Orlando Magic News for April 3rd: Quick Rundown On Orlando's Strategy In The Upcoming Draft, More Praise For Orlando's Financial Efficiency, and More

by erivera7 on Apr 3, 2009 4:07 PM EDT in News

Brian Schmitz reports the Magic will, most likely, not have a draft pick at all in June (given the Rafer Alston trade, etc). But this tidbit was interesting:

GM Otis Smith said, however, that the Magic would investigate the possibility of acquiring a pick, be it late in the first or somewhere in the second.

Question for the community, who should Orlando theoretically pick? If you need help choosing, feel free to refer to DraftExpress' 2009 Mock Draft.
With a few hours before, arguably, the game of the season for Orlando versus Cleveland, Henry Abbott of TrueHoop provides his thoughts on the matchup pitting the two East powers (citing it as one of the most meaningful games left in the year):

Tonight: Cavaliers at Magic At some point soon, Cleveland will have won enough that there will be nothing much to play for, and they can rest some people with made up injuries. But tonight they'll be tested, and they could use a win. They are coming off a bad loss on the road to the Wizards, on the second night of a back to back, and playing in the home of a major rival, while the Lakers are still challenging for home court should these two teams meet in the Finals.
Sports Illustrated, with the help of a slideshow, lists Hedo Turkoglu as one of the NBA's biggest bargains. Note Turk's goofy smile in the photo.
To continue with the SI theme, Ian Thomsen wrote an article today highlighting which teams are the most economical in the NBA. As was the case with Kevin Pelton's findings over at Basketball Prospectus a few days ago, the Orlando Magic came away the most financially efficient team in the Association after the numbers were crunched.
Don't forget to keep yours eyes pealed for some of the scores around the league tonight. You can keep tabs with the latest edition of Scoreboard Watching at Third Quarter Collapse, which will be posted soon.
UPDATE: Orlando provides their pre-game thoughts on the game at hand tonight against Cleveland. For a more personal touch, here's a link to Mickael Pietrus' blog where he talks about the game. Viva La France!

Tweet Comment 10 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Around SB Nation

Back to .500 and intended puns thicken this week's plot

Mar 2012 from Posting and Toasting - 52 comments

Knicks 108, Magic 86: "Can this count as two wins?"

Mar 2012 from Posting and Toasting - 157 comments

Dallas Mavericks @ Orlando Magic Post Game 53 Quotes "Stones"

Mar 2012 from Mavs Moneyball - 4 comments

Todays Opponent By The Numbers: The Orlando Magic

Mar 2012 from Mavs Moneyball - 4 comments

Knicks 96, Magic 80: "A nice reminder that the world isn’t ending after the last game."

Apr 2012 from Posting and Toasting - 82 comments

Comments

To be honest, I'm not sure we should be trying to get a draft pick.

We already have enough players — Nelson and Alston at the point, Hedo, Lee, and Pietrus on the wings, Lewis at PF, Howard at C, Gortat backing up. I really think we’ll manage to retain Hedo; if we lose Gortat, we need another big man. (Though then again, we’ve got Battie one more year.) But I don’t see a rookie big man — at least not one selected late in the draft — being able to contribute in his first year. Better to sign someone.

by 3.3seconds on Apr 3, 2009 5:55 PM EDT reply actions

Hedo will be back. I'm not really concerned about him jumping ship, at this point.

.. having Battie back is nice, sure, because he’s a big man. But he’s overpaid and not worth the price tag. Granted, his contract will be expiring next season, which will help mitigate a move (which I feel is necessary to dip the Orlando Magic under the luxury tax) .. if I had it my way, I’d move Batt-man as quickly as possible during the off-season and use some of the money available to re-sign Gortat instead (who’ll come at a cheaper price than Battie)

It’s possible the Magic could sign someone via free agency, but it would have to be for the veteran’s minimum and Orlando would have to decide whether or not to dip themselves into the luxury tax (by acquiring a draft pick or a free agent, etc).

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

Used to mix the wine with the lean/Now we sip soda with the Barre/20 inch blades on the car - Pimp C

by erivera7 on Apr 3, 2009 6:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah… that’s kind of the issue. Battie — if he weren’t making the money he’s making — would project as a third center. I’m not thrilled with the idea of him as the primary backup for Howard. Then again, I’m also not sure we can move him without also giving something else up or taking on another player with a more problematic contract. Who would want the guy, except for his expiring contract?

