Change of Identity

[SmackDaddy 30]

Just when we are convinced that Hedo needs to be dealt, the Blazers game happens.

[Jareth Cutestory 678]

quote:

Originally posted by SmackDaddy:

Just when we are convinced that Hedo needs to be dealt, the Blazers game happens.

His shot was luck, Rashard's 3 was just cold blooded.

[SmackDaddy 30]

quote:

Originally posted by Jareth Cutestory:

His shot was luck, Rashard's 3 was just cold blooded.

 

Agree. Prayers do get answered though.

[Secretly Space Jesus 670]

quote:

Originally posted by CaliMagicFan:

I'd be interested in seeing how much 3 point shooting, the rebounding numbers, etc the Rockets back to back championship teams had around Hakeem versus what we have. I seem to remember Rudy building them with a bunch of shooters surrounding Hakeem in the post. That team is the one that we remind me of. I might have to try and look some of that up tomorrow.

 

Two differences that are very significant:

 

1) that was Hakeem at his most dominant. He was literally scoring 3 on 1 at times, which made up for how stagnant that offense frequently got.

 

2) They still had Otis Thorpe to play inside and rebound. Even with Maxwell and Kenny the Jet shooting 3 after 3, they still had a great interior presense.

[Luke_FfS 251]

quote:

Originally posted by Jareth Cutestory:

quote:

Originally posted by SmackDaddy:

Just when we are convinced that Hedo needs to be dealt, the Blazers game happens.

His shot was luck, Rashard's 3 was just cold blooded.

 

Same thinking here.

But anyway, even not considering the last shot, yesterday he has probally played the best game of the season.

Better shot selection and good decision, when he does that, good things are coming for the team.

[Berto 338]

quote:

Originally posted by SmackDaddy:

Just when we are convinced that Hedo needs to be dealt, the Blazers game happens.

 

I'm still convinced, but thank god that shot went in. I'm F'IN pissed that I turned the game off, but it's still awesome.

 

We still need to shake this roster up a bit to compete with the elite teams. I can't remember the last time Cleveland din't blow a team out, so with that team getting better, it only makes things harder on us. I'm not so sure if we played them in the second round that we'd win.

[CaliMagicFan 0]

quote:

Originally posted by Drunk on Mystery:

 

Two differences that are very significant:

 

1) that was Hakeem at his most dominant. He was literally scoring 3 on 1 at times, which made up for how stagnant that offense frequently got.

 

2) They still had Otis Thorpe to play inside and rebound. Even with Maxwell and Kenny the Jet shooting 3 after 3, they still had a great interior presense.

 

Yeah, Dwight's definitely not at that level yet for sure. Maybe another couple good summers of work. And I forgot about Thorpe. But I seem to remember Horry playing most of the 4 minutes down the stretch with them, although I could be wrong. I'll have to do a little research today if I get some time.

[Secretly Space Jesus 670]

quote:

Originally posted by CaliMagicFan:

quote:

Originally posted by Drunk on Mystery:

 

Two differences that are very significant:

 

1) that was Hakeem at his most dominant. He was literally scoring 3 on 1 at times, which made up for how stagnant that offense frequently got.

 

2) They still had Otis Thorpe to play inside and rebound. Even with Maxwell and Kenny the Jet shooting 3 after 3, they still had a great interior presense.

 

Yeah, Dwight's definitely not at that level yet for sure. Maybe another couple good summers of work. And I forgot about Thorpe. But I seem to remember Horry playing most of the 4 minutes down the stretch with them, although I could be wrong. I'll have to do a little research today if I get some time.

 

They played Horry a lot at the 4 when they needed instant offense and wanted to run. He was also a much better FT shooter than Thorpe was(though he wasn't all that great himself), and was a pretty solid defensive player when he was actually motivated himself.

[CRAZY SERB 0]

to answer the OP's questions: NO and NO

 

and now, i'm all for trading hedo, not because i hate him, it's because a)he won't get any younger and will be past his prime until dwight reaches his, b)we have so many holes to fill and he's our only real asset to acquire the pieces we need and c)he's an expiring and there is a huge possibility that we overpay him or lose him for nothing.

BUT...

trading hedo and becoming better (long term of course) won't be easy at all. as i already said, we have so many holes to fill with only one real asset - now we need some magic (or otis and zeke as the GMs of some other teams).

now, if we trade hedo for a real PF we could face some other problems:

1)with hedo gone we'll have nobody to run the offense

2)lewis would be moved back to SF and here's my question: do you really think that a ridicules contract made him a better defender? remember, he was an awful defender in seattle playing SF and surprised everbody with his D in orlando at PF - coincidence? i don't think so.

3)what kind of PF do we need? a reggie evans type of player? you guys do realize that hedo's playmaking, scoring and shooting would be gone? we'd need defense and shooting from a PF we deal for hedo - SHEED!!! or darko mili?i? before he met bhill.

