Photo by Fernando Medina
In case you haven’t seen, read, or heard, Carmelo Anthony has been traded to the New York Knicks and will be teaming up with Amar’e Stoudemire to form a dynamic duo that will surely make noise in the Eastern Conference. No, the Knicks won’t be contenders in the East — not yet — due to a lack of depth and defense, but they’ll be a pesky out in the 2011 NBA Playoffs without a doubt.
What does any of this have to do with the Orlando Magic?
Let’s get to that in a second.
One of the primary motivations for New York to acquire Anthony in a trade was to provide Stoudemire with a teammate that could help carry the load.
If it hasn’t become clear already, to win a championship in the NBA requires multiple stars to lead the way for their respective teams. It’s how the Boston Celtics won in 2008 with Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce. It’s how the Los Angeles Lakers won in 2009 and 2010 with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. It’s why LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh teamed up to play for the Miami Heat. It’s why Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, and Derrick Rose teamed up to play for the Chicago Bulls. With Anthony and Stoudemire, the Knicks are working towards that model of winning. In fact, the Eastern Conference is so loaded with stars and superstars, the Magic are quickly becoming the exception to the rule.
While their rivals trot out multiple great-to-elite players on a nightly basis, Orlando is buoyed by their lone ranger — Dwight Howard.
Howard is a top five player, a Defensive Player of the Year and MVP candidate, but he’s flanked by good role players. Not great-to-elite. In an eery parallel, it similar to James’ situation with the Cleveland Cavaliers for seven years. Sure, Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis were legitimate All-Stars in 2009 and even then, “All-Star designations” isn’t the end-all, be-all for player classification. But even at their best, Nelson and Lewis don’t match the caliber of supporting cast that teams like the Celtics, Heat, Bulls, and Knicks enjoy. And that’s just the East.
Sure, Howard has help but in a way, he is by himself. Let’s put it in perspective.
| net +/- | stat. +/- | EWA | PER | WARP | Win Shares/48 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Allen | +4.6 | +2.77 | 6.6 | 17.3 | 6.1 | .177 |
| Kevin Garnett | +14.7 | +5.90 | 6.6 | 20.9 | 5.5 | .199 |
| Paul Pierce | +16.1 | +4.85 | 8.4 | 19.5 | 7.2 | .201 |
| Rajon Rondo | +10.3 | +5.12 | 5.9 | 18.3 | 5.0 | .150 |
Boston Celtics
There have been Big Three iterations in the league before, but the Celtics kicked off the new era of Big Threes when Allen, Garnett, and Pierce teamed up to form a trio that experienced success immediately upon their union. The beauty of Allen, Garnett, and Pierce playing together isn’t just that they’re great players, but they’re a cohesive unit in every sense of the word. Pierce is the closer, Garnett is the anchor defensively while doing his due diligence in the low and high posts, and Allen is the sharpshooter that also puts in work during clutch moments.
With Rondo’s emergence as the distributor, Boston has a Big Four and a quartet that work so well together in so many ways. Miami, despite having a superior trio from a talent standpoint, has learned the hard way.
| net +/- | stat. +/- | EWA | PER | WARP | Win Shares/48 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Boozer | +3.4 | +4.20 | 5.6 | 21.2 | 3.2 | .175 |
| Joakim Noah | +14.7 | +4.27 | 3.9 | 19.6 | 5.5 | .204 |
| Derrick Rose | +16.1 | +4.71 | 12.3 | 23.3 | 8.8 | .194 |
Chicago Bulls
Boozer, Noah, and Rose isn’t a Big Three that’s talked about often, but they should be given their respective gifts. Rose has emerged as one of the best point guards in the NBA and is Chicago’s do-it-all scorer. Noah is the Bulls’ answer to Garnett, meant nothing more than as a comparison of being fiery competitors that serve as the anchors of the two best defenses in the league. Garnett is the more talented player offensively without question, but Noah is one of the better defenders in the NBA and earns the right of being labeled a comparable peer on that end of the court. The similarities between Noah and Garnett are uncanny.
As for Boozer, he is the ying to Rose’s yang on offense.
| net +/- | stat. +/- | EWA | PER | WARP | Win Shares/48 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmelo Anthony | +3.8 | +2.32 | 9.7 | 21.4 | 3.8 | .157 |
| Amar’e Stoudemire | +3.0 | +2.19 | 12.0 | 23.9 | 6.6 | .144 |
New York Knicks
With Stoudemire and Anthony, New York has star power. Oh, and two of the better scorers in the league. That much is certain. What isn’t certain is how Stoudemire and Anthony will co-exist in head coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense. Another problem is that Stoudemire and Anthony aren’t known for their defense, which makes them incomplete two-way players. Even then, Stoudemire and Anthony are two of the better talents in the NBA and that counts for something.
| net +/- | stat. +/- | EWA | PER | WARP | Win Shares/48 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Bosh | +7.1 | +2.19 | 7.4 | 19.5 | 4.4 | .179 |
| LeBron James | +10.0 | +8.60 | 16.5 | 26.7 | 10.5 | .233 |
| Dwyane Wade | +6.1 | +6.35 | 14.0 | 25.1 | 9.1 | .212 |
Miami Heat
The SuperFriends.
Until further notice, James is still the best player in the league, Wade is still a top five player, and Bosh is still an All-Star caliber player. After a rough start to the regular season, James, Wade, and Bosh are starting to realize their potential and it’s only a matter of time until they fully form like Voltron. Right now, James, Wade, and Bosh are working on half-cohesion, half-talent in terms of making everything click when they’re on the floor together. The devastation they’ve left in their wake has been impressive and they’re only getting started.
Notice the trend?
As good as Howard has been this season for the Magic, it’s obvious that he doesn’t have the support system other teams in the East enjoy. Heck, the Atlanta Hawks weren’t on the list and even they have two All-Star caliber players in Al Horford and Josh Smith, not Joe Johnson. The only thing Orlando has is Howard and it’ll be interesting to see if Nelson along with Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson, and Gilbert Arenas will be able to provide enough assistance to the big fella.
In recent weeks, Howard has been playing like the best player in the league and if he’s able to continue his current pace, the Magic stand a chance in the postseason no matter what. But with a lot of teams in the Eastern Conference boasting duos, trios, and a quartet (for good measure) full of talent, it’s clear that it’s going to be a long road ahead for Orlando. If Troy Murphy does end up signing with the Magic after he gets bought out, that’s more help for Howard.
Will it be enough? Time will tell.