And then… who would we package with him? Alston and Pietrus are options, I guess — they’re useful to the team, but replaceable. But I’m not sure anyone wants to take on two contracts like that, and trading either one of them would open up a hole in our roster. I don’t see us trading a starter, and I don’t see us doing a sign-and-trade on Gortat. (Especially because clearing the money for Gortat is one of the main reasons this is happening.)

Which leaves… Redick? I think there has to be someone out there who would take Redick. I don’t think there’s anyone who would be willing to pay $6 million to battie for the privilege.

In short, if we do want to trade Battie, I think a scenario where we trade away another draft pick is more likely than one where we get one.

by 3.3seconds on Apr 3, 2009 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions

I've said this countless times. Don't underestimate the value of an expiring contract ..

.. especially in this economic environment. I’m sure there are a variety of teams that wouldn’t mind picking up Battie’s expiring contract to clear room for the 2010 free agent class, etc.

I’d package Pietrus in a heartbeat. He’s another player that’s overpaid and the fact his contract continues to escalate doesn’t help matters for the Magic; a team that has a ton of money committed to its stars already (Howard, Lewis, Nelson, and presumably, Turkoglu). But is that a realistic move? Probably not, at this point at least. I could see a separate trade happening.

The purpose of trading Battie benefits both parties. Just have to find a suitor out there. I wouldn’t mind trading a pick alongside Tony to expedite a move .. but that’s just my opinion. I’d only do the trade if it guarantees Gortat’s return. Even though Marcin has indicated a desire to return to Orlando no matter what, I have a hard time believing him .. money talks and Gortat can net a nice paycheck this off-season. If Marcin is willing to return at a cheaper price, then problem solved.

In a perfect world, Gortat comes back alongside Turkoglu.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

Used to mix the wine with the lean/Now we sip soda with the Barre/20 inch blades on the car - Pimp C

by erivera7 on Apr 3, 2009 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions

My dream scenario:

Isiah Thomas becomes GM of the Clippers.
Magic unload contracts to Clippers in a lopsided trade
Magic win

Isiah Thomas is the answer – the answer we need!

by RussL on Apr 3, 2009 7:03 PM EDT up reply actions

LOL

Yeah, no kidding .. not a bad idea.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

Used to mix the wine with the lean/Now we sip soda with the Barre/20 inch blades on the car - Pimp C

by erivera7 on Apr 3, 2009 7:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Hey, maybe we can get Eric Gordon! Or…

…yeah, pretty much just Gordon.

by 3.3seconds on Apr 4, 2009 8:29 AM EDT up reply actions

Heh.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

Used to mix the wine with the lean/Now we sip soda with the Barre/20 inch blades on the car - Pimp C

by erivera7 on Apr 4, 2009 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions

But picking up Battie’s expiring contract implies taking on a player with a longer-term contract, right? I mean, it could be a lower, longer-term contract — say, we deal him and his one year at $6 million for a guy making $3 mil/year for 2. Or whatever. So… that might be okay. We’re stuck above the cap anyway, so our main concern is re-signing the guys we have without going over the tax. We’re not clearing room for ’10.

I feel like Pietrus does enough for us that I wouldn’t just want to unload him. If we were getting something, sure. But not for nothing. (Really, what I’m saying here is “I think he’d be great if he was healthy, but he’s never been healthy, so what are the odds he ever will be?” I’m also saying “maybe we hang onto him, hope he gets healthy for a good stretch of time, and we trade him while he looks strong.”)

by 3.3seconds on Apr 4, 2009 8:33 AM EDT up reply actions

If the Magic can get someone with half of Battie's salary, mission complete.

Orlando just can’t afford to have a $6 Mill. contract sitting on the bench. Shoot, they can’t afford TWO $6 Mill. contracts sitting on the bench, which is what will happen next year.

The best strategy is to trade Battie first, then trade Pietrus when his value is higher.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

Used to mix the wine with the lean/Now we sip soda with the Barre/20 inch blades on the car - Pimp C

by erivera7 on Apr 4, 2009 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions