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In lieu of the horrible season that we are enduring...let's have a vote


Which player was the more impactful player in Magic history (or to you, specifically)? Both of them were touted to be highly defensive point guards with great height, and we used 1st round picks to draft each of them. I believe that they are the two worst players who have actually still had a memorable game or two, who were draftees of the Magic. (Steven Hunter was also bad, but at least he lasted 8 seasons in the league) .Funny thing is, there are ZERO youtube highlights of each player anywhere. Trust me, i already tried to find some.

***If anybody has any interesting stats or facts about these players feel free to leave a comment below.

This thread is full of win, lol. I am certain these youngsters don't even know who these guys are. But I chose Sasser. I felt like he did more in his little time he was here. Reece Gaines had confidence issues. I remember when he got traded to the rockets, the first thing he said at the press conference was "My name is Reece Gaines, you don't know who i am yet." His career was done after that, lol.

It's the Sassinator on pure output alone.
Actually posted a few double-doubles including this 26-point gem in a game McGrady didn't play:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200301260BOS.html

Reece Gaines was notorious for being awful in just trying to dribble the ball past halfcourt...in preseason.

I will never forget that 26-point game, lol. Even Sasser looked like he had no idea how he was making all those shots, especially since he ended the season with the lowest FGA in the league. We also had a Sassinator Magic fan who used to post here, and he was pretty hilarious. I think he made a Jeryl Sasser fansite at one point, just one of those joke things we used to do back when the Magic were actually fun to watch and we weren't all bitter and depressed.

I don't remember anything Gaines ever did. Sasser wins this thing in a landslide, IMO.

I remember Reece Gaines as being a guy Doc Rivers was absolutely delighted the Magic drafted but he fell into that early noughties pattern of poor drafting (Gaines, Ryan Humphrey, Steven Hunter, Sasser) by John Gabriel and co before Weisbrod took over.

Sasser wins this one by a landslide imo.

I remember Gaines. Never heard of Sasser

Unrelated but Gordan Giricek was trash though.

Both sucked

OrlandoTill wrote:I remember Gaines. Never heard of Sasser

Unrelated but Gordan Giricek was trash though.

Giricek and Gooden got off to a promising start, then like most things Magic it just fell apart.

Jeryl Sasser is only 38?!

Ya'll complain about Payton's shot, but check out these stats:



Glorious. And hey, Sasser is a life-long Magic! Started here, retired here.

Nemesis21 wrote:Both sucked

Gaines could not dribble and Sasser could not shoot. Both were terrible draft picks.

I'll go with Sassinator just because of the nickname

Magic fans here haven’t heard of Jeryl Sasser!? Are you kids fresh out of diapers!?


Anyhoo...

I remember reading high grades for our draft that year as we “got our guy” with Reece Gaines but I was hoping for Luke Ridnour with that pick. Ridnour went one pick earlier so I couldn’t be bitter about picking Gaines but I was never a fan of his.

Sasser was out of the league so quickly. I guess I have to go with Gaines but this is like choosing between a bat to the face or a kick to the nuts.

SOUL wrote:Jeryl Sasser is only 38?!

And today is Gaines' 37th birthday.

Giricek was fantastic here during that 4-month stretch in the '03 season.

He honestly wasn't awful in '03-'04 (before we dealt him for Stevenson), he was just one of those guys that played better with great talent. Giricek was a huge reason we beat Phoenix to snap our 19-game losing streak.

On March 4, 2008, the Phoenix Suns signed Giriček for the remainder of the season.[11] He was involved in an altercation with Suns teammate Shaquille O'Neal, and was choked out.[12]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordan_Giri%C4%8Dek

Orium wrote:I'll go with Sassinator just because of the nickname

Also "The Iverson Stopper" according to Doc Rivers lol. The only good thing about him was he was always around the ball. Gaines I thought was going to be alright he was a pretty good college player and played for a good coach in Pitino. But some guys just aren't cut out for the NBA.

You could just tell with Gaines right away that he was overmatched. Mentally he was defeated from day 1 it seemed. I remember him blowing a wide open fastbreak layup early in the season and looking like he wanted to go crawl in a hole. Later in that season, he made a buzzer beating shot out of the corner, and it was such a feel good moment. But even then, it was dampened by his toe being on the line making it a 2 pointer.

Sasser.

Gaines was terrible. Someone stole the ball from him and his career was never the same again.

fendilim wrote:Sasser.

Gaines was terrible. Someone stole the ball from him and his career was never the same again.

I remember that I think. It was at midcourt if I recall correctly.

I'm trying to remember who it was that picked his pocket, but I can't come up with it.