The first signing of the offseason came when the Magic signed Jacque Vaughn from Atlanta today. He'll likely backup Grant Hill at PG (or, if Hill isn't healthy, start at PG) while Darrell Armstrong moves to the bench to play the combo guard position. This means Troy Hudson is likely on his way out. Thoughts?
Vaughn underperformed for the Hawks last year (except for a bit at the end) and they got Dickau for the bench behind Terry, so no big deal for ATL. If Vaughn has to start for Orlando, then they are in a bit of trouble- Armstrong won't be getting the rest the coaches want him to get.
my thoughts: Vaughn sucks. he's decent backup, I guess, but that's not saying much. It was an OK move if they really think they'll lose Hudson, but really it doesn't affect their team that much. They still need size, but I guess they really don't care about that right now. I know, I know, they're excited about Humphrey, but cmon, he most likely wont have that much of an impact. how much did they sign Vaughn for?
I am not surprised by this, but ORL be warned…. He works hard, but he does not get the offense started fast enough in the shot clock, is tentative throwing the ball into the post (not a problem in ORL…lol), and struggled getting the ball to Shareef and JT, instead inexplicably wasting time trying to feed the hesitant Nazr Mohammed, who is incapable of creating his own shot. Again, he is a stand up guy, a hard worker, and is very quick….It’s just that he seemed to lack some of the other qualities that would have made him a no-doubt starting PG, IMO.
Troy Hudson surprised a lot of people last year and it would be wise to keep him. As for Vaughn, didn't he have something like the worst shooting slump in the league a few years ago when he went something like 2-45 over a few games?
One year at the minimum, around $700k. The reason why they probably won't keep Troy Hudson is that he wouldn't take the same offer. The Magic are hesitant to dole out a lot of money for a player like Hudson since they are still saving cap room for next summer...and Hudson reportedly wants a deal starting at around $3m/yr for multiple seasons - something the Magic balked at, offering him the same deal as they offered Vaughn.
awww, poop!!! i was hoping you meant mo vaughn! the magic would've finally had the big man they needed to play alongside tmac!
Hudson also had a guy shot at his house. Might be one more reason not to keep him/not to stay in Orlando.
That's been the Magic's plan ever since they drafted Mike Miller, though it was in effect for only 1 game - Hill's 16th game last year - before he was injured again and was done for the season. They'll start him off slowly, but eventually move him to the point/point forward position with time. Hudson's cohorts are in so much mess it's not funny - and the Magic tend to shy away from messes like that. If his contract demands didn't boot him out, that probably did.
