Posts Tagged → Chicago Bulls
Dwight Howard and the power of one
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.
Friday’s Magic Word
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “The season is winding down, meaning every game is big when you are chasing the leaders and jockeying for playoff positions. With 25 games left, the [Orlando] Magic are hunters instead of the hunted this season. Circle March 3 and 4 on your calendar. It’s likely a tell-tale back-to-back. The Magic are at Miami on March 3 and then home to host the Bulls March 4. They currently are chasing them both in the Eastern Conference race, trailing co-leader Miami by 5.5 games and Chicago by three games. We’re at the point of the season where head-to-head battles are critical. The Magic can take care of business themselves, not having to rely on help from others. But losses would increase the deficit, and in the case against Miami, give the Heat the season series 3-1 and playoff tiebreaker. Oh, and state bragging rights. A loss to the Bulls would put the Magic behind them 2-1 in the season series, perhaps forcing them to beat Chicago in Orlando on April 10 to salvage a tie in the four-game season series. While it looks as if the Magic are a long-shot to catch the Heat, who basically share the top spot with Boston, you never know, especially since injuries can change things quickly.”
- Dwight Howard is going to be busy during All-Star weekend, but he won’t be the other one. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel explains: “Point guard Jameer Nelson said he’ll spend time with family. Power forward Ryan Anderson expects to go on a trip with his brother-in-law and a few friends. Point guard Gilbert Arenas wants to lose six pounds and get down to 210 by playing pickup games.“
- The Orlando Magic and the city of Orlando are prepping for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.
- Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “With that said, I think Simmons is fair to rate Howard behind James. Most sane fans would do the same, to to claim Howard is “underrated,” and not “properly rated,” is, on some level, tantamount to saying Howard should top Simmons’ list. That’s not what I’m getting at, though, because I agree with Simmons that James is terribly underrated despite the exposure the media give him, in addition to the exposure he brings upon himself. My point is that James and Howard are so far away from the proverbial field, at least in terms of affecting basketball games, that no one really stands a chance of challenging them. [...] We ought to be able to agree, like most reasonable folks, that James and Howard are, in some order, the league’s top two players, and that it’s not close. My hope here is that we’ve at least got a better appreciation for how truly great Howard is, particularly as a low-post scorer.”
- A look at where the Magic stand compared to the rest of the NBA.
- David Stern wished the media didn’t speculate about Howard’s future.
- Is Orlando still a title contender?
- A sneak peak at the shoes Howard will be wearing for the All-Star Game on Sunday.
Thursday’s Magic Word
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Here’s Dwight Howard’s chance to win MVP. His best chance. Why? Because he can lead a Magic comeback in the stretch run — and don’t we love comeback stories? I mean, there’s really not an overwhelming MVP favorite to date. Let’s review: LeBron James, obviously. But then sometimes you might lean to his sidekick in Miami, Dwyane Wade. They might split the judges’ voting. There’s Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City scoring machine. Doesn’t feel as if young KD has quite acquired that MVP gold card yet. There’s Derrick Rose, who has taken a super star leap to lead the Bulls to the East’s third-best record. Hasn’t quite earned his full-bird stripes. Lakers star Kobe Bryant has been great at times, and other times looked human. Do Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki and Denver’s Carmelo Anthony move the MVP meter? The Celtics’ Big Four cancel each other out in the team concept, as do the Spurs’ Big Three. None of their names really are on the tip of your tongue for MVP, which is maybe why their teams are so good.”
- J.J. Redick gets crossed over — cue laughter now.
- Don’t expect the Orlando Magic to make a move at the trade deadline.
- Bill Simmons of ESPN.com: “[Ryan Anderson] submitted a rock-solid impersonation of 2009 Rashard Lewis (sans any steroid masking agents) after Orlando’s big December shakeup. He’s made at least one 3 in his past 29 games (42 percent shooting), 13 ppg and 6 rpg playing just 25 minutes a night. He’s the darling of the statistical community right now — if we bring him to Dorkapalooza next month, there might be a per-minute riot.”
