How do the Wiz stack up in the south? PT1 Magic vs Wiz

[dobrojim]

<snip>Plus no one on that team can even hold Dwights jock strap. <snip>

Yeah, that's the downside to losing Etan, who pretty much owned Dwight.

Owned him?

I think not.

played decent against him? OK, I'll go with that.

[BigA]

Owned him?

I think not.

played decent against him? OK, I'll go with that.

I thought I could provoke some more outraged responses from Magic fans, but I guess not.

[verbal8]

I think part of the problem is we are comparing perhaps the luckiest team in NBA history with one of if not the most unlucky team in NBA history. I mean how many teams draft two world class centers with the first pick in just over a decade. Oh and draft a point guard that had the potential to be one of the best. Luck, which is what the draft boils down to no matter how good your scouts are, at least with respect to superstars. Orlando was just an expansion team and they've already been to the finals half as many times as the Wizards/Bullets. They don't know what constant failure is. They don't know countless playoff-less seasons strung together.

On the other hand, as has been said many times this is the best Wizards team in a long time and the best since what 78? Enough said. Wiz fans are hype and for good reason. We deserve it. Just ignore Orlando fans. Luck has to run out some time.

Not only did the Magic get the 2 number 1s that they kept, but they also drafted Chris Webber(and traded him for Penny). Interestingly Mike Miller was an eventual result of one of the picks in the Webber trade.

[Hoopalotta]

Not only did the Magic get the 2 number 1s that they kept, but they also drafted Chris Webber(and traded him for Penny). Interestingly Mike Miller was an eventual result of one of the picks in the Webber trade.

So we can rub that in their face too. How you like that Orlando, huh? We've got Mike Miller, not you.

The best laid plans of Mickey and men....

[FreeBalling]

The first game can't get here fast enough.

I'll drink to that.

[KickTheFlame]

First post on here so be easy one me.

I didn't read through this whole thread, but I read the first 2 pages and the last page, so I might have missed some things. I also got to mention how impressed I am by some of the basketball knowledge of some of the posters here.

Some thought, if they've already been mentioned I'm sorry

I think some of you Wiz fans are focusing too much on the individual match-ups and not enough on the team level. The Magic were one of the top 5 defensive teams in the league last year. Wizards will be lucky to sniff the top 20. Plus, they should be better this year because defensively Carter > Turkoglu, and Pietrus has a slight edge on Lee.

Plus, this big advantage that Jamison has on Bass I don't see to be as much of a big deal come game time. VG could easily move Lewis back to the 4, and Lewis definitely has the edge on Jamison.

Overall, Magic are a better team and will continue to be until the Wizards can prove otherwise on the court.

[LyricalRico]

Plus, this big advantage that Jamison has on Bass I don't see to be as much of a big deal come game time. VG could easily move Lewis back to the 4, and Lewis definitely has the edge on Jamison.

Thanks for the well-balanced post. But I have to disagree that Lewis has any edge on Jamison. Yes he's younger and taller but Jamison is still a legit 20/10 guy (although he may average less in the upcoming season because we're a deeper team). If you want to include Lewis in the PF discussion, then I'll be willing to go as far as a tie. But I still can't give the advantage to Orlando.

A side point about Bass: I actually think that the Magic will have to do what you suggest - go back to Lewis at the 4. Without their 3pt shooting and the ability to run pick/rolls with their forwards, Orlando just isn't the same team offensively IMO. For that same reason Ryan Anderson is going to see minutes as well. That means that you could potentially have two guys making the full MLE (Bass and Gortat) fighting for the scraps of minutes behind Howard. Of course young bigs will always have trade value but I forsee a bit of a logjam there.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

First post on here so be easy [on] me.

I didn't read through this whole thread, but I read the first 2 pages and the last page, so I might have missed some things. I also got to mention how impressed I am by some of the basketball knowledge of some of the posters here.

Some thought, if they've already been mentioned I'm sorry

I think some of you Wiz fans are focusing too much on the individual match-ups and not enough on the team level. The Magic were one of the top 5 defensive teams in the league last year. Wizards will be lucky to sniff the top 20. Plus, they should be better this year because defensively Carter > Turkoglu, and Pietrus has a slight edge on Lee.

Plus, this big advantage that Jamison has on Bass I don't see to be as much of a big deal come game time. VG could easily move Lewis back to the 4, and Lewis definitely has the edge on Jamison.

Overall, Magic are a better team and will continue to be until the Wizards can prove otherwise on the court.

Welcome aboard, KickTheFlame! Do keep posting. Very nice first post.

One thing about Vince Carter is he's equally effective at SF or SG. He really could see a lot ot time at SF with Lewis at PF, in which case the Magic wouldn't lose the perimeter game they had with Turkoglu. Offensively, for sure Carter can be their SF. However, I think Turkoglu's defense was very good last season. Even though Carter's a very underrated defender, I'm thinking Turkoglu's height at SF counted for something--Orlando might take a step back defensively if VC is the SF. But if they don't, that team's going to be awesome. Carter defending the SF or SG well will make the Magic tough to beat.

Aside from having Lewis play PF, one possibility I could see happening is Ryan Anderson proves to be very solid at PF and Lewis plays mostly SF. I could see Anderson and Bass holding it down at PF. I think Bass will be solid most of the time but that Anderson's a sleeper who could blow up. Lewis at SF got them to the finals and might do so again.

OTOH, with a lot of matchups I could see the Magic playing a smallish lineup of Nelson/Carter/Barnes(or Pietrus)/Lewis/Howard with Pietrus (or Barnes) as sixth man ahead of Bass or Anderson.

That team's loaded!

KickTheFlame, one last point to reiterate what you brought up: Gortat's minutes could really be sparse. Sucks for him because he'd have been the starting C for the Mavs. I don't see him getting more than 10-15 minutes a game, here and there for the Magic.

[tranjSAIC]

However, I think Turkoglu's defense was very good last season.

You must have missed that one Cle Orl game in the season when the Cavs called repeated ISO's for freaking Wally on Hedo...

Yeah I get your point though, overall Hedo wasn't Horrible last year. Can't recall too many times I saw him get out right embarassed like that night.

[tranjSAIC]

You are an ignorant troll so I probably shouldn't take the time to refute you. But I'm in a generous mood.

I can't believe your a forum mod, your calling someone an ignorant troll for just stating something he thinks? BTW I think YOUR ignorant if your going to be basing your record on what you did TWO years ago. You have to add those additions to the 19 win team, not that 43 win team. Things change so much in sports, you can just pick a good year and use that as your base.

I think you guys will be a lot better then 19 wins, most likely pushing somewhere in the 40's.

[Benjammin]

You are an ignorant troll so I probably shouldn't take the time to refute you. But I'm in a generous mood.

I can't believe your a forum mod, your calling someone an ignorant troll for just stating something he thinks? BTW I think YOUR ignorant if your going to be basing your record on what you did TWO years ago. You have to add those additions to the 19 win team, not that 43 win team. Things change so much in sports, you can just pick a good year and use that as your base.

I think you guys will be a lot better then 19 wins, most likely pushing somewhere in the 40's.

Oh no you didn't...

[pancakes3]

1 - it's "you're ignorant"
2 - nate's not THIS forum's mod

ok, proceed.

[LyricalRico]

I think you guys will be a lot better then 19 wins, most likely pushing somewhere in the 40's.

Ummm...isn't that what we've been saying?

[nate33]

BTW I think YOUR ignorant if your going to be basing your record on what you did TWO years ago. You have to add those additions to the 19 win team, not that 43 win team. Things change so much in sports, you can just pick a good year and use that as your base.

Why should I base it on last season when our current team more closely resembles the team of two years ago? It's stupid to think of this team as a 19-win team when that 19-win team went an entire season without its best player, its best defender (and only true center), its starting shooting guard, and a real head coach. None of those conditions exist now.

[fishercob]

I think the WIz stack up a little better against Orlando if they play them when Rashard Lewis is serving his 10 game suspension for PED's: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4381822

[LyricalRico]

Oh yeah, we got Orlando so scared they're using performance enhancers!

[montestewart]

The muscle provided by Bass and Anderson (I'm going by description there; I can't recall seeing him last year) seems like it might help Howard's game, but I'm having difficulty projecting how the Magic will go. My memories of Carter are long and mixed, a total wild card to me. On offense, I was at times I was mesmerized by the Magic's ability to set up Turkoglu/Lewis into mismatches, but I wonder if I gave that too much credit as the key to their game. With the Lewis suspension, I guess their ability to do without will be tested quickly.

I have relatives in Orlando, and I look forward to a friendly rivalry. The new Wizards stack up pretty well against the Magic. Hard to stop Howard, but I like the Wiz big men, a decent mix of speed, strength, defense, and savvy. I'm looking forward to seeing that group against Orlando, Boston, and Cleveland bigs.

[keynote]

Who'd a thunk that the softest guy on the team would be the one on the juice?



In other news, LBJ Holdings just cashed out a sizable investment stake in Whizzinator, Inc.

[miller31time]

I don't think this was done intentionally. Lewis is soft as Charmin and his game is predicated on the 3-ball. This is one of the few cases where I believe it was an honest mistake.

[TheKingOfVa360]

That Lewis 10 game suspension is going to cost the Magic a few wins. If we start out hot we could take the division.