NEW ESPN Magic preview...10 analysts wieght in.

[Ryan-Aussie Magic 0]

Eric Snow gave us love saying we'd finish in the top 3 in the East, maybe #1 !!!!!!!!!

 

Go Snowy

[J-Pat Attack! 0]

i just cant get over for the fact that many of these "experts" put health into the Magics prediction but not with the other teams in the East. How in the hell do you say we will have injuries because we were healthy last year? It seems that it pains these people to even acknowledge we have a good team much less a better team than last year.

[Secretly Space Jesus 670]

quote:

Originally posted by bhnole:

quote:

... the Magic can challenge with a backcourt full of backups?

 

No team has made the Finals this decade without a threat at one guard spot. And Nelson and Pietrus are not go-to guys, though each has had flashes. Jameer rallied from a so-so regular season with 16 ppg in two playoff rounds. Pietrus' length and hops have always intrigued; now he gets the PT to let loose. If neither guy jumps up, the first-rate bigs must dominate, which they'll do 50-plus times this season. The regular season, that is.

 

I think this is the most valid critic in the article. We might have the most dangerous frontcourt since the Celtics had Bird, McHale and Parrish. But our backcourt consistently got the collective ***** handed to them on a nightly basis.

 

For this team to challenge for a spot in the Finals, Pietrus will need to earn that paycheck and could very well earn a "Most Improved" award if Otis's gamble pays off.

 

AJ is a solid backup, but I still believe Lee has the tools to contribute. If he is able to step into the rotation and produce our SG position will be greatly improved over last year.

 

Remind me: who was a threat at a guard position on the '07 Cavs? Was it Pavlovic, Snow or Hughes?

 

For that matter, I'd also like to know who were the guard threats on the '99 Spurs and probably the '03 Spurs too, since Parker and Ginobli weren't there yet. And depending on how you define "threat", you could probably add the '02 and '03 Nets, since Jason Kidd wasn't ever a threat to score, and no one else on that team was any good.

 

Edit: Since it was evidently confusing, when I say that Parker and Ginobli weren't "there yet", I'm not saying they weren't on the team. I'm saying they weren't yet at the level to be considered serious threats.

[Shine88 89]

quote:

Originally posted by Drunk on Mystery:

quote:

Originally posted by bhnole:

quote:

... the Magic can challenge with a backcourt full of backups?

 

No team has made the Finals this decade without a threat at one guard spot. And Nelson and Pietrus are not go-to guys, though each has had flashes. Jameer rallied from a so-so regular season with 16 ppg in two playoff rounds. Pietrus' length and hops have always intrigued; now he gets the PT to let loose. If neither guy jumps up, the first-rate bigs must dominate, which they'll do 50-plus times this season. The regular season, that is.

 

I think this is the most valid critic in the article. We might have the most dangerous frontcourt since the Celtics had Bird, McHale and Parrish. But our backcourt consistently got the collective ***** handed to them on a nightly basis.

 

For this team to challenge for a spot in the Finals, Pietrus will need to earn that paycheck and could very well earn a "Most Improved" award if Otis's gamble pays off.

 

AJ is a solid backup, but I still believe Lee has the tools to contribute. If he is able to step into the rotation and produce our SG position will be greatly improved over last year.

 

Remind me: who was a threat at a guard position on the '07 Cavs? Was it Pavlovic, Snow or Hughes?

 

For that matter, I'd also like to know who were the guard threats on the '99 Spurs and probably the '03 Spurs too, since Parker and Ginobli weren't there yet. And depending on how you define "threat", you could probably add the '02 and '03 Nets, since Jason Kidd wasn't ever a threat to score, and no one else on that team was any good.

 

Parker played for two years in the French basketball league before entering the 2001 NBA Draft. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs and quickly became their starting point guard, helping the Spurs win three NBA Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Parker

 

Try doing a little more research, before you post next time my friend. Maui was also there in 2003, and to answer your question Stephen Jackson and Ginobli were the threat at the SG for the Spurs back then.

[NotByChoice 2]

Toronto 3rd best team in the east? Bucher must be drinking the maple syrup.

[Secretly Space Jesus 670]

quote:

Originally posted by truth393:

quote:

Originally posted by Drunk on Mystery:

quote:

Originally posted by bhnole:

quote:

... the Magic can challenge with a backcourt full of backups?

 

No team has made the Finals this decade without a threat at one guard spot. And Nelson and Pietrus are not go-to guys, though each has had flashes. Jameer rallied from a so-so regular season with 16 ppg in two playoff rounds. Pietrus' length and hops have always intrigued; now he gets the PT to let loose. If neither guy jumps up, the first-rate bigs must dominate, which they'll do 50-plus times this season. The regular season, that is.

 

I think this is the most valid critic in the article. We might have the most dangerous frontcourt since the Celtics had Bird, McHale and Parrish. But our backcourt consistently got the collective ***** handed to them on a nightly basis.

 

For this team to challenge for a spot in the Finals, Pietrus will need to earn that paycheck and could very well earn a "Most Improved" award if Otis's gamble pays off.

 

AJ is a solid backup, but I still believe Lee has the tools to contribute. If he is able to step into the rotation and produce our SG position will be greatly improved over last year.

 

Remind me: who was a threat at a guard position on the '07 Cavs? Was it Pavlovic, Snow or Hughes?

 

For that matter, I'd also like to know who were the guard threats on the '99 Spurs and probably the '03 Spurs too, since Parker and Ginobli weren't there yet. And depending on how you define "threat", you could probably add the '02 and '03 Nets, since Jason Kidd wasn't ever a threat to score, and no one else on that team was any good.

