"Magic Come Knocking for CP3"

[Driguez]

I will say, Thief knew we were getting Courtney Lee before anybody else.

Are you..... Thief!!??!? .... j/k

About MC, i read that he did die. IF he did, RIP.

[EasternMagic]

I was trying to access my PM's and I only have 2 - one from UCF warning me for being racist and one from theThief.

Didn't Magic Confid die?

ThE Thief was a "complete joke" after all. I think it's one of those situations where a man is in his 40's, has loved basketabll so much (obviousuly had the knowledge), couldn't make it, so over a year's time convinced most of us over here at RealGM he had connection's and was trying to go "pro". Then, dropped off the face of the Earth.

I was on MC (Magiconfid) frenzy, loved his writing, especially with all the details. Though pure fabrication as time went on and lost all credibility. Dropped off the face of the Earth along with his forum board and "rumors"..

If there was a an Orlando Magic comic book, MC would be the guy I'd want creating/writing for it

I'm pretty sure Thief was legit, i saw him at an Orlando summer league, the one right after we drafted CLee. Didn't talk to him, but when he found out I was there and told me who he was I did remember seeing him.

[Hotshot Hower]

(saving some time for Rev)

http://orlandomagiczone.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8891029871/m/993107168/p/263

Here's some info I was sitting on, don't figure it would ruin any trades, might cause some controversy:

I asked about the impact of Jameer leaving and the effect on Dwight. Magical said he's been asked about it (he being Dwight) and seemed OK with it, though he obviously doesn't want to see his co-captain leave. Remember, Dwight and CP3 were on the Olympic team together, and all those guys became very close.

However, Magical reiterated that Dwight isn't being babied like LeBron. He is the star player, not the GM. He isn't given authority to build the team based on relationships. Otis has no problem using Dwight's personality to lure guys in, but they don't target Dwight's buddies - and that is by design. Dooling was let go because he was too buddy buddy with Dwight and wasn't creating a winning atmosphere. That was also part of the Hedo decision. They want someone with fire, that isn't so lackadaisical and joking all the time. This all came to a head with the now infamous JWill / Rondo loose ball.

So while Dwight is asked if he'd be OK with it, he's hardly the lynchpin. Being uncomfortable and working through it creates greatness.

[Hotshot Hower]

I was trying to access my PM's and I only have 2 - one from UCF warning me for being racist and one from theThief.

Didn't Magic Confid die?

ThE Thief was a "complete joke" after all. I think it's one of those situations where a man is in his 40's, has loved basketabll so much (obviousuly had the knowledge), couldn't make it, so over a year's time convinced most of us over here at RealGM he had connection's and was trying to go "pro". Then, dropped off the face of the Earth.

I was on MC (Magiconfid) frenzy, loved his writing, especially with all the details. Though pure fabrication as time went on and lost all credibility. Dropped off the face of the Earth along with his forum board and "rumors"..

If there was a an Orlando Magic comic book, MC would be the guy I'd want creating/writing for it

I'm pretty sure Thief was legit, i saw him at an Orlando summer league, the one right after we drafted CLee. Didn't talk to him, but when he found out I was there and told me who he was I did remember seeing him.

that's just me being a little bitter I like consistency along with substance, Thief stopped offering that, which in turn took me off thethief's bandwagon.

[Skin]

OK, here's the real deal that is going on with New Orleans according to my sources (internet investigation skills) hahaha.

1. New Orleans did a lot of shuffling on draft day yesterday, but ultimately ended up with Craig Brackins and Quincy Pondexter, meanwhile shipping off $6.6M in salary (Mo Peterson). They traded pick 11 (Aldrich) and Mo Pete to OKC for picks 21 (Brackins) and 26 (Pondexter). What this means is that the team is no longer over the luxury tax threshold which is roughly projected to be around $65M (salar cap info: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4312837). However, they are still right around it, and after signing their draft picks they will be over again.

2. New Orleans owner wants to sell the team, but there is a hang up over the amount of debt the team has. So with that said, the team is actively engaged in trade talks to try to relieve salary. They want to dump Emeka Okafor's contract first and foremost. Dumping his costly long term financial commitment is definitely goal #1. This is the current hang up between Orlando and New Orleans. Finding a taker on Okafor.

3. NOR has other bad contracts too. Peja has a $15M contract, but that is not one of them. It's expiring, so that has trade value to them, plus no team in the league has a $15M TPE that could immediately alieviate that cap number for them this year. Julian Wright's contract goes through 2012, so they'd like to dump that if it makes enough sense. But after Emeka, James Posey's contract is the one that needs to go for NOR. This is where Orlando has a big advantage over other teams. Otis has that $7M dollar TPE that is attractive big time to NOR. They can do a 1 for 1 swap... and NOR would rid themselves of that contract before going into next season. This is one of the "parts of the deal" that is finalized.

4. The Hornets are upset with World Wide Wes who was trying to broker a deal to get Paul and Lebron in New Jersey. WW Wes is the one who started the Devin Harris and #3 pick to NOR for Paul rumors. WW Wes who is chummy with both Lebron and Jay-Z was trying to link them all together. Jay-Z knows that Lebron isn't coming unless he has a legit side kick and NJ can't afford 2 max contracts, so that's why the Paul trade rumors arose. NJ and NOR never had those talks. As you can see, the Nets are still holding out hope for Lebron as they passed on SF Wesley Johnson yesterday. Had they had taken him, you could probably take that as NJ folding on the Lebron sweepstakes. There was a short window where this rumor could have grown legs, but it is now officially dead as NOR has no use with Favors, with West and now Brackins. NJ balked on that rumor as well and wasn't going to risk losing Lebron by drafting Wesley Johnson.

5. How do Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter fit into the picture? Well, this is where both sides are balking. NOR considers Nelson's value worth his contract. But they don't need until it makes enough sense for them to trade Paul or Collison to us. Otis is fine in trading him away, but NOR doesn't feel pressured to trade either of their PGs just yet. Carter's contract is the attractive piece to the NOR. They want Carter's contract in return for dumping Okafor. But they don't want to give us Paul. They want to give us Collison. That only causes more balking between teams. So Otis throws that bone out there that Carter could go to the Wiz for Foye, Thornton and Hinrich. Trying to pressure NOR into believing that if they don't pull the trigger on Paul, then Carter's contract will go to WAS and NOR will still be stuck with Okafor. When this rumor leaks, NOR temporarily caves in. This is when Rev gets the email that the deal is done and we all go berzerk around here.

6. But first NOR wants to see who will be available at their picks 21 and 26. Then BOOM at 21 they get Brackins. Brackins' game is an exact duplicate of David West. Plus, NOR thinks there is a chance that West will opt out of his contract and exercise his player option next year. With the thought that NOR got their replacement for West, all of a sudden NOR tells Otis... I know you don't want to take on Okafor for just Collison, but what if we threw in David West? Carter and Nelson combine to make $24M. Collison, West, and Okafor combine to make $23.9M exact. That's a match. Otis is starting to lean YES. MORE rumors fly saying there will be fireworks in Orlando... that Otis has something up his sleeve!!! Even Howard Mass is confirming! lol.

6. But Otis is not there yet... He's in the war room watching the guys he wants fall off the draft board. So Otis tells NOR... let's swap picks... pick 26 for pick 29. At pick 26 NOR drafts Quincy Pondexter. Orlando Magic fans are rapidly posting in forums, "Damn, that's our guy!" Pick 29 comes around and the same fans post, "Huh? David Orton??? Mr. I avg 3 pts and 3 rebounds a game???" So now the deal is complete, right? Nope. NOR says, we lost our SF in Mo Pete. We still want a SF if we're losing Posey and Pondexter too. So Otis says fine, tell us who you want at 59. Stanley Robinson falls to them. So NOW the deal is done, right? NOR gets their young Center in Orton, which fills a HUGE need, they keep Paul, they have their replacement for West in Brackins, they've cleared cap with Mo Pete, and they are about to dump Okafor and Posey's contracts, and they're getting Robinson who was projected to be a first rounder by some.

7. Wrong. Now Otis is balking. The thought of drafting Daniel Orton and Stanley Robinson is sounding pretty damn good. He still wants Chris Paul and not Darren Collison. Doh!!! What a sweet mess. So now today, there are rampant rumors that Darren Collison is on the trade block. Teams all dialing in from all angles. Now that the draft is over, teams have the resources to focus on trades. Now, Otis has lost some leverage. It's open competition once again. All is quiet on the Orlando front. NOR is trying to pressure Otis into taking their deal by releasing these rumors...

8. So we sit here waiting... Will Otis do this for Collison or will he hold out for Paul? The Collison deal is set to go if Otis pulls the trigger.

The new line up would look like:

PG Darren Collison / FA
SG James Posey / FA
SF Rashard Lewis / Quincy Pondexter / Julian Wright
PF David West / Brandon Bass / Ryan Anderson
C Dwight Howard / Emeka Okafor / Marcin Gortat

But Otis still wants:

PG Chris Paul / FA
SG James Posey / FA
SF Rashard Lewis / Quincy Pondexter
PF Emeka Okafor / Brandon Bass / Ryan Anderson
C Dwight Howard / Marcin Gortat

Ah.... the sweet waiting game for Orlando Magic fans continue....

9. To be continued....

Skin Update > Rev Update. LOL. JK Rev... I love your stuff.

[Orange Ave.]

Holy crap dude.

Looks like we can kiss CP3 goodbye.

[magicfan1989]

OK, here's the real deal that is going on with New Orleans according to my sources (internet investigation skills) hahaha.

1. New Orleans did a lot of shuffling on draft day yesterday, but ultimately ended up with Craig Brackins and Quincy Pondexter, meanwhile shipping off $6.6M in salary (Mo Peterson). They traded pick 11 (Aldrich) and Mo Pete to OKC for picks 21 (Brackins) and 26 (Pondexter). What this means is that the team is no longer over the luxury tax threshold which is roughly projected to be around $65M (salar cap info: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4312837). However, they are still right around it, and after signing their draft picks they will be over again.

2. New Orleans owner wants to sell the team, but there is a hang up over the amount of debt the team has. So with that said, the team is actively engaged in trade talks to try to relieve salary. They want to dump Emeka Okafor's contract first and foremost. Dumping his costly long term financial commitment is definitely goal #1. This is the current hang up between Orlando and New Orleans. Finding a taker on Okafor.

3. NOR has other bad contracts too. Peja has a $15M contract, but that is not one of them. It's expiring, so that has trade value to them, plus no team in the league has a $15M TPE that could immediately alieviate that cap number for them this year. Julian Wright's contract goes through 2012, so they'd like to dump that if it makes enough sense. But after Emeka, James Posey's contract is the one that needs to go for NOR. This is where Orlando has a big advantage over other teams. Otis has that $7M dollar TPE that is attractive big time to NOR. They can do a 1 for 1 swap... and NOR would rid themselves of that contract before going into next season. This is one of the "parts of the deal" that is finalized.

4. The Hornets are upset with World Wide Wes who was trying to broker a deal to get Paul and Lebron in New Jersey. WW Wes is the one who started the Devin Harris and #3 pick to NOR for Paul rumors. WW Wes who is chummy with both Lebron and Jay-Z was trying to link them all together. Jay-Z knows that Lebron isn't coming unless he has a legit side kick and NJ can't afford 2 max contracts, so that's why the Paul trade rumors arose. NJ and NOR never had those talks. As you can see, the Nets are still holding out hope for Lebron as they passed on SF Wesley Johnson yesterday. Had they had taken him, you could probably take that as NJ folding on the Lebron sweepstakes. There was a short window where this rumor could have grown legs, but it is now officially dead as NOR has no use with Favors, with West and now Brackins. NJ balked on that rumor as well and wasn't going to risk losing Lebron by drafting Wesley Johnson.

5. How do Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter fit into the picture? Well, this is where both sides are balking. NOR considers Nelson's value worth his contract. But they don't need until it makes enough sense for them to trade Paul or Collison to us. Otis is fine in trading him away, but NOR doesn't feel pressured to trade either of their PGs just yet. Carter's contract is the attractive piece to the NOR. They want Carter's contract in return for dumping Okafor. But they don't want to give us Paul. They want to give us Collison. That only causes more balking between teams. So Otis throws that bone out there that Carter could go to the Wiz for Foye, Thornton and Hinrich. Trying to pressure NOR into believing that if they don't pull the trigger on Paul, then Carter's contract will go to WAS and NOR will still be stuck with Okafor. When this rumor leaks, NOR temporarily caves in. This is when Rev gets the email that the deal is done and we all go berzerk around here.

6. But first NOR wants to see who will be available at their picks 21 and 26. Then BOOM at 21 they get Brackins. Brackins' game is an exact duplicate of David West. Plus, NOR thinks there is a chance that West will opt out of his contract and exercise his player option next year. With the thought that NOR got their replacement for West, all of a sudden NOR tells Otis... I know you don't want to take on Okafor for just Collison, but what if we threw in David West? Carter and Nelson combine to make $24M. Collison, West, and Okafor combine to make $23.9M exact. That's a match. Otis is starting to lean YES. MORE rumors fly saying there will be fireworks in Orlando... that Otis has something up his sleeve!!! Even Howard Mass is confirming! lol.

6. But Otis is not there yet... He's in the war room watching the guys he wants fall off the draft board. So Otis tells NOR... let's swap picks... pick 26 for pick 29. At pick 26 NOR drafts Quincy Pondexter. Orlando Magic fans are rapidly posting in forums, "Damn, that's our guy!" Pick 29 comes around and the same fans post, "Huh? David Orton??? Mr. I avg 3 pts and 3 rebounds a game???" So now the deal is complete, right? Nope. NOR says, we lost our SF in Mo Pete. We still want a SF if we're losing Posey and Pondexter too. So Otis says fine, tell us who you want at 59. Stanley Robinson falls to them. So NOW the deal is done, right? NOR gets their young Center in Orton, which fills a HUGE need, they keep Paul, they have their replacement for West in Brackins, they've cleared cap with Mo Pete, and they are about to dump Okafor and Posey's contracts, and they're getting Robinson who was projected to be a first rounder by some.

7. Wrong. Now Otis is balking. The thought of drafting Daniel Orton and Stanley Robinson is sounding pretty damn good. He still wants Chris Paul and not Darren Collison. Doh!!! What a sweet mess. So now today, there are rampant rumors that Darren Collison is on the trade block. Teams all dialing in from all angles. Now that the draft is over, teams have the resources to focus on trades. Now, Otis has lost some leverage. It's open competition once again. All is quiet on the Orlando front. NOR is trying to pressure Otis into taking their deal by releasing these rumors...

8. So we sit here waiting... Will Otis do this for Collison or will he hold out for Paul? The Collison deal is set to go if Otis pulls the trigger.

The new line up would look like:

PG Darren Collison / FA
SG James Posey / FA
SF Rashard Lewis / Quincy Pondexter / Julian Wright
PF David West / Brandon Bass / Ryan Anderson
C Dwight Howard / Emeka Okafor / Marcin Gortat

But Otis still wants:

PG Chris Paul / FA
SG James Posey / FA
SF Rashard Lewis / Quincy Pondexter
PF Emeka Okafor / Brandon Bass / Ryan Anderson
C Dwight Howard / Marcin Gortat

Ah.... the sweet waiting game for Orlando Magic fans continue....

9. To be continued....

Skin Update > Rev Update. LOL. JK Rev... I love your stuff.

No way in effing hell I'd give up Nelson AND Carter for Collison and West.

If we're not getting Paul, no way in hell I'd give Jameer to New Orleans.

Jameer>Collison; at worst, Jameer=Collison.

It sounds like we're trying to make a trade just for the sake of making a trade.

Jameer/Carter for Collison/West/Posey does not make us a better team. At best, it's a lateral move.

Please don't cave Otis. Don't settle for Collison. If they don't want to give us Paul, screw them; we'll keep Jameer in that case.

[Orange Ave.]

I have to disagree. GIve me Collison and West for Jameer and Vince.

No question.

[paperboymafia]

I have to disagree. GIve me Collison and West for Jameer and Vince.

No question.

Same here.

[Hotshot Hower]

OK, here's the real deal that is going on with New Orleans according to my sources (internet investigation skills) hahaha.

1. New Orleans did a lot of shuffling on draft day yesterday, but ultimately ended up with Craig Brackins and Quincy Pondexter, meanwhile shipping off $6.6M in salary (Mo Peterson). They traded pick 11 (Aldrich) and Mo Pete to OKC for picks 21 (Brackins) and 26 (Pondexter). What this means is that the team is no longer over the luxury tax threshold which is roughly projected to be around $65M (salar cap info: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4312837). However, they are still right around it, and after signing their draft picks they will be over again.

2. New Orleans owner wants to sell the team, but there is a hang up over the amount of debt the team has. So with that said, the team is actively engaged in trade talks to try to relieve salary. They want to dump Emeka Okafor's contract first and foremost. Dumping his costly long term financial commitment is definitely goal #1. This is the current hang up between Orlando and New Orleans. Finding a taker on Okafor.

3. NOR has other bad contracts too. Peja has a $15M contract, but that is not one of them. It's expiring, so that has trade value to them, plus no team in the league has a $15M TPE that could immediately alieviate that cap number for them this year. Julian Wright's contract goes through 2012, so they'd like to dump that if it makes enough sense. But after Emeka, James Posey's contract is the one that needs to go for NOR. This is where Orlando has a big advantage over other teams. Otis has that $7M dollar TPE that is attractive big time to NOR. They can do a 1 for 1 swap... and NOR would rid themselves of that contract before going into next season. This is one of the "parts of the deal" that is finalized.

4. The Hornets are upset with World Wide Wes who was trying to broker a deal to get Paul and Lebron in New Jersey. WW Wes is the one who started the Devin Harris and #3 pick to NOR for Paul rumors. WW Wes who is chummy with both Lebron and Jay-Z was trying to link them all together. Jay-Z knows that Lebron isn't coming unless he has a legit side kick and NJ can't afford 2 max contracts, so that's why the Paul trade rumors arose. NJ and NOR never had those talks. As you can see, the Nets are still holding out hope for Lebron as they passed on SF Wesley Johnson yesterday. Had they had taken him, you could probably take that as NJ folding on the Lebron sweepstakes. There was a short window where this rumor could have grown legs, but it is now officially dead as NOR has no use with Favors, with West and now Brackins. NJ balked on that rumor as well and wasn't going to risk losing Lebron by drafting Wesley Johnson.

5. How do Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter fit into the picture? Well, this is where both sides are balking. NOR considers Nelson's value worth his contract. But they don't need until it makes enough sense for them to trade Paul or Collison to us. Otis is fine in trading him away, but NOR doesn't feel pressured to trade either of their PGs just yet. Carter's contract is the attractive piece to the NOR. They want Carter's contract in return for dumping Okafor. But they don't want to give us Paul. They want to give us Collison. That only causes more balking between teams. So Otis throws that bone out there that Carter could go to the Wiz for Foye, Thornton and Hinrich. Trying to pressure NOR into believing that if they don't pull the trigger on Paul, then Carter's contract will go to WAS and NOR will still be stuck with Okafor. When this rumor leaks, NOR temporarily caves in. This is when Rev gets the email that the deal is done and we all go berzerk around here.

6. But first NOR wants to see who will be available at their picks 21 and 26. Then BOOM at 21 they get Brackins. Brackins' game is an exact duplicate of David West. Plus, NOR thinks there is a chance that West will opt out of his contract and exercise his player option next year. With the thought that NOR got their replacement for West, all of a sudden NOR tells Otis... I know you don't want to take on Okafor for just Collison, but what if we threw in David West? Carter and Nelson combine to make $24M. Collison, West, and Okafor combine to make $23.9M exact. That's a match. Otis is starting to lean YES. MORE rumors fly saying there will be fireworks in Orlando... that Otis has something up his sleeve!!! Even Howard Mass is confirming! lol.

6. But Otis is not there yet... He's in the war room watching the guys he wants fall off the draft board. So Otis tells NOR... let's swap picks... pick 26 for pick 29. At pick 26 NOR drafts Quincy Pondexter. Orlando Magic fans are rapidly posting in forums, "Damn, that's our guy!" Pick 29 comes around and the same fans post, "Huh? David Orton??? Mr. I avg 3 pts and 3 rebounds a game???" So now the deal is complete, right? Nope. NOR says, we lost our SF in Mo Pete. We still want a SF if we're losing Posey and Pondexter too. So Otis says fine, tell us who you want at 59. Stanley Robinson falls to them. So NOW the deal is done, right? NOR gets their young Center in Orton, which fills a HUGE need, they keep Paul, they have their replacement for West in Brackins, they've cleared cap with Mo Pete, and they are about to dump Okafor and Posey's contracts, and they're getting Robinson who was projected to be a first rounder by some.

7. Wrong. Now Otis is balking. The thought of drafting Daniel Orton and Stanley Robinson is sounding pretty damn good. He still wants Chris Paul and not Darren Collison. Doh!!! What a sweet mess. So now today, there are rampant rumors that Darren Collison is on the trade block. Teams all dialing in from all angles. Now that the draft is over, teams have the resources to focus on trades. Now, Otis has lost some leverage. It's open competition once again. All is quiet on the Orlando front. NOR is trying to pressure Otis into taking their deal by releasing these rumors...

8. So we sit here waiting... Will Otis do this for Collison or will he hold out for Paul? The Collison deal is set to go if Otis pulls the trigger.

The new line up would look like:

PG Darren Collison / FA
SG James Posey / FA
SF Rashard Lewis / Quincy Pondexter / Julian Wright
PF David West / Brandon Bass / Ryan Anderson
C Dwight Howard / Emeka Okafor / Marcin Gortat

But Otis still wants:

PG Chris Paul / FA
SG James Posey / FA
SF Rashard Lewis / Quincy Pondexter
PF Emeka Okafor / Brandon Bass / Ryan Anderson
C Dwight Howard / Marcin Gortat

Ah.... the sweet waiting game for Orlando Magic fans continue....

9. To be continued....

Skin Update > Rev Update. LOL. JK Rev... I love your stuff.

well thought out skin! (you found the corner piece's of the puzzle, now to the nitty gritty middle piece's)

[magicfan1989]

I have to disagree. GIve me Collison and West for Jameer and Vince.

No question.

WHY?!

Jameer>Collison; and Jameer=Collison at worst. Collison is NOT a better PG than Jameer at this point.

And secondly, isn't West able to opt out next summer? So we're gunna trade for a one year rental?

This trade is a lateral move AT BEST.

[EasternMagic]

I have to disagree. GIve me Collison and West for Jameer and Vince.

No question.

+1 and that's hard for me to say, but Collison was amazing last year when he played.. the only trouble is do you want to put your teams fate into a sophmore pg? i mean maybe when he's as good as Collison but then you have the whole trouble with the team not liking it bc the love Meer. I'd much rather get Paul, but it's hard to not take on Collison. If that's the case (us getting Collison) then we can acquire Hinrich too in some three team deal to have a veteran pg backup

[sChOlaRlY_Magi]

No updates here... I just want to do my part to get this bad boy over a hundred pages!

[Magix3]

So the Paul deal is dead?

[halo097rip]

OK, here's the real deal that is going on with New Orleans according to my sources (internet investigation skills) hahaha.

1. New Orleans did a lot of shuffling on draft day yesterday, but ultimately ended up with Craig Brackins and Quincy Pondexter, meanwhile shipping off $6.6M in salary (Mo Peterson). They traded pick 11 (Aldrich) and Mo Pete to OKC for picks 21 (Brackins) and 26 (Pondexter). What this means is that the team is no longer over the luxury tax threshold which is roughly projected to be around $65M (salar cap info: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4312837). However, they are still right around it, and after signing their draft picks they will be over again.

2. New Orleans owner wants to sell the team, but there is a hang up over the amount of debt the team has. So with that said, the team is actively engaged in trade talks to try to relieve salary. They want to dump Emeka Okafor's contract first and foremost. Dumping his costly long term financial commitment is definitely goal #1. This is the current hang up between Orlando and New Orleans. Finding a taker on Okafor.

3. NOR has other bad contracts too. Peja has a $15M contract, but that is not one of them. It's expiring, so that has trade value to them, plus no team in the league has a $15M TPE that could immediately alieviate that cap number for them this year. Julian Wright's contract goes through 2012, so they'd like to dump that if it makes enough sense. But after Emeka, James Posey's contract is the one that needs to go for NOR. This is where Orlando has a big advantage over other teams. Otis has that $7M dollar TPE that is attractive big time to NOR. They can do a 1 for 1 swap... and NOR would rid themselves of that contract before going into next season. This is one of the "parts of the deal" that is finalized.

4. The Hornets are upset with World Wide Wes who was trying to broker a deal to get Paul and Lebron in New Jersey. WW Wes is the one who started the Devin Harris and #3 pick to NOR for Paul rumors. WW Wes who is chummy with both Lebron and Jay-Z was trying to link them all together. Jay-Z knows that Lebron isn't coming unless he has a legit side kick and NJ can't afford 2 max contracts, so that's why the Paul trade rumors arose. NJ and NOR never had those talks. As you can see, the Nets are still holding out hope for Lebron as they passed on SF Wesley Johnson yesterday. Had they had taken him, you could probably take that as NJ folding on the Lebron sweepstakes. There was a short window where this rumor could have grown legs, but it is now officially dead as NOR has no use with Favors, with West and now Brackins. NJ balked on that rumor as well and wasn't going to risk losing Lebron by drafting Wesley Johnson.

5. How do Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter fit into the picture? Well, this is where both sides are balking. NOR considers Nelson's value worth his contract. But they don't need until it makes enough sense for them to trade Paul or Collison to us. Otis is fine in trading him away, but NOR doesn't feel pressured to trade either of their PGs just yet. Carter's contract is the attractive piece to the NOR. They want Carter's contract in return for dumping Okafor. But they don't want to give us Paul. They want to give us Collison. That only causes more balking between teams. So Otis throws that bone out there that Carter could go to the Wiz for Foye, Thornton and Hinrich. Trying to pressure NOR into believing that if they don't pull the trigger on Paul, then Carter's contract will go to WAS and NOR will still be stuck with Okafor. When this rumor leaks, NOR temporarily caves in. This is when Rev gets the email that the deal is done and we all go berzerk around here.

6. But first NOR wants to see who will be available at their picks 21 and 26. Then BOOM at 21 they get Brackins. Brackins' game is an exact duplicate of David West. Plus, NOR thinks there is a chance that West will opt out of his contract and exercise his player option next year. With the thought that NOR got their replacement for West, all of a sudden NOR tells Otis... I know you don't want to take on Okafor for just Collison, but what if we threw in David West? Carter and Nelson combine to make $24M. Collison, West, and Okafor combine to make $23.9M exact. That's a match. Otis is starting to lean YES. MORE rumors fly saying there will be fireworks in Orlando... that Otis has something up his sleeve!!! Even Howard Mass is confirming! lol.

6. But Otis is not there yet... He's in the war room watching the guys he wants fall off the draft board. So Otis tells NOR... let's swap picks... pick 26 for pick 29. At pick 26 NOR drafts Quincy Pondexter. Orlando Magic fans are rapidly posting in forums, "Damn, that's our guy!" Pick 29 comes around and the same fans post, "Huh? David Orton??? Mr. I avg 3 pts and 3 rebounds a game???" So now the deal is complete, right? Nope. NOR says, we lost our SF in Mo Pete. We still want a SF if we're losing Posey and Pondexter too. So Otis says fine, tell us who you want at 59. Stanley Robinson falls to them. So NOW the deal is done, right? NOR gets their young Center in Orton, which fills a HUGE need, they keep Paul, they have their replacement for West in Brackins, they've cleared cap with Mo Pete, and they are about to dump Okafor and Posey's contracts, and they're getting Robinson who was projected to be a first rounder by some.

7. Wrong. Now Otis is balking. The thought of drafting Daniel Orton and Stanley Robinson is sounding pretty damn good. He still wants Chris Paul and not Darren Collison. Doh!!! What a sweet mess. So now today, there are rampant rumors that Darren Collison is on the trade block. Teams all dialing in from all angles. Now that the draft is over, teams have the resources to focus on trades. Now, Otis has lost some leverage. It's open competition once again. All is quiet on the Orlando front. NOR is trying to pressure Otis into taking their deal by releasing these rumors...

8. So we sit here waiting... Will Otis do this for Collison or will he hold out for Paul? The Collison deal is set to go if Otis pulls the trigger.

The new line up would look like:

PG Darren Collison / FA
SG James Posey / FA
SF Rashard Lewis / Quincy Pondexter / Julian Wright
PF David West / Brandon Bass / Ryan Anderson
C Dwight Howard / Emeka Okafor / Marcin Gortat

But Otis still wants:

PG Chris Paul / FA
SG James Posey -----> Trade David West for a starter if acquired and Posey a backup.
SF Rashard Lewis / Quincy Pondexter
PF Emeka Okafor / Brandon Bass / Ryan Anderson
C Dwight Howard / Marcin Gortat

Ah.... the sweet waiting game for Orlando Magic fans continue....

9. To be continued....

Skin Update > Rev Update. LOL. JK Rev... I love your stuff.

I have a question. Why can't we send Peaches and/or Marcin Gortat and take out Daniel Orton to help acquire Chris Paul. Why isn't Otis going into desperation mode in trying to solidfy a deal sending CP3 to Magic. In the long run it would be worth the loss. We solve our PG position and IF David West and Emeka come to us then well we still have flexibility. I would rather trade Peaches or take on Okafor.

[magicfan1989]

So the Paul deal is dead?

Pretty much.

[Hotshot Hower]

So the Paul deal is dead?

now it's posturing by Bower (Nola) with this Collison wiretap headline.

my opinion, deal is FAR from being DEAD. Nola is exploring there option's (as they prob have a ton NOW) with the Collions wiretap headline.

Cost cutting mode, remember. Debt outta the yin yang. Low ticket sales, along with losing, isn't the recipe for success, let alone making a "super star" happy.

As I've said, CP3 will eventually be dealt. It'd be idiotic to try and "sell" a team, yet continue to operate in the "red", with bloated contract's, etc.

Collison stays, CP3 goes. (to us of course)

patience, folks..

[Shishnizzle]

Honestly if the Magic can't do a worth while deal. I would wait till the trade deadline to drop VC's contract.

[magicfan1989]

Honestly if the Magic can't do a worth while deal. I would wait till the trade deadline to drop VC's contract.

+1

I think the longer we hold on to him, the more we'll be able to get.

Some teams at the deadline will be craving his huge expiring contract, and we'll have many good looking options to pick from imho.

[J-Ville Smoke]

This part makes no sense to me...

They want Carter's contract in return for dumping Okafor

Aren't we doing them a favor?