Weakest Position on Team?

[Give Me Redick All Day 109]

Meghan Clemente.

 

I honestly don't see the appeal.

[Soul Bro 1,422]

So, let's say that the best PG in the league is Chris Paul. What is the gain from adding Chris Paul to our PG rotation?

 

How much is the gain from adding D-Wade to our SG rotation?

 

Addeing Lebron or Durant to our SF rotation?

 

Kevin Love or Dirk to the PF rotation?

 

Which one of these moves makes the biggest impact?

 

In terms of PER, Hedo is the only current starter that is below average compared to the rest of the league, and we don't have a true back up SF earning minutes currently with Stan's 8 man rotation (Q-Rich seems to be the 9th man).

 

CHT, to the questions, I would argue Paul or James. However, in THIS system, I am starting to believe Turk is more valuable than Jameer. As to Turk, two things come to mind: 1. I believe his PER is being measured for the whole year, not just with the Magic. Is that sound correct? 2. Regardless, Turk's value to this team is very significant. He is SVG's go-to facilitator in go-time and is probably our best interior passer.

[AMG16 4]

The Defense potions!

[~O~ 565]

O-dub! Let's stay away from the way this topic is going please.

 

[iddelen 7]

CHT, to the questions, I would argue Paul or James. However, in THIS system, I am starting to believe Turk is more valuable than Jameer. As to Turk, two things come to mind: 1. I believe his PER is being measured for the whole year, not just with the Magic. Is that sound correct? 2. Regardless, Turk's value to this team is very significant. He is SVG's go-to facilitator in go-time and is probably our best interior passer.

 

Actually this was what I was referring to in my previous post. Not having a pass-first PG allows Turk to act as a facilitator and a point forward in SVG's system. This strategy, which causes many match-up issues to other teams, would not immediately work with a PG that would prefer to have the ball in his hands most of the time (remember Calderon/Hedo or Nash/Hedo experiences). I am not saying that there might be other strategies in this case, but it would take time to establish those. Thus getting a better player for the weakest position does not make a team instantly better.

 

It was a similiar situation with the assigment of Vince. Vince did not replace Turk, he replaced CLee - the weakest position on the team then. Turk was actually replaced by Barnes. On the paper Magic had become a better team all in all, but that new team was forced to play in another system than the finals team. I think this is exactly what Dwight lamented in his latest intervew:

"I was disappointed and hurt when our Finals team traded away Hedo and Courtney Lee," said center Dwight Howard. "I thought that was an awesome team that deserved another chance."

Does this mean he wants CLee back? I don't think so. He was rather missing the system, the chemistry and everything about the finals team. And the current team is the next best thing that resembles it.

 

Unfortunately other teams become too strong in the meantime.

[BMP 424]

While the point guard position isn't the weakest (the only position the Magic has that has two players that could start for most teams in the league), if the almost impossible and improbable chance of squiring DWill were to present itself, Otis would do it in a heartbeat. With that being said, if Hedo started to be ineffective offensively, he'd be sent to the bench or traded so quickly most wouldn't even see him leaving.

[Ibn Battuta 127]

I'm gonna go with 4 spot here. I wish we had a real defensive athlete at that spot.

[Captain Hi-Top 791]

CHT, to the questions, I would argue Paul or James. However, in THIS system, I am starting to believe Turk is more valuable than Jameer. As to Turk, two things come to mind: 1. I believe his PER is being measured for the whole year, not just with the Magic. Is that sound correct? 2. Regardless, Turk's value to this team is very significant. He is SVG's go-to facilitator in go-time and is probably our best interior passer.

 

Turk's value would decrease without a solid shooting PG sharing the floor with him. The reason Hedo works so well here offensively (other than his entry passes to Dwight) is that neither he, nor Jameer, are the sole ball handler on the floor. The defense can't try to slow things down by taking the ball out of the hands of one, because the other can pick up the slack, and they will both do a decent job of penetrating and knocking down open shots (well, open shots for 'Meer, Hedo won't launch an open jumper instead choosing to wait for the defender so he can take a step back three or his patented "Turko-leaner" hehe).

