Magic @ Hawks Mon 7PM

[Kytu]

I went to the game tonight and Gortat looks very good, he should get plenty PT. AJ started the 2nd half and looked great with the starters, he made the offense move very smooth. Nelson looked a lot better coming off the bench with his offense and energy, Bibby and Law shot right over his out stretched arms again and again. I think Lewis will earn at least 75% of that money this year he looked flawless. My verdict is still out on MP his shooting wasn't that good and his D was so-so but J Smooth took him to school again and again. I like Bogans but his D wasn't Sh*t, Joe Johnson toyed with him, maybe JJ should get the nod over him at least I'm sure JJ would be more aggressive. C. Lee is much to passive. Superman was Superman!

[SOUL]

I like our team

[eyriq]

What is up with Nelson? Is he really getting outplayed by A.J.? This could turn ugly, but hopefully SVG just throws him in for 32+ minutes regardless, cause we only win big if Nelson plays up to his contract. AJ starting just won't cut it.

As for our sg rotation, lmao trying to keep up with that. Great to see CLee play well.

[damo[23]]

What is up with Nelson? Is he really getting outplayed by A.J.? This could turn ugly, but hopefully SVG just throws him in for 32+ minutes regardless, cause we only win big if Nelson plays up to his contract. AJ starting just won't cut it.

As for our sg rotation, lmao trying to keep up with that. Great to see CLee play well.

Not sure completely as I've only caught one and a half games, but Jameer seemed to be almost defering every play to people, I think in part to see what others got etc..

[Vendetta]

You know what upsets me and I'll never quite understand? Coaches are convinced that they know who the best players on the team are or the best fits. But they're very, very wrong sometimes and it takes it being blatantly obvious for them to come away from their views.

Example?

Gortat played like what, 6 regular season games last year being a far third choice to Howard, behind Foyle?

Then in the playoffs because Van Gundy got desperate he decided to play Gortat and Gortat played 8 playoff games while Foyle played 3.

You can not tell me that the guy suddenly got better or figured out the Magic's system as soon as the playoffs hit/right before the season ended. That's just crazy. Foyle didn't suddenly get that much worse and Gortat didn't suddenly get that much better.

But obviously Gortat has moved ahead of Foyle in Van Gundy's eyes. Why's that? Because he's a hardheaded a-hole that needed an absolute slap in the face for him to change his views on players. Sound familiar? Difference in this case is Van Gundy can get more out of the team than Hill did.

I'm not even saying Gortat is better than Foyle. I'm just saying that Van Gundy obviously is not a talent spotter and is hard headed.

[zuppafly]

Wha?

Coaches are the ones who train daily with the players. They are the ones who know who's in better shape, who's in better game form. Players don't have the same efficiency during the entire season, there are ups and downs physically and mentally for each player.
I, for one, am a big Redick supporter, but if Stan doens't play him it's because something means Redick shouldn't play. Yes, there are a few coaches who are hard-headed and like to prove points by being stubborn, but Stan is not one of them...

[MitchellUK]

You know what upsets me and I'll never quite understand? Coaches are convinced that they know who the best players on the team are or the best fits. But they're very, very wrong sometimes and it takes it being blatantly obvious for them to come away from their views.

Example?

Gortat played like what, 6 regular season games last year being a far third choice to Howard, behind Foyle?

Then in the playoffs because Van Gundy got desperate he decided to play Gortat and Gortat played 8 playoff games while Foyle played 3.

You can not tell me that the guy suddenly got better or figured out the Magic's system as soon as the playoffs hit/right before the season ended. That's just crazy. Foyle didn't suddenly get that much worse and Gortat didn't suddenly get that much better.

But obviously Gortat has moved ahead of Foyle in Van Gundy's eyes. Why's that? Because he's a hardheaded a-hole that needed an absolute slap in the face for him to change his views on players. Sound familiar? Difference in this case is Van Gundy can get more out of the team than Hill did.

