A few interesting points by Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Mark Bradley in his skepticism...

A few interesting points by Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Mark Bradley in his skepticism of the idea that the Eastern Conference powers have reloaded and are even better.

Point 1: Shaq is old (37) and might clog up the floor for LeBron.

Point 2: Did the Boston Celtics really get better by adding yet another old guy? Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are all in their 30s.

Point 3: "Vince Carter usually opens things up only for Vince Carter," Bradley wrote. He also pointed out the Magic got to the Finals because their perimeter players played well off Dwight Howard and several of those perimeter guys are now gone.

Tania Ganguli of the Orlando Sentinel

almost 3 years ago erivera7 17 comments 0 recs |

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My contention is that Mr. Bradley doesn't know what he's talking about

by Jwoey on Jul 17, 2009 1:05 PM EDT reply actions

Haha that Atlanta Journalist is quite the pessimist

Hating on every team that has made some major moves. Not to mention all these teams were the best in the league last year. Maybe he’s upset that people aren’t quaking in their boots over Atlanta and the Jamal Crawford acquisition

by Souwantmyname on Jul 17, 2009 1:07 PM EDT reply actions

This is the same paper (but not the same writer) who published a piece saying the Hawks' starters were better than the Magic's starters

No, really.

So don’t buy what this guy is selling.

Also don’t buy the idea that Carter is selfish. He’s a better passer than Turkoglu, period.

Third Quarter Collapse: An Orlando Magic blog at SB Nation | Brandon Bass: "I just play hard."

by Evan Dunlap on Jul 17, 2009 1:11 PM EDT reply actions

It's not clear to me that Carter is a better passer than Turk...

…but Carter is nevertheless a very good passer. Carter does have a higher career assist rate, but Turk became a passer only in the past few years, and since then their statistics— both simple and advanced— are comparable.

by gift of the magi on Jul 17, 2009 1:41 PM EDT reply actions

Carter averaged 0.2 assists less than Turk last year

He did that without a massive inside presence to just lob gimmes to. His bigs were Lopez (rookie), Anderson (rookie), and Yi (yee!). With the Magic’s in-and-out and slash-and-kick games, Carter should shine as a passer.

"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 Jul 17, 2009 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions

As I said, Carter is a very good passer.

But it’s not clear that he’s better at that particular skill.

I’m very excited about Carter joining the team. I just don’t want to exaggerate claims.

Speaking of which, Bradley does come off sounding awfully foolish, and he’s basically not worth spending time discussing. The “several” perimeter guys we lost were Turk and Lee; but we added Carter and Anderson, and both of them are very capable from the perimeter, too. (Bass is a slightly different story, but one I’m also enthused about.)

by gift of the magi on Jul 17, 2009 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions

also, the significance of the fact that we are also adding Jameer

to our lineup vis-a-vis our playoff lineup can’t be overstated. we’re essentially “trading” rafer (who was wildly erratic) for a consistent, 50% shooting, low-end all-star.

by pinthatd12 on Jul 17, 2009 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions

i think that's the first time (and probably last time) i've ever seen vis-a-vis used on this site

Never trust a fart

by AB's triple double on Jul 17, 2009 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Remember these?

Third Quarter Collapse: An Orlando Magic blog at SB Nation | Brandon Bass: "I just play hard."

by Evan Dunlap on Jul 18, 2009 2:08 AM EDT up reply actions

I've used the expression before.

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 Jul 18, 2009 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Veterans win Championships.

Ask the Spurs, Lakers and Celtics.

by duck34234 on Jul 17, 2009 2:01 PM EDT reply actions

Nobody in their right mind would take this seriously

Atlanta journalist say the darndest things

by Souwantmyname on Jul 17, 2009 2:03 PM EDT reply actions

"Orlando reached the NBA finals because its perimeter players — Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston — played expertly off their burgeoning big man. Three of those four are gone. That’s a net loss, not a net gain."

headdesk Alston was a key perimeter player? Lee? sigh Let’s compare lineups (I know Anderson’s not directly replacing Turk, but I’m trying to use all the pieces from the VC trade, and we could go Lewis/Anderson to replace Turk/Lewis):

Rafer Alston – 33.8% 3PT shooting, 5.3 APG
Jameer Nelson – 45.3% 3PT shooting, 5.4 APG

Courtney Lee – 40.4% 3PT shooting, 1.2 APG
Vince Carter – 38.5% 3PT shooting, 4.7 APG

Hedo Turkoglu – 35.6% 3PT shooting, 4.9 APG
Ryan Anderson – 36.5% 3PT shooting, 0.8 APG

I’m not seeing a big issue with perimeter play. VC is the only one with a lower 3PT% than the guy he’s replacing, and he’s a better passer and driver than CLee currently is.

"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 Jul 17, 2009 2:34 PM EDT reply actions