30Assists

Again, this is feeling very Spurs-like. When was the last time you heard about the Spurs making a big move in the off-season? They really don't - no one talks about them. Even this summer, after they won the championship, I guarantee ESPN will be focusing on Cleveland with LeBron, Houston with Bosh, how LA will rebuild, etc, etc. The Spurs are not a sexy team. I think we're trying to follow that model: just have a very solid team, top to bottom, with few glaring weaknesses; have teammates who put team first; character guys that don't blow up team chemistry or cause off-court issues.

*slowly slides Henny shrine into closet*

Even Blake Griffon had a real limited game - I could see Gordon taking a similar path. I hope.

Oh, sad. I'm just getting back into paying attention to NBA stuff, and this one slipped by me. You'll definitely be missed, 'Meer - one of my favorite Magic players in a long, long time. Best of luck and I hope you tear it up next year (or re-sign with us for less).

Yeah, that's more what I meant. And a lot of Rondo's reputation as an amazing defender came from the fact that the Celtics were basically allowed to mug people during the kinda-big-three's reign.

Am I wrong in seeing flashes of Rondo? I've only seen a couple clips (and against summer league competition), but the dude seems to be pretty good.

I'm guessing I'll be ninja'd on this one, but breaking: http://www.nba.com/magic/magic-sign-ben-gordon Thoughts?

By that logic, Shaq should have gone to the Spurs.

I think that's the idea with most of our guys: get players that are just good players, let the positions work themselves out. Will it work? WILL IT??? Maybe?

For the stat hounds out there, I don't follow Frye much - he a good defender? What kind of defense is he good at? It vaguely looks like we're going for a Spurs/Pistons model - REALLY good defense, and then players that are smart and creative (although apparently limited?) on offense.

Happy with Payton so far. I know it's summer league, but in a year or two, these guys could be really good.

I see the argument, but I also see how much cap space we have. I doubt the Magic are going to use it for a pizza party: that hole is going to be filled by a FA shooter who knows how to get his shot in the NBA. At least that would be my bet.

wow - that's hitting Diaw/Sabonis levels of court awareness and passing there. Granted, the competition isn't NBA, but looks good. I could see us squeaking into the playoffs (and getting swept) this season: the east is bad, y'all. And why all the Jameer hate? I realize he's not Rose, but he's done great things for us, is a good leader, is a good locker room guy, is reliable, knows the game at all levels... With all the Spurs references, Jameer reminds me a lot of Avery Johnson. Remember when Avery came off the bench and shepherded in the Parker era? That selflessness did a lot to set the tone for that team and still does (although having a dude like Duncan doesn't hurt).

Watching Gordon scouting vids (like the one below), kiddo strikes me as a really smart player. Just another guy like Oladipo that just knows how to play. He might not be a 20/10 guy, but I don't think 15/8 is out there, along with all the intangibles and good defense. I'm liking the pic. Glad we didn't keep Fran II. He might be amazing, but that was just a little too risky post "The Big Douche." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MeP9bTv_90 Payton, too, looks like he has amazing defensive instincts. Might be a problem scoring points next season, but our defense will be pretty good moving forward.

byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Welcome to the Orlando Magic's 2014 Regular Season! Here's a link to the Magic's schedule: http://www.nba.com/magic/schedule The roster (as of today - I'll remove and add people as they are (inevitably) traded): [had pics for all these guys, but I have limit to the number I can put in a post, so you just get their vitals] Arron Afflalo (G-F, 6'5, 215lbs) Glen Davis (PF-C, 6'9, 289lbs) Maurice Harkless (F, 6'9, 220lbs) Tobias Harris (F, 6'9, 235lbs) Solomon Jones (F, 6'10, 235lbs) Doron Lamb (G, 6'4, 200lbs) Jason Maxiell (F-C, 6'7, 260lbs) E'Twaun Moore (G, 6'4, 191lbs) Jameer Nelson (G, "6'0", 190lbs) Andrew Nicholson (F, 6'9, 250lbs) Kyle O'Quinn (F, 6'10, 250lbs) Victor Oladipo ROOKIE (G, 6'4, 215lbs) Ronnie Price (G, 6'2, 190lbs) Hedo Turkoglu (F, 6'10, "220lbs") (for now...) Nikola Vucevic (C, 7'0, 250lbs) Stuff the Magic Dragon. GO MAGIC!!!

Looks legit. I'd be happy with Exum.

For the pair thinking my Mateen Cleaves comparison came out of nowhere: http://static.espn.go.com/ncb/s/nbadraft/scoutpg.html And I wasn't saying he's the same player, ffs, just that I could see the possibility of a similar career arc: dominance in college, meh in the pros. He could be another Chris Paul or Steve Nash for all I know, but he kind of strikes me as someone that had a lot of college success that might not make the leap. On that point, Cleaves DID have a six-year career. Of course he was drafted in the teens in the 2000 draft, but he WAS the first PG taken that year.

And I'm not too wild about Smart. He strikes me as a Mateen Cleaves kind of guy: stud in college, but might not make the leap to the pros quite how people think. Admittedly, I could be way off on that - I only saw him play a couple times. I could see him being as good as 'Meer, at least, and that's not a bad thing.

So our hope is that Embiid fails the medical, falls to us, and we go on to win the 'ship for the next ten years? I like it.

So will Wiggins, Parker, or Exum even be available at #4? I thought those guys were largely slated to go 1-2-3 (although who's which is debatable).

Well, we probably won't get one of the 2-3 game-changers in this draft, but at least we'll get someone good. Still, what's Cleveland's trick, because damn - we need some of that "magic."

He'd be like Sabonis, but, you know: different. Because Sabonis had skills.

This is really the first time in a while where I'd be happy with any of the top 5 guys. Sure, one or two will separate themselves from the others a few years down the line, but right now, given the information we have, they all have a lot of potential. DEEP draft.

I'm cautiously optimistic we pick in the top three, but again: we ARE the Magic... I'd be happy if we went for a ball-smart SF who can get his own shot and play defense. That's all I want. NBD.