1) Man, didn't think I would ever hear someone describe Kelvin Cato as a guy who "run through a wall for you." This guy took like 4 years before he got into good enough shape just to consistently play a little bit of D. 2) Why does this guy continue to dogg on TMac? Totally classless. Through it all, TMac has kept his mouth shut, that says a ton about his maturity. 3) Again, it was a buyer's market, since TMac held all the cards. Orlando wasn't going to get full value for him. That being said, SF and Cuttino are not bad players to end up with. In the end, I still think we got the better end of the deal.
Does it matter who got the better end of the deal? Magic was forced to trade Tmac and Rockets wanted to end the Francis Era. Both teams got what they want. People will easily notice the improvement of Magic though, given their poor result last session. Magic likely can make the second round if Grant Hill is healthy. KH
Not to interrupt the Weisbrod bashing, but this section here is probably the first semi-intelligent thing I have seen him say. While I don't necessarily agree that McGrady is just content to get his, if Weisbrod did then I think he really did make a trade that will move in the direction he seems to think will work best. The guy is still an abrasive hard/dumbass though, and he won't last long in the NBA.
Yeah Francis never got up for games against the Lakers, including being the only Rocket to actually step up his game in the playoffs.
What a suck up article written by Ford. He makes it sound like Weiselbrod's just taken over when he's been in Orlando for some 4 years - not necessarily as GM - but as GM's BOSS - he's the architect of the demise - now re-inventing himself as the savior - and Ford plays along like a brainless chump! He also fails to mention that the triumvirate Weisbrod touts as winners was fine missing the playoffs for 4 straight years - including one total melt down - after which SF wouldn't even make the effort to show up for training camp early when asked - and took a well publicized time-out for the Superbowl while the team was far from assured of a playoff spot.
Did the magic get the better end of the trade? Probably not. Are the magic alot better than last year. Hell yeah. They went from being a one man show, to getting three starters from a team that gave the Lakers fits in the playoffs, a former MVP candidate in Grant Hill, another top 10 3 point shooter, and the #1 draft pick who is looking far from being a bust. There is no doubt the Magic will be a good team this year.
While Weisbrod's handling of his deals this summer left something to be desired, I think his ideas on the architecture of the team is actually very good. I like what he had to say about changing the culture of the team. Most fans will look at the level of talent on the team, even how those talents will complement one another, but don't think much about the attitudes and how those are learned and carried over from year to year. The Clippers are consistently bad because of this. Utah is consistently good because of this. When you see it turn bad on your team, you need to do something, and usually it'll take a big turnover to cut out the cancerous elements because they infect one another. Despite missing the playoffs more often than they should have (mostly by circumstance), Francis and Mobley are coming from a winning tradition. They'll bring that with them. Hopefully, the move is sufficiently turbulent that TMac won't bring his losing year along with his baggage.
What a hatchet job by Wise@$$. You have to wonder if it will affect his ability to sign free agents in the future. Maybe he's just taking out his frustration that there's no hockey.
True. But he was also too unsure of himself. Leader? Nah. He also was easily frustrated by role players like Luke Ridnour, Randy Brown, Chuckie Attkins, Tony Parker and Raul Lopez (they got in his head). Sorry, that's no killer instinct.
I loved the article. More fuel for the fire. T-Mac is definitely going into this season with something to prove, and it's obviously not that he can score 40 on any given night because everybody knows he can do that. T-Mac has to prove he can be part of a winner. I love it. On a side note, I'm starting to find myself torn between wishing the Magic well for the sake of Francis, Mobley and Cato and wishing they completely flounder so as to expose Weisbrod for the jack ass he is. And as to T-Mac keeping his mouth shut, I can't say he's done that entirely but what he's said is somewhat to be expected considering the circumstances. Weisbrod has publicly trashed McGrady left and right. To declare him classless for that is somewhat merited. The real key here is that CD hasn't said an ill word about the players we shipped off. That certainly says a lot about our organization. He and Van Gundy could easily bring up instances like Super Bowl weekend and what not if they wanted to. They've handled this with class. Mostly I think Weisbrod is just trying to convince the populace of Orlando that they're better off without T-Mac though, and that's no small task.