- Dwight Howard is a black hole on offense to some degree.
- Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated: “The Magic have become a game of Mad Libs. Any report that reads “Orlando called (insert team name) to express interest in (insert power forward/center)” is probably true. GM Otis Smith has come up empty so far in search of a backup big man to replace Marcin Gortat. That Smith has tried to dampen expectations means he is not optimistic about landing one before the deadline. Orlando’s best hope may be for the Nets to negotiate a buyout with Murphy, whose most likely destination would be Orlando, according to a source. “
- Rashard Lewis gets love from Magic fans and former teammates during last night’s game.
- Howard is a TV star, not just an All-Star. Andrew Unterberger of The Basketball Jones explains: “Many NBA stars bring many diverse talents to the table when it comes to their advertising work, but chances are, only The Beast From the Far East is going to encourage spontaneous sing-alongs among viewers. Dwight may or may not be able to actually play the piano, but he can certainly improvise song lyrics mixing hoops braggadocio and commercial plot contrivances (“Getting quick to the rim game after game / Taking planes to Aruba with Slim, it’s never lame”) with the best of them — and sound damn good doing it, too. There’s even enough legitimate chemistry between D-12 and Ken “The Hangover wasn’t even that funny and that was like ten movies ago” Jeong to make the latter tolerable for possibly the last-ever time. Resurrecting Gilbert Arenas’s career in the second half of this season would likely be a lesser accomplishment.”
Recap: Orlando Magic 89, Los Angeles Lakers 75
Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
In front of a nationally televised audience and the largest home crowd in franchise history (19,193 at the Amway Center), the Orlando Magic were able to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers by the score of 89-75. Rarely does a regular season game carry much importance, especially in the eyes of head coach Stan Van Gundy, but this was a win that the Magic needed since they’ve been unable to beat a winning team in a month. And that the victory came against the Lakers, a squad still viewed by many — with the return of Andrew Bynum — as the favorite to win an NBA title this season, was doubly important. For Orlando, it was all about Dwight Howard as he was able to demolish Los Angeles’ frontline of Bynum and Pau Gasol, finishing with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks. If there’s any doubt that Howard hasn’t improved on offense this year, his outing against the Lakers should silence any of the doubters that remain. Not only was Howard dominant offensively, but his impact on defense was felt throughout the game as his presence made it difficult for Los Angeles to get things going at the rim consistently. Aside from Howard, Jason Richardson was the only other player for the Magic that scored in double-figures with 12 points. Safe to say this was Orlando’s best win of the regular season.
A steady descent for the Orlando Magic
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
It was January 9.
The Orlando Magic just got done beating the Dallas Mavericks the night before to extend their winning streak to nine games — tying a franchise record. The Magic’s record was 25-12, third in the Eastern Conference, and they were within striking distance of the Miami Heat (trailed by 3.5 games) for the No. 2 seed. It looked like general manager Otis Smith struck gold with two blockbuster trades that brought Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu, and Jason Richardson into the fray.
All was well.
The playmaking that was needed? Turkoglu took care of that.
The offensive firepower on the perimeter that was lacking? Arenas, Turkoglu, and Richardson brought the ammunition.
Unfortunately for Orlando, their nine-game winning streak — looking back on it now — was fool’s gold. That 22-point win over the San Antonio Spurs? The Spurs were playing on a back-to-back and head coach Gregg Popovich waved the white flag early in the third quarter, knowing the outcome was decided. That eight-point win over the Boston Celtics? Rajon Rondo, someone that has given the Magic plenty of problems in the past, didn’t play due to sprained left ankle (Kendrick Perkins was out, as well). That 10-point win over the Mavericks? Dirk Nowitzki sat out of the game with a sprained right knee. Orlando’s lone other win against a winning team in that timeframe came against the New York Knicks, a squad that is merely average and capable of beating beaten on any given night. Especially by the Magic.
Granted, Orlando has had some close losses too.
Losing by three to the New Orleans Hornets in overtime. Losing by a point to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Losing by three to the Celtics. Losing by nine points to the Chicago Bulls. Losing by four points to the Miami Heat. These aren’t bad losses, per se, but they’re not wins either.
For the Magic, close enough isn’t good enough. Not for a franchise that’s been considered part of the elite in the NBA since 2009 when they made their run to the Finals. And since Orlando’s winning streak, they’re 9-8 in their last 17 games and looking less like a championship contender.
It’s spurred writers from around the blogosphere to ask if the Magic are done?
Role reversal between two rivals
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
When the Orlando Magic defeated the Miami Heat on November 24 by the score of 104-95 in front of a nationally televised audience and sold-out crowd at the Amway Center, these were two teams heading in different directions.
The win sparked a six game-winning streak for the Magic, which eventually pulled their record to 15-4 before the wheels fell off the wagon and general manager Otis Smith was forced to make two blockbuster trades on December 18 that brought Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, and Hedo Turkoglu to Orlando. The loss put the Heat at 8-7, everyone was questioning how long head coach Erik Spoelstra was going to last on the sidelines, but a funny thing happened. Miami persevered. The Heat would win 22 of their next 24 games and in that stretch, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh began to mesh together. Injuries incurred by James, Wade, and Bosh have slowed down Miami a little bit in recent weeks. However, right now, the Heat are 34-14 and operating near full-strength — only Udonis Haslem is missing in action due to injury.
As for the Magic? Problems abound.
At first, the trades injected new life into Orlando’s roster and they were able to real off nine consecutive wins, which tied a franchise-record. Unfortunately for the Magic, they’re beginning to lose their way again. Recent losses to the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, and Memphis Grizzlies have revealed fatal flaws that have head coach Stan Van Gundy declaring that Orlando is not ready to contend unless they commit themselves fully to the defensive end. It’s safe to say that the roles are reversed when the Magic and Heat do battle once again on Thursday.
This time, Orlando is the vulnerable team and Miami appears ready to take advantage. Perimeter defense, as well as an interior presence defensively when Dwight Howard is out of the game, are holes that the Heat are more than ready to exploit with a three-pronged attack of James, Wade, and Bosh. Must-win games mean nothing to Van Gundy — someone notorious for dismissing the notion by saying that unless it’s worth two wins, it has no greater ramification than any other game.
That being said, even if Van Gundy believes it or not, the Magic are dealing with a must-win situation against the Heat.
Why?
Because it’s becoming harder to label Orlando as an elite team and championship contender, given that they’re dealing with issues that can be easily exploited by the likes of Miami, the Boston Celtics, and others. Howard may be in line to win his third straight Defensive Player of the Year award, but his capabilities defensively have been stretched far too thin and the Magic are paying for it.
Also, the perimeter attack for Orlando has short-circuited lately, with Arenas, Nelson, Richardson, and Turkoglu unable to play with any sort of consistency on offense. Many of the issues for the Magic are fixable, but it’s no guarantee they’ll be fixed.
A win for Orlando could quiet the dissenters in the short-term, providing a ray of hope that they can right the ship in time for the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Or a loss to the Heat, especially if it’s a convincing one, will only further discourage the Magic as they trek towards the postseason.
Tuesday’s Magic Word
- Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel: “Back in September, before the Orlando Magic had even began training camp, I wrote a blog post wondering what the Magic would do if the Miami Heat rolled out a backcourt featuring LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Mike Miller. Defensively, Wade is smart and agile enough to defend opposing point guards. And that trio could, with its mix of size, athleticism and offensive skill, provide a slew of matchup problems for opposing defenses. That mismatch may be even bigger when the Heat are playing the Magic because of Jameer Nelson’s diminutive size, as it’s difficult to fathom Nelson guarding anyone in that Heat lineup. He’s not guarding James, obviously. Mike Miller is a 6-foot-8 shooter, and a the 6-foot Nelson wouldn’t provide much resistance closing out on Miller’s outside jumper. And Wade is too big and too skilled for Nelson to contend with in an isolation set.”
- More Dwight Howard free agency speculation.
- Head coach Stan Van Gundy — “We’re not ready to contend.”
- A key possession that doomed the Orlando Magic in last night’s game.
- The Magic are a tough team to play against.
- Charley Rosen of NBA FanHouse: “Too many defensive weak spots for Dwight Howard to single-handedly erase. The miserable play of Gilbert Arenas translates into a subpar bench that has difficulty creating shots off the dribble. Orlando remains a few players short of being an odds-on choice to win a title.”
- Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk: “Sentences I never thought I’d type include: Mike Conley outplayed Jameer Nelson badly in this one. Conley has really had a good season, I’ll eat some crow on that one. Anyway, that was one of the keys. That and just a good shooting night by Memphis, including 63.2 percent in the first half, against what is supposed to be a powerful Magic defense.”
- Britt Robson of Sports Illustrated asks some questions about Orlando: “After a nine-game winning streak following the blockbuster trades in mid-December, the Magic have split 12 games and need to figure out a few things if they hope to hang with the Celtics, Bulls and Heat at the top of the East. Is yielding partial control of the offense to Hedo Turkoglu messing up Jameer Nelson’s game? How does Orlando get more open and frequent looks for Jason Richardson, who is shooting 37.1 percent over the last 10 games? As handy and heady as Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson have been beside Dwight Howard in the frontcourt, when will the Magic go out and get another big man, preferably a mobile defender? And is the impish and explosive Gilbert Arenas we remember and love gone forever?”
- Another take on the Magic’s loss in yesterday’s game.
- Dwight Howard is overrated according to one NBA writer.
Recap: Memphis Grizzlies 100, Orlando Magic 97
AP Photo/ Mark Weber
If the game against the Chicago Bulls may have put the nail in the coffin for a team considered by many as part of the elite in the NBA, consider the case closed now as the Memphis Grizzlies were able to defeat the Orlando Magic by the score of 100-97. To be rather blunt, stupidity almost cost the Magic a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation. With 5.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Mike Conley headed to the foul throw line after Jason Richardson fouled him following a missed three-pointer by Hedo Turkoglu that could have given Orlando the lead. But before Conley went to shoot his free-throws, Dwight Howard – inexplicably — mouthed off at one of the officials and earned a technical foul at the most inopportune time. This is the franchise player for the Magic, and he was unable to keep his mouth shut at a crucial moment in time. Fortunately for Howard, after Zach Randolph made the technical free-throw to give the Grizzlies a two-point lead, Conley missed one of two free-throws. That gave Orlando one last chance at tying things up, but Richardson missed a 30-foot three-point heave with time expiring. Another loss for the Magic and it’s becoming clear that this is a flawed team that has little chance of competing for the Eastern Conference title in their current form. Memphis was led by a balanced attack, six players scored in double-figures. However, the player of the game for the Grizzlies was Conley, who finished with 26 points and 11 assists — first time in his career that he’s been able to amass more than 20 points and 10 assists in the same game. Orlando was led by a balanced attack as well, with six players scoring in double-figures. Howard finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks but also had seven turnovers. Also, Brandon Bass left in the third quarter with a sprained right ankle.
Orlando’s Dwight Howard named NBA All-Star for fifth straight time
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images
Via the Orlando Magic:
Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard led all Eastern Conference players, and was second overall, in the NBA All-Star Balloting program presented by T-Mobile with 2,099,204 votes. It marks Howard’s fifth straight appearance in the NBA All-Star Game and fourth consecutive time voted a starter.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, a three-time All-Star MVP, is this year’s overall leading vote-getter with 2,380,016 votes. It is Bryant’s 13th consecutive All-Star selection; only Jerry West, Karl Malone and Shaquille O’Neal, with 14 straight nods each, have more.
Joining Howard in the Eastern Conference starting lineup at forward are the Miami Heat’s LeBron James (2,053,011), the 2006 and 2008 All-Star Game MVP, and the New York Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire (1,674,995). The starters for the East at guard are the Heat’s Dwyane Wade (2,048,175), last year’s All-Star Game MVP, and the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose (1,914,996), who earns his first All-Star Game start. James and Wade are the first set of teammates to start an All-Star Game for the Eastern Conference since Wade and Shaquille O’Neal represented the Heat in 2007 in Las Vegas.
Bryant, the youngest All-Star in NBA history in 1998, and the All-Star MVP in 2002 and 2007, and co-MVP along with Shaquille O’Neal in 2009, is joined in the Western Conference starting backcourt by the New Orleans Hornets’ Chris Paul (1,281,591). The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant (1,736,728), making his first All-Star Game start, and the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony (1,299,849) are the starting forwards. The Houston Rockets’ Yao Ming gets the nod at center (1,146,426). NBA Commissioner David Stern will select a replacement for Yao, who is injured with a stress fracture in his left ankle.
Wednesday’s Magic Word
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Reserve point guard Jason Williams did not join the Orlando Magic on their two-game road trip to face the Indiana Pacers tonight and the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, leaving his status with the team up in the air. When asked about Williams’ status after the Magic’s shootaround today at Conseco Fieldhouse, the team’s president of basketball operations, Otis Smith, responded: ‘Well, he’s not with the team. We’ll deal with him when we get back to Orlando.’ Williams participated in the team’s practice Tuesday at Amway Center, but with the impending return of big man Malik Allen from injury, Williams was slated to be taken off of the team’s active list because the Magic would have had 13 healthy players and NBA teams are permitted to carry 12 players on their active roster. This is Williams’ second absence from the team this season.”
- Since then, Jason Williams has been waived by the Orlando Magic.
- Head coach Stan Van Gundy will continue with the big men rotation of Dwight Howard, Brandon Bass, and Ryan Anderson manning the forward and center positions.
- Roy Hibbert talks about playing against Howard.
- Quentin Richardson — a consummate professional.
- Josh Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com says that Tim Duncan had an odd impact on the Magic, even though he never signed with the team as a free agent in 2000: “This one may be kind of unusual since Duncan never played for the Magic. But he almost did. In 2000, when the Magic had a ton to spend on free agents, the franchise came very close to landing Duncan and, in effect, uniting him with their other prized signees, McGrady and Grant Hill. It’s very possible that if Duncan opted to join Orlando, the Magic would have captured multiple NBA championships by this time.”
- Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post puts things in perspective about Howard’s free agency.
- Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus: “So where does that leave us with WARP, PER, WP, WS and the rest of the acronyms? Well, if you’re putting your complete trust in any single statistic to measure player value, that is surely a mistake. Each metric has its own biases that can be seen most easily in comparison to the others. I believe that WARP does a better job of reflecting value than anything else; otherwise I would use the others. Yet I still blanch every time I see Jason Kidd ranked in the league’s top 10 last season, which seems excessively kind. WARP tends to give too much credit to defenders who pile up steals and blocks while neglecting individual defense, so to consider them using only WARP would be a mistake. The other useful reality check for me is net plus-minus and, with the appropriate caution, adjusted plus-minus. A couple of years ago, when I pondered the state of APBRmetrics, I argued that the choice between box-score statistics and plus-minus statistics divided the community. Increasingly, however, I see people using both in combination. When they agree, they allow us to make a stronger conclusion about a player. When they disagree, that’s when basketball analysis becomes an art rather than a science. And that, to me, is the most interesting part of the whole process, especially when it becomes clear that there really is no such thing as player value in a vacuum. Everything is contextual based on role and system.”
- Howard for Defensive Player of the Year.
