What are your initial reactions to these two mega blockbuster trades ? As a person who follows the Magic lil bit , i actually think the Magic got lil better . I think it was essential to get some new blood to infuse some energy after few up and down weeks. Basically as in players getting dealt Orlando lost : VC , Lewis,Gortat,Pietrus Orlando got : Arenas, Turkoglu ,J-Rich , Earl Clark
Worse -- chemistry will be affected, Van Gundy has a log jam at SG/SF, and he lost a legitimate backup to the foul-prone Howard.
lol foul prone? They can do just fine with bass/Clark/Anderson at Pf and run Hedo at PF for short spurts. This is the Eastern conference keep in mind, you can get away with it here
bass/Clark/Anderson at C*** also hearing Chris Duhon or Jason williams might be on the move for a backup C.
They got rid of two pure scorers with albatross contracts and got back two great playmakers who can score. Personally, I like it. The magic have some balls. They aren't afraid to pull the trigger on big time players.
I wasn't really thrilled with Chris Duhon signing this offseason , i don't think he was meshed with the team well this year as far as i know .
they're the same. vince and shard were great shooters for them, so adding arenas/jrich/hedo aren't going to improve much in that department. arenas/jrich/hedo do provide more playmaking and individual creativity and that might help dwight howard. however, they lose a lot of size by losing gortat. so if you get dwight in foul trouble, their defense will suffer a ton b/c the new guys aren't much better defenders than vince/shard. they're not better than miami or boston. until they get another legit all-star next to dwight, they're not going to take that next step.
Do your homework -- Clark's a SF, always has been. He played wing throughout his collegiate career, and is lengthy and raw. He doesn't have the bulk/base to play in the paint, he'd get eaten alive. Anderson and Bass are both PFs -- Anderson's never punished defenses in the paint, as he prefers to step out and utilize his mid-range game. Bass is a force, but he's undersized. They'll struggle against teams with deep frontlines, and I think SVG almost has too many options on the wing, and I think he'll struggle to dole out PT, maintain fluidity, and keep all of the wing scorers satisfied.
well Jameer Nelson always gets injured and they thought J-Will had retired, so I understand their move at that time.
Magic got ALOT better. They love to shoot the 3 and all three guys they got can each shoot very well. Only concern really is in the post for them, besides Howard and Bass who do they really have?
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/earl-clark "Strengths: Versatile combo forward … A mismatch offensively because he can attack effectively inside and out … Has a great combination of size, strength and speed " You should take your own advice If you can play PF in Orlando, you can play Center as well. Their perimeter defense will be suffocating since they will have so many mobile wings and forwards on the floor...thats how they won in 2009 series vs the Cavs. This is a very mobile team and you can make up for bulk with speed, quickness and athleticism and hustle guys like Bass and Anderson. Again this may get them the no.1 seed in the East but will it help them get out of hte East in the playoffs? maybe. And that uncertainity is the reason why they're looking to dump J-Will or Duhon for one more cheap veteran big body
I personally think J-Rich is huge upgrade over Carter. J-Rich was one of the main reasons the Suns even made it to the Western Conference Finals last year, he was straight balling through the playoffs. Carter played horrible for the Magic in the playoffs, he chocked big time.
Amazing trade, beyond amazing. Now since they are clogged at the pg position I'm pretty sure they will trade either Nelson, Williams, or duhon for a backup center. And people forget how deadly turkoglu was with the magic before. They won't put up with his recent crap, and they will whip him back into shape. The van gundys don't play that bull. Might as well call them the showtime magic. Gilbert is going to be passing alleys to jrich and dh all day
very likely. Like I said the magic aren't going to be putting up with his crap. Stan van gundy and Otis smith are going to get him an turkey glue back into tip top form
As they were, the Magic weren't championship contenders and they knew it. Switching VC & Pietrus for Gilbert & J-Rich and Rashard Lewis for Turkey-Glue makes them a more dangerous playoff team IMO. The disappearing acts of VC and Rashard Lewis are being replaced by two guys (Gilbert and Turkey) who are fearless and excel at scoring in tough situations. At 15 mins/game, Gortat had little value to the Magic because he played behind DH. Giving him up doesn't amount to much. It was just a matter of time before Mr. Trade Bait was given up. J-Rich, by himself, may end up being more valuable to the Magic than VC. He can play off the ball, won't sulk and won't act injured when he really isn't. I'm not yet willing to conclude the Magic will be the #1 seed in the East. Chemistry issues could hinder them a while. IMO, they need to keep Jameer Nelson in the starting lineup
With Howard, J-Rich, and Turkoglu around him. There is very good possibility that he disciplines himself into returning to his old form.