I'm not even saying Gortat is better than Foyle. I'm just saying that Van Gundy obviously is not a talent spotter and is hard headed.

Hedo Turkoglu begs to differ. The obvious choice when Lewis was signed would have been to move Turk for either a genuine 4 or, more likely given that Battie was not injured at that point, a 2. But SVG insisted he stay and it resulted in by far the best season of Turk's career.

As for Gortat, at depends what you mean by "suddenly" getting better. I remember reading an article during last season in which SVG clearly stated that Gortat was not by any means ready at the beginning of the year, but he continued to work hard and prove himself over the course of the season. Going from not being NBA-ready to being a primary back-up in a playoff series over the course of a few months is a pretty sudden improvement, and it is one that a lot of young players make. It's a steep learning curve early on, and anyone who watched Gortat in last year's summer league and preseason play knows that Foyle, at those particular times, was a better option.

Gortat may have surpassed Foyle in terms of his ability within the Magic system some time in February or March, for all we know. But what we do know is that basketball teams are as much about chemistry and fit as they are talent - if Gortat outplayed Foyle for a couple of weeks in February and SVG immediately threw him in, only to find out that Marcin wasn't ready and couldn't sustain the level of play he had achieved in practice, forcing a switch back, what would you have said then? Would you have been complaining about SVG messing with the team at a vital point of the playoff race and trying to give playing time to a rookie who wasn't ready to contribute? I'm not saying that Stan didn't luck out with Gortat - maybe he did. But players, particularly young, untested ones, have to be able to prove consistently, over an extended period, that they can produce what is required of them. Gortat obviously didn't do that during last years training camp, or the early months of last season, or he would have cracked the rotation earlier.

[Potterman]

I also will add that Stan although stubborn in his own right is still a much better coach in terms of getting production out of players. He basically turned us into a run and gun team because that's "What the players wanted" I don't think many coaches come in having that kind of philosophy.

It is also an honorable mention that at times Stan will get desperate and play players in the hope that this is the day they come in and provide a spark. I remember several losses last year where he would take out Bogans or Evans for JJ and he would come in and make a three or two threes with the rest of the starters playing. In other words Stan Van Dame is a tactical basketball guru and we have seen the major black and white between Hills skills and Stans obvious basketball knowledge.

[Optimus_Steel]

You know what upsets me and I'll never quite understand? Coaches are convinced that they know who the best players on the team are or the best fits. But they're very, very wrong sometimes and it takes it being blatantly obvious for them to come away from their views.

Example?

Gortat played like what, 6 regular season games last year being a far third choice to Howard, behind Foyle?

Then in the playoffs because Van Gundy got desperate he decided to play Gortat and Gortat played 8 playoff games while Foyle played 3.

You can not tell me that the guy suddenly got better or figured out the Magic's system as soon as the playoffs hit/right before the season ended. That's just crazy. Foyle didn't suddenly get that much worse and Gortat didn't suddenly get that much better.

But obviously Gortat has moved ahead of Foyle in Van Gundy's eyes. Why's that? Because he's a hardheaded a-hole that needed an absolute slap in the face for him to change his views on players. Sound familiar? Difference in this case is Van Gundy can get more out of the team than Hill did.

I'm not even saying Gortat is better than Foyle. I'm just saying that Van Gundy obviously is not a talent spotter and is hard headed.

If you are implying that Stan is like Brian Hill then your nuts. At this point last year Gortat was not ready and Foyle was playing great. Stain said that Gortat was not ready and you know what he was not. To Gortat's credit he worked his ass off and improved enough to gain the confidence of his coaching staff. Now Stan did admit that he probably should have played him sooner but atleast he played him and admited it. Unlike Brian Hill, Stan will admit when he makes a mistake. Brian Hill wishes he was half the coach Stan is.

[TheGlyde]

Foyle did deteriorate almost completely as the season went on... he started out solid, then was bearable, then became stone hands mcgee.. by the time the playoffs wore around his legs were gone, while Gortat had fresh legs and an aggression/enthusiasm that was needed for the playoffs.