Otis's thoughts on team - D'Amico ... good read

[jack daniel 999 27]

The Future Is Now

 

For many teams in the NBA, this season is about building and preparing for the future. Teams like the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets and Memphis Grizzlies are attempting to stockpile young talent while decreasing their salary cap number in hopes to lure free agents their way in the coming years.

 

In Orlando, things are a lot different. What you see on the court this year is in many cases the future of the team. Otis Smith has assembled a roster of players that he believes he can build around to bring an NBA championship to Orlando for the very first time. After winning 52 games last season, it

[jack daniel 999 27]

The Future Is Now

 

For many teams in the NBA, this season is about building and preparing for the future. Teams like the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets and Memphis Grizzlies are attempting to stockpile young talent while decreasing their salary cap number in hopes to lure free agents their way in the coming years.

 

In Orlando, things are a lot different. What you see on the court this year is in many cases the future of the team. Otis Smith has assembled a roster of players that he believes he can build around to bring an NBA championship to Orlando for the very first time. After winning 52 games last season, it

[Emory889 353]

This sounds like its the thoughts of the writer and not Otis Smith. Its still a decent article though.

[zerp 0]

I have a big doubt about ingredient 3.

Nelson is only a back up in a good team.

And Lewis is a good player but not a great player, Hedo is much better than him.

[Eyriq 0]

I guess that's one way to look at building a championship team.

 

Most championship teams either have a superstar and two all stars, or two superstars. For instance KG had Pierce and Allen, Jordan had Pippen, Shaq had Kobe and then Wade, Duncan had Parker and Manu, and so on.

 

Dwight is a superstar, no doubt, but are there two all stars amongst Nelson, Lee, Lewis, Pietrus, or the still not locked up Hedo?

 

Realistically Hedo and Lewis are the closest we'll get. Personally, if we lock up Hedo, I honestly think it will be enough.

[Soul Bro 1,422]

Good article. IMO, no way that article goes up via the Magic site without it being Otis' thoughts.

[Orl Native 0]

Great read, thx. RAh Rah Lets see the results before we hand him the gm of the year award.

[SmackDaddy 30]

Our team is going to win a title based upon the merits of our starting 5 alone?

I guess it gives you a warm fuzzy feeling if you don't know a thing about championship rosters of the past.

 

The players coming off the bench are just as much a key ingredient to championship glory as the starting five. At any given point during a season those players typically given 10-20 minutes off the bench are thrus into a more important role due to injuries. Last season this team didn't experience a single serious injury, our bench was much more deep, and we still fell incredibly short of a title.

 

Now this year, we may be threatened by the loss of Hedo to free agency, we lost all of our PG depth, Jameer is playing worse than I can ever remember, and the pieces we did add are at the one position where we need depth the least.

 

Now don't get me wrong, I've been a huge fan of Pietrus for years, and Lee appears to be a steal at pick #22, but the lack of quality talent coming off the bench to deal with the inevitible injuries we will experience (do we really think our big 3 will play all 82 again?), combined with yet another year where Dwight is asked to do absolutley everything in the post, combined with the constant, lingering problem of dupication of talent at a few positions...IMO, thtis roster as it is currenty constructed all adds up to another season where this team comes nowhere near sniffing a title.

 

Now if Otis changes the dynamics of this roster by the trade deadline by dealing one or two of our malcontented players (JJ & Cook) for quality pieces that can contribute, while also addressing the Hedo situation, then we are right up there with any team in the league.

[Secretly Space Jesus 670]

quote:

Originally posted by SmackDaddy:

Now if Otis changes the dynamics of this roster by the trade deadline by dealing one or two of our malcontented players (JJ & Cook) for quality pieces that can contribute, while also addressing the Hedo situation, then we are right up there with any team in the league.

 

I think the time to move those two players in particular will be next year when they're both expiring deals going into the Lebron/Wade/Bosh year, but your point about the trade's necessity is valid regardless of what year those trades occurs in.

 

Side note: I have my doubts to it being intentional, but the Tony Battie deal expiring that year is a surprisingly good thing. He's not much use as a player at this point, but as a 6m+ expiring next year he has some value. Same thing with Cook's contract, AJ's contract, and JJ's contract. Even if he tripped into it, Otis has done a good job of setting himself up with easily traded expiring assets going into the most hyped free agency in years. As long as he uses them to get something, and 14m can likely get you 1 very good something or several good somethings, that should be considered a victory for Otis.

[SmackDaddy 30]

quote:

Originally posted by Drunk on Mystery:

Side note: I have my doubts to it being intentional, but the Tony Battie deal expiring that year is a surprisingly good thing. He's not much use as a player at this point, but as a 6m+ expiring next year he has some value. Same thing with Cook's contract, AJ's contract, and JJ's contract. Even if he tripped into it, Otis has done a good job of setting himself up with easily traded expiring assets going into the most hyped free agency in years. As long as he uses them to get something, and 14m can likely get you 1 very good something or several good somethings, that should be considered a victory for Otis.

 

What about Otis' past use of expiring deals encourages you that he will act differently this time around?

[Secretly Space Jesus 670]

quote:

Originally posted by SmackDaddy:

quote:

Originally posted by Drunk on Mystery:

Side note: I have my doubts to it being intentional, but the Tony Battie deal expiring that year is a surprisingly good thing. He's not much use as a player at this point, but as a 6m+ expiring next year he has some value. Same thing with Cook's contract, AJ's contract, and JJ's contract. Even if he tripped into it, Otis has done a good job of setting himself up with easily traded expiring assets going into the most hyped free agency in years. As long as he uses them to get something, and 14m can likely get you 1 very good something or several good somethings, that should be considered a victory for Otis.

 

What about Otis' past use of expiring deals encourages you that he will act differently this time around?

 

He didn't use the expirings he had available 2 years ago, but that may have been because he had his heart set on Rashard by then. I don't know. I'm not psychic. But considering how much he overpaid Shard, it's certainly within the possibility that he was protecting his CAP space because of that.

 

And he did trade the expiring of Kelvin Cato and a pick for two role players the year before that. That trade isn't looked kindly on in retrospect, but I think anyone being honest with themselves would agree that it was a great trade in the short term at the time.

 

So I would say he's proven that in a given situation, he's willing to go either way. What his prompts for acting in one way or the other are, I have no idea, but he, in fact, HAS traded an expiring deal before.

[SmackDaddy 30]

I see what you're saying, but he's traded one expiring deal and let 8 others fall by the wayside.