Scott Anez Interview With Otis Smith (Smith on Vazquez)

[Howard Mass]

WDBO Sports Director Scott Anez recently did an interview with Otis Smith.

It's a good read but it does not look like Fran Vazquez is coming over next season.

However, like we have speculated, it depends on how much of the buyout Fran is willing to pay and while not mentioned, if his team will reduce his buyout like they did last year for Juan Carlos Navarro.

Here is the link at this transcript. It is a good read.

http://580wdbo.com/blogs/anez_sez/2008/ ... -otis.html

[PimpORL]

That was so disheartening. Basically, there's a 90% chance that we won't trade anyone or make any moves. It looks like Jameer is here to stay as starter and Turkoglu is too.

[spinedoc]

Not bad. It does look like Hedo is going to stay, but to me it sounds like he might be coming off the bench next year though. Otis mentions "asking" Lewis to play pf when Battie went down. Will he "ask" him to do that for six years? Hmm. Then he says about Hedo that he can play some sg with Lewis and Battie on the court at the same time. Again, it sounds to me like Hedo is going to be a utility player, which is great. It bolsters our bench, and Hedo has been playing that role for practically his entire career thus far. I think he does better actually, ala Manu. I've said before, have Hedo come in at the first time out and give a breather to everyone from 1-4. It essentially gives us another pg on the floor in a variety of positions. If we can do that and have a traditional starting five, I wouldn't mind keeping him then. I just don't want him starting at sg or Rashard at pf every night because the matchups aren't always there. Keep the versatility, but use it when it favors us, and not try and jam a square peg in a round hole all the time.

Also, I like his confidence in Jameer. We can see that he's still developing. It takes a while for guys to get to that point. Look at Billups, he was bench fodder and tried to find his niche for a good amount of time until he landed with the Pistons. It would be nice to have a Paul or Rose to plug in from day one and get all-star production, but most have to develop that game. We just need a pure point behind him, preferably a taller one. With Arroyo and Dooling, we have nothing but shooters or scorers in the rotation as Jameer develops to be that pass first guy. Instinctively he's a score first player too, but he's improving.

It was also interesting what he said about free agency. There will be some deals to be had for the mle because the market is going to shrink with only three teams able to go above that. Sure some are good enough to force sign and trades, but once those are done, some guys might get a rude awakening about their perceived value. Evans, are you reading this? We're still in a pretty good spot no matter which direction we go in, should be entertaining to say the least.

[eyriq]

I like where Otis's mind is at. He is spot on about free agency, the MLE this offseason will pack more of a punch than in past years. It sounded like he still wants to move Shard to the 3, but at the same time he did not sound convinced that Hedo would play the 2. For my money's worth I think we will see Lewis starting at the 4 again next year. If Fran wants to really make an impact than he needs to take the hit and get his butt over here. What a douche. For what it is worth, out side of his strong play in their playoffs Fran has been forgettable and so perhaps they will lower his buy out. I think they will.

[SFranklin]

We just need a complete 2, that can hit the 3, defend both guard spots, bring the ball up, and pass the rock.

If we get that then having nelson in there won't be that bad. The lineup will be much more potent.

Just bring in a 2, however you can, and get a banger at 4 to come off the bench.

[BassMaster]

Well we know one thing Fran won't be here this next season.

[LBPTarHeel27]

We just need a complete 2, that can hit the 3, defend both guard spots, bring the ball up, and pass the rock.

If we get that then having nelson in there won't be that bad. The lineup will be much more potent.

Just bring in a 2, however you can, and get a banger at 4 to come off the bench.

Ha, so basically a perfect SG?

What more could you ask from a SG?

[mhectorgato]

Ha, so basically a perfect SG?

What more could you ask from a SG?

To take a minimum contract?

[drsd]

GM Smith likes BPA in the draft. Always a wise choice!

BPA can be defined in several ways. Smith specifically defined BPA as deep given the underclassmen. Thus, he seems to be looking collegiate rather than International. There are several quality 2s and several 4s that should be available at 22.

[craig01]

But, the BPA in the past usually has been selected by another team.

[BassMaster]

Actually Otis Smith was not letting anyone see his cards he actually said a lot of nothing about the draft leaving everyone to put their own spin on what he said.
So unless the skies open and God demands Otis to tell the masses what he is doing in the draft no one is going to know until draft night.
Lot of people left spinning their wheels with this kind of interview typical Otis.

[magicfanejc42]

I always get my hopes up to read what he says, but he never really says much of anything...Yeah, Most of us already knew Fran wouldn't be coming over unless his buyout was dropped by a good few million...So that's not new news... He once again danced around hedo saying "He makes our team a flexible team." "But, we have to keep trying to improve our team." Free agency is gonna be a suprise to all of us I have a weird feeling about it...

The draft, it's obvious you cannot go into the draft at pick 22 with your mind dead set on a position, if so you will most likely screw up...So, BPA is pretty much what this team has to do... I REALLY hope Donte Green falls to us..He is going to be a stud..

But yeah, listening to Otis is almost like listening to someone on this board.. They just kinda throw stuff out there without any true knowledge of what is going on.(Though he knows what is going on)

[eyriq]

Green would be interesting. A lot of the comparisons say he has potential to develop into a Rashard Lewis type, so who better to mentor him than Lewis?

[EasternMagic]

good read. Im glad Otis expressed the importance of Hedo and how he makes our team flexible, because I think we should keep him.

[Optimus_Steel]

But, the BPA in the past usually has been selected by another team.

So ur saying that its not our fault that our draft picks suck?

[richboy]

Well I don't see Hedo going to the bench. He was the Magic second best player last year. You have to give SVG a better option than Tony Battie to put him on the bench.

Hedo at SG some next year is more likely. I don't think you can win long term with Hedo at SG. He does not have the foot speed to guard some of the Sgs in this league.

Where are we at with Jameer Nelson. Nothing against Nelson but just because Billups got it doesn't mean Nelson will as well. Especially since Nelson has about 10% of the physical talent that Billups has. I have not been impressed with Jameer. Really he not even as good as Stuckey right now. Right now he is a bad defensive player. He can't run pick-n-roll at any decent level for a PG. Which is why Hedo is the teams top pick-n-roll player. His entire game is jump shots and a drive and kick. I can live with Jameer as the point guard but there has to be a massive improvement somewhere on the backcourt.

I want Dwight to improve his free throw shooting as much as anyone. The number 1 thing Dwight needs to improve on is not his free throw shooting. Dwight has to become a scoring factor when he doesn't get deep position. Against Toronto he was right under the hoop and thats why he was such a force. Against the Pistons he was pushed away from the hoop and was forced into low percentage shots. He has to develop a 10 15 foot shot. His game will see massive improvement from that.

Dwight's free throw shooting is not the reason why his scoring average went down through the year. Dwight averaged 24 per game in November. He averaged 22 in the month of December. He fell to 19 the next month then went back up to 21 in February. He finished the year averaging 19 in March and 15 in the month of April. Dwight biggest concern is not free throw shooting. The biggest concern is how can we get him to play like he did against Toronto against good defensive front lines.

Pretty much this interview sounds like I like our team. We will see if we can get a steal with the MLE. Most of our improvement will come with improved play from Jameer, Hedo, Rashard, and Dwight. We will try to beat the Pistons again next year. My problem is we lost to a Piston team without Billups. I don't buy into this lets just let these guys improve mentality when you loose a series against a team without there best player. Hedo just won MIP how much more you want him to improve. Rashard is not exactly 22. Jameer's best season is still his second year in the league. How much improvement can we expect from these 3?

[drsd]

Where are we at with Jameer Nelson. Nothing against Nelson but just because Billups got it doesn't mean Nelson will as well. Especially since Nelson has about 10% of the physical talent that Billups has. I have not been impressed with Jameer.

Steve Nash was a marginal starter until he was 30. Now he is a two-time MVP and a LOCK for the hall of fame.

Nelson needs to lower his TOs, and from even there, he's a top 12 PG in the NBA. Today he's a top 20 PG. Look up the stats. (I am NOT arguing Nelson will evolve into an All star.)

[spinedoc]

Hedo doesn't have to go to the bench every night, just when the matchup isn't favorable to us. He can come off the bench and still get his minutes, but then we could have Shard matched up against backup pf's when he slides over. The thing is, Battie is good enough to start at pf, not because he's better than Hedo, but because of the matchups. Look at what SA does. They adapt and react to who they are playing and to get certain guys off quicker some nights. It doesn't mean that they are pigeon holed into a certain lineup just because they announce their starters. We should do the same thing, and given that we already know that Hedo can come off the bench already warmed up, it seems reasonable to do something like that, at least on nights when Shard is gonna get killed by the opposing teams starting pf. Theres no sense in touting versatility if we aren't going to use it properly, right?

[drsd]

But, the BPA in the past usually has been selected by another team.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

[aleZ]

Basically there's nothing new under the sun, it's funny how Otis needs 3240535356 words to say "I like this team".