That was exactly the problem. I would have liked to see him bring it every night regardless of who they were playing.
WTF did Weisbro do to have Ford slobber all of his nut saying hockey guy didn't do bad for himself? What DID Weisbro do? First of all, the trade. I won't say either team got killed because that's not true. The way I look at it is that at worst we can come even at most likely came on top. So Weisbro certainly didn't improve his team that way. As for the rest, excuse me if I'm wrong, but won't the Magic be better than last season even if Weisbro didn't do sh*t and just sat on his ass? I mean, yeah, I'm sure Weisbro was responsible for fixing Grant Hill's knee. For the draft, Orlando was the worst team and luckily won the #1 pick. That would have happened whether Weisbro or Joe Bob or Carmen Electra was the GM and drafting either Emeka or Dwight Howard was the "duh" decision. If Weisbro didn't, he's an even bigger idiot. So how did hockey guy do pretty well for himself? Won't the Magic get better by default? How is it that TMac + D Howard + Hill not better than TMac + scrubs? How is: Cato/D Howard/Hill/Cat/Steve better than Who cares/Howard X2/Hill/TMac/Lue If anything, the second team is better than the first. So, not to sound like a broken record, but what did Weisbro do?
If they didn't do the trade, and McGrady was still there for a lameduck season and they picked up Dwight Howard in the lottery and even signed Turkoglu over the summer, I think it is likely they'd be in the lottery again next summer. Maybe they'd win 27 games instead of 21 games, but they'd still suck. They'd still have the same problems of guys not trying on defense, of McGrady criticizing his teammates, plus everyone knowing that TMac would probably leave and wanting to pad their own stats to position themselves for their post possible gigs in the post-TMac era. And, you'd have your #1 pick and Nelson too coming into the league and being trained in a very poisonous lockerroom where no one is really playing to win. So, come year 2, TMac gone, but now Howard and Nelson are bringing that attitude into the lockerroom. Now Weisbrod didn't execute very well, but I think he definitely had the right idea.
Explain to me how Francis/Mobley/Cato improved greatly over T-Mac/Howard/Lue/Gaines? If that were true, then didn't the Rockets get absolutely ripped off?
You're discounting the fact that G. Hill is back and seems ready to go. Magic Team: Tmac J. Howard D. Howard T. Lue G. Hill J. Nelson H. Turkoglu P. Garrity That looks like a pretty competitive team, especially in the east...
Right. So in response to that they traded for a guy with a history of being lazy (until a 7'6 guy who took his starting spot and another bald short guy who forces him to work), a guy who plays hard but needs a brain and a guy who can opt out next season. So they increased in defence but decreased in offence and will be making tons of more mistakes even compared to last year. I'm sorry, but if I was a scrub, I'd still be playing for my stats and looking for the next bus out of town (especially considering I'll be dealing with a GM who will give me a hatchet job). On top of that, you are saying TMac + J Howard + Lue + Grant Hill + D Howard will increase them by only 6 wins but Steve + Cat + Cato + Hill + D Howard will somehow magically propagate them to the playoffs and maybe as high as 3rd in the East (Turkeyglue is acquired independently, they could have done it whether TMac was traded)? I'm sorry but I just don't buy that assumption. Yes you can argue all you want about how TMac is not motivated any more but there just ISN'T that much of a difference. People keep saying how Steve + Cat + Cato was a 43 win team, well, so was TMac, ALONE. And all he wanted was a little help (and I don't see anything wrong with that), which he would have got this year from Dwight and Grant, regardless of what else happens and will likely play harder, especially considering he'll now have the motivation to prove Weisbro a moron. Sure, after the shoot-out with Weisbro he might not be as happy with the organization as could be, but that doesn't drop him from a 46+ win team (which I saw many posters here speculated Steve + Cat + Cato will get) to a 27 win team. TMac + anybody is still a team (as he has have proven already, East or not). And Dwight + Grant, if they can do anything at all (as I saw all the SOFs believe when they predict new school Orlando records), would help him. That's still a playoff team in the East any way you slice it.
