebounded fairly well, and played some decent defense - unfortunately it was all in summer league. Augustine had similar numbers in both last year's and this year's summer leagues and in his brief stint in the D-League last year, but he still couldn't get off the bench. For the 437th time - summer league gives you a chance to look at the players skill set, but the numbers don't mean squat, as they usually do not translate to the real league. In summer league the coaches are more concerned with basketball IQ - how quickly did the player learn the sets, did they run them correctly, can they pass, do they block out on the rebound. In short, the little things that frequently don't make it into the box score. Gortat probably doesn't have the potential of Milicic - but he may have a better head for the game, and maybe his focus is better. I will be very pleasantly surprised if he is a younger version of Tony Battie. I don't expect much more than that from him. For a second round pick, no one should. How much of Darko's problems are the result of expectations that were too high for an 18-19 year old (at draft); and the constant pressure of not living up to them? I hope for his sake that he can get that monkey off his back, and make us regret letting him get away. I think that Darko will have the better year than Marcin, and probably will average more points and rebounds; but even if he averages 14/9, will it be enough to quiet the criticism that seems to tear at him? While those would be amazing numbers for Gortat, would they be considered a let-down for Darko?? He should do better, after all, he was a #2 pick, right? He is now being paid like a near-star - for his sake I hope he can play like it consistently, and that all he needed was a chance. I hope that Rick Carlisle, Flip Saunders, and Brian Hill were all wrong about how much time he had earned; but three different coaches came to similar conclusions. Only time will tell. If Marcin Gortat can consistently give us 15 minutes per game, and average 7 points and 5 rebounds, I will call his rookie season a success. No comparison really.

quote: Originally posted by richnba:Battie dont **** us, if we cant get Chris Webber with that injury exception Battie better play dead for one season, dont what is best for the team. Webber isn't going to come here. If he wants another shot at a title, he will try to go with Detroit or Boston for the minimum, because they might have a better shot at it. If he wants money, he will go to Greece. The Magic, even with Webber, are probably a year or two, and/or a player or two away from competing for a title; and we can't match the money the Greek team is offering. My bet is Webber will end up back in Detroit - take it to the bank!

quote: Originally posted by richnba:The rest of the league iis already laghing at us, how much ammo do you want to give them>>>>???? Didn't you hear the sound of my tongue firmly tucked into my cheek while suggesting Sorcerer's Apprentices? LOL The Magic have one of the better team names in the NBA, why would you want to change it???

quote: Originally posted by Rob: I say we trade for a player in his prime like Stromile Swift who can bring his nasty defensive play to Orlando. Hes not getting the minutes he deserve and with Memphis picking up Darko, thats really going to hurt his minutes maybe even decrease them more. Stromile Swift would be a good addition to our young hungry team. Obviously, I cut bits of your quote, Rob, but the major point of Hedo for Stromile Swift is a now recurring theme in several threads. Otis, make that phone call right now!!

quote: Originally posted by JJZ:Glad to hear Otis isn't completely comatose. However, I hear some things in these articles that concern me. First of all, Battie is looking for yet another opinion. Getting that will take a few more days, maybe even a week. Then, if the third opinion is also for surgery, it needs to be scheduled with the surgeon Battie picks; probably won't take long to schedule but even so......maybe another week. And then, we still won't know if he's out for the season until after the surgery. Even then, the docs may hem and haw, may give him a chance of making it back in the final month of the season, etc. So getting this injury exception sounds like it may take some time, if it happens at all. By then, we may lose some of the players we might want to pursue. This is why we need to pursue a trade for a big right now - Turkoglu for Stromile Swift from Memphis, or a package that includes David Lee from NY. Then if you get the injury exception, you use it to try and sign a SG, which is a need, but not a pressing as another "mid-level" caliber big.

quote: Originally posted by Rob: H e ll No!!!!!! I like Juwan Howard but if we going to give up Turk for a 35 yr old Cmon. We should go younger than that. Not bring old players here, then we will get mistaken for the Miami Heat. My opinion if i was to trade Turk for someone, its gotta be Stromile Swift. Thats guy is a beast thats not being used in Memphis. ... I just think that instead of packaging alot of good players for Kirilenko, why dont we take the safe route and just trade 1 good player for a good frontcourt player that we lack depth in. I tend to agree with you, Rob. That is why I also submitted the David Lee/Jerome James for Hedo. You get an up & coming big, plus some extra big depth. You never know, Zeke might go for it, you know how he likes those wing players. With the pickups this summer, David Lee isn't going to get the PF time, and it gives the Knicks a proven scorer to open up the floor for Curry, Zach Randolph, and Randolph Morris.

quote: Originally posted by Rob:2 words Stromile Swift Otis get him here [ I dont care what you have to do Otis but get this dude. With Memphis picking up Darko which hes going to be playing alot of minutes and their already sold on Hakim Warrick so that leaves Stromile Swift with not that much playing time. If he was here he would start immediately. We would have 1 of the nastiest frontcourts in the league. The guy is not getting used and hes very talented. Brings defense rebounding and is a good finisher. What more can you ask for from this 28 yr old. Hes not young but hes not old either unlike resigning Bo Outlaw, this who we need. Hes in his prime and could really contribute to this team. Whatever it takes to get him here, he will make a quick change to this team. This could work http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?playe...s=19~19~29&te=&cash= Turkoglu for Stromile Swift and a kid named Tarence Kinsey.

quote: Originally posted by nbr34205:RATED. Not under or over. A fine player who should continue to grow with this team. He brings good elements that compliment a lot of individuals in this team, so he has a strong role to play. Look forward to his season. I agree with you nbr, he is a fine young player who should continue to grow. On the upside, he has already said he spent the summer shooting, shooting, and shooting; and that says something about his work ethic. I realize that it isn't the same as taking the shots in a game, but it is how you develop a consistent rhythm and touch. The fact that we have two young guys in JJ and Trevor whose strengths and weaknesses are the exact opposite; and two veterans (Bogans & Dooling) whose skill sets fall in the middle of both, puts the onus on all four of them to work for minutes. Nothing improves a guy as much as a desire to improve and the willingness to work for it!! I think we have that in all four guys. As I have said, I think Bogans will start the season at SG, but I would be willing to bet he won't finish the season as the starter. My question has always been who will improve fastest, JJ with his defense, or Trevor with his offense.