NBATALK: "Rockets trying to move up in draft for big man."

Sherlock:

You wrote: "..... Orlando is offering Doleac, Maggette, #5 and #10, and a long term contract of a player NJ doesn't want, such as Jim McIlvaine for Martin at #1......"

I am not attempting to discredit you in any way. On the contrary I enjoy your posts and bow to your obvious excellent insight on basketball, but I know for a fact thet Orlando has not offered that full a package to NJ. New Jersey would be very lucky to get a package as varied and as advantageous offered to them.

But even without that knowledge of Orlando, I could not see this scenario happening because ......

.... We all know Doc and company are dangling their picks out there for a trade,to be sure. They definitely do not want all of them this year.

.... Maggette is not a player they take lightly. They need him in their new scheme of things. They would have to have something of worth to let him go.

.... Doleac is definitely being shopped as you surmised. But, I would not count on Mercer being with the Magic come this fall.

.... NJ would really like to unload McIllvaine's contract. That is most assuredly NOT the direction that the Magic have been seeking. Just the opposite. They have spent the last year unloading unwanted long term contracts and paring down. They got a General Manager's Award for the efort. If Doc wanted to sell McIllvaine to the Magic Organization as the pill to swallow to get the Number One Pick, he could do it. He is well liked. They gave him a lot of rein there. But it would be a useless effort if he included all these other concessions like Mags, the picks, future pick, Doleac, ..etc ... I guess I am saying that Doc not only would not do it, even if Doc wanted to, he couldn't get it past the front office.

.... They are not commited to one style of rebuilding as you mentioned. Be that through the draft, free agentcy, superstar acquisition. They categorically deny that venture. They want to rebuild over a two year span and have stated several times that they would keep about 1/2 of last year's team (although Doc has said since, that he may actually try to keep "most of the guys" for next season), pick up a a good player from one of their many picks(They like Martin, Swift, Mihm, Pryz, Mo Pete,Miles, Miller,(in no particular order)and go after one or two of the "big guys" in free agentcy. That means Tim, Grant and Tracy. Spending a great deal of their expansion on one player seems to be counter to what they keep projecting.

In short, it appears that they would be unloading one tradeable big man in Doleac, a young but capable guy with "tons of potential" in Mags, two draft choices that are respectable first rounders in a thin draft, plus a possible future draft for one player.

Albeit, an excellent NBA bound star. Martin or Swift. But you said it yourself .... " ... That's 4 economical players that could be future starters for NJ..." Presumably, Orlando also sees that worth.(For Example: Doleac, Mags, Darius Miles, DerMarr Johnson, a future pick for McIlvaines contract(several years left) and Martin/Swift.)

The only way I could see them going against their defined direction, throwing the plans all away and pulling out all stops was if it included an eventual Magic trade of the Number One to get Tim Duncan away from SA.



....

------------------

 

I'd have to agree with Popeye, Oeilpere or whatever your name is.

I could see them trading Doleac, but not Maggette...and definitley not for McIlvaine for salary purposes. McIlvaine does nothing to better their situation. All he would do is take up cap space that they feverishly worked to free up to attract Duncan/Hill.

I am curious though would Orlando have the room to sign Duncan or Hill if they used all of their picks?

------------------
We need some meat in the post and I don't mean Brian Grant!

 

true, true.

------------------
get it Tag, get it! - a Jazzhole asking Greg Ostertag to rebound the ball.

 

oeilpere:

I stand corrected by the master, especially one with sources. I have no sources, nor am I an authoritative source on this. In the future, I need to quote those who state such things, who might have sources, as the source of the information in my posts. Thanks for the exhortation. That was careless on my part, and not good journalism.

I should not have posted this as fact, but instead <a href="http://orlandosentinel.com/automagic/sports/2000-06-25/SPTmagic25062500.html">quoted the Orlando Sentinel</a> and <a href="http://www.sportstalk.com/nba/draft/rumors/rumors_6-25-00.shtml">NBAtalk</a> for their statements on these issues regarding possible negotiations by Orlando on trading to NJ for the #1 pick.

I totally agree with your points about Orlando, by the way. My whole point is that the top pick has become more expensive than Martin is worth, and is not an option the Rockets can or should compete with. I personally think Orlando would be stupid to do it, especially if they got stuck with McIlvaine, although if they got Martin and picked up the free agents (Duncan, TMac, etc), they'd still be in good shape, regardless. I personally was shocked to see them willing to trade Maggette or even Doleac, if this report was true.

If I was Orlando, I'd try to trade at least one of those lottery picks for a lotto pick next year in the deeper draft, such as with Washington.

I just think that the upper 5 picks have developed more value than they are worth at this point, and so I don't the Rockets trading up, unless it would be for Miles at #3 or #4.

------------------
the more I know, the more I know I don't know...