Posts Tagged → Chris Bosh
Some Brief Thoughts on Chris Paul
Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Via Sam Amick of NBA FanHouse:
He’s not a free agent, and he’s certainly far from free.
But Chris Paul is possibly this: the summer’s next storyline.
It often goes that way when a rising star is stuck with a team on the decline, and the signs are strong that the fifth-year pro wants out. He means it when he says he loves New Orleans, and those who know him say it’s not his style to demand a trade in the city that adores him back, but the continuing ownership uncertainty and bleak organizational outlook are clearly an irritant to the three-time All-Star.
“(Paul’s frustration) is very real, very real,” said a source close to Paul. “He doesn’t see them putting a (championship-caliber) team together.” [...]
New Orleans already turned down aggressive proposals from Portland and New Jersey, according to sources, and FanHouse reported on talks with Orlando that were denied by general manager Otis Smith days before additional reports surfaced about his pursuit of Paul.
Paul has three years and a combined $49 million left on his contract, with the final season a player option. It is believed any hopeful suitor would have to take center Emeka Okafor back in a possible deal, thus relieving the cap- and cash-strapped Hornets of his contract worth an astounding $52.1 million over the next four years.
With free agency just a few days old, most of the attention from the mainstream media and the blogosphere has been focused on the three amigos — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. They are the crown jewels of the 2010 free agent class, and everyone is eagerly following their every move. However, there is — at his best — a top five player and the best point guard in the NBA lurking in the shadows. An enigma, in terms of his availability, among the transparent.
That person, of course, is Chris Paul.
James, Wade, and Bosh have control over their destinies and the ability to write their futures as they see it. Paul, on the other hand, does not have that power … not yet, at least. Paul is bound by the max contract extension he signed with the New Orleans Hornets in 2008 after leading a team that was one win away from reaching the Western Conference Finals. However, two years have passed since the Hornets’ memorable run and things have changed. New Orleans isn’t winning and the vultures are circling as an ownership change, which might ultimately decide Paul’s fate, is on the fritz and may not happen. Plus, Paul is becoming very vocal about wanting to win, whether it’s with the Hornets or with another team.
With reports that the Orlando Magic have inquired about Paul and Dwight Howard hoping that general manager Otis Smith can acquire the all-world point guard, free agency is becoming more interesting by the day. Magic fans are whetting their appetite whenever any relevant news about Paul’s future shows up on the internet. The idea of a player of Paul’s caliber possibly being available is a fascinating secondary narrative to the main story surrounding James, Wade, and Bosh.
The odds of Paul being traded are slim to none but as the weeks go by, it’s a story that people will continue to latch onto.
Magic Basketball Mailbag, 7/2/10
Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images
Here’s another installment of the Magic Basketball Mailbag.
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Do you see any positives in acquiring Carlos Boozer, besides satisfying Dwight Howard?
A great question and a timely one, given that Carlos Boozer has been linked to rumors associated with the Orlando Magic the past few days.
Let’s talk about the negatives first.
If the Magic’s goal in acquiring Boozer is to combat the length and frontcourt of the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, the last two teams to defeat them in the playoffs, then they might have the wrong player in their sights. More so against the Lakers than the Celtics, just to clarify. It’s always tough to look at the numbers without knowing the full context behind them, but Boozer’s success against Kevin Garnett has historically been hit or miss. However, if we’re looking at Boozer’s performances against Garnett since he joined the Celtics, things don’t look too shabby. Boozer’s scoring and rebounding totals fall below his norms, but he partly makes up for things with excellent efficiency on offense. Granted, it’s also difficult to discern how Boozer performed on defense but that’s neither here nor there. Ultimately, Orlando’s downfall in the last two postseasons has been their inability to score against Boston and Los Angeles. Against the Celtics at least, Boozer can score efficiently enough even if he isn’t dropping 20-plus points … though he should be scoring that much, if not more. Knowing that Garnett isn’t getting any younger, Boozer might provide the scoring punch Orlando needs. Might.
However, against the Lakers, that’s a different story.
Tuesday’s Magic Word
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Vince Carter simply cannot escape the trade rumors that surround him these days. [...] Carter’s name already has been mentioned in rumors this summer. One Internet report said the [Orlando] Magic discussed a deal that would have sent Carter and point guard Jameer Nelson to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for point guard Chris Paul and forward James Posey. (Smith told the Orlando Sentinel last week that he hasn’t had any discussions with the Hornets about Paul.) The Washington Post reported that the Washington Wizards and Orlando talked about a potential Gilbert Arenas-for-Carter swap, but such a deal seems unlikely given Arenas’ recent injury history, off-court problems and his lengthy contract. Carter reiterated Tuesday that he loves playing in Central Florida.”
- John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com: “I do know that [Dwight] Howard greatly values his friendship with Boozer. Bosh, Boozer and Howard hung out together every day during the 2008 Summer Olympics in China, they visited Africa together last summer as a part of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders Program. And they spent time together in Houston earlier this month working with Hakeem Olajuwon. When Boozer came to Orlando the last two summers to watch the Magic play in the playoffs he stayed at Howard’s home. And he’s usually a fixture in the Magic locker room when they face the Jazz. Boozer would give the Magic a rugged power forward to rebound and defend power forward on the elite teams such as Pau Gasol, Kevin Garnett and maybe even Bosh. He plays mostly out of the high post, so his game wouldn’t clash with Howard’s. And he’s at a point in his career where winning a title is important. The bad news is that getting Boozer would likely be costly for the Magic. A sign-and-trade acquisition would likely cost the Magic Marcin Gortat and/or J.J. Redick and Mickael Pietrus.”
- Marcin Gortat: “Stan Van Gundy and Otis Smith told me that when they have chance to get big star, they won’t hesitate and will add me to this trade. But teams don’t get players to just put them on the bench. [On] another team, there won’t be second Dwight Howard and I will have twice bigger chance to play. It could be step forward for me.”
- John Schuhmann of NBA.com: “The Magic took off when [Matt] Barnes became a starter in late December. In fact, he was part of the best starting lineup in the league, statistically, this season. Barnes has improved as a shooter, but his best asset is his versatility, and he’s the best rebounder of this group. His reputation as a defender may have taken a hit with Paul Pierce’s big numbers in the conference finals, but Barnes was battling a back injury at the time.”
- Could Keyon Dooling make a return to the Orlando Magic next season?
- There’s one player in the NBA that’s skeptical a triumvirate including LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh would be effective playing together with the Miami Heat.
- Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie lets ‘er rip: “[Hedo Turkoglu was] one of the worst deals of the decade, tossed at a 30-year-old (red flag) who was willing to leave a championship contender for a few extra million (there’s another red flag), who ducked out of a verbal agreement with the Portland Trail Blazers (so many of them, flappin’ in the wind), and who should have accrued a history of red flags in terms of production throughout his career. He was never nearly as good as Colangelo thought him to be, least of all not in a season that would see him turn 31 halfway through.”
A Look at the Orlando Magic’s Roster and Assets as of Today
Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images
The 2010 NBA Draft has come and gone, which means it’s time to focus entirely on free agency. The Orlando Magic won’t be among the primary teams vying for the services of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and others, barring a sign-and-trade that falls from the heavens. But it’s worth reviewing all the notable assets the Magic have at their disposal, as well as taking a look at what the roster looks like right now.
Roster:
| Position | Starter | Backup | Backup | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point Guard | Jameer Nelson | |||
| Shooting Guard | Vince Carter | J.J. Redick* | ||
| Small Forward | Mickael Pietrus | Stanley Robinson** | ||
| Power Forward | Rashard Lewis | Ryan Anderson | Brandon Bass | |
| Center | Dwight Howard | Marcin Gortat | Daniel Orton |
*restricted free agent
**second round draft picks are not guaranteed contracts
Sunday’s Magic Word
- George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel: “The Heat and Bulls have morphed into ATMs, with each team dumping salaries and freeing up their rosters to make a run at multiple free agents, all with max contracts. How would you like a Heat lineup with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and James? Or a Chicago lineup with Derrick Rose, James and Bosh? The Heat traded their No. 18 first-round pick and guard Daequan Cook for Oklahoma City’s No. 32 selection in the second round, adding another $3.4 million in added salary-cap space, As it stands, Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers are the only two Heat players who could be under contract when the free agency period begins July 1. And they have cleared more than $45 million in salary cap space. And they have an advantage in signing Wade because of the Larry Bird Exception, which allows teams to exceed the salary cap to re-sign their own free agents up to the player’s maximum salary. [...] Over in Chicago, the Bulls cleared salary cap room by agreeing to trade veteran guard Kirk Hinrich and the 17th pick in the draft to the Washington Wizards on draft night. Chicago now has about $30 million in salary cap space, but doesn’t have to worry about re-signing its superstar Rose. How this shakes out will obviously determine whether there will be a power shift in the league. The Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics could tumble from the top of the charts.”
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, with the help of salary cap expert Larry Coon, writes up a free agency and salary cap primer. Feel free to give it a read.
- Jonathan Abrams of The New York Times shares this tidbit that’s worth sharing: “The LeBron James sweepstakes will kick off in Ohio on his home turf Thursday as five teams — the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat, the Knicks, the Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers — travel there in an attempt to woo James away from the Cleveland Cavaliers, an executive of one of the teams in the hunt said Saturday. But the meetings might not be much more than a formality. The executive, who did not want to be identified discussing a player who is not yet a free agent, said he had gathered from discussions with his fellow N.B.A. executives that James was strongly leaning toward joining the Bulls in tandem with another free agent, Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors. “I think it’s a done deal,” the executive said. He said he thought James was going ahead with the meetings in Ohio “to be respectful to all these teams who jumped through these hoops,” a reference to the clubs, like the Knicks, who traded reasonably talented players like Jamal Crawford the last two seasons in an effort to open up as much salary-cap space as possible. But if James and Bosh are indeed going to Chicago, moves like the ones the Knicks made will have been done at least partly in vain.”
- Brett Pollakoff of NBA FanHouse chimes in on Abrams’ report.
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.
The Future of J.J. Redick and Company is Up in the Air
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Via Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel:
Smith told the Sentinel that he “anticipates” Vince Carter remaining with the team, wants to re-sign J.J. Redick and doesn’t expect to package little-used, but expensive players (such as Marcin Gortat and Brandon Bass) in a sign-and-trade deal for a star free agent.
As for starting small forward Matt Barnes, Smith was more non-committal, considering it was Barnes who took the unusual step Monday to formally announce he would opt out of his two-year contract and go exploring as a free agent.
Smith doesn’t plan on making major changes to the 59-win team and instead said he’ll “make some tweaks.”
There’s only one month left until the fun begins — free agency — for teams such as the New York Knicks, who will be looking to lure and sign big-name free agents like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and others. The Orlando Magic have been in that position before, most notably in 2000, when they did the song and dance routine with Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, and Tracy McGrady. The Magic know better than almost every team in the NBA … at first, free agency can be a dream but it can end up being a nightmare before it’s all said and done.
Ten years later, though, Orlando is in a position to make a tweak here and there. Not a facelift.
Barring something unforeseen and given what’s been reported, it appears that J.J. Redick will probably re-sign with the Magic. Redick loves the organization and the organization loves Redick. And since Redick stated on Monday that he wouldn’t mind maintaining his role with the Magic and winning than becoming a starter on another team, unless something crazy happens between now and July 1, it seems like a deal will be worked out sooner or later. Redick has proven to be a valuable player time and again for Orlando, especially in the 2010 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, so it’s most likely a sure bet that general manager Otis Smith will do his due diligence and try to keep Redick.
On the other side of the spectrum, Matt Barnes seems like the player most likely to leave the Magic and go elsewhere but it’s hard to predict where he’ll end up. Barnes opted out and is clearly looking for a raise, whether it’s with Orlando or somewhere else, but he could be replaced if push came to shove. Yes, Barnes brings the cliche “intangibles” that everyone enjoys and praises about a player, like his toughness and what not, and there’s no denying that he can always be counted on to give a consistent effort on the floor night in and night out, but he’s replaceable. That doesn’t mean Barnes shouldn’t be welcomed back with open arms if he returned to the Magic, though.
As for Brandon Bass, Vince Carter, and Marcin Gortat, who knows what will happen with them. The respective futures of each of them will probably hinge on whether or not Orlando sticks with their current 4-out/1-in philosophy.
