Orlando Magic News for January 22nd - Trade for Mike Bibby?!

by Evan Dunlap on Jan 22, 2008 5:17 PM EST in News

The Magic and the Kings keep getting linked by trade rumors. Ron Artest to Orlando? Shareef Abdur-Rahim to Orlando? But Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty proposes another: Mike Bibby. He looked around the league and assessed Bibby's relative value to other teams, as well as what those other teams can offer in return, and classified Orlando as a team that intrigues him. He explains,

"Bibby fits the gunner-around-Dwight philosophy and Orlando has the expirings and young talent to pull it off. Jameer Nelson is a bit of a problem, though."

I don't think Bibby is such a great fit here, honestly. He's in the same shoot-first mold as Jameer Nelson, and for whatever reason the team has played better with pass-first Carlos Arroyo at the helm this season. So no, I'm not sure that he's the answer, especially when our biggest need is a power forward who can defend.
Speaking of trades, the good folks at Hardwood Paroxysm put Carlos Arroyo on their list of "20 Players To Be Freed from Captivity." Here's how they explain it:

[Arroyo]'s playing too well to bench, but not well enough to put in front of Nelson's big fat contract. This is in a league where Jason Williams starts for a team. This must be remedied. The Magic will be happier. They can put Nelson and the contract in the slot and let him run the show.

I disagree, frankly. Trading Arroyo leaves us with only Keyon Dooling as the backup point guard, and that's not his natural position anyway. Keep Carlos here, please.
Keith Bogans' line from last night: 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 butt-pat.
Dwight Howard will once again participate in the Sprite Slam Dunk competition. He'll face-off against Gerald Green, the defending champion from the Minnesota Timberwolves; Rudy Gay from the Memphis Grizzlies; and Jamario Moon from the Toronto Raptors. After getting robbed last year, Dwight is back with a vengeance, and has told the Orlando Sentinel's Brian Schmitz that he has a plan. Henry Abbott, of TrueHoop fame, writes, "isn't Howard breaking some kind of unwritten rule by admitting that he's taking the contest so seriously?"
Str8 Hoops has this compilation of nicknames for NBA players. Oddly enough, "Turk" is not included next to Hedo Turkoglu's name, but "Glu" is. Does that mean we have a "Sweet Lew" (Rashard Lewis) and a "Sweet Glu"? (Hat-tip: Kelly Dwyer)

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Carlos Arroyo

I dont see him leaving, and honestly i believe that he like the role that he is in...
hes not demanding more time, he just want to contribute. if he is unhappy here then we should trade him, but he loves the situation thats he is in.

I remember when he 1st came to the magic, he was excited because of all the puerto rican support. He said he wants to remain a magic for the rest of his career. i dont see him wanting to leave orlando.

I just hope the GM sees the same thing...

by Boricua on Jan 23, 2008 3:33 AM EST reply actions

Re: Carlos Arroyo

The Magic would be silly to trade Arroyo given how well he's played, and given how Jameer has struggled. That said, he's in a contract year, and that might affect the quality of his play; that is, he might revert back to normal next year. Vince Carter Syndrome.

by Evan Dunlap on Jan 23, 2008 11:20 AM EST up reply actions

Dwight get cheerleader pregnant

I cant help but think about an interview where some guy ask Howard what are some of nicknames, but he had a hard time thinking of a non perverted name for him.
nobody has no idea what im talking about...

by Boricua on Jan 23, 2008 3:38 AM EST reply actions