But the thing is, we don't have to stop there. We can try to move Howard or Taylor. Just because we recieve certain players doesn't mean we'll have to have them indefinitely. I'm sure somebody needs a guy like Howard or Taylor. (preferably coming off the bench)
Regarding Francis' marketability in Orlando: the majority of Magic fans comes from the Orlando area or are transplants from Latin American countries or the New York area. The top superstars, such as Granett, Iverson, Shaq, et al. draw well, as do the Knicks (no matter who is on their roster). Rockets games in Orlando are not dominated with Francis fans; much of the marketing efforts around those games have been focused around Yao. The majority of Magic fans do not know Steve Francis, nor do the majority of residents in and around Orlando. He is marketable, but not nearly as much to Orlando as he would be in a bigger city. They know Yao and they know that the Rockets beat the Magic in the Finals, but they don't know Francis. Unlike many cities, you will find hardly anyone around town with a Francis jersey. The same holds true for every other player mentioned in trade rumors except for Amare Stoudemire. He is from Orlando and fans and residents are innately familiar with who he is. That's partially why the Magic want him. Francis' marketability outside Orlando would help keep Magic turnstiles up at other arenas, but that makes no difference to the bottom line in Orlando. The bottom line is that the Magic want to win by focusing on defense and youth and will select the best package of players to do so. Is that a Rockets package? Only they know right now...we don't know how they are evaluating every package. But, I do think any talk of Francis' marketability in Orlando is overblown, having been first-hand witness to the situation the past few years.
I'm talking about legit reports. There is a reason word is on the street. I've heard the same thing from people I know - the Magic want a big return for McGrady and they are aiming high. I know you seem pretty down on this trade - either thinking it isn't a good deal or that it won't happen - but this kind of thing is genreating a lot of talk for a reason. No WAY rumors would be flying around on the weekend like they are right now if the Magic weren't in full throttle mode. The weekend is SLOW SLOW SLOW in sports reporting. Things don't usually get done because so many people are off. This is particularly true of the offseason. And, when you compare what is being discussed with McGrady to the near silence regarding where Kobe and/or Shaq might end up, that speaks volumes about the heat that is being put on to get this deal done. Why are you so down on this deal, BTW? I've noticed that you've put a lot of energy into posting why it won't happen. Just curious.
Yes, you are right. MoT is our 6th man. I do remember that MoT had a pretty good run at one point of the season (was averaging 17ppg) for one month. The few things I like about Howard is that he has a little more toughness in the paint. He does have an outside shot (15ft) too. So, there's no loss there. MoT is a better over-all shooter. But I think Howard is a better over-all PF. And surely better than Cato as the PF spot. Anways, guess that means we'll still have MoT coming off the bench.
Agreed, His jumper reminds me of the way that Dinosaur spits eggs at you at the end of the levels in Super Mario Bros. 2 Then you go inside the eagle's mouth to play slot machines. Man acid must have been popular in Japan circa 1988.
Jeff - it is obvious that the Magic want a big return from the Magic and are aiming high. They've admitted as much. Something is going to get done soon because it's now known that this process has been in the works since December, when he said he wanted out. The whole situation involving the Lakers is much more complex and will not have an end until the free agency signing period opens in mid-July. Plus, Shaq's deal is so large that it's nearly impossible to make a reasonable trade involving him. I don't think the two situations are in any way comparable. Plus, the Lakers situation has been the one dominating national media headlines, not McGrady, which has been relegated to rumor and happenstance amongst fans and local media outlets, for the most part. It's not even one of the top 5 stories on ESPN.com's story listing. Why am I down on the Rockets deal? Because it just doesn't seem to fit with what the Magic want. A change in scenery may be what Francis needs, but it doesn't dispel whether he's really a point guard or a shooting guard. Cuttino Mobley is a known quantity, unlikely to improve further; the allure of Joe Johnson, who started to break out last year, is seemingly more appealing. Shawn Marion gives the Magic an all-star, like Francis, except one who is an exceptional rebounder for his size and has high-flying and three-point shooting ability. In the East, he can play power forward, another appeal to a team lacking big men. The #7 pick offers quite a bit of appeal in a draft strong at the top with point guards. Francis may be better than Ben Gordon or Devin Harris, but he is a known quantity; there is some allure to the unknown in being able to draft a new player to mold how you want him to play. Further, all indications from local press and the team are that Grant Hill seems to be ready for next year and that they plan to play him at the point. He wanted to go so far as to try to convnce McGrady to stay, but Tracy's mind was seemingly made up long before then. Whether or not it is a reasonable hope is beyond me, as I don't have the knowledge of the situation that they do, but it seems to be one of the factors going into such a deal. I haven't touched base on Indiana's deal, as I view it as unlikely. I don't forsee the Magic trading him in-conference. I view it as down to Houston and Phoenix and feel that Phoenix's offer is better for the reasons above. I'm sure there are the same rumors flying around active Phoenix Suns communities for the Suns-Magic deal as there are around here, and ditto Clippers and Pacers communities. Will the Magic view the trade opportunities that way (Phoenix's being superior)? I don't know. For all we know, none of these offers could be on the table. McGrady has expressed interest in Houston, which makes things a bit more complicated for the Magic - especially if he says Houston is where he wants to go - but he may well have said he would be amenable to any number of other teams. What I'm getting at is this - I think other teams can offer more, whether it be draft picks to help the Magic gradually rebuild or players with more upside, than the Rockets can. There are words to be said for both certainty and uncertainty, and the Rockets certainly offer the most of the former. It is just my opinion, though, that the Magic may be better off looking at the latter and going for it all as opposed to taking the two major pieces off of some middle-of-the-pack Rockets teams (pre-Yao) and seeing where it can lead.
And yet he's money from 15feet and in on wide open shots. How many times did we cringe when defenses would lay-off Cato and beg him to take those shots? With the amount of double-teams McGrady and Yao will be seeing, we need guys that can hit shots period. Is he the long-term answer, hell no... and if we do this trade, PF will still be our biggest weakness. But, the addition of McGrady will hopefully solve some offensive woes this team had, and thus the three-man rotation of Mo-T, Howard, and Spoon can somehow keep us afloat throughout the season.
I am skeptical that the Suns are offering Marion, #7 and Joe Johnson. I think it is clear that Marion has to be in the deal. But from the things I have read the Suns are loathe to give up Johnson and dont like the idea of giving up the #7 pick either. The Suns could be offering Marion, Jacobson and Voskul. Or perhaps Mairon, Jacobson and #7. But I dont think it will be all 3 of their top cards in Marion, #7 and Johnson. So when dealing with the Suns vs Rockets trade possibilities it is tough to guage between the two trade packages. Heck the Suns already have a nice nucleus plus sold cap room so perhaps they dont want to tear into their core anymore and just focus on the core they have and add pieces via FA.
Thanks for that expert analysis. I think we should call off this McGrady deal if Howard is involved? Anyone with me?
I think Jeff has a great point about Marketability. Having a Slam Dunk runner up champion, a 3 time all-star and a clutch playoff performer and a strong name will help them want Francis over Marion, Bender, Artest etc. Orlando is not a very large market and the owner is not as deep pocketed as most as well, marketibility is a key. I honestly think that Francis, Mobley and Cato would dominate in the east with the open style and lack of interior trees except Detroit/Indiana of course. From a financial standpoint more people will want to see Francis in action. He's a high flying young talent, a multi-time all star and can put fans in the seats. This is wild!
LOL! I keep waiting for at least some "analysis" on their assessments. What? Is this the ESPN BBS? I hope not. "So-and-so sucks!" Ok, and.....?
Channel 13 said they will discuss in the next segment what Houston will need to deal to get McGrady. So those reports of 13 having reported a deal must be a rumor.
It's actually been all over ESPN all week and only took a backseat yesterday when all hell broke loose in Los Angeles. Even then, I still saw Marc Stein discuss it immediately after the Shaq talk on ESPN last night. He mentioned the Pacers, the Suns and the Rockets. He said the Magic wanted both Stoudamire and Marion from Phoenix and Phoenix wasn't giving up Stoudamire. He then said they were asking for Francis, Mobley and a big man, probably Cato, from the Rockets. At which point the other broadcaster said "Wow." as though that were a great package. I think it's interesting you talk about the allure of the unknown but completely neglect to mention that there is also a lot to be said for knowing what you're getting. It's all in how you look at things. There may be those that find the unknown alluring and others who want a sure thing. You then talk about how Marion can play the four in the East and that's appealing because they lack big men. We're offering them Kelvin Cato. He's a real big man in any conference. If they have Cato they will have either Okafor or Dwight Howard to play the 4. I think there are a lot of people that think that sounds more appealing than playing Okafor or Howard at the center position and Marion at the 4. That's a badly undersized front court. And finally, you actually dare say "Francis may be better than Ben Gordon or Devin Harris" as if there is any question there and then go on to talk about this supposed allure to the unknown. You know what the knock against Ben Gordon is? They don't know if he's a point or an under-sized 2 either and he's unproven in the NBA. And in this weak draft do you really think they're thinking "We may can do better than Francis with the number 7 pick."? I sincerely doubt it. Ok, MAYBE you can sell me on the fact that the Magic are optimistic that Hill is returning healthy, but there is no way in hell you can convince me they're actually ready to bank on it. If they are, they really all ought to be fired because every year for the last three years I've read the annual pre-season article about how Hill is ready to return to form. Every season he plays a couple games then goes down. Even were he to have a healthy season this year, how old is he now? How much future is there in him running the point in Orlando? They've got to be thinking beyond this season. Now, when you say "all indications from local press...." you make me assume you're from Orlando and you simply don't like this deal personally so you're trying to convince yourself and anybody that'll listen that it isn't possible. I'm here to tell you it is possible, and they're about to cover the possibility of it on channel 13 news on saturday afternoon!