 

quote:

Originally posted by Drunk on Mystery:

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?playe...1~21~19~19&te=&cash=

 

call me crazy 'cause i really am but i'd do that in a second and get on the annoying "2010 FA-train". now imagine dwight and bosh dominating the league in magic uniforms. i think he's the perfect fit to the superman. now be smart and find some solid role players and there you go - you're a contender

 

PS: some of you want david lee. ok yes, he's a pretty good player and i could see the knicks interested in dealing him because of 2 reasons:

1)he's expiring and will demand a huge contract which would kill NY's chances to sign two superstars in 2010

2)they wanna get rid of eddy curry to increase their chances for the 2010 FA market.

now, pull the trigger and get dwight some help in the paint but also get an almost unbeatable rival in new york (lebron, ??? and 2 lotto picks). i'd pass on that.

[TheRevTy 6]

Alright, I've been giving this some thought, and I have a suitable analogy to use.

 

When you are starting up a business, you can take 2 routes: 1. You can take the traditional way and take your lumps while you rely on your strengths and wait for word to get out how great of a company you are. Eventually, if you are worthy, people will talk about you and you'll get more business. Consistency is key here. The other route is to create a gimmick. Whether it be a different approach to business or some off the wall idea, it will get your name out there because you are that crazy company with the such and such thing that nobody else does. However, you'll only go as far as your gimmick takes you. Here are some examples:

 

Coca-Cole has been around forever. It remains constant and is one of the most sold sodas on the planet. They tried to change it back in the 80's, but everyone hated it, so they went back to the classic taste. Even their logo and branding has remained the same. This is the Spurs. Since 99, they haven't really shaken things up, and just consistently remain in top echelon of the league. They play very traditional basketball, based around an inside out game with Tim Duncan.

 

Now consider a drink like Surge. I don't know if you remember it, but it was supposed to be kind of like Mountain Dew, but with more caffeine. It was gimmicky and marketed to a fresh new audience. It was pretty good, maybe a little too sweet, but didn't have staying power. This is your Phoenix Suns. They came up with a hip new style that was all the rage. They had a fresh brand, and everyone loved them. But then they got tired of it and had to move on because they simply didn't have the staying power of the classics.

 

Now think of a drink called Crystal Pepsi. This was Pepsi but completely colorless. It had the taste of a classic, but the gimmick to sell. Surely this would be a huge idea! But in the end, it failed because it was just kind of weird, and was missing something. This is your Orlando Magic. We have most of the elements to be a team like the Spurs, but are missing an ingredient. We're thriving on a gimmick, but the gimmick won't stick around and won't be effective when people get used to it.

 

In the end, classic works, and it will always work. You may have those fluke years where a gimmick outsells the classic, but normalcy will always return. And thus, we should give up the gimmick and use substance to beat teams.

[MilitaryMagic 0]

quote:

Originally posted by TheRevTy:

Alright, I've been giving this some thought, and I have a suitable analogy to use.

 

When you are starting up a business, you can take 2 routes: 1. You can take the traditional way and take your lumps while you rely on your strengths and wait for word to get out how great of a company you are. Eventually, if you are worthy, people will talk about you and you'll get more business. Consistency is key here. The other route is to create a gimmick. Whether it be a different approach to business or some off the wall idea, it will get your name out there because you are that crazy company with the such and such thing that nobody else does. However, you'll only go as far as your gimmick takes you. Here are some examples:

 

Coca-Cole has been around forever. It remains constant and is one of the most sold sodas on the planet. They tried to change it back in the 80's, but everyone hated it, so they went back to the classic taste. Even their logo and branding has remained the same. This is the Spurs. Since 99, they haven't really shaken things up, and just consistently remain in top echelon of the league. They play very traditional basketball, based around an inside out game with Tim Duncan.

 

Now consider a drink like Surge. I don't know if you remember it, but it was supposed to be kind of like Mountain Dew, but with more caffeine. It was gimmicky and marketed to a fresh new audience. It was pretty good, maybe a little too sweet, but didn't have staying power. This is your Phoenix Suns. They came up with a hip new style that was all the rage. They had a fresh brand, and everyone loved them. But then they got tired of it and had to move on because they simply didn't have the staying power of the classics.

 

Now think of a drink called Crystal Pepsi. This was Pepsi but completely colorless. It had the taste of a classic, but the gimmick to sell. Surely this would be a huge idea! But in the end, it failed because it was just kind of weird, and was missing something. This is your Orlando Magic. We have most of the elements to be a team like the Spurs, but are missing an ingredient. We're thriving on a gimmick, but the gimmick won't stick around and won't be effective when people get used to it.

 

In the end, classic works, and it will always work. You may have those fluke years where a gimmick outsells the classic, but normalcy will always return. And thus, we should give up the gimmick and use substance to beat teams.

 

I feel enlightened... I haven't considered Crystal Pepsi in probably 15 years. Well done! And you analogy is spot on. Kind of - I really don't think anyone will figure out how to stop our "gimmick". If you have a team that can shoot the ball, and is confident shooting it, then there's no gimmick for the other team to solve - we either make our shots or we don't. And usually, for a variety of reasons, enough shots go in from 3-point land to make the difference for us.

[TheRevTy 6]

What if teams put in a goon to simply hack Dwight every time he touches the ball? That would effectively close off our best option, would it not.

 

If we had a PF with some toughness, we could use him to keep the goons off of Dwight.