 

Parker played for two years in the French basketball league before entering the 2001 NBA Draft. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs and quickly became their starting point guard, helping the Spurs win three NBA Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

 

Try doing a little more research, before you post next time my friend.

 

Nothing you pull off Wikipedia could ever qualify as "research". And I'm not your friend.

 

And if you had bothered to read my post, you'd see that I fully admitted he and Ginobli were members of the team when they won the '03 title; my point was that they, at that point in their careers, were not threats. Parker was borderline at that point, perhaps, but he's never been a high-assist point guard, and at that point in his career he was an inefficient scorer and a phenomenally bad defender. These qualities were magnified in the playoffs where every single major stat dipped, and he wound up shooting an eFG% of .425, which is absolutely godawful, and a number that 40 year old Kevin Willis beat by over a hundred points. The point being that despite what the various guards on that team turned into, that championship team was still dominated by their frontcourt of Jackson/Duncan/Robinson. Parker was solid at that point, certainly, but he absolutely was not a "threat" anymore than Rondo was a threat on last year's Celtics. And Bruce Bowen, who played the 2, was a younger version of what he is now. Solid, but not a threat.

[30Assists 342]

I'm fine with the Magic getting overlooked and under-respected. It'll just make those wins that much more sweet.

[richnba 3]

The thing about analyst is that they assume if you didnt win the NBA championship and didnt make a whole not of splashes in the offseason and everyone around you did, then your not going very far. Which is ridiculous but all analyst look at is the "WOW" factor.

 

It is often assumed your backcourt needs to be dominate to contend but what team in the last 10 years has won a championship with dominate guards???

 

And about Nelson, I like it how they are quick to throw out his playoffs stats as lucky, where when a guy like Stuckey puts up less stats he is the next big thing. Nelson made a big believer out of me, he was our go to guy in the 4th quarter and I firmly believe if Billups hadnt gotten injured we would have taken that series to at least seven because of Nelson.

[Shine88 89]

quote:

Originally posted by Drunk on Mystery:

quote:

Originally posted by truth393:

quote:

Originally posted by Drunk on Mystery:

quote:

Originally posted by bhnole:

quote:

... the Magic can challenge with a backcourt full of backups?

 

No team has made the Finals this decade without a threat at one guard spot. And Nelson and Pietrus are not go-to guys, though each has had flashes. Jameer rallied from a so-so regular season with 16 ppg in two playoff rounds. Pietrus' length and hops have always intrigued; now he gets the PT to let loose. If neither guy jumps up, the first-rate bigs must dominate, which they'll do 50-plus times this season. The regular season, that is.

 

I think this is the most valid critic in the article. We might have the most dangerous frontcourt since the Celtics had Bird, McHale and Parrish. But our backcourt consistently got the collective ***** handed to them on a nightly basis.

 

For this team to challenge for a spot in the Finals, Pietrus will need to earn that paycheck and could very well earn a "Most Improved" award if Otis's gamble pays off.

 

AJ is a solid backup, but I still believe Lee has the tools to contribute. If he is able to step into the rotation and produce our SG position will be greatly improved over last year.

 

Remind me: who was a threat at a guard position on the '07 Cavs? Was it Pavlovic, Snow or Hughes?

 

For that matter, I'd also like to know who were the guard threats on the '99 Spurs and probably the '03 Spurs too, since Parker and Ginobli weren't there yet. And depending on how you define "threat", you could probably add the '02 and '03 Nets, since Jason Kidd wasn't ever a threat to score, and no one else on that team was any good.

 

Parker played for two years in the French basketball league before entering the 2001 NBA Draft. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs and quickly became their starting point guard, helping the Spurs win three NBA Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

 

Try doing a little more research, before you post next time my friend.

 

Nothing you pull off Wikipedia could ever qualify as "research". And I'm not your friend.

 

And if you had bothered to read my post, you'd see that I fully admitted he and Ginobli were members of the team when they won the '03 title; my point was that they, at that point in their careers, were not threats. Parker was borderline at that point, perhaps, but he's never been a high-assist point guard, and at that point in his career he was an inefficient scorer and a phenomenally bad defender. These qualities were magnified in the playoffs where every single major stat dipped, and he wound up shooting an eFG% of .425, which is absolutely godawful, and a number that 40 year old Kevin Willis beat by over a hundred points. The point being that despite what the various guards on that team turned into, that championship team was still dominated by their frontcourt of Jackson/Duncan/Robinson. Parker was solid at that point, certainly, but he absolutely was not a "threat" anymore than Rondo was a threat on last year's Celtics. And Bruce Bowen, who played the 2, was a younger version of what he is now. Solid, but not a threat.

 

Like you seem type mad, I was just correcting your mistake. I didn't know you were going to take it like that. By the way, I did read your post, and you never mention anything about Parker and Maui being on that 03 Spurs team.

[Mr. DaTsuN 0]

the only team to have a dominate guard in the finals has been the lakers.

[BeyondThePale35 0]

Last time I checked, Dwayne Wade is a guard, and he pretty much won a championship by himself. Well him and the refs, at least.

[Mr.Dazzle 0]

I hate the lack of respect that the magic are getting throughout the league. Many of the so called experts are not even looking our way. I know the east has gotten stronger but I think the magic are stronger as well. Our soft schedule will get us off to a great start and give the team confidence going into the west coast road trip. I see the magic ranking 2 easy.