 

The point is, the team benefits from having them both on the floor together. Now, position as a whole, and recognizing the lack of a rotation back up SF, I give the nod to the combination of 'Meer and Arenas over the singular Hedo.

 

If you swapped out Hedo for Lebron, you still have a capable ball handler at the SF position, with a huge increase in defensive potential, ability to drive, rebound, draw fouls, etc. You also relegate Neslon to less ball handling duties, and more of a spot up shooter, which he is more than capable of doing.

 

If you swap out Paul for Nelson, are you going to put the ball in Hedo's hands to run the offense? Probably not. You push Hedo into a similar role that he had in Phoenix and Toronto. How did that work out? You take away his offensive edge and his defensive woes become more prevalent.

[Soul Bro 1,422]

Turk's value would decrease without a solid shooting PG sharing the floor with him. The reason Hedo works so well here offensively (other than his entry passes to Dwight) is that neither he, nor Jameer, are the sole ball handler on the floor. The defense can't try to slow things down by taking the ball out of the hands of one, because the other can pick up the slack, and they will both do a decent job of penetrating and knocking down open shots (well, open shots for 'Meer, Hedo won't launch an open jumper instead choosing to wait for the defender so he can take a step back three or his patented "Turko-leaner" hehe).

 

The point is, the team benefits from having them both on the floor together. Now, position as a whole, and recognizing the lack of a rotation back up SF, I give the nod to the combination of 'Meer and Arenas over the singular Hedo.

 

If you swapped out Hedo for Lebron, you still have a capable ball handler at the SF position, with a huge increase in defensive potential, ability to drive, rebound, draw fouls, etc. You also relegate Neslon to less ball handling duties, and more of a spot up shooter, which he is more than capable of doing.

 

If you swap out Paul for Nelson, are you going to put the ball in Hedo's hands to run the offense? Probably not. You push Hedo into a similar role that he had in Phoenix and Toronto. How did that work out? You take away his offensive edge and his defensive woes become more prevalent.

 

Good post. To the last paragraph, I believe SVG would use a similar system with DWill or CP, or he could use Turk as the ball handler off the bench. Either way, all I'm saying is that we would be significantly better simply by acquiring DWill or CP. As to the thread topic, considering our awful depth at SF, perhaps it is our weakest position.

[BMP 424]

Either way, all I'm saying is that we would be significantly better simply by acquiring DWill or CP.

 

Same could be said if we acquired LeBron, Durant, Wade, hell even KG

[Captain Hi-Top 791]

Good post. To the last paragraph, I believe SVG would use a similar system with DWill or CP, or he could use Turk as the ball handler off the bench. Either way, all I'm saying is that we would be significantly better simply by acquiring DWill or CP. As to the thread topic, considering our awful depth at SF, perhaps it is our weakest position.

 

Well, it's not like any position is without fault, and depending on your perspective and importance you place on those faults, your answer may vary. The great thing is that I think Stan is the perfect coach for this team. I think he does a great job fitting the pieces together and getting the most he can out of what he is given to work with.

[Jareth Cutestory 678]

I have always said our team is built around Dwight and our coach. Every other player is simply interchangeable. This isn't a knock on our squad(s) at all. It's just a credit to Stan.

 

Stan took this team:

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/orl/stats?season=2007_2&stat_category=nba.stat_category.1&cut_type=&qualified=

 

And led them to the playoffs with 50 wins. Take a look at that squad. That is Stan's work right there. Like Captain said, Stan is a great coach because he can take a guy like Hedo and maximize his talent and turn him into an All-Star. He could put a career SF like Shard at PF and make it work. He could even take a role player like Mo Evans and turn him into a legitimate starter. Hell, HE TOOK BRIAN COOK AND MADE HIM A SOMEWHAT SERVICEABLE ROLE PLAYER.