Posts Tagged → Carlos Boozer
June 28th, 2010
Monday’s Magic Word
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Compared to LeBron’s trumpeted grand plan, Shaquille O’Neal slipped away from the Orlando Magic in 1996 as if he merely had been transferred by the home office to another job in Los Angeles. Trust me, kids, Shaq’s move to the Lakers was a huge deal in Orlando — just not as noisy from beginning to end as today’s latest LeBron update and maniacal following. We’ve heard the ticking of King James’ free-agent clock for the past two seasons. But there was no crazed recruiting of Shaq by other teams and cities as there is with LeBron. No celebrities from L.A. were publicly wooing him. No lavish tours discussed. No competition outside L.A. It was Orlando’s “dried-up pond” (as Shaq so derisively called it later) vs. Hollywood. When all was said and done — and very little was said or done — the Magic had no chance against the Lakers, Shaq’s boyhood dream team. He simply signed a seven-year, $121-million contract with L.A., formally announcing the NBA’s biggest-ever free-agent move at a news conference during a little event I attended called the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Shaq’s period of free agency occurred 14 years ago, before ESPN covered everything like it was a moon launch, before 24/7 sports talk and sports blogs overwhelmed the Internet, before athletes were all a-Twitter.”
- George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel continues the retrospective look at Shaquille O’Neal, stating that the Orlando Magic are to blame for the big fella leaving in 1996: “It was a perfect storm of chaos. Most important on the list: The Magic lowballed Shaq with an offer that they faxed to him. Three years, a little less than $50 million. Meanwhile, NBA icon Jerry West showed up at Shaq’s hotel room in Atlanta with a max contract. Seven years, approaching $121 million. [...] There were other significant factors as well: Dennis Tracey, Shaq’s former teammate at LSU and personal assistant, had fallen out of the picture, leaving agent Leonard Armato as the one of the most influential voices in Shaq’s ear. Leonard was an LA guy, and pushed for Shaq to sign with Los Angeles. Sitting courtside at Lakers games in the vicinity of Nicholson certainly can improve your profile. And let’s not forget that Shaq had written in his book that he dreamed of playing for the Lakers.”
- Tom Haberstroh of ESPN Insider: “[J.J.] Redick‘s career 3-point percentage at Duke? 40.58. Redick’s 3-point percentage last season for the Magic? 40.51. Redick hasn’t left any doubt that his shooting translates to a taller, more athletic environment. Just two seasons ago, Redick couldn’t get off the Magic’s bench, but he has put in a ton of work to improve his peripheral game. He developed an off-the-dribble attack this season that’s especially effective in pick-and-roll situations. It’s a little-known fact that Redick shot more 2-pointers than 3-pointers this past season and posted the second-most-efficient season in the NBA, scoring 123 points every 100 possessions. He’s a restricted agent this summer, and don’t be surprised if a playoff team tries to snag him with the midlevel exception.”
- Adonal Foyle talks about working on the new collective bargaining agreement with the NBA.
- John Schuhmann of NBA.com: “Redick is Allen-light, a deadly shooter with a high basketball IQ and the experience of playing on a great defensive team. This past season was Redick’s best. He earned crunch-time minutes in a lot of big games and may be ready for a starting role. But because he’s restricted, it will be tough for a team to pry him away from Orlando at a reasonable price.”
- Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk comments on Dwight Howard‘s move to join agent Dan Fegan: “Fegan did play a role in previous CBA talks, when he was the most powerful agent going, but he is not going to have that kind of pull this time around. His current client lineup is nice, but not THAT nice. The marketing angle makes less sense. Goodwin’s people got Howard a ton of endorsement, including McDonald’s and those ubiquitous T-Mobile ads. They worked to help him create a real social media platform to broaden his marketability. Bottom line, Goodwin did a very good job. Fegan may as well, he’s another powerhouse lined up with a powerhouse international firm. But it still feels like a piece of the puzzle is missing from this story.”
- Another Gilbert Arenas-to-the-Magic rumor, from Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “The Magic are said to be actively considering trade scenarios that could provide Dwight Howard with a post-up power forward to play with, a play-maker to replace what Hedo Turkoglu brought to the 2009 Eastern Conference championship team, or a dynamic point guard. It would be easy enough to move Rashard Lewis to small forward and satisfy Howard’s first wish – something he feels strongly enough about to begin “heavily recruiting” free agents that fit the description, according to a source. As for the second item, if I were GM Otis Smith, I’d be exploring a Vince Carter-for-Joe Johnson sign-and-trade; what an upgrade that would be for a team that sorely missed Turkoglu in the conference finals against Boston this year. The third option is the most interesting: A person with knowledge of the Magic’s plans said a trade for Gilbert Arenas, the one-time superstar whose reputation took a massive hit with his gun suspension last season, remains a “definite possibility.” Smith has a good relationship with Arenas, but a stumbling block could be the fact that Howard has questions about whether Arenas would fit in. If Howard gets the answers he’s looking for, there could be legs to the Arenas-to-Orlando scenario.”
- In case you missed it, here’s a short list of power forwards that would make sense for Orlando given their skill-sets. I readily admit that I’m iffy about Carlos Boozer, but I threw him into the conversation for the sake of completeness.
By Eddy Rivera • Posted in News • 2 Comments
June 23rd, 2010
Wednesday’s Magic Word
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “The [Orlando] Magic‘s roster indeed needs some filling out, especially at point guard. Jameer Nelson‘s backups, Jason Williams and Anthony Johnson, are aging free agents. Williams hasn’t ruled out returning even as the third point guard/mentor, but the Magic need to get younger and, ahem, taller. [Otis] Smith isn’t committed to drafting a trainee, adding, “I think you always take the best guy available. I don’t think you can go in saying ‘point guard’ and pass on a better guy.” Interestingly, of the six players who worked out for the Magic on Monday, only Greivis Vasquez, 6 feet 6, formerly of Maryland, is a true point guard. Vasquez has size, but isn’t a great on-the-ball defender, which is what the Magic desperately need. That doesn’t mean Smith hasn’t had his eye on, say, point guards Terrico White and Mikhail Torrance, both 6-5.”
- George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel: “The Magic can’t snag much help with the 29th overall selection. But there are other options. Do they make a run at point guard Chris Paul? What about beefing up the power forward slot with Carlos Boozer? Is anyone out there willing to take on Vince Carter‘s $17.3 million contract for a year? All these shifting variables will determine where the Magic stand a year from now, and whether they are strong enough to stop the three-peat run by the Los Angeles Lakers. The most important time of the year is now. It’s all about the ingredients in the kitchen, and what you can brew up to win an NBA championship. The Magic are in a tough spot because that 4-1 offense with Dwight Howard inside and four guys on the perimeter has combined to win 118 regular-season games over the last two seasons. But it also matches up poorly against teams with bigger lineups, as playoff losses to the Lakers in ’09 and the Boston Celtics this season proved. Going to a more conventional lineup is a huge philosophical shift for this team. But assuming that’s the plan, who do you roll with at the power forward slot? Boozer and David Lee of the New York Knicks are the two most coveted ‘gets’ on the Magic fans wish list but there’s also the thought that the Magic already have a big man who can fit the bill — Brandon Bass. All of us get to play amateur GMs, but only Smith has the power to make a deal.”
- George Shinn, owner of the New Orleans Hornets, wants to build around Chris Paul.
- CP3 is open to a trade, however, as long as he gets a chance to win: “My first choice is to be in New Orleans. I just want to make sure we’re committed to winning. If we’re not committed to winning and trying to get better so we can contend with the Lakers, the Celtics and all these other top teams, then I’m open to being traded. [...] I’m fine with staying in New Orleans, but I want to make sure we’re committed to winning. I don’t want to rebuild. I want to win now. It’s nothing personal against the city. I love that city. But my biggest thing is winning.”
- Rashard Lewis is down with OPP.
- Devin Ebanks and Andy Rautins, two draft prospects that worked out with the Orlando Magic earlier in the week, are considered “hidden gems” according to Ryen Russillo of ESPN Insider. Here’s what Russillo had to say about Rautins: “[He] is one of the few pure shooters in this draft. He is great off the catch, uses screens well to get an open look and has a quick release. Rautins will have a defined role from day one in the NBA: come off the bench and hit shots. At 6-5, he is big and athletic enough to play shooting guard. His handle is good, and he already has NBA range. Rautins will have to understand a good shot in the pros versus a good shot in college. If he goes undrafted, I’ll be shocked.”
- Jordan Schultz of NBA FanHouse writes an excellent story on Quincy Pondexter, a possible Magic draftee: “Defensively, I think he may be the best wing defender on the West Coast, in that he uses his length very well both on the ball, when he harasses the opposition, as well as in the passing lanes, where many of his open-court steals lead to easy baskets. His ability to guard up to three NBA positions boosts his value. It is a rare blend of tools for a 6-7 wing laterally fluid enough to guard twos and threes, yet strong and athletic enough to defend fours. It is perhaps even more relevant than his improved offensive repertoire. [...] He hasn’t developed the range on his NBA three yet, but given his vast mid-range improvements since his freshman season, teams should see he is willing to put in the work. At this juncture, his scoring prowess (19.3 points) is best served from the 18-foot mark and in, where he mixes his pull-ups with dribble-drive and posting.”
- Neil Paine of Basketball-Reference takes a look at how draft choices perform by pick number.
By Eddy Rivera • Posted in News • 2 Comments
June 16th, 2010
Magic Basketball Mailbag, 6/16/10
Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images
Here’s another installment of the Magic Basketball Mailbag.
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What I would like to see this offseason (one can dream) is a push for a sign and trade for LeBron or Wade. Either one matched with Howard would be a dynasty for years to come, comparable to or maybe even greater than Shaq/Kobe era. A starting 5 of Jameer, LeBron/Wade, Barnes, Bass, Howard would be lethal. Maybe we can include Rashard and VC in the deal. Is this total fantasy or is this something that can be accomplished? With the crushing finishes the last 2 seasons and the new mega arena opening, I would think this is something ownership would want to shoot for.
A sign-and-trade for LeBron James or Dwyane Wade would be practically impossible. It’s nice to think about the possibilities, but it’s fruitless to think they’re possible realities.
However, that doesn’t mean something can’t be done with players like Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, or Amar’e Stoudemire. Granted, the odds that either Boozer, Bosh, or Stoudemire come to the Orlando Magic are extremely low. Let’s make that clear. There’s almost no way that the Magic could trade for someone in that triumvirate, but they do have the pieces to accommodate a move theoretically. General manager Otis Smith always talks about assets and he has plenty of them to make a splash — Ryan Anderson, Brandon Bass, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus, trade exception of roughly $6.9 million, and draft picks. It’d be tough to move Vince Carter, but he is essentially an expiring contract that can be used to match salaries if necessary. Would those pieces be enough to trade for a big-time player? Maybe.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Smith explored the possibility of acquiring a power forward that is a stud and workhorse, given that the last two teams to beat Orlando in the playoffs had monster frontcourts and will remain threats to them for the immediate future. Again, no one should expect anything to happen but Smith likes to play things close to the vest, so don’t put it past him to try to make something happen behind the scenes.
By Eddy Rivera • Posted in Analysis • 6 Comments
June 14th, 2010
Monday’s Magic Word
- John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com: “The [Orlando] Magic’s consensus All-NBA center spent five days in Houston last week working out with legendary Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon. The two worked for three hours a day, drilling on a variety of post moves, face-up jump shots and baby hooks off pump fakes. The idea was to help [Dwight] Howard add more weapons to his offensive arsenal when foes look to choke him off with sagging defenses. [...] Howard said that Olajuwon taught him several footwork drills and combination moves that he can work on throughout the summer as he travels the globe. He said he hopes to work out with Olajuwon again in August when he’s in Senegal and he might visit Olajuwon again prior to training camp for one more refresher course.”
- More from Denton: “Dwight Howard wasn’t just slapping high fives, handing out one hug after another, posing for pictures with babies and showing off his bowling prowess Sunday afternoon at Altamonte Bowling Lanes. The superstar center was also fulfilling a promise to a new friend, and also making a lifetime of memories for a special segment of his fanbase. Asked a month ago by 19-year-old Charbel “Big Bubba” El-Khoury, who suffers from Down’s Syndrome, if he would participate in the 2010 Bowl-A-Thon to benefit the Special Olympics of Seminole County, Howard pledged his attendance. Then, the first-team All-NBA star went out of his way to make it happen. [...] ”Big Bubba” was so excited at the prospect of bowling with his hero on Sunday that he awoke at 6 a.m. and dressed himself in Magic blue. But that excitement was nothing compared to the smiles and genuine joy that he exuded each frame that he and Howard bowled together on Sunday.”
- Tania Ganguli of the Orlando Sentinel previews the 2010 NBA Free Agency class, beginning with Carlos Boozer: “You might have spotted Boozer at Amway Arena during the Eastern Conference Finals. He’s been making the rounds since the Jazz’s season ended. Boozer flirted with wanting out of Utah last year, saying he wanted to play for the Miami Heat or Chicago Bulls. That upset Jazz fans. It wasn’t the first time pending free agency landed Boozer in a pickle.”
- If the Boston Celtics win the 2010 NBA Finals, what does that mean for the Orlando Magic? Does the loss in the Eastern Conference Finals make it easier to bear? Ben Q. Rock of Orlando Pinstriped Post leaves those questions out there for people to answer for themselves.
- According to statistical plus/minus, Rashard Lewis‘ 34-point, 11-rebound, 7-assist outing in Game 2 of the 2009 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers ranks as the third-best individual performance in a Finals loss. Ahead of Shawn Kemp, Michael Jordan, and a bevy of other historically great players.
- Just a heads up, I’m going to do a mailbag tomorrow. If you haven’t sent in your questions already, make sure to do so before the end of the evening. Thanks!
By Eddy Rivera • Posted in News • 2 Comments
April 22nd, 2010
Thursday’s Magic Word
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy is letting his opinions fly and — another $35,000 later — he’s learning freedom of speech isn’t free. Not in the NBA. We’ll get to another topic — what Van Gundy thinks about Michael Jordan, his Charlotte Bobcats and Jordan’s place in basketball history as the supposed all-time greatest player in a second. You’ll want to stick around for that.But late Thursday, Van Gundy and Magic small forward Matt Barnes — the team’s two most outspoken members — were fined $35,000 each for their public comments regarding the officiating after Wednesday night’s Game 2 against the Bobcats at Amway Arena. Van Gundy and Barnes were talking to the media about how star center Dwight Howard is being treated by the referees in the first-round series. Orlando leads Charlotte, 2-0.”
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “[Marcin] Gortat, who averaged 13.4 minutes per game this season, has played about 20 minutes in each of the first two games. Howard only has managed around 28 minutes per game — about 10-12 minutes fewer than the Magic expected to play him this postseason. ‘I think it’s always good to have a back-up center. Everybody wants them, but there are not a ton of them,’ said GM Otis Smith, who matched the Mavs’ five-year, $34-million offer sheet for Gortat, a restricted free agent. ‘Marcin comes in and keeps us somewhat whole. He’s not the same guy (as Howard), doesn’t demand the same respect, but he can hold his own at the position when Dwight’s in foul trouble.’ ”
- Click here to read what Barnes and Van Gundy said to get fined by the NBA. Van Gundy, not surprisingly, stands by his comments in defense of Dwight Howard.
- John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com examines Howard’s foul troubles: “Van Gundy’s theory that Howard is the most foul-prone superstar in the league certainly seems true when analyzing numbers from the regular season. Howard was whistled for 287 fouls this season, most in the NBA. His 3.5 fouls a game were the third-most in the NBA behind Portland’s Greg Oden (4.0), Sacramento’s Jason Thompson (3.7) and Memphis’ Marc Gasol (3.7). Indiana’s Roy Hibbert (3.5), Utah’s Paul Millsap (3.5) and Carlos Boozer (3.5) were tied with Howard. Of the five players expected to be on the first-team All-NBA team this season – Cleveland’s LeBron James (1.56 fouls a game), Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant (2.08), Miami’s Dwyane Wade (2.35), Los Angeles Kobe Bryant (2.56) and Howard (3.50) – the Magic’s big man is far and away the most foul-prone.”
- Basketball Prospectus proudly reveals the first Internet Basketball Awards. Take a look.
- Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie chooses his Defensive Player of the Year: “By March, or even February, this was a foregone conclusion. Dwight Howard changes games. He changes a team’s offensive game plan before it even has the chance to hit the floor, and then once the ball goes up, Howard changes shots. He changes plays, he changes the arc on a shot taken within his vicinity, and he changes the chances a team has at a second shot should it escape his grasp and carom off the rim. No other player in the NBA changes things, defensively, as much as Dwight Howard. No guard, no other big man, no roaming wing. Nobody.”
- Henry Abbott of TrueHoop chimes in on the Jekyll and Hyde act of Vince Carter, with an excerpt from yours truly.
- Austin Burton of Dime Magazine compares Howard to Shaquille O’Neal in that they are two of the most difficult players to referee: “Last night’s Magic/Bobcats matchup was another case of the refs not knowing how to deal with Dwight. He got his first foul when Theo Ratliff was literally hugging him in full view of the refs, but no whistle blew until Dwight used an elbow to free himself. His third foul was also pretty weak, and then Dwight picked up his fourth when he blocked Gerald Wallace at the rim but the refs called him for body contact. I’ve seen plenty of similar plays where dudes like Joel Anthony would get away with that; you expect a superstar like Dwight to get away with it, too. Just like in Shaq’s prime, the refs can’t figure it out because Dwight is so strong and so physical.”
- Rob Mahoney of Hardwood Paroxysm: “This series is just ugly. That’s fine, honestly. I’m sure Orlando doesn’t mind facing a pretty tough defensive opponent in the first round, even if it makes things a bit more difficult than they could have been. That’s exactly what’s happened in Games 1 & 2: Orlando has struggled to develop an offensive rhythm, even with Dwight Howard seemingly providing a mismatch against Charlotte’s bigs. Good defense and questionable foul-calling have limited Dwight’s effectiveness in both games, and his 15 points and six turnovers are definitely manageable for the Cats. The rest of Orlando’s starters’ scoring — Jameer Nelson’s 13, Rashard Lewis’ 13, Vince Carter’s 19, Matt Barnes’ 11 — also seems fairly pedestrian, until you realize just how slow this game was. There were 80 possessions. That’s it. 80. That’s a full 10 possessions slower than the slowest team in the league (Portland), and even more impressive given the combined 33 turnovers. That’s 33 possessions ended early, one way or another, and yet the pace just hit 80. Not only is that a bit of a slog, but it’s actually kind of impressive, when you think about it.”
- Ben Q. Rock of Orlando Pinstriped Post provides commentary on the Orlando Magic’s commitment, as an organization, to winning a championship.
- Eric Freeman of The Baseline doesn’t give the Bobcats a good chance of coming back and winning their series against the Magic.
- Bethlehem Shoals of NBA FanHouse asks a few interesting questions about Carter and Howard.
- Ric Bucher and Chris Broussard of ESPN Insider wonder which player currently in the playoffs needs a championship ring the most.
- John Hollinger of ESPN Insider explains why the matchup between Orlando and Charlotte has been one of the top stories in the playoffs, so far: “Theoretically, Charlotte-Orlando should be a competitive matchup between the league’s top two-ranked defenses, and a compelling chess match between arguably the two best coaches in the East, Larry Brown and Stan Van Gundy. It hasn’t been, however, because only one of these two teams can play offense. While the Magic have been able to shrug off bad games from their two key offensive performers — in Game 1, Dwight Howard had five points and Vince Carter shot 4-for-19, and they still won easily — every possession from the Charlotte side has been excruciating.”
