Official Speculation Thread (Pt XIV, Mods Close))

[rcklsscognition]

is there a reason why we are talking about SJAX a lot? i missed it from the last of the last post.

He was sort of out of the discussion since thread 12, but things about him surfaced again. I think it was the Bogut to GSW trade someone proposed. And the fact that we're playing them tonight.

[RickB-Orlando]

I posted this in 13 to help us get out of it; but I would like to see if anyone has any info on it:


Does anyone have any solid info on why Otis hasn't been fired at this point? I heard that the Magic don't want to do anything mid season and will wait until the end of the year before making a decision on him; but isn't that just giving him a chance to do more damage?

I've heard that GM's and scouts are circling Amway just waiting for the eventuality that he gets canned; and it seems like when BVW stepped down that might have been the perfect time to let Otis go too. They did a major housecleaning (behind the scenes) where they let 20+ other people go when BVW walked; yet Otis was not one of them.... Wasupwitdat?

If we got a more respected name in the FO before the trade deadline in your opinion would it have made it easier to deal with some of the other clubs(outside of Golden State of course) or would we have looked too vulnerable at a crucial time? I can only assume the latter is the Magic Brass' thinking.

I know that Otis has done some good things; but at this point (even to a homer like myself) the bad seems to outweigh the good.

At this point, Otis has no power to make a unilateral decision on a trade. Every deal will pass by Alex and Dan Devos at a minimum, possibly Rich as well.

That's not to say he can't work up some pathetic deal, but look at the original deal that had Dwight netting Lopez and Gerald Wallace that was (reportedly) nixed by ownership.

[Driguez]

I can't believe there have been ZERO trades so far league wise.

Always takes that first trade to get the ball rollin.

Yeah, and I got a feeling we are that first team everyone is waiting for.

[D12VCMagic]

I can't believe there have been ZERO trades so far league wise.

Teams are waiting to see what happens with Dwight. There are so many players connected to him in possible trades and can't be moved until they can an idea of what is going to happen here.

[jezzer45]

So sjax and hedo on the same team? yeah that sounds like the super athletic wings the magic need.

[NW]

is there a reason why we are talking about SJAX a lot? i missed it from the last of the last post.

He was sort of out of the discussion since thread 12, but things about him surfaced again. I think it was the Bogut to GSW trade someone proposed. And the fact that we're playing them tonight.

Way I see a Bucks/GS/Magic trade:

It's contingent on the Bucks opting to tank and rebuild.

That means the Magic takes SJax of their hands and likely Drew Gooden's deal along with Beno Udridh maybe.

Also means you give up the 2013 pick unprotected.

That should get them to come off Bogut. Warriors have Kwame Brown's expiring to help.

[sChOlaRlY_Magi]

I can't believe there have been ZERO trades so far league wise.

BIG +1

I thought originally it was because everybody was waiting to see the Dwight situation resolve itself. However, we have heard "Mutiple sources/GM's" have stated they do not think he will be traded before the deadline.

So what is the hold up with everybody?

[G-Heel]

is there a reason why we are talking about SJAX a lot? i missed it from the last of the last post.

He was sort of out of the discussion since thread 12, but things about him surfaced again. I think it was the Bogut to GSW trade someone proposed. And the fact that we're playing them tonight.

Way I see a Bucks/GS/Magic trade:

It's contingent on the Bucks opting to tank and rebuild.

That means the Magic takes SJax of their hands and likely Drew Gooden's deal along with Beno Udridh maybe.

Also means you give up the 2013 pick unprotected.

That should get them to come off Bogut. Warriors have Kwame Brown's expiring to help.

Wait... I didn't quite understand what you said. Give up our '13 pick unprotected for SJax, Drew Gooden, and Udrih?

[eyriq]

Wait... I didn't quite understand what you said. Give up our '13 pick unprotected for SJax, Drew Gooden, and Udrih?

I think he is saying we do it to entice them to ship Bogut to GST so we can get Ellis.

[Deezy]

I don't think Milwaukee will part with Bogut in any of the proposed scenarios. As unrealistic as it is, you'd probably have to include New Orleans for Kaman to give the Bucks enough talent in return.

Something like:

Orlando: Ellis, SJax
GS: Bogut, JRich
NO: Nelson, Ryno
Milwaukee: Kaman, Redick

With fillers and picks involved.

[ChildishGambino]

Man i can hope for a miracle but the reality is....more than likely nothing is going to happen on the Nash/Ellis front...their teams/management seems to value them too much to give away it appears....If we don't get those guys i still think we need a change at the PG...I would still take Devin Harris over Nelson at this point....Last 5 games they're averaging about the same around 15 and 5 but i'll take Devin Harris's speed over nelson's.....hmmm...over nelson's.....uhhhh.....well....whatever nelson does well...which.....is....????

[NW]

Wait... I didn't quite understand what you said. Give up our '13 pick unprotected for SJax, Drew Gooden, and Udrih?

I think he is saying we do it to entice them to ship Bogut to GST so we can get Ellis.

Basically.

[RickB-Orlando]

I can't believe there have been ZERO trades so far league wise.

BIG +1

I thought originally it was because everybody was waiting to see the Dwight situation resolve itself. However, we have heard "Mutiple sources/GM's" have stated they do not think he will be traded before the deadline.

So what is the hold up with everybody?

It's the chance that he might be traded. Until that situation is totally clear there are way too many dominoes in line for most deals to happen.

For example, are the magic interested in Sjax? Well, they are if they make another trade that will convince Dwight not to opt out and stay in Orlando for next year. For example, if we can make a deal for Monta, a follow-up deal (or connected deal) for SJax probably happens, Dwight doesn't opt-out, and other things happen.

But if Dwight says he's opting out no matter what and will not re-sign, the Magic don't move for SJax - why take on another potential problem? In that case, Dwight possibly (probably?) gets moved, there is no interest in SJax and the Magic are adjusting to the return that Dwight brings, whether that be Bynum or Lopez or something else entirely.

Until that clarifies, there are just too many possibilities. So Dwight's the first domino, and after that, the whole line can start falling.

[TheDarkKnight]

Denton: Uncertainty Causing Sleepless Nights for Howard

ORLANDO – Orlando Magic superstar center Dwight Howard admitted Saturday that speculation about his future has him to the point that ``there are a lot of nights where I don’t sleep,’’ but he refused to divulge much about his intentions to either remain in Orlando or continue to push for a trade.

Howard met with Magic CEO Alex Martins after the team’s morning shoot-around practice on Saturday, but the substance of those talks remained private. The Magic have said that they hope to push Howard for an answer prior to the March 15 trade deadline so that they can possibly move their franchise center in hopes of getting compensation in return for him if needed. Howard, who has played all eight of his NBA seasons in Orlando, is expected to opt out of his contract this summer and will become an unrestricted free agent.

Howard did give one glimpse into his thinking concerning the Magic when he was asked if the team could make a roster move in the coming days that would persuade him to stay. Said Howard: ``We’ll have to see.’’

The Magic, who host the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night, are 23-14 this season with signature wins against the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers. But crushing losses, like Thursday’s against Oklahoma City and others against Boston, Chicago, Atlanta and the Los Angeles Clippers, have been indicative of the Magic’s inconsistency throughout the season.

Only four teams in the NBA – Miami, Chicago, Oklahoma City and San Antonio – have more wins than the Magic, something that is somewhat surprising considering the distractions Orlando has had to overcome this season. Howard, a six-time all-star and a five-time All-NBA player, issued a trade request at the start of training camp, but the Magic have resisted dealing him.

Howard admitted on Saturday that the specter of potentially leaving Orlando and the daily barrage of trade rumors have weighted heavily on him for months.

``It’s been affecting me all season. I still have to do my job and play as hard as I can, but there are a lot of nights where I don’t sleep,’’ he said. ``It’s been all year, but I have to fight through it and try to put it away when I step on the court.

``You can’t really ever block it out. You just have to try to play through it,’’ Howard continued. ``Nobody really understands how we have to deal with certain things, but people feel like, `Well, you’re a millionaire and it doesn’t matter.’ But we have emotions and feelings, too.’ We just have to try to put those emotions aside when we step on the court and do our jobs. The other team is not going to care what you are going through personally; they are going to try and tear your head off. So we have to take the same approach.’’

Howard said he’s tried considering several factors as to whether he should remain in Orlando or take his immense talents elsewhere. The lure of teaming with another superstar player is appealing to him, and he knows that might only be possible in another market because of the Magic’s roster limitations. Howard also could be drawn to playing in a larger market, but the Magic point to him already being one of the most popular players in the league off the court and that he led all NBA players in All-Star Game voting with a whopping 1.6 million votes.

Howard admitted that it’s all a bit overwhelming at times.

``Everything comes through my mind, but I try to step away and clear my head and not focus on because it will just weigh me down,’’ he said. ``I just have to stay away from it as much as I can.’’

Because a potential Howard deal would likely affect several players on the Magic roster, the constant trade speculation could be affecting each member of the team.

Howard sensed that earlier in the week and addressed the team before Thursday’s game against Oklahoma City. He went out and shined with 33 points and nine rebounds, but the Magic squandered a 14-point lead in a 105-102 loss to the Thunder.

``Everybody is a little affected, but you have to try to block it,’’ Howard said. ``Everybody is feeling it, from the top – myself – to the last guy on the team. But we just have to try to block it out and control what we can control. Regardless, at the end of the day, we’re all brothers and we’re all family and we have to take care of one another.’’
Source: http://www.nba.com/magic/news/denton_howard_030312.html

[bonanz]

no way we'd take gooden in bucks/gsw/orl 3 way, we can't take him unless someone takes hedo or maybe duhon. someone posted this on ommb and i think its pretty reasonable for all

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7dvwo2l

a while back i was on the "other teams offers for sjax" thread in the bucks forums and they were mostly looking to dump salary. the only people i can see saying no to the above trade is the bucks because they'd think they can get more (picks & young guys) for bogut, but then again they are getting anderson so... this was the only posted trade where i sat there and tried to see something really wrong with it and it was tough

[Deezy]

That deal is not prying Bogut away from Milwaukee.

[NW]

no way we'd take gooden in bucks/gsw/orl 3 way, we can't take him unless someone takes hedo or maybe duhon. someone posted this on ommb and i think its pretty reasonable for all

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7dvwo2l

a while back i was on the "other teams offers for sjax" thread in the bucks forums and they were mostly looking to dump salary. the only people i can see saying no to the above trade is the bucks because they'd think they can get more (picks & young guys) for bogut, but then again they are getting anderson so... this was the only posted trade where i sat there and tried to see something really wrong with it and it was tough

Add a Magic pick to the Bucks and I think they do it. Maybe a Gooden for Duhon/QRich swap. Would kickstart them on a rebuild.

[eyriq]

Moves that I'd like to see SVG make to improve our chances at keeping Dwight, since this isn't all on Otis: Start Redick, move Duhon and QRich out of the rotation, Ish and Liggins into the rotation.

[bonanz]

jj should not start

[Noonskadoodle]

Off topic, but how in the hell do people photoshop jerseys on to other players so well hahaha its the hardest thing.