jmmagicfan

Arenas doesn't enter it to the post, and dominates the ball. He is Steve Francis with the Rockets the first time around. Watch them play, Arenas handles the ball 12-16 seconds on most possessions. That is why Jamieson is frequently missing in action when they are on the court together. Arenas rarely makes an entry pass to the post.

Okay, here we go. We make both these trades Marion for Arroyo, Garrity, Turk and a #1 Najuera for Dooling, Augustine Charisma, here you go buddy, your new 3-forward line-up. Nelson Lewis Marion Najuera Howard With Ariza backing up all three. Maybe we can get Banks with Marion so we have a backup point. What do you think??

Rob, you need to go back and watch the video again. The 3% body fat is referred to as a goal. The video that I saw on you link is a rehab session back in March. It didn't seem to show any indication of whether his mobility will be there this season. I do agree that Turk can't defend most PF in the league, and that asking him and/or Shard to do it would wipe them out on the offensive end.

I like Arenas in a small-ball offense, but I have severe doubts about his game as it matches up with Dwight. I think it would be a Steve Francis/Yao Ming mix all over again. I think Gilbert's domination of the ball would be detrimental to Dwight's development.

I think Jameer becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season, so unless he has a major breakthrough and someone offers the moon, we can probably match to resign. I am more concerned with the number of contracts expiring next year. Ariza, Arroyo, Augustine, Bogans, Dooling, Foyle, Garrity, Nelson and Reddick are all in the final year of their contracts. I think Ariza, Nelson, and Reddick might be restricted free, but I am not sure. Depending on performance, we might have a tough summer next year.

The search may not be over - the following two free agents are still available, maybe one or both would consider a veteran minimum contract for a team where they could compete for serious minutes, possibly even start. Devin Brown, Marc Jackson Brown is a 6'5" SG who averaged 11.6 ppg with N.O. last year in about 22 mpg Jackson is a 6"10" PF/C who averaged 9.6 ppg in about 20 mpg Both are still free agents waiting for contracts, Brown was stuck behind Stojakovic and Rasual Butler; who are still there. Jackson is 34, but seems to still have some game, and might be a valuable addition at the PF.

Charisma, I didn't say Garrity was a good defender, I said he was scrappy. Did he get beat, yes. Did he back down, no. Any shortcomings Garrity had (has?) as a defender always seemed to be athletic, not effort driven. I didn't mind a good PF beating him inside, as long as he was putting a body on them, making them work for it, and maybe slowing them enough for (now) Dwight or AFoyle to get a step towards making a block. In your own words, can he make them pay with the mismatch on the other end? Pre-injury, he could often enough to create space inside for the other big(s).

Pat, what is with the weird nicknames? MeerMeer?!? I think I overheard a toy poodle called that when my wife was watching a dog show. Come on! The only way that Ariza starts at SG is if he has dramatically improved his outside shooting this summer. If I am Ariza, I call up JJ and say how about working some one-on-ones this month. JJ can help Ariza improve offensively, and he can help JJ improve defensively. Bogans will start as the compromise, until JJ or Ariza improve their weak areas enough to knock him out of the starting line-up. The good news is that one of them probably will before All-Star weekend.

As a matter of fact, if he has his legs back, and is close to the player he was pre-surgery, I would put Garrity in at the PF before I put Turk there. If you throw out the injury years, Garrity was as good or even a better spot-up 3-point shooter; and a better inside (PF) defender than Turkoglu. Turk is faster, and can play more SF, but a healthy Garrity would be a better option at the PF than Turk.

I think you have to think of your starting five as the best unit you can put together, which doesn't always mean the best player at each position. It is a question of how the pieces fit together, and do the strengths and weaknesses offset each other. Dwight is your starter at either PF or C. He needs space in the middle, so the other PF/C has to be able to hit the 12-15 foot jumper. It would also be good to have someone who can defend the other teams better PF/C, thereby freeing Dwight to block shots, rebound, and spend energy on offense. I am not sure about the PF position - it will probably come down to who has the best camp. Even money says Battie starts out here. Foyle/Ariza might be better defenders, but they might clog up the middle. Right now Augustine/Gortat/Garrity all have question marks. Turk can't defend most PF. That leaves Battie. If Garrity returns to the player he was pre-surgery, he could be the "dark horse" to start at the PF, though he can't defend the C. Rashard is your starter at SF. He can hit the three, play with his back to the basket, or slash. Playing with Dwight, you want him to play more of an outside threat, less back to the basket. Defensively, you would prefer him to play the least offensive-minded of the other teams SG/SF/PF and save his energy for offense. If you start Jameer at the PG, you need to start a defensive minded SG; but that person needs to have enough outside offense to keep the defense honest. Dooling is more of a slasher on offense, JJ is still a question mark on defense, and Trevor is a question mark as a shooter. That leaves Keith Bogans as the best fit. If you start Arroyo at the PG, you might start Dooling at the SG.

