An outsider opinion on Magic, hoped you would be interested.

[boz]

I've been reading realgm for a while now, but no team (even my team) has ever intrigued me more to actually create an account. I've been watching Orlando games both regular season, and I watched all the post-season games, personally because I'm a fan of Dwight and I have fun watching him developing his game. If you are interested in an outsider opinion, here it is:

1- First of all, be optimistic. I think (it is pretty much a fact actually) that if Dwight improves his post-up game, and increase his FT percentage to %65-70, this team will be killer. I usually forget that he's only 22. There is a reason why he doesn't get the ball late in the game. His teammates, and his coach, doesn't rely on his ability under pressure. He's doing the same moves every time he gets the ball. Even he succeeds in those moves, he gets fouled, and it gets even worse. His athleticism is just spectacular, but I think he needs to play smarter(can't stress this enough) rather than playing solely on athleticism. I hate to compare his game to Shaq's, but he should be as dominant as Shaq once was if Orlando has any chance to win ECF.

2- Hedo is a very strange player in my opinion. He is certainly improved, it has been always obvious that he has great talent since Sacramento days (my friends in Sacramento used to have very high hopes about him, and they were very upset to see him go). He can handle the ball, shoot beyond the arc, take it to the rim. He is also a good defender(I don't see why you guys think he isn't a very capable defender). And to top it all, he only costs you guys 6-7 mil a year! I had you guys in the 6th-7th spot in the beginning of the season, and I think this guy is the difference between my prediction and now. He is your jackpot.
However, I don't think you are looking at him the right way. He's a very versatile player, good in all the aspects in the game, but he is not a superstar. To put it simply, Orlando can't turn to him to save their butts in the clutch every time. He's not LBJ, he can't finish that strong, and worst of all, he don't get superstar calls (which would be the time that he drives inside, flails his arms and lose the ball), and sadly, he never will. And I think he isn't just ready for this kind of pressure, since he is very inexperienced with this role. You can actually see him getting confused in some of the possessions. I think he will get even better next year. I hope he learns to make better decisions next year as he gets more experienced, especially in the clutch. He turns the ball over way too much, but I think he can solve this problem by learning to make better decisions. He singlehandedly carried Orlando in some of the 4th quarters, but it is just frustrating to see him make bad decisions in last couple of shots and lose the same game. I just wonder where would Hedo be right now if SVG had been here before.
p.s. On Hedo: I have no idea how you will be able to keep him after he opts out. I think you guys will have to match a $50m for 4 years kind of deal. I hope you find a way.

3-I remember when Rashard was in Seattle and became a free agent, I assumed he would get ~$10m a year type of contract. I was shocked when he closed out a max deal in Orlando. I mean I don't know what your management sees in him, but I just don't see it. Even if when he dropped 25/5/5 per game, Rashard always chocked in Seattle when it mattered the most. I'm not surprised a bit about his performance in the playoffs. I know you guys are all "but he is playing off his position, he is not comfortable", and I agree, it is hard for him to defend a PF in the paint (even though he is not that undersized). But it doesn't explain why he can't beat his defender off the dribble, or his 3 isn't falling. Even when he defended Bosh pretty great some of the games, or when he scored 30+ with like 95% FG in game 3, my thoughts didn't change a bit. I think he is a borderline star, a borderline all-star, a pretty good player, but that is about it. I don't want to state the obvious that he's not a max player, and his max contract will screw you guys forever. But I think that if his contract results in repeating failure in the future, it could drive Dwight away from Orlando.


4- If you guys ever want to accomplish anything, I'm certain more than anything that it won't happen with Nelson. I mean, the guy certainly plays with heart, he really wants to win the game. That's most people like to see in the court. But he is just not a capable point guard, and I doubt that he ever will be. You know when I saw Deron Williams sucking mightily in Utah in his first year and rise from his ashes in the second, I actually hoped the same would happen with this guy. But it ain't happening folks. He has very low BB IQ, he doesn't know how to get the ball to Dwight in the right position, he can't read transitions, he can't play PnR even decently. He used to make clutch shots but now Hedo is doing that. He is only good at taking it to the hole, and he occasionally passes to ball to an open shooter in 3 when he does. But, I mean, when you have Dwight, Hedo and Rashard in your team to score 20 a game easily, you just need a point guard that can get them in the rhythm, nothing more. I think you will be able to see the VAST difference between Nelson and other PG's in the league. Actually, screw the league, let's just look at the east conference top 8 (west would be just upsetting).
Boston: Rondo
Detroit - Billups
Cleveland - West
Toronto - Calderon & Ford
Washington - Arenas
Philadelphia - Miller
Atlanta - Bibby
Now look at these names, and ask yourself, is Nelson better than any of those guys? I mean, I can understand that this guy is a worse PG than Billups, but I just can't accept the fact that he is owned by Stuckey! Jameer can't defend anyone (he sometimes flops but doesn't help the cause), thus, he can't even negate himself with the opposing guard. He is just a void as I see it. Yes, again, you are right, neither Nash nor Parker are great stoppers. But don't be foolish enough to compare Nelson with those type of players. Just start him off the bench, or get rid of him A.S.A.P. Loving one player is one thing, but seeing if he is the right fit is another.
To make things clearer, here is a particular instance that I remember: It was Game 2 or 3 with Detroit, near the end of the first half, Detroit switched to zone, and started making a run. You know how that run started? Jameer attacked the rim in one possession, because he made a couple of layups beforehand, so he thought he was on a roll. At least 2 guys were open in the 3. I think he just didn't realize that Detroit was playing a zone defense. Anyway, that possession passed, and in the very next possession, he did the same thing! This time, he was able to shoot the ball, of course didn't make it because three Detroit players were on him. That is how much of a point guard Jameer Nelson is.

