H&H Players We Regret Trading

by Reediculous on Jul 30, 2010 8:54 AM EDT

1999-2000 was my first year as a real Magic fan, it was also the year of the original "heart and hustle" Magic team. Doc Rivers lead this rag-tag set of players to a 41-41 record, within one game of playoff berth. Everyone remembers the glorious "Big" Ben Wallace and the electrfying performances he has as our center, Corey "Uh-Oh Maggette-o" Maggette, Matt "The Musician" Harpring, and Chucky "Child's Play" Atkins (yes, I just made most of those nicknames up). What is an even more interesting takeaway is the spike in stats each of these players would experience, as all of them were traded the following year to make room for improvements (most notably, Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill). While it can be argued whether letting go of these players were worth trade, hinging on Grant Hill's inactivity because of his ankle, it is amusing to consider which player Magic fans would consider to be the most detrimental release. Or in other words, which player do you regret trading the most?

It should be a general consensus that Ben Wallace would top the list. After a steller season with the Magic he went on to win 4 Defensive Player of the Year awards before fading into unecessarily large contract obscurity. So for the sake of common sense, I wont even consider adding him to the poll.

However there are others. Namely, the three mentioned above. Granted a player's stats does not show how "good" he is as a player, which is why this is an opinion poll versus a "who is the BEST player the Magic traded off?"

Chucky Atkins

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Matt Harpring

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Corey Maggette

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There are the candidates. Now vote!

Poll

Which player do you regret the Magic trading the most?

Chucky Atkins

5 votes

Matt Harpring

19 votes

Corey Maggette

86 votes

Why isn't Reece Gaines mentioned here?

17 votes

127 votes | Poll has closed

This FanPost was made by a member of the Orlando Pinstriped Post community, and is to be treated as the opinions and views of its author, not that of the blogger or blog community as a whole.

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Comments

I would've put Ben Wallace if he were an option but since he isn't...

I’m going with Matt Harpring. Chucky Atkins didn’t do too much in the NBA and although I believe Corey Maggette is the most talented among the three, he tends to be a bit of a ball-hog and that there wouldn’t have been enough shots to go around for T-Mac, Grant Hill (although he was mostly injured), and C-Mag. So I think Harpring would’ve been the best fit since he’s one of those blue-collar, high-intensity players although he may not have been very talented. Every team could use someone like him.

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by GameManager on Jul 30, 2010 9:27 AM EDT reply actions

That was my exact reasoning; Harpring may not be as talented as the others, but he is a "J.J." kind of guy...

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by Reediculous on Jul 30, 2010 9:50 AM EDT up reply actions

Great minds think alike!

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by GameManager on Jul 30, 2010 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions

I remember not being too high on Ben Wallace during his time here. He certainly never played as well here as he did in Detroit.

by MagicMark on Jul 30, 2010 9:57 AM EDT reply actions

Just to provide some perspective, here's what each player was traded for:

Ben Wallace: traded with Chucky Atkins for Grant Hill
Chucky Atkins: traded with Ben Wallace for Grant Hill
Matt Harpring: traded for Andrew DeClercq
Corey Maggette: traded with Keyon Dooling, Derek Strong, and a 2000 2nd round pick for a 2006 1st round pick

Honor is no substitute for victory.

by The Dark on Jul 30, 2010 10:39 AM EDT reply actions

This is all the work of John "It sounded like a good idea at the time" Gabriel

I can understand the chucky and ben for Grant hill trade, even though it went south. But Harpring for DeClercq (granted, Harpring was habitually injured) was not worth it and neither was Corey for ??? players that never played with us?

Magic fan since 99-00
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by Reediculous on Jul 30, 2010 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions

We flipped the 2006 1st rounder (along with Don Reid) for a 2004 2nd rounder. The 2nd rounder was traded along with Mike Miller, Ryan Humphrey, and a 2003 1st rounder for Giricek, Gooden, and cash.

Honor is no substitute for victory.

by The Dark on Jul 30, 2010 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions

Thanks for expanding that.,.

See I thought the Gooden and Giricek trade was one of the best Gabe made, unfortunatly THAT didn’t last long either. Perhaps I should do a poll about that someday.

Magic fan since 99-00
Troy Hudson & Keith Bogans Biggest Fan

by Reediculous on Jul 30, 2010 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions

It took me a while to figure that one out, because the 2004 2nd rounder ended up being used on a guy who never played in the NBA. I ended up having to look at the 2004 draft, see who used that pick, and then look for trades between them and us.

I was never a big Gooden fan, personally. He reminded me of a better Bass – physically talented, capable as a one-on-one defender, but prone to mental lapses. Giricek, on the other hand, I liked. Not a great defender, but that’s not what he was in the game for.

Honor is no substitute for victory.

by The Dark on Aug 2, 2010 7:54 AM EDT up reply actions

At the time of the trade, I remember really liking it

I saw Gordon Giricek as a poor man’s Mike Miller with similar stats, and Gooden was a rookie power forward who was a lottery pick (somebody that had potential). It seemed like a great trade where the Magic got the better end. Now I think it was still a solid one, but it more or less helped each team equally given the quality of the players.

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by funny80sguy on Aug 2, 2010 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions

Hmm..no love for Chucky?

Magic fan since 99-00
Troy Hudson & Keith Bogans Biggest Fan

by Reediculous on Jul 30, 2010 10:55 AM EDT reply actions

IMO...

Chucky wasn’t too much to write home about although he had a successful career for an undrafted free agent. I think the main reason he was talked about around town was because he’s from Orlando, went to Evans High School, and played college ball at USF. So essentially, a “hometown hero.”

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by GameManager on Jul 30, 2010 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions

I find Ben Wallace kinda looking like an oversized Eddy Murphy in that photo can’t stop imaging him laugh.

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by 44792212 on Jul 30, 2010 12:36 PM EDT reply actions

so why isn't reece gaines on the list?..........

Just one man's opinion...
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by hwyatt3 on Jul 30, 2010 1:09 PM EDT reply actions

Unfortunatly, Reece was not a member of the H&H squad. Else I would.

Magic fan since 99-00
Troy Hudson & Keith Bogans Biggest Fan

by Reediculous on Jul 30, 2010 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions

how about Steve Kerr even though he is retired!!

by bumper64 on Jul 30, 2010 5:15 PM EDT reply actions

2 things...

1) He wasn’t a member of the Heart & Hustle team
2) After spending the last half of the ’93 season with the Magic, he signed with the Bulls as a free agent.

The criteria that Reediculous laid out do not apply to Steve Kerr.

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by GameManager on Jul 30, 2010 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions