Official Speculation Thread (Pt. XLVIII"Preseason"Ed.)

[glennathan]

it seems like wolves fans are warming up to sending Derrick Williams to the Magic for one of our 2 guards, he is struggling with the wolves but their offense is not good for his skill set without Ricky Rubio.

optimally we could acquire him in a deal for Afflalo or Redick, we then pick top 3 this year, and acquire atleast one more first in this draft, and we already have 2 firsts in 14. I really like Andrew Harrison in 14' he is an explosive Drose type PG. Williams/Harkless/Mohammed/Harrison is a insanely athletic crew to build around if things went right

If he is struggling with Luke Ridnour (who can actually run an offense) how do you think he would do with E'Twaun? If I had to choose between shipping out Afflalo or JJ to get him I would go with JJ but I would want some type of draft pick with Williams though

[trebone]

I am not that high on Derrick Williams he is a very poor mans Beasley so I would pass on him IMO he is way to much a tweener player.

On the JJ side I think we have a strong shot at retaining him and him wanting to stay, with the new CBA the middle class of the league is basically going away (kinda like the US) Redick will not be offered any more than what he is making now so I just dont see a team spending more than that on a 29yo JJ

[trebone]

Looks like Howard is not real Happy with the Dantoni hire, maye he will miss Stans desire to play D and the fact that maybe he know all he will be doing in LAL is grabbing boards and putbacks!

http://www.hoopsworld.com/howard-not-en ... toni-hire/

[KingRobb02]

I am not that high on Derrick Williams he is a very poor mans Beasley so I would pass on him IMO he is way to much a tweener player.

On the JJ side I think we have a strong shot at retaining him and him wanting to stay, with the new CBA the middle class of the league is basically going away (kinda like the US) Redick will not be offered any more than what he is making now so I just dont see a team spending more than that on a 29yo JJ

The problem isn't that he's a tweener. Josh Smith is technically a tweener. The issue is that his only contribution seems to be jacking up bad shots. He's one of these guys who wants to prove his value by improving his PPG without worrying about how much it hurts his team. Beas is a great comp.

[Cigamodnalro]

I am not that high on Derrick Williams he is a very poor mans Beasley so I would pass on him IMO he is way to much a tweener player.

On the JJ side I think we have a strong shot at retaining him and him wanting to stay, with the new CBA the middle class of the league is basically going away (kinda like the US) Redick will not be offered any more than what he is making now so I just dont see a team spending more than that on a 29yo JJ

If Nelson can get 8.4m from us, how is JJR any different?

[trebone]

I am not that high on Derrick Williams he is a very poor mans Beasley so I would pass on him IMO he is way to much a tweener player.

On the JJ side I think we have a strong shot at retaining him and him wanting to stay, with the new CBA the middle class of the league is basically going away (kinda like the US) Redick will not be offered any more than what he is making now so I just dont see a team spending more than that on a 29yo JJ

If Nelson can get 8.4m from us, how is JJR any different?

Who is going to pay him that much money? Lets say he gets a full exception offer thats only 5 per, he is not a team changing talent so I dont see a team offering him more than that which we would probably match or even beat.

As far as Nelson he is overpaid for what he is at this point but we needed a leader for the rebuild and there is a salary floor that has to be met as well.

[tiderulz]

I am not that high on Derrick Williams he is a very poor mans Beasley so I would pass on him IMO he is way to much a tweener player.

On the JJ side I think we have a strong shot at retaining him and him wanting to stay, with the new CBA the middle class of the league is basically going away (kinda like the US) Redick will not be offered any more than what he is making now so I just dont see a team spending more than that on a 29yo JJ

I'm not high on Williams either

[OrlChamps2030]

I would definitely take Derrick Williams for JJ or Affalo. The guy can ball he has yet to find his niche in the nba though. The Timberwolves are a terrible fit for him as well. I'm pretty surprised there is actually opposition to this trade. I always read everyone on here talking about how the Magic NEED a top 5 pick next year..yet you're not willing to trade JJ or Affalo for the #2 pick? I'll admit Williams has not been great in his short NBA tenure, But I think he will become a solid to above average starter.

[KingRobb02]

I would definitely take Derrick Williams for JJ or Affalo. The guy can ball he has yet to find his niche in the nba though. The Timberwolves are a terrible fit for him as well. I'm pretty surprised there is actually opposition to this trade. I always read everyone on here talking about how the Magic NEED a top 5 pick next year..yet you're not willing to trade JJ or Affalo for the #2 pick? I'll admit Williams has not been great in his short NBA tenure, But I think he will become a solid to above average starter.

People like this are why guys like Tim Thomas can have 10 year careers.

[trebone]

The problem with Williams is where do you play him with the guys we have? Do you really believe he is that much better than Harkless can be at the 3 spot? or playing next to a softer Vucci he will thrive as a very undersized 4? I like the depth we have at the 2 position, IMO it is our best position on the team by a pretty wide margin. I know williams was the #2 pick but that in of itself does not mean he will be any good, Beasley was the #2 pick as well and look how he has fared already being on 3 different teams and he is superior to williams both athletically and skillfully.

[magicman123]

Derrick Williams can not ball at this point, doing a few flashy dunks isn't ballin, what's he good at? Everything is below average

[OrlandO]

I would definitely take Derrick Williams for JJ or Affalo. The guy can ball he has yet to find his niche in the nba though. The Timberwolves are a terrible fit for him as well. I'm pretty surprised there is actually opposition to this trade. I always read everyone on here talking about how the Magic NEED a top 5 pick next year..yet you're not willing to trade JJ or Affalo for the #2 pick? I'll admit Williams has not been great in his short NBA tenure, But I think he will become a solid to above average starter.

Do you want to trade for Thabeet, too? What does a past #2 pick who's failed to produce in the NBA have to do with our hopes to land a future top pick? I can understand why you would want to take the risk, but you shouldn't be surprised there are people who are opposed considering there's evidence that he's a 2nd pick by name only. If we land a top five pick in the draft, I certainly hope we'll select a guy who can produce more than Williams has in his first two seasons. He's essentially a bust until he proves otherwise.

[RickB-Orlando]

I am not that high on Derrick Williams he is a very poor mans Beasley so I would pass on him IMO he is way to much a tweener player.

On the JJ side I think we have a strong shot at retaining him and him wanting to stay, with the new CBA the middle class of the league is basically going away (kinda like the US) Redick will not be offered any more than what he is making now so I just dont see a team spending more than that on a 29yo JJ

So, a lesser version of a disappointment that is also always on the verge of a crash and burn? Sounds promising!

Don't forget, we can use another power forward, presumably to play behind BBD, Nicholson, and Harrington if/when he gets healthy.

[OrlandO]

I am not that high on Derrick Williams he is a very poor mans Beasley so I would pass on him IMO he is way to much a tweener player.

On the JJ side I think we have a strong shot at retaining him and him wanting to stay, with the new CBA the middle class of the league is basically going away (kinda like the US) Redick will not be offered any more than what he is making now so I just dont see a team spending more than that on a 29yo JJ

If Nelson can get 8.4m from us, how is JJR any different?

Jameer is only making that much because it's a short deal with the last year as a team option... plus we were desperate for a decent PG who could bring some stability to a young, rebuilding team. I don't see a 29 year old JJ making as much as a 24 year old Ryan Anderson. Afflalo is a little younger and makes $7.5 million. JJ should be between there and his current salary. I think we would re-sign him at that price, since it would lock up our SG rotation and sixth man role, but I'm not so sure JJ would want to stick around...

[RickB-Orlando]

I am not that high on Derrick Williams he is a very poor mans Beasley so I would pass on him IMO he is way to much a tweener player.

On the JJ side I think we have a strong shot at retaining him and him wanting to stay, with the new CBA the middle class of the league is basically going away (kinda like the US) Redick will not be offered any more than what he is making now so I just dont see a team spending more than that on a 29yo JJ

If Nelson can get 8.4m from us, how is JJR any different?

Jameer is only making that much because it's a short deal with the last year as a team option... plus we were desperate for a decent PG who could bring some stability to a young, rebuilding team. I don't see a 29 year old JJ making as much as a 24 year old Ryan Anderson. Afflalo is a little younger and makes $7.5 million. JJ should be between there and his current salary. I think we would re-sign him at that price, since it would lock up our SG rotation and sixth man role, but I'm not so sure JJ would want to stick around...

The guy has put down roots in Orlando. You can never be sure but every time I've seen him, he seems to love living here, and he gets that the fans love him. He's really the consummate professional.

Frankly, he's got a chance to effectively be the face of the franchise for a few years if he stays, and that can be pretty appealing after living in Dwight's shadow for so long. JJ's given an incredible amount in time and cash to community charities, it's something you rarely hear about but the guy is out in the community doing all sorts of stuff. Wouldn't surprise me if a decent offer gets him to stay just based on loyalty. Hate the comparison, but he isn't Diwght Howard loyal, he's really loyal.

Of course, Henny may have something else in mind. It's hard to deny JJ has trade value this year, and it's only going to increase assuming he keeps playing well.

[OrlChamps2030]

I would definitely take Derrick Williams for JJ or Affalo. The guy can ball he has yet to find his niche in the nba though. The Timberwolves are a terrible fit for him as well. I'm pretty surprised there is actually opposition to this trade. I always read everyone on here talking about how the Magic NEED a top 5 pick next year..yet you're not willing to trade JJ or Affalo for the #2 pick? I'll admit Williams has not been great in his short NBA tenure, But I think he will become a solid to above average starter.

Do you want to trade for Thabeet, too? What does a past #2 pick who's failed to produce in the NBA have to do with our hopes to land a future top pick? I can understand why you would want to take the risk, but you shouldn't be surprised there are people who are opposed considering there's evidence that he's a 2nd pick by name only. If we land a top five pick in the draft, I certainly hope we'll select a guy who can produce more than Williams has in his first two seasons. He's essentially a bust until he proves otherwise.

Context, obviously. I didn't say that everything is based on where he is picked at. It is way too early to call him a bust btw.

[OrlandO]

If Nelson can get 8.4m from us, how is JJR any different?

Jameer is only making that much because it's a short deal with the last year as a team option... plus we were desperate for a decent PG who could bring some stability to a young, rebuilding team. I don't see a 29 year old JJ making as much as a 24 year old Ryan Anderson. Afflalo is a little younger and makes $7.5 million. JJ should be between there and his current salary. I think we would re-sign him at that price, since it would lock up our SG rotation and sixth man role, but I'm not so sure JJ would want to stick around...

The guy has put down roots in Orlando. You can never be sure but every time I've seen him, he seems to love living here, and he gets that the fans love him. He's really the consummate professional.

Frankly, he's got a chance to effectively be the face of the franchise for a few years if he stays, and that can be pretty appealing after living in Dwight's shadow for so long. JJ's given an incredible amount in time and cash to community charities, it's something you rarely hear about but the guy is out in the community doing all sorts of stuff. Wouldn't surprise me if a decent offer gets him to stay just based on loyalty. Hate the comparison, but he isn't Diwght Howard loyal, he's really loyal.

Of course, Henny may have something else in mind. It's hard to deny JJ has trade value this year, and it's only going to increase assuming he keeps playing well.

That's actually what I'm hoping for to be honest. I do have my doubts though. Like you said, JJ is a professional... he is always going to say the right things even if he doesn't believe them, so it's hard to get a handle on his intentions. He does seem to enjoy Orlando as much as possible, though with his personality don't you get the sense he'd prefer to live in a bigger city with a bit more culture? Didn't he and his wife recently get a summer place in NYC? Plus, he absolutely hates losing and I'm pretty sure he wants to be a consistent starter after all these years (certainly a problem if we keep Afflalo).

[trebone]

One of the reasons I dont see us trading JJ is the fact that Henny doesnt seem to want a culture of losing and we need Veteran professionals, I could see a 3/18 deal getting him to stay

[arsenal6106]

Ben Maller ‏@benmaller
REPORT: NBA people believe UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad could wind up playing overseas to get away from NCAA. http://ow.ly/fkYv9

[tiderulz]

I would definitely take Derrick Williams for JJ or Affalo. The guy can ball he has yet to find his niche in the nba though. The Timberwolves are a terrible fit for him as well. I'm pretty surprised there is actually opposition to this trade. I always read everyone on here talking about how the Magic NEED a top 5 pick next year..yet you're not willing to trade JJ or Affalo for the #2 pick? I'll admit Williams has not been great in his short NBA tenure, But I think he will become a solid to above average starter.

Do you want to trade for Thabeet, too? What does a past #2 pick who's failed to produce in the NBA have to do with our hopes to land a future top pick? I can understand why you would want to take the risk, but you shouldn't be surprised there are people who are opposed considering there's evidence that he's a 2nd pick by name only. If we land a top five pick in the draft, I certainly hope we'll select a guy who can produce more than Williams has in his first two seasons. He's essentially a bust until he proves otherwise.

Context, obviously. I didn't say that everything is based on where he is picked at. It is way too early to call him a bust btw.

he is a bust no until he proves otherwise though. That doesnt mean he is a bust, just that he hasnt proven he is a #2 yet either.