I wouldn't mind seeing us making a trade to bring in another big (primarily a PF). Right now we have a lot of question marks, and that could be good or bad, depending on how the questions are answered. It would be nice to have more of a known quantity. Augustine - had some good NBDL games; can he bring it to the next level? Gortat - had some good summer league games; can he bring it to the next level? Battie - okay defender, okay 12-15 foot shot, getting older; how is his health/knees, can he still play 20-25 mpg at the PF/C? Garrity - was a good shooter, scrappy defender; but is he still after the surgeries, or have they robbed him of his legs? Foyle - good inside defensive C; did sitting on the bench last year injure his psyche and/or his conditioning? Can he play SVG system, or will it be too up-tempo like GSW? Howard - All-star calibre big man, can play PF or C.

Marion excelled before Steve Nash because he is a good player. I never said he wasn't. What I said was, he can't play the PF position unless you are a run & gun team. While I look for SVG to make us more of an up-tempo team, to be as crazy up-tempo as Phoenix, you need a Steve Nash. I will admit, I was thinking that Marion was 31+, so I would be more inclined to consider it if he has 6-7 good years left; but I think it creates more problems than it solves. You are basically bringing in another SF, where you already have Lewis and Ariza. If you are trading Turk, why not fill another hole. Unless you think that Marion can play the SG?? Nelson/Dooling Marion/Reddick/Bogans Lewis/Ariza Gortat/Battie/Augustine Howard/Foyle That could work. I just hate to give up two guys who were in your rotation, and a pick; especially if you are gonna play the guy out of his normal position.

Charisma, I like some of the points you made on the three forward concept, I am not convinced that Hedo is as versatile as you seem to think he is. He may be able to play SG/SF/PF at the offensive end, but at the defensive end he is strictly SF. He has never shown that he is quick enough to guard a SG, or that he is tough enough to guard a PF. That means that Rashard will have to take one or the other. I think he is more capable of doing so than Hedo, but you brought him here to be a consistent scorer. Do you really want to wear him down guarding out of position? I think that you currently have two locks to start - Rashard at the SF and Dwight at the PF/C. I think everything else comes down to who wins it in training camp. That means you either trade Turk for a player at a different position, or you bring him off the bench. You only play Turk and Lewis together if you are playing Phoenix. Creating offensive mismatches are all well and good, but how many championships has Phoenix won? Now, how many has San Antonio won with a role player at the PF/C position next to Tim Duncan? I rest my case.

I have one name that is not on your list. Earl Boykins Despite the fact that he is only 5'5" tall, you rarely hear about anyone posting him up because he knows how to play tough defense. He opted out of a contract that would have paid about $3M this year, but has been sitting out in free agency all summer. I think you try to find someone to do a sign/trade with to bring him here to Orlando. Even if he's not your starter, he is a tempo changer who knows how to play the game. Think younger, faster Darryl Armstrong.

I didn't really see much of Puerto Rico in the FIBA Americas, but the numbers look good. Doesn't hurt anyone to try and get him into training camp to look at him. I don't care if a player is black, white, brown, yellow, green or pink; as long as he can help the team! As for people crying about playing time, let 'em cry! What any of us say on a message board is not likely to make SVG change his rotation!

I think that the safe bet will be Bogans to start at the beginning of the season, because he gives you a mix of adequate defense, and respectable outside shooting. I don't think he will start all season long though. Either Ariza will improve his shooting, or Reddick will improve his D. Whichever happens first will take over the starting job. Also, while you may see the front line of Howard, Turkoglu, Lewis at times; I don't see Turk starting. Turkoglu is not comfortable at the PF, and you don't sign a guy to a max contract to then play him out of position. I think for the best mix of offense and defense, your starting five will look like this: Nelson - offensive minded PG Bogans - defensive minded SG, with 3-pt ability Lewis - big SF, 1st or 2nd scoring option Battie - defensive minded 4/5, can hit 12-15 foot shot Howard - double/double man, 1st of 2nd scoring option

Unless you are a run and gun team, Marion can not play the 4. I like Jameer Nelson, but let's face the facts, he is no Steve Nash. Also, Marion is not getting any younger, so I think Arroyo, Garrity, Turkoglu, and a #1 is way too much for a guy with maybe 5 years left. Would I give that for Amare Stoudamire? Now you are talking, but I doubt Phoenix would go there.

For your consideration, I say once again, the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season - a 6'5", 210 lb. point guard (but more than capable of playing the "2") whose career numbers are below. Here are the numbers Robertson put up in 1961-62, just his second year in the league: 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game-an average of a triple-double for an entire season. No one else in the league has come close to a triple-double average for a season. Career Statistics G FG% FT% Rebs RPG Asts APG Stls Blks Pts PPG 1040 .485 .838 7804 7.5 9887 9.5 77 4 26710 25.7 Oscar Robertson - the original "big" point guard. Try this lineup PG - Nelson SG - Robertson SF - Lewis PR - Battie C - Howard

Rob, the language is uncalled for, and makes us take your opinions less seriously, not more. Furthermore, from an assist-to-turnover ratio; Arroyo was the best at 2.24 during the season and improved to 6.0 in the playoffs; Nelson was at 1.80 during the season and really struggled at 1.47 in the playoffs; and Dooling was at 1.55 during the season but improved to 2.6 in the playoffs. Does that mean Arroyo should start? I don't actually think so, but it makes me more inclined to shift my starting line-up depending on the match-ups. I believe that a lot of Nelson's difficulties last year were caused by the structure of the offense, and I look for him to improve dramatically this year; but let's face the facts, last year was not what he wants to post on his resume! Going strictly on a five-man best "team" basis, not necessarily a best player at each position, my line-ups look like this. Starting PG Jameer Nelson SG Keith Bogans SF Rashard Lewis PF Tony Battie C Dwight Howard 2nd unit PG Keyon Dooling SG JJ Reddick SF Trevor Ariza PF Hedo Turkoglu C Adonal Foyle I believe these line-ups are the best mix of offensive firepower and defensive prowess as a "set five", but as I said above, there are times I would use Arroyo to start for match-up reasons. There are times I might use Garrity at PF with Rashard or Hedo at the SF. I haven't seen enough of either Augustine's or Gortat's games to know where/when to use them yet. If I take Howard and Lewis as locks to start, then I have to start Battie for his team defense and ability to hit the 12-15 foot shot. I then take Nelson for his offense, so I need Bogans for his defense and 3-point shot. Is Reddick better offensively than Bogans? Probably, but you need at least one good defender in a backcourt position. Is Ariza a better defender than Bogans? Probably, but Bogans hits the 3 better to keep the opposing defense honest. Is Arroyo more of a true point than Nelson or Dooling? Probably, but in the mix, is he as good a fit? I don't think so.

How about the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season, the Big O, Oscar Robertson! Magic, Bird, MJ, Wilt are all a little too obvious!

And now for the proverbial dark horse candidate for starting SG, and potentially most improved on the team. I give you Keith Bogans. Okay, take a minute or two to laugh, and when you are done, read on. He is 6' 5", pretty much ideal for the SG spot. I wish he were 2" taller, but no one is perfect. He is a good on-the-ball defender, but didn't play much behind GHill, and was in BHill's doghouse?? He has improved on offense every year, and shot a career-best 39% from 3-point last year. I think he might start the year at SG, as I think he is SVG's kind of player. In honesty, I don't seriously think he has as high a ceiling as Nelson, Reddick, or Ariza; but he may be the best skill-set to start at SG, which may give him an edge for improving his stats. Possible exception would be starting Dooling at SG, in which case Bogans could become the lost man again. Nelson is (obviously) a (scoring) PG and will play most of his time there. He is too short to guard at the SG position, and would be a defensive liability at SG. While he didn't have as good a sophomore year as he did his (2nd half) rookie season, his numbers weren't awful, so I don't know that he can improve his stats enough as the 3rd option to be "most" improved. Fewer turnovers might make me think twice about that though, and I love the way he is driven to prove people wrong. Reddick may be able to improve his defense enought to take over the starting SG eventually, but I don't think he is there yet. He might be ready by the All-Star break. Again, I love this guy's intensity and drive to prove people wrong. He and Jameer are both driven gym rats, so he may get there defensively sooner. If he takes over the starting SG position before April, he will be the most improved player from a stats standpoint. I think he is better suited to playing off the bench to start the season; maybe with Dooling at the PG, switching up the defense in the backcourt, put Dooling on the better offensive player. Ariza may improve enough offensively to start at SG, but I don't think he's there yet either. As someone else wrote, his mid-range jumper started to come around near the end of the season, so who knows. I think he is better suited to the SF position, though. Playing the SG takes him away from the offensive boards, which are a real strength of his game. For him to be "most" improved, I think the Magic would need to consistenly run an up-tempo offense where he can get out on the break and be a finisher. If he plays at his more natural (SF) position, I don't think he can get enough minutes to be most improved. So, to sum it up Keith Bogans (unless Dooling gets the call to start at SG) JJ Reddick (unless his defense gets him the starting SG before April) Trevor Ariza (just because of Rashard/Hedo already at the SF) Jameer Nelson (because he already plays the "majority" of the PG minutes)

Going back to the Corey Maggette thread - I think we need to take a serious run at him. Remembering that you have to be willing to give up something to get something, here is one that some of you will scream over, but it works to benefit both now, and potentially both in the long run. Orlando gives: Carlos Arroyo (gives Clips needed PG help, Cassel & Knight are getting old) Hedo Turkoglu (outside shooting, scoring threat if double Brand/Kaman) Clippers give: Corey Maggette (gives Magic valuable SG help) Aaron Williams (another veteran big body, helps make $$ work, older player w/expiring contract) rights to Sofoklis Schortsanitis (Greek "baby Shaq" who lit up USA in 2004, for future?) Makes your current Magic look like this PG Nelson/Dooling SG Maggette/Reddick/Bogans SF Lewis/Ariza/Garrity PF Battie/Williams/Augustine C Howard/Foyle/Gortat And maybe you can pick up a free agent PG later, or during training camp. Also gives you the potential of adding another young talented big in the next couple of years by signing Schortsanitis or Vazquez.