Regarding Ryan Anderson, the Orlando Magic's "Other" Newest Player

by Ben Q Rock on Jun 28, 2009 10:30 AM EDT in Analysis Comment 55 comments

The Orlando Magic made one of the most significant trades in franchise history on Thursday when they dealt Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, and Courtney Lee to the New Jersey Nets for Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson. Since then, this site has analyzed how the deal affects the Magic on the floor and in the ledger; bid a fond farewell to Lee, one of the most popular Magic players in recent memory; and generally defended the trade, and Carter in particular. What it hasn't done is take a close enough look at Anderson, the 21-year-old power forward whom the Nets selected just one pick ahead of Lee in the 2008 draft. Although we briefly touched on how he can help the Magic in the "ledger" post, it's time he had one to himself.

I've described Anderson, a 6'10" power forward with three-point range, as a Brian Cook-lite. Turns out that comparison isn't so flattering. DraftExpress lists Cook as Anderson's "worst-case" comparison, saying instead his ceiling is that of Troy Murphy. If he ever develops into a Murphy-like player, the Magic will be ecstatic. Murphy quietly had an excellent 2008/09 season, with per-game averages of 15.1 points and 12.5 boards on 47.5% shooting from the field and 45.0% from three-point range. Based on Anderson's rookie statistics--he averaged 7.4 points, 4.7 boards, 39.3% overall, 36.5% from three--one might get the impression that he'll never reach that potential. But consider that his per-36-minute productivity, and shooting percentages, exceed those Murphy posted as a rookie, and the prospect of his development becomes that much more encouraging. Here are the data:

Per-36-minute Productivity and Shooting Percentages for Ryan Anderson and Troy Murphy as NBA Rookies
Player	Age	Season	Pts/36	Rebs/36	FG%	3FG%	FT%	eFG%	TS%
Anderson	20^*	08/09	13.4	8.5	39.3%	36.5%	84.5%	47.8%	53.2%
Murphy	21	01/02	11.9	8.0	42.1%	33.3%	77.6%	42.4%	48.8%
^* Anderson was 20-years-old his entire rookie season, not turning 21 until nearly 3 full weeks after the season ended

For Magic fans who are still dubious about the trade, and there are many of them, perhaps the above table will provide reassurance that Anderson could be a long-term building block for the team. Most local critics of the trade cite the loss of Lee as yet another instance of the Magic giving up (giving up on?) a promising, young player. Historically, it's true that the Magic have gotten rid of young players in roster moves meant to bring in proven talent, and in that respect I understand fans' frustration. On August 3rd, 2000, the Magic shuffled their roster to make room for Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady in one of the biggest NBA free-agent signing sprees in history. The Magic renounced the rights to Chauncey Billups, then 23, who played no games for Orlando due to injury. They also dealt Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace, both 25 and who missed only 1 game between them during the prior season, to Detroit for Hill. This situation is a bit different. Indeed they have parted with a 23-year-old, starting-quality shooting guard. But let's not forget they got a 21-year-old, developing, rotation-quality power forward out of the deal.

Again, I can't emphasize Anderson's age enough. A guy hitting 36.5% of his three-pointers may not sound impressive. But let's apply some parameters to that: how many NBA rookies, 6'09" or taller, who were 20 when their first season started, attempted at least 100 treys and connected on them at such a rate? In other words, how many tall, young dudes could stroke the long-ball like Anderson can? Answer: not many. The list is, in its entirety, Anderson, Rudy Gay, Ersan Ilyasova, Lamar Odom, and Tim Thomas. Looking at it a different way, only 15 NBAers 6'09" or taller shot as well from three-point range last season. Second-year phenom Kevin Durant and Anderson were the only ones younger than 22 to do it. This kid is for real, at least offensively.

Thing is, the league should have seen it coming. Woody Wommack of Orlando Magic Daily, a self-proclaimed "notorious Pac-10 homer and native of the West Coast," elaborates on Anderson's collegiate career:

A look at Anderson's stats from his sophomore season at Cal in 2007-08 really tell the story. During the season Anderson led the Pac-10 in scoring, putting up 21.1 ppg while averaging 9.9 rpg.

Some of the other top players in the conference during the 2007-08 season? O.J. Mayo, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Brook Lopez and Jerryd Bayless. All players that went in the top 11 picks of last year's draft.

Now I ackowledge that Anderson has work to do. He can't continue to have 30% of his inside shots rejected if he hopes to eventually reach the bar Murphy set for jump-shooting power forwards. And his defense is a bit suspect at this point in his career. But he has at least 15 years of NBA ball in him, so there's no shortage of time in which for him to hone his skills.

Everyone bemoaning the loss of Lee, I hear you. I haven't made my appreciation for Lee a secret around these parts. But we should not forget to acknowledge that Anderson is probably just as good a player, albeit at a different position and in a different way, as Lee, and he's three years younger. For his inclusion in the deal, I believe we can cut GM Otis Smith some slack.

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anderson

I hope stan likes him, if he contributes then we basicly gave up alston & battie for vince.
not bad Otis! now Dwight just has to bring him to the weight room. and show him how to throw the peoples elbow!

by D-RAK on Jun 28, 2009 10:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

no, more like if he contributes, he replaces battie, and possibly even better. JJ replaces Lee and is a different player in style, altho alil worse overall at the moment. AJ replaces Rafer, but Magic never got to see Rafer backing up Nelson, and AJ as a backup got Magic to the FInals, so we’re fine on all fronts but SG,and JJ really did improve enough in that area anyways I think.That leaves back up C and backup SF/SG, and I heard Bruce Bowen is interested in the Magic:

9. Bruce Bowen, Milwaukee, SF, expected buyout. Word is he would love to go to the Magic. Don’t expect San Antonio to try to re-sign him. Would be solid veteran backup for Pierce with championship experience.
Also, Toronto sources worry about what marion’s thinking will be for a new contract, they make a speculative what-if scenario where Marion feels he has enough money alrdy and will take a vets min or close and look at the Magics lineup and be very interested in joining. Thats more what-if, but thats a great SF still, prolly would start actually.

Going back to Ryan Anderson tho, I hope he gets all of Batties play time behind Lewis. People may not know much about Troy Murphy, but if Ryan develops somewhat into that guy or better, the Magic have found another cornerpiece to the youth core with ‘Meer and Dwight, tho I suspect it;ll take 2-3 more seasons before we see that kind of awesome production, and hopefully best case scenario later on this next season if he gets plenty of PT to make some impact in the playoffs too. Troy’s stats are ridiculously good, and Ive always thought that was a good fit for Howard- shooter PF. Making sure Howard has all the space, 1 in 4 out, so he can keep doing what he does best, dominating and getting better.

by derekk on Jun 28, 2009 12:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh no... God please no.

Please do not sign Bruce Bowen. He’s the dirtiest player in the league. I don’t care if he only plays 8 minutes per game, I would hate to have him on my team. Irritating good defender, whatever… He plays well because he takes cheap shots that refs don’t notice. Please don’t sign him!

by Jwoey on Jun 28, 2009 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, he's one of those defenders that have a reputation for being 'crafty.'

AKA takes cheap shots

"It's difficult to win when you're outscored in every quarter." -Bill Walton

by betterthanburke on Jun 28, 2009 7:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Doubt Bowen signs with Orlando.

.. he’d re-join with San Antonio, if he could.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 28, 2009 9:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Apparently he and Pop had a falling out last year. Everything I've read about him since the trade has said he won't go back to San Antonio.

Third Quarter Collapse: An Orlando Magic blog at SB Nation | Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Lakers NBA Finals Central

by Ben Q Rock on Jun 29, 2009 1:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Really? That's interesting ..

.. didn’t know that.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 29, 2009 1:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Excellent choice,Ben. Welcomed post,indeed...

First of all,I am not big fan of a pure statistic. It’ll take couple of watched games to make an opinion on this guy(if he gets time),and we watched a plenty of Lee in action. So,I we are regretting Lee/Anderson swap with a reason,for the time being. But thanks for the input. Any info on him is more then welcomed.
Ryan looks (IMO) like,a player whose career could go both ways. Lets hope it goes best way,while he’s with Magic. Yes,time is on his side,and he should develop nicely. On that I rely on SVG again(how much cargo can he carry,lol).
Come on,Otis. You started it-now finish it.

by Dzogi on Jun 28, 2009 1:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Getting increasingly optimistic about this guy.

First of all, I think I judged Anderson way too harshly when this trade came out. I focused on his 39.3% shooting in his rookie year — not noticing that half of those shots were threes. It’s still not a great percentage overall, but 36.5% from beyond the arc is an effective shot. (Turkoglu, by comparison, shot 35.6% for three last year. Pietrus shot 35.9%. Lewis, Jameer, and Lee had higher percentages, but given how well the Magic’s offense works in terms of creating open three-point opportunities, I wouldn’t be surprised if anderson’s expected percentage with Orlando was higher.)

Ultimately, I think Troy Murphy is a bit too high a ceiling — Murphy was always a pure rebounder, the kind of guy who had a reputation for being able to get to exactly the right place on the court. His rookie year was a bit of a fluke; he averaged double digit boards in his second season. I don’t see any reason to believe that Anderson is that good on the boards. (And given the Magic’s game plan, it’s likely he won’t spend enough time on the inside to really demonstrate that ability even if he had it.)

Although on the other hand, it took Murphy a few years to develop a valid NBA three-pointer. And Anderson already has that — given that almost half of his shots with NJ were threes, his percentage is no fluke. Of course, he needs to develop the power forward side of his game… but you know as well as I do that the number of true PFs in the league with a legit three-point shot is small indeed. With a little more seasoning and physical development, Anderson definitely has the ability to join the ranks of those guys. And if there is one thing SVG is good at, it is taking guys with a reputation for not being great defenders, and vastly improving their ability to guard people. If he can make a solid defender out of JJ Redick, Anderson should be no challenge…

Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.

by 3.3seconds on Jun 28, 2009 3:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You bring up some valid points.

.. in the end, I trust Stan Van Gundy’s ability to develop Ryan Anderson.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 28, 2009 9:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've watched Ryan extensively at Cal and NJ

Since I graduated from Cal and previously followed New Jersey (among other teams), I have a pretty good grasp on Ryan as a player. I may be a bit biased, but this kid can play!

Ben Rock mentions how he was only 20. In fact he was one of the youngest players that the Nets ever drafted in the Rod Thorn-era. Replacing Leon Powe (an absolute BEAST in college) is no easy feat, and neither is leading the stacked conference in scoring either.

What can Ryan do? His 3-pt shooting is much publicized. His shooting form is strange, but it has worked for him his entire career. Don’t worry, he doesn’t get blocked behind the perimeter.

But he’s not just a one-dimensional player. Although not a superb ball-handler, he’s good enough for his size to drive into the lane. His finishing ability off the drive is sub-par since he cannot elevate that high, but he has a knack of draw contact, which I think will be rewarded more often as he gains more years in the league.

His other big asset, which unfortunately was not utilized in New Jersey’s offense (and may not be used in the Magic’s) is his post scoring. No one was better in the post in the Pac-10. He uses his high BBIQ and amazing footwork to throw in crafty lay ins after spin moves and up-and-unders to draw contact.

He’s a good kid, slightly goofy (not as much as Brook Lopez however), with a good head on his shoulders. He works hard, tries on defense, and really deserved more playing time that he got in New Jersey. Perhaps I’ll elaborate on that when I have more time.

But rest assured Magic fans (of which I’m now one too!) you got a player in Ryan Anderson.

by thermodynamic on Jun 28, 2009 3:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

thank you for the info

I see what you mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEAirJZmc-U

"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z

by Wmillion on Jun 28, 2009 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

good vid

Nice find. That video shows his versatility, high BBIQ, and something I forgot to mention: his great ability as a rebounder. He’s a gritty and smart rebounder. He crashes the glass and has a knack of where to be to grab the offensive rebound. I think he’ll work well next to Dwight to clean up any loose rebounds.

by thermodynamic on Jun 28, 2009 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You sure he isn't as goofy as Brook Lopez? Sure seems like it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MdnOGfEHBE

lol

by Ahillock on Jun 28, 2009 9:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great thoughts, sir.

Thanks for the detailed analysis and commentary.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 28, 2009 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think we need to be realistic.

There’s no solid evidence indicating that “Anderson is probably just as good a player” as Lee. (PER comparisons do not account for most defensive skills and are of extremely limited value offensively because of their different roles.) From those statistics I’ve seen— particularly the one about having 30% of his shots blocked— Anderson seems pretty soft.

That said, Anderson can still be a decent player and Otis’s trade might still be a sound one even if Anderson is not a good as Lee. Carter, after all, is indisputably better than Lee and perhaps better than Hedo and Lee put together . But we don’t need to pretend like every element of this deal was a good one for the Magic. This trade carries significant costs and considerable risk for the Magic. It may pay off anyway.

by gift of the magi on Jun 28, 2009 4:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree.

The trade wasn’t perfect, but it was smart. On a team that is ready to win a championship NOW it was the smart move.

Arguably the weakest link in last years team was Courtney Lee at the 2. Now I’m not saying he was a bad player, far from that. But when you’re looking at each position and you have Jameer, Hedo, Lewis, and Dwight, your last player understandably isn’t going to be on the same level.

So what does Otis Smith do?

- He replaces Lee with Vince Carter, a future Hall of Famer, 8-time All-Star, one of the best clutch performs, and a top 5 SG in the league.

- He get rids of Rafer Alston who wouldn’t have been happy playing behind Jameer Nelson.

- He replaces Tony Battie with the 21-year old Ryan Anderson, a better backup for Magic’s offense with a brighter future.

Ok, so Hedo is probably gone so one might say that weakens my argument of making last season’s starting 5 better. But it looked like Hedo Turkoglu wasn’t coming back anyways so which would you rather have? A starting 5 of Jameer, Lee, Pietrus, Lewis, and Dwight, OR a starting 5 of Jameer, Carter, Pietrus, Lewis, and Dwight? The latter is much more formidable and can easily be seen as a championship caliber team. The first, not so much.

There is even the possibility of keeping Pietrus as the wing off the bench if SVG decides to start Ryan next to Dwight (assuming Bass or Wallace is not acquired, and move Rashard to the 3 spot, who some have said is his natural position. Is Ryan a starting quality PF? Perhaps not based on last season’s statistics, but I fully believe the situation he had in New Jersey hampered somewhat.

by thermodynamic on Jun 28, 2009 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ryan Anderson isn't starting, under any circumstances.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 28, 2009 9:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Most likely

I just thought I heard that SVG was contemplating moving Rashard to his natural position at the 3, so I assume the person most likely to move into the starting 4 position is Ryan.

He’ll make a good backup 4 to Rashard, however. Like SVG said, the offense doesn’t have to change as much, than when they had Battie.

by thermodynamic on Jun 28, 2009 10:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

SVG has stated several times that he wants to keep Rashard at the 4.

It’ll be curious to see if that line of thinking remains firm during the Rasheed pursuit.

In any case, Ryan Anderson will be a player that can back-up Lewis and play alongside Dwight Howard, when applicable. That’s a luxury the Magic haven’t had for Sweet Lew, yet (a sub).

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"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 28, 2009 11:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the info.

I would assume Rasheed comes on a one, maybe 2 year rental.

But Bass is a nice player that they’d probably want to lock up for multiple years.

by thermodynamic on Jun 28, 2009 11:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No problem.

Yeah, exactly. Rasheed would, theoretically, be around for a year or two. Brandon, given his age, would probably be around for the long haul .. a nice piece to the puzzle.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 29, 2009 1:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Anderson isn't coming in to replace Lee, though.

I don’t understand why people are comparing the two players.

If you want to compare players, compare Ryan Anderson to Tony Battie. That’s an upgrade. In any case and as I said elsewhere, this is an extremely risky trade for the Orlando Magic. We’ll see what happens.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 28, 2009 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Because of the ages, presumably

Anderson > Battie
Carter > Lee

We essentially gave up our backup PG when we already have a servicable backup) to marginally upgrade at second PF, and majorly upgrade at SG. Good deal, if you take it in isolation of the Hedo situation.

by eltharion_doa on Jun 28, 2009 11:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It also looked/looks like Hedo was going to leave anyways

So it was smart to get a (better) replacement.

by thermodynamic on Jun 29, 2009 12:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Definitely.

It’s clear that Otis made this move in response to the prospects of re-signing Turkoglu.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 29, 2009 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No Anderson isn't replacing Lee, but we are looking at the upside of these two young guys.

Anderson has a lot of upside at his position as Ben wrote, maybe as much as Lee does at his. Obviously they play different positions, but Anderson can make as large an impact at his position as Lee can at his. So prospect to prospect, we might not be loosing out as much with the swap of Lee for Anderson. That is all Ben is saying.

by Ahillock on Jun 29, 2009 9:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why do you continue to call is risky?

Are you assuming we could have brought Turk back?

"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z

by Wmillion on Jun 29, 2009 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No. It's risky because of what may or may not happen as a result of the trade.

That is, winning a championship.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 29, 2009 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think we have to look at the facts too.

If you look at what the magic got from this deal, which is basically Ryan Anderson and Vince Carter for Courtney Lee and Hedo Turkoglu with a foot out the door its sound.

Ryan Anderson is 6’10 PF that can fit our system perfectly. Also Courtney was a great defender but he was a little short for the elite two guards in the league(Kobe, Lebron) which is why we have Peitrus. Also Ryan Anderson is two years younger than Courtney.

The reason why i don’t count Rafer and Battie in this trade was because they were both leaving anyways and Battie was more of a favor to us do to his contract.

The more i look at this trade the better it gets in my eyes. What a trade by Otis Smith.

by magicfan32 on Jun 29, 2009 9:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

A gift to D12. He is no longer the youngest player on the roster.

With no draft picks Dwight had speculated to be the youngest for one more year unless some UDFA made it past camp. The other scenario, a trade. Happy Birthday Dwight.
Now back to Ryan. In my circles before last year’s draft, Ryan was thought to be high on the Magic’s radar. In my mock draft I was stumped between the two. Ryan is a kid playing a man’s game. Luckily for him he will get to practice against two beasts. Dwight will toughen the kid up when banging in the post and on rebounds. After the 1st elbow he will wake up and pay attention. Then when he goes up against Shard, he will be burned lights out with the trey. Pride is a funny thing. It can humble you to do better, embarress you until you disappear or nothing. The last two won’t be options for this kid because of the expectations so significant improvement isn’t out of the question. Be ready for a solid vet next season. And if he does have a nice post game the kid may get a couple iso plays to test the waters.
Let’s play now.

Life's too short. Be a fan. Magic, Cards and Rays! What a winning combo.

by hevchv on Jun 28, 2009 5:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think Anderson will contribute nicely to the team next season.

.. he has a skill-set that fits with Stan Van Gundy’s system and he’s only 21.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 28, 2009 9:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If we were to sign a big man, who would you guys rather see between Bass or Wallace?

I like Bass because of the young age and large upside. He is a former SEC player of the year. However, Wallace would bring experience to the team as well as a strong presence down low. Not sure if Bass is willing to leave Dallas?

by Ahillock on Jun 28, 2009 9:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Both. Orlando is allegedly going to make offers to both players ..

.. I think Wallace is an easier ‘pull’ than Bass. We’ll see what happens.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 28, 2009 9:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow, that would be something. Any idea on how much the guys are looking to make? Does it make sense to sign both if we can?

by Ahillock on Jun 28, 2009 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bass will probably command $3 million - $4 million, best estimate.

As for Rasheed .. given the teams he’s interested in, I figure the veteran’s minimum.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 28, 2009 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Do you think..

that Sheeds ability to start here helps us?

"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z

by Wmillion on Jun 29, 2009 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Depends on how SVG is able to incorporate Rasheed.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 29, 2009 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It is almost a perfect marraige

Because we allow our PF to hang out at 3 point line and Sheed loves to hang out there..

"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z

by Wmillion on Jun 29, 2009 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, no doubt.

.. though it’d be wise to use Wallace in the low block, when applicable.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 29, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

couldn't agree more.

His ability in the low post really helps us when Dwight is getting a blow.

"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z

by Wmillion on Jun 29, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wallace

If not him than I’d rather the Magic just get another combo forward like Marion to allow Lewis to stay at the 4.

'Coach, Dwight is a nice guy. Dwight don't hit anybody. But Superman will knock the crap out of you.' - D12

by Eyriq the Red on Jun 28, 2009 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Orlando doesn't have the money for Marion.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 28, 2009 10:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

im not so sure how marion would fit well either on offense anyways.

by derekk on Jun 28, 2009 10:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not advocating for a Marion signing, but I could see him being the ideal 5th option/garbage man

He is most effective when he cleans up other people’s misses and can hit a wide open 3. A lot of his game hinges on athleticism though, so I don’t know how much he has left since it seems he has disappeared the last 2 years.

Even though the Hippopotamus lacks a stinger for a tail, a truly wise man would rather be sat on by a bee. ~ Banacek

by funny80sguy on Jun 29, 2009 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Marion has fallen off because he's been playing SF the past few years.

When Shawn was in Phoenix, D’Antonio utilized him at PF to take advantage of the mismatches he presented on the floor (sound familiar?). Once teams tried to play Marion in a conventional lineup after he left (Miami and Toronto), his production tapered off ..

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 29, 2009 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wallace.

Just to keep him from another team.

by pcnyc on Jun 29, 2009 9:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This

He is the one player I fear that another contending will pick up because he seems to have that knack of getting into Dwight’s head and also defend very well. However I can also see him not handling SVG’s coaching style very well and that might cause problems in the locker room.

Even though the Hippopotamus lacks a stinger for a tail, a truly wise man would rather be sat on by a bee. ~ Banacek

by funny80sguy on Jun 29, 2009 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If it's a game of druthers, Wallace

I’d prefer both if possible – if Sheed’s willing to do it, I’d love to have him as D12’s backup. Have Bass and Anderson at PF, move Lewis back to SF:

PG – Nelson, Johnson
SG – Carter, Redick
SF – Lewis, Pietrus
PF – Bass, Anderson
C – Howard, Wallace

It’s not totally optimal (Bass doesn’t stretch the floor as much as I’d like), and we’re still short a couple bodies, but it’d be a frighteningly good team.

"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"

by The Dark on Jun 29, 2009 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bass wouldn't start, if he were to sign with Orlando.

Wallace .. maybe, but even then, it’d be best for Rashard Lewis to stay at the 4.

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

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 29, 2009 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bingo

I too saw the player comparisons from Draft Express after you made that Brian Cook comment and I countered with Murphy; does this mean I’m a natural optimist? lol. Anyway, I had not yet compared their rookie numbers, and all I can say is…. damn. I’m really excited about this kid and think he certainly earns playing time. What a home run of a deal.

'Coach, Dwight is a nice guy. Dwight don't hit anybody. But Superman will knock the crap out of you.' - D12

by Eyriq the Red on Jun 28, 2009 10:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I pointed out a tiny bit of this when the trade speculation was going on

Anderson caught my eye as having potential for the “Not A Fifth Wheel” award – he looks like just something thrown in to balance the trade, but could be a solid contributor for years to come. Now, even if Shard’s on the bench, the PF position still stretches the floor, even more than Battie’s 12 foot shot did. I do think Anderson’s still a smidge soft, but we’ll see how long it takes for the Magic to have Ewing teach him a couple tricks.

"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"

by The Dark on Jun 29, 2009 7:33 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs