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Jason Williams' Vanishing Act
by Ben Q Rock on Jul 29, 2010 2:00 PM EDT
in Analysis
33 comments
Yesterday, Josh Robbins reported that Orlando Magic president of basketball operations Otis Smith saying that he is open to bringing free-agent point guard Jason Williams, last year's backup to Jameer Nelson, back to the team as its third point guard. That news struck me as curious, given how dreadfully Williams played down the stretch last year, but even then, he's still a better option than a lot of the alternatives still on the market.
What I wanted to look at was Williams' monthly splits, to make sure I wasn't imagining his ugly second-half slump. And I wasn't. Williams went from being wildly overqualified as a second-stringer to an utter liability on both ends of the court just about overnight, to the point where I privately started wondering if coach Stan Van Gundy should consider dusting off third-stringer Anthony Johnson and giving him Williams' job.
Can Rashard Lewis and Brandon Bass Co-Exist Like the Orlando Magic Brass Wants Them To?
by Ben Q Rock on Jul 29, 2010 8:00 AM EDT
in Analysis
334 comments
Orlando Magic CEO and Vice Chairman Bob Vander Weide told George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel that the Magic plan to play Brandon Bass and Rashard Lewis together at power forward and small forward, respectively, next season. Bass, who signed with the Magic last summer for four years and $16 million, hardly played in his first pinstripe-clad campaign, tallying a scant 648 minutes over 50 games; only third-string point guard Anthony Johnson and perpetually injured locker-room guy Adonal Foyle played fewer minutes.
Clearly, Bass isn't happy with how his first year with the Magic went, and he told NBA FanHouse's Tim Povtak last week that he wants Orlando to either play him more or to unload him. I documented his struggles in my year-end evaluation, so I refer you there for the full breakdown, but it suffices to say that his poor court awareness on both ends of the floor kept him affixed to coach Stan Van Gundy's bench for much of the year.
However, Bass has the support of team brass. Vander Weide believes playing him at power forward, with Lewis at small forward, will help the Magic. He explains:
"[....] I think you will see [Van Gundy] find against different matchups a way to play Brandon, move Rashard to the three, and do some interesting things there. We all learned. In our post-season conversation, Stan said he should have practiced Rashard more at the three because on the baseline he’s probably the best post-up three when he plays that position, although we love him at four the majority of the time. If you don’t practice it, you don’t play it."
And earlier this summer, team GM Otis Smith said he expect Bass to improve in his second Magic season, which one could interpret as an indication that he could play more, though that's merely my reading of the situation. The point is that Smith and Vander Weide have now expressed their confidence in Bass. Can he prove them right, with Rashard Lewis alongside him?
Robbins: Orlando Magic Still Interested in Jason Williams
by Ben Q Rock on Jul 28, 2010 2:01 PM EDT
in News
22 comments
At this morning's news conference announcing contract extensions for Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy, president of basketball operations Otis Smith, and team president Alex Martins, Smith said he expects to fill the team's need for a third-string point guard "by week's end," reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Smith may have a new title, but he's still effectively the team's general manager, so the call is still his to make. In keeping with his tune all summer long, he maintained that he'd like to have Jason Williams, last year's second-stringer and spot-starter, back this year.
Williams averaged 6 points and 3.6 assists for the Magic last year, and recorded career-best accuracy from the field (44.4%) and beyond the arc (38.0%). The Magic signed Chris Duhon to take over as Jameer Nelson's backup, however, leaving only spot minutes open at that position.
Additionally, Smith is also looking at two unspecified younger players to fill the position. Robbins believes Smith may have been referring to Travis Diener and Chris Quinn. Last week, I made a case for Quinn due to his outside shot and playmaking skill.
Alex Kennedy reported, via Twitter, last week that the Magic are also interested in Acie Law.
Schmitz: Orlando Magic Extend Contracts of Coach Stan Van Gundy and General Manager Otis Smith through 2013, Promote Smith to President of Basketball Operations
by Ben Q Rock on Jul 27, 2010 8:20 PM EDT
in News
34 comments
The Orlando Magic aren't finished shaking things up after last season. Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reports that the Magic have extended the contracts of head coach Stan Van Gundy and General Manager Otis Smith, who will also receive the title President of Basketball Operations, through the 2012/13 NBA season.
Schmitz has more on Van Gundy and Smith's history with the team:
Van Gundy received some criticism, particularly from ESPN's analyst Michael Wilbon. Wilbon reported that he had heard "rumblings" that Van Gundy would be fired if the Magic did not reach the NBA Finals, drawing a harsh response from the coach.
Smith, an original member of the Magic's expansion team as a small forward, took over as full-time general manager in 2006. He and Dave Twardzik had shared the GM post the previous season.
Under Smith's watch, the Magic have become one of the NBA's elite teams.
He is largely credited, along with Van Gundy, for changing the culture of the franchise and holding players accountable.
Additionally, the team promoted Chief Operating Officer Alex Martins to team president. His contract also runs through 2012/13.
The Magic have called a press conference for tomorrow morning to make the announcement official.
It's hard to argue against any of these moves. Smith and Van Gundy, with the help of franchise center Dwight Howard, have lifted the team from mediocrity to the elite on the court. Behind the scenes, Martins has helped the Magic secure their new arena, the Amway Center, which will open this season.
The Magic and their fans have to feel good about the direction in which the team is headed. Stability in the front office, competent coaching, a deep roster and an ownership group willing to pay for a winning team? Few franchises can boast checkmarks next to all four of those attributes.
Construction Completed on Two Amway Center Signs, Orlando Magic Announce
by Ben Q Rock on Jul 27, 2010 4:52 PM EDT
in News
4 comments
The Orlando Magic have announced the completion of two signs on the Amway Center, their new arena and practice facility, which is due to open on October 10th, 2010. The "A" in "Amway" shown in the photo above is 12 feet tall, while the entire "Amway Center" sign, facing East and visible from Interstate 4, spans 83 feet, 11 inches.
The team also announced the completion of another sign, above the main entrance, which was actually finished before the I-4 one was.
You can follow the Amway Center on Twitter. It also has its own website.
For an idea of how far the new facility has come, here's my account of the tour of the construction site on which the Magic led the media just over a year ago.
Orlando Magic Enter New Season with Their Most Potent Three-Point Attack Yet
by Ben Q Rock on Jul 27, 2010 8:00 AM EDT
in Analysis
96 comments
The Orlando Magic have drawn attention for their three-point-oriented offense under head coach Stan Van Gundy since he took over in 2007, and for good reason. The Magic love the three-ball and have made it a staple of their offense, setting an NBA record for three-pointers made in a single season in their most recent campaign, while ranking third in three-point accuracy. The high-volume, high-percentage attack seems to work well. And it appears to have gotten more potent this offseason.
96 comments | 1 recs |
Berger: Orlando Magic Among the Contenders in the Chris Paul Sweepstakes, Which Hasn't Ended Despite Indications to Contrary
by Ben Q Rock on Jul 27, 2010 4:07 AM EDT
in News
85 comments
Just when it looked like it was safe for Orlando Magic fans to wind down their hopes for their team to acquire All-Star point guard Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets, Ken Berger filed this report about his findings after the Hornets' highly publicized meeting with Paul and his agents on Monday. In the meeting, the two parties discussed New Orleans' plans to build a winning team around Paul, and both sides played the sunshine-and-happiness bit afterward. But Berger didn't buy it:
The Hornets succeeded in only one of their goals Monday: ending the public part of this spectacle. The rest of it, up to and including a possible trade that will extricate Paul from the Hornets while salvaging some semblance of value for the organization, will be dealt with behind closed doors.
[....]
According to multiple people within the NBA who are familiar with the Hornets' predicament, Paul's new cadre of power brokers at Creative Artists Agency, led by [Leon] Rose, are continuing to push Paul's exit strategy from New Orleans -- something members of the organization are well aware of and expected.
Additonally, Berger believes the Magic are still in play. His sources say the Magic, Charlotte Bobcats, and New Jersey Nets are "potentially attractive trade partners." Later, he writes that the Hornets think those three teams have more to offer more than the New York Knicks, also believed to be in the hunt, do.
Over the weekend, Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy, who maintains regular contact with team GM Otis Smith, called the Paul rumors "much ado about nothing," while Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse reported that the Magic's unwillingness to take back the costly contract of Emeka Okafor in any deal for Paul will take them out of the running for him.
This report is merely the latest one Berger has filed on Paul this summer; as best I can tell, he was the first writer to link Paul and the Magic, way back on July 1st, when he noted that Magic center Dwight Howard has pushed Magic ownership to pursue Paul.
On Friday, Chris Broussard reported Paul prefers the Magic.
So if you believe both Berger and Broussard, this picture begins to emerge: there's interest on all sides in this potential deal. Paul likes Orlando; Orlando likes Paul; and the Hornets are at least intrigued with the potential pieces the Magic, among other teams, can offer.
Buckle up.
What Chris Paul's Meeting with New Orleans Hornets Management Means for the Orlando Magic
by Ben Q Rock on Jul 26, 2010 3:00 PM EDT
in News
41 comments
Chris Paul Watch continues today with reaction from the All-Star point guard's meeting with New Orleans Hornets management. Paul, whose representatives are currently seeking a trade, and who reportedly listed the Orlando Magic at the top of his list of desired destinations, sat down with Hornets head coach Monty Williams, GM Dell Demps, and President Hugh Weber. Afterward, he released this statement via the Hornets:
"The meeting went well. It was great to get an opportunity to sit down with Coach Williams, President Weber and our new General Manager Dell Demps. I expressed my desire to win and I like what they said about the direction that they want to take the team. I have been a Hornet my entire career and I hope to represent the city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana for many years to come."
ESPN's Marc Stein came away saying "[the] Hornets will be encouraged by day's events," but others in the media don't quite share his optimism. NetsDaily points out that the last sentence of the statement doesn't mean anything concrete.
Adrian Wojnarowski, meanwhile, said the following in a string of Twitter messages:
I suppose only Chris Paul and his inner circle know for sure what he's really up to. The Hornets' intentions are much clearer: to keep Paul at nearly any cost; they still won't go over the luxury tax to bring top-grade talent aboard. But Chris Mannix consulted several GMs who made "strong" pushes for Paul, and said "[the] Hornets [are] not at all interested [in trading him]."
As for the Magic? The meeting's outcome doesn't figure to affect their interest in him one way or another. If they pry him from New Orleans, fantastic. If not, they still have one of the league's best teams, from top to bottom, along with an elite coach and an ownership group willing to spend. There are worse predicaments.
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