"Turk & Nelson not good enough to create shots consistently"

[ball junkie 277]

Good thing he's not always right.....

 

Matt (PA)

After watching the Magic lately, what do you see as their weakness?? Not in terms of depth at a position, but a schematic weakness. I say perimeter defense....

 

John Hollinger (2:24 PM)

Perimeter D is a problem, yes, but Howard makes up for a lot of it. Orlando loses when it's offense struggles. Right now the things that stick out for me are 1) lack of depth between Redick being out and Arenas being so unrelentingly awful, and 2) Turk and Nelson aren't quite good enough to create quality shots consistently.

[Arielle 138]

Meer is most effective on the attack and PUSHING the ball. Hedo def needs more handling time since I think he is a better facilitator for the team. If the team can cut down on their turnovers and somehow improve on perimeter defense, we will be a team to contend with in the playoffs. We have a lot more heart on this team, even though the recent struggles do not show it. Additionally, the refs unfavorable calls to the small market team that we are has been horrendous. We have to literally blow out teams to win, because Stern's regime is out to destroy and ruin us in favor of LA, Miami, Chicago, or Boston. I hope one day Stern is revealed for the evil little man that he is.

[Penny Hardaway's Ghost 260]

yes and yes.

[Air Gordon 156]

Good thing he's not always right.....

 

I agree with him to an extent, but it seems like a fixable problem.. The issue with both Hedo and Jameer is they both tend to try way too hard to get themselves looks when the offense is struggling. Jameer overdribbles, and if he's hit a couple shots in a row he'll chuck up anything from anywhere and we've all seen Hedo go in to the Hero Turkoglu role. I believe a lot of our issues in finding good looks is a lack of movement from the other guys on the court. JRich, Ryan Anderson and Gil usually are just happy to sit at the 3 point line, Bass at the long 2 point line. One of the many things I miss about Redick is he's always on the move trying to get open and make himself available for a good look or get a good angle to pass it in to Dwight. The good news about both Hedo and Jameer is they both are completely different players in the playoffs. We've witnessed them both carry the team in series, so I'm not worried.

[Drain-O 369]

Arenas being so unrelentingly awful

 

I think this might be a little too kind. I haven't disliked a player this much since Vince Carter.

[Chase 209]

I think this might be a little too kind. I haven't disliked a player this much since Vince Carter.

 

 

Let's not put Gilbert on VC's level just yet. With Gilbert we have hope, with VC we had headaches.

[Drain-O 369]

Let's not put Gilbert on VC's level just yet. With Gilbert we have hope, with VC we had headaches.

 

Its about the same. Gil's athletic ability is shot and I do not see him getting it back. He will definitely need to adjust his game. Shooting better than 10 for your last 50 will certainly help.

[KillingInTheNameOf 63]

Both issues go hand in hand and can be summed up by saying the Magic lack athleticism on the perimeter.

[Captain Hi-Top 791]

Let's not put Gilbert on VC's level just yet. With Gilbert we have hope, with VC we had headaches.

 

The only difference is that Vince is not on the team now and Gilbert is...

 

When Vince was here, we all hoped he would turn his game around. How many people said things like "This is Vince's chance to shed the knock that he fades in big games" or "His chance to prove he is a winner". We all hoped he would come through. Now we are in the same f-ing boat with Gilbert. We took on a huge(er) contract with more flaws (poor shot selection and efficiency, coming back from a bad injury and has not committed to rehab fully, character issues etc.) and we are all hoping he can get it together.

 

We HAVE to hope. Why? Because we are fans of the Magic and we want our team to do well. At the same time, let's not kid ourselves either.

[Chase 209]

The only difference is that Vince is not on the team now and Gilbert is...

 

When Vince was here, we all hoped he would turn his game around. How many people said things like "This is Vince's chance to shed the knock that he fades in big games" or "His chance to prove he is a winner". We all hoped he would come through. Now we are in the same f-ing boat with Gilbert. We took on a huge(er) contract with more flaws (poor shot selection and efficiency, coming back from a bad injury and has not committed to rehab fully, character issues etc.) and we are all hoping he can get it together.

 

We HAVE to hope. Why? Because we are fans of the Magic and we want our team to do well. At the same time, let's not kid ourselves either.

 

 

The reason why I'm giving Gil a slight pass is because he still has a chance to prove himself in the Playoffs. We don't know what he'll show us untill we play the games. After all, he did hit that big 3 monday night in New York to help us get to OT.

 

I stopped believing in Vince when he missed those 2 Ft's against Boston in the ECF.........great now I'm pissed off again.

[bhnole 153]

I think it is a little harsh to target the 4th(Hedo) and 6th (Jameer) highest payroll slots on the team.

 

The highest paid guy on the team in Arenas is pretty much useless on most nights. J Rich makes $14M but has become a role player over the last few years. I have generally been supportive of Otis but his personal relationship with these two lead him to falsely believe they could regain their All-Star form.

 

Heck JJ makes more than Jameer this year but gets none of the critisicm.

[30Assists 342]

Yeah - agree with him. I'm a huge 'Meer fan, but when he's shut down, our offense dies.

 

And yes: having JJ out has hurt us. I think all of our recent losses are at least closer with JJ on the floor. Not that JJ is the greatest player on the earth, but he plays decent defense, doesn't make a lot of stupid mistakes, doesn't force up bad shots, and can score pretty consistently. He's just solid.

 

The players on the bench behind him have the potential on any given night to be good, but they aren't consistent.

 

This is another reason why I think anything we do in the postseason is a bonus. Next season, when we've hopefully addressed some of the holes in our roster, will be different.