Tuesday’s Magic Word
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “For the moment at least, Matt Barnes remains a free agent. As we’ve noted before, the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors cannot execute a sign-and-trade deal that would pay Barnes a first-year salary anywhere close to $4.5 million. On their own, the Raptors don’t have the cap room and no longer have their midlevel exception. The Magic don’t have the cap room either, and their non-Bird exception for Barnes would pay Barnes just $1.92 million for a first-year salary. [...] The Raptors and Magic can continue to talk about a sign-and-trade deal, but they just can’t get around the fact that Orlando can only offer Barnes $1.92 million. Officials from the Raptors and Magic are not commenting.”
- Matt Barnes has some kind words for Magic fans: “Orlando fans are amazing, just absolutely amazing. They’ll always have a special place in my heart. They really accepted me and my family with open arms right from the jump, especially being someone that came in not to replace Hedo, someone who was so loved and respected by the fans, but be one of the guys that would take his spot. I really felt no bitterness and no hate or anything from the fans; I was expecting maybe a little bit.”
- Eric Freeman of The Baseline states that the Orlando Magic are too stacked: “The Magic don’t have enough minutes for all these players, particularly in the frontcourt. It seems as if they have to trade [Marcin] Gortat and [Brandon] Bass for pennies on the dollar just to avoid locker room trouble. Likewise, if they don’t give [J.J.] Redick what he wants soon, he’ll start to wonder why Orlando matched the Bulls’ offer in the first place. I understand why the Magic want to hold onto as many good players as possible. But when they do so without figuring out a rotation that can fit in every piece they have, they’re asking for trouble. They have a loaded roster, but it might actually be too full of talent given the expectations of everyone involved.”
- Penny Hardaway’s comeback bid is over.
- Britt Robson of Sports Illustrated is not a fan of the Chris Duhon signing: “With starting point guard Jameer Nelson often dinged or substantially hurt, the backup floor general for Orlando — which remains an elite Eastern Conference contender — is a vital. Duhon is a decent defender and takes care of the ball, but he hasn’t shot better than 42.1 percent in his six seasons, with a career mark of 39.3 percent. That’s not going to foster the spacing coach Stan Van Gundy prefers in his half-court sets. And with a four-year contract, it’s a long-term gamble and only a minor short-term upgrade over Jason Williams.”
- Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk wonders if Brandon Bass is a good fit or not with the Magic.
- J.J. Redick is ready to start.
- Ben Q. Rock of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “In the coming days, Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith will consider the third-string point guard options available in free-agency, and he indicated last week that he would indeed “sit still for a week or so, let some things shake out” before making any moves. Chris Quinn is merely one possibility who merits attention, but he might be the best one. Quinn spent last season with the New Jersey Nets after the Miami Heat dumped his salary on them; he played just 223 minutes over 25 games after the trade, meaning his stock may never have been lower. But as recently as the 2008/09 season, Quinn posted solid shooting and playmaking numbers, indicating he might be a hand-in-glove fit for Orlando.”
- Dwight Howard is “hard in the paint.”