One of the hot topics is the fact that Orlando has 2 SF's, and since Hedo is a valuable asset right now, you need to trade Hedo. Totally agreed, you need to trade Hedo because it seems like your only out (you won't be able to find much improvement with MLE, and as I remember Battie wasn't that much of a help before his injury. I don't think you will be able to keep Hedo either). But I can say right now that, with the way Orlando's offense struggles without Hedo, either you need to get a ball distributer in return (Miller type PG would be nice), or you're going down. If you trade Hedo for a PF (Josh Smith, Kevin Garnett, Wilt Chamberlain, doesn't matter), it will be disastrous IMHO. You will be left with noone to set the game once Hedo leaves. By the way, I support trading Hedo because Orlando can trade him. If someone is stupid enough to take Rashard's contract, just ship him off on the first plane. I would even be willing to trade him for Jermaine O'Neal if for some reason Indiana would be interested. At least you would have a max contract in the right position.

5- You obviously need help in your bench, bogans and dooling are just too inconsistent. By the way, what the hell happend to JJ? All you guys need to do was to teach him play some defense and gain some pounds, what the hell happened?

Overall, I think Magic had a very good season with the worst ending. I'm hoping this won't make them regress next year. I think they will have a better year next season, they can reach 60 IMO. They can also reach ECF next year, but they should be playing with more confidence against teams like Boston and Detroit. And I hope they will, because I like to see Magic play.

p.s.: These are just my opinions about this team. Since you guys are involved more with Magic, you have more valid opinions. Just want to write this because I have no bias, and not a fan, so I may be able to see things a little bit differently. I don't want to bash anyone, if I was offensive at some points, I'm sorry in advance.
p.s.2: Don't forget, you have a great team that comprises great people. They all have great attitudes and they seem like they are having fun playing basketball. You are very lucky.

[Typhoon20]

I'm kinda having the same thoughts about Dwight possibly leaving in the future cause of that Shard contract and how it'll affect us in the future. In game 5, he really played horrible, extremely horrible. It's sad to witness that when your expectations are slightly higher. Shard played like an LLE player, even worse at times. Horrible shooting, 6 TO's, barely an assist. And when you think that it comes from a max player like him, you shake your head in disbelief.

This team lost to a Pistons without Billups, TWICE.
That's bad, that's pretty bad.

[flyingvee]

All great points. Unfortunately when I stated the same on here I got flamed for it cause many on here feel Nelson is an All-star and that we have a championship team. True I looked at the same rosters early in the year and thought the team would finish 8th because frankly most of the other teams have betetr rosters, Nets, cavs, Wizards, Bulls but they all had injuries or contract issues that made them stink. So I'll let you take brunt of attacks this time, but yea, we have a very flawed team and Lewis contract will come back to haunt the team.

[Happyfoosball]

I don't see anything wrong with your post. I don't really like Nelson at PG either. But I do like him on the team. I've thought for a couple years that Orlando should use him the way the old Pistons used Vinnie Johnson. Plug him in as the sixth man and tell him to score as many points as he can as fast as he can. I think he'd flourish in that role. Orlando has a long way to go next year. They need to play smarter and cut down on turn overs. I think they should look at a bigger point guard in the draft and hope Fran comes over. Combine that with Tony coming back and they'd be in good shape.

[mattyBoi]

I disagree...

Trade Hedo for a SG
Sign a PF with the MLE...Carl Laundry, Craig Smith, Ryan Gomes
Draft a wing...Chris Douglas-Roberts
Sign some vets with LLE...Kurt Thomas, Jason Williams

Dwight
?
Rashard
?
Jameer

Are locks...Yes Jameer, he proved this postseason that he can get it done...All he needs is a capable backup

Bring back Battie
Bring in Fran
Trade JJ
Resign Evans

We will be a FORCE.

[drsd]

TOs and FT% continue to haunt.

When will the Magic learn to take care of the ball, and when will they learn that FTs are clutch?

[Raven]

Jameer will never carry this team to a championship. I agree , Magic need guards more than a PF , especially a better PG who can feed the Beast.

[Typhoon20]

Jameer is the least of our problems.

[Versubio]

I for one have been pleasantly surprised by Jameer's play during these playoffs. He at times seemed to be the only guy playing with focus. He has asserted himself as a very reliable and important player for the Magic.

[maginno]

Boz - excellent non biased summary. I particularly agree with your assessment of Shard and Jameer. For Jameer I love his game at times but its just too up and down. Magic had a good regular season. Losing to a billupless team twice in a row once on your own home court is quite a blow to claiming to be on the road to being a title contender.

Typhoon20 - welcome to the club on how the Shard contract will affect us in the years to come. 2010 is perhaps the worse if we can't move him. There are some serious names available then that could change the face of the EC then . Don't let the thought police bully you as they do with anyone that tries to discuss that. Its an intelligent well thought out analysis.

Flyingvee - don't worry about it man. Keep posting I made no predictions at the beginning of the seasons and they foam at the mouth because I discuss how that contract damaged our true potential. par for the course. Chin up dude. It has nothing to with your predictions. Everyone who makes one of those at some point misses one. Its just a tactic to shut you up. Don't let it.

[pikimagic]

can you resume please???

[Jackattaq]

Jameer is the least of our problems.

I love how much defending Jameer Nelson gets around here. I know he has heart, I'm not disputing that, but I think it's pretty obvious to even the biggest supporters that Jameer just won't cut it as a starting PG on a Championship contending team.

If you hadn't noticed, the past two years in the playoffs, whenever, and I do mean whenever the Pistons needed a basket, they would go to the Nelson/Billups matchup in the lowpost. Nelson's only recourse is to foul. This year they even went at Nelson with a ROOKIE and Rip Hamilton whenever they got switched on to Jameer. Each time with positive results.

HE IS TOO SMALL TO PLAY PG AT THE NBA LEVEL.

I think someone nailed it when they said he should be a sparkplug off the bench. He's a very capable scorer, but he IS just a ROLE player. He can't defend the PG position in the NBA well enough to go against starters. I think moving Hedo for a capable PG wouldn't be a bad move.

Do you think Hedo could fetch say, uh, Jose Calderon and a 2nd rounder?

Calderon would be very good at setting up Dwight inside and getting guys the ball in a good position to score. I think he could do wonders for Dwight getting more easy shots.

[maginno]

Do you think Hedo could fetch say, uh, Jose Calderon and a 2nd rounder?

Boy I don't know about that Calderon is viewed as a PG with ALOT Of potential. But on our side I'd worry about losing Hedo without getting someone else to go to the basket

[szimab01]

We need a stud pg, a power forward and decent 2guard. I think we should look to trade Hedo or Nelson this offseason while their stock is relatively high. Number 1 priority for this team is to acquire a great point guard. With a great point guard and center this team can be great for many years. Shard will take up most of our cap but with a great pg and c we can fill the other positions with role players.

We have made great strides but, this team is about 3 pieces away from being a contender. Point guard, power forward and an upgrade at the 2guard.

[eyriq]

Nice post. I think you are right about most everything actually, except for your conclusions. Trust me though, there are plenty of guys around here who conclude the same thing.

[maginno]

We have made great strides but, this team is about 3 pieces away from being a contender. Point guard, power forward and an upgrade at the 2guard.

Very good assessment. Props.

[Magicalltheway]

I agree with most points and very fair.

Few things though: What we seem to forget is that Hedo is brand new to this go-to role. He seemed not relaxed which clearly effected his decision makings. His passes were just unbelievabley bad.

I have said all along that Jameer is terrific off the bench, he is simply not tall enough to guard taller guards. he does have a lionheart though.

My friends, this is just the begining. Dont think for a second that we will lose Dwight like we did with shaq. I have complete faith in Otis and SVG. Next yr look us up at the finals. Eastern that is.

[Gerhalt11]

-= original quote snipped =-



Boy I don't know about that Calderon is viewed as a PG with ALOT Of potential. But on our side I'd worry about losing Hedo without getting someone else to go to the basket

Shard will be slashing to the basket like his life depends on it once he gets back to the 3. I'm almost...and I stress the word almost...okay with trading Hedo for a quality PG.

Calderon
Evans
Rashard
Dwight
Battie

I'm more than okay with that starting 5.

[maginno]

Sorry but if you coach doesn't call on you at the end of the game even though you have a speed advantage over the PFs you aren't going to do much better against quicker Small forwards. Say that at the 3 Shard will have more post up opportunities. Than may be true but he's become way too dependent on the threes anyway.

[surflawyer]

[quote="Gerhalt11"][/quote]

That starting 5 doesnt beat the Pistons. It essentially upgrades the PG but we lose Hedo's offense to Battie and Lewis is certainly not the same offensive power without Hedo spreading the floor for him.

Personally, I believe that team loses to the Raptors in 6.