TSN: Magic to win division again

[g 0]

Hey everyone, long time lurker. I saw this article and didn't see it posted yet.

 

quote:

Stick Rashard Lewis at power forward and all your problems are solved. That was basically the tagline for last year's season. The team threw gobs of money at Rashard Lewis to be a big-time second scorer alongside Dwight Howard, but new head coach Stan Van Gundy had other ideas.

 

Van Gundy stuck Lewis at the 'four', spread out the scoring and let his team with very few frontcourt options play small. It allowed him to start Hedo Turkoglu at the small forward spot and become the team's primary playmaker and ball-handler. That solved the issue of this team being under the direction of a freshly re-signed point guard Jameer Nelson, who became a glorified ball boy bringing the ball up the court and allowing Turkoglu to initiate the offense. The combination of Lewis and Turkoglu also meant that the horribly thin shooting guard spot could be manned by a defensive-specialist so long as he had a three-point shot.

 

http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=249498

[g 0]

Hey everyone, long time lurker. I saw this article and didn't see it posted yet.

 

quote:

Stick Rashard Lewis at power forward and all your problems are solved. That was basically the tagline for last year's season. The team threw gobs of money at Rashard Lewis to be a big-time second scorer alongside Dwight Howard, but new head coach Stan Van Gundy had other ideas.

 

Van Gundy stuck Lewis at the 'four', spread out the scoring and let his team with very few frontcourt options play small. It allowed him to start Hedo Turkoglu at the small forward spot and become the team's primary playmaker and ball-handler. That solved the issue of this team being under the direction of a freshly re-signed point guard Jameer Nelson, who became a glorified ball boy bringing the ball up the court and allowing Turkoglu to initiate the offense. The combination of Lewis and Turkoglu also meant that the horribly thin shooting guard spot could be manned by a defensive-specialist so long as he had a three-point shot.

 

http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=249498

[Rico 0]

Nyce find man.Right on the money

[jack daniel 999 27]

Welcome to the forums ...

 

Nyce read for your first post...

 

Keep them coming.

[Rob 0]

So basically what this is saying is that we will need Turk for this year and many more seasons to come. I hope Otis gets Turk contract extended before deadline. Dont want to see him go but i know he will be missed. He is a huge part of our offense.

[Big EB 0]

Awesome name by the way

[Blackhennie 0]

good read. I like the lewis part. I think lewis will get more touches this year when howard is on the bench.

[Rob 0]

I actually like the Lewis Turkoglu starting forward lineup. You cant expect them to be big rebounders playing majority of their minutes alongside Howard. But they both averaged about 6rpg. Thats not bad. We just need to bring Battie and Gortat in our rotation to give us some more size and were good.

 

 

 

"Otis if you dont extend Turkoglu contract before trade deadline then please trade him."

[Blackhennie 0]

quote:

Originally posted by Rob:

I actually like the Lewis Turkoglu starting forward lineup. You cant expect them to be big rebounders playing majority of their minutes alongside Howard. But they both averaged about 6rpg. Thats not bad. We just need to bring Battie and Gortat in our rotation to give us some more size and were good.

 

 

 

"Otis if you dont extend Turkoglu contract before trade deadline then please trade him."

 

 

I like lewis and turk too. I think we need to post or Iso lewis more when howard is on the bench. He has a very good post game with jump hooks and base line turn around shots.

 

I think they did a good job in the playoffs of giving him the ball more.

[PEC 0]

Actually this is most telling part about how far the Magic are going to go. BTW the same article says that Detroit and Boston still beat up on the Magic in the playoffs. So no improvement seen in that area which is not good.

 

Here is that part about Howard:

However, the only thing that is going to put this team over Detroit or Boston is slippage from Detroit or Boston. The Magic are still ultra-thin up front behind Howard and whether they sign Adonal Foyle back or not, they still don't have a dependable option at the point night-in and night-out and Dwight Howard still has to round out his offensive game.

 

As much of a luxury as it was for Howard to be able to share the scoring burden on this team with Turkoglu and Lewis (all three were within 2.1 ppg of each other), at some point he is going to have to expand his offensive repertoire to more than just drop-step left and dunk. The inauguration of Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon into the Basketball Hall of Fame last week was a clear reminder of what it takes to be a legendary big man in the NBA. It takes so much more than imposing size and strength; it takes skill.

 

Both of those players were thoroughly dominant on the defensive end of the floor and both averaged double-digit rebounds for their career. However, they were also both multi-faceted offensive players with great footwork and a devastating array of post-moves. For Howard to take that next step, he has to commit himself to rounding out his game and his overall skill level.

 

People like to compare him to Shaq but Shaq was a gifted passer as well as an intimidating physical presence. This summer at the Olympics, Howard's game showed its lack of refinement and it kept him on the bench for long stretches. For this team to take its next step, it needs its main cog to take his next step. As good as his running mates are, this team is only going to go as far as Howard will take them.

[Anthony Engel 0]

interesting read, i think jameer is the key this year. If he can keep his to's down and assts up, we will take that next step.

 

...welcome and sweet name

[Rob 0]

quote:

Originally posted by Anthony Engel:

interesting read, i think jameer is the key this year. If he can keep his to's down and assts up, we will take that next step.

 

...welcome and sweet name

 

Nelson turnovers are always down. Have been averaging about 2tpg since he came in the league. He needs to step up on his defense. Also when Nelson and Turkoglu is running the offense, i dont know if they see this, but Lewis is always sprinting down the court for easy layup. They never see him. Lewis is a good runner up and down the court. Hes quick, they could get easier scores if they look for him cutting to the basket more or sprinting down court during the inbounding or off Howard's rebounds. Hes always open.