Orlando Magic Media Availability: Otis Smith Needles LeBron James
by Evan Dunlap on Jul 9, 2010 1:48 PM EDT
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PrintWhile Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy has already proclaimed the Miami Heat to be "the favorites" in the Eastern Conference next season, his boss isn't so sure. And in saying so today, he took a shot at LeBron James, who announced his decision to leave his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in order to in fellow All-Stars and Olympic medalists Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in Miami.
In an informal meeting with the media at RDV SportsPlex today, Smith was asked if he felt like the balance of power had shifted from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference. "I've heard that a few times and I'm trying to see the power shifting," he said, but he pointed out that the L.A. Lakers are "still the best team in our league."
To prove his point, he asked if Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was retiring. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel said, "No, he's going to the Heat," which elicited laughter among the assembled media.
But Smith topped him in his response. "Well, he's already proved he can win [a championship] on his own!" he said. "Oops! My bad." That remark speaks to the popular idea circulating throughout the basketball world that James hurt his legacy, as even if he wins multiple titles with the Heat, he will have done so with two other superstars at his side.
Later, a television reporter asked if the situation in Miami would prompt him to make any "drastic" moves. "I'm trying to bring back Patrick [Ewing] and Michael [Jordan]," he said, his words dripping with sarcasm. He added an emphatic "no," and offered no further response to that question.
Don't take that response to mean that Smith is finished making moves, however. I interpreted it to mean that any move he makes the rest of the summer is designed to improve the team, period, and not as a response to the Heat's power play.
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Honestly, what can Otis do?
The only thing he can and should be focused on is, as stated, improving the team. Not trying to keep up with Miami or whatever. Things will work themselves out. I don’t want to mortgage the team’s future to try to make some huge splash as a reaction.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
Laugh It Up Now Otis
I like you Otis, I remember you as a player, a scout and now our GM. But lets be honest sir, you havent been very good at any of those jobs. Have you thought about selling Amway products?
you shame the name of Ajax, sir
I'm a girl.
by TheGiantSquid on Jul 9, 2010 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Telemonian Ajax, Bulwark of the Achaeans
King of Salamis, son of Telamon. Its a nickname Ive been carrying well for about 25 years.
*narrows eyes* so you know your Greek
INTERESTINGGG
I'm a girl.
by TheGiantSquid on Jul 9, 2010 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Just like you're not very good at coming up with credible comments?
Doesn’t sound like you’re actually a Magic fan. More like a bored little kid trying to stir up controversy. Am I right?? I’d venture to say you don’t remember Otis as a player either.
by BlueSkyOneCloud on Jul 9, 2010 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Ind I'd venture to say you don't remember Kenny Powers.
Based on the way you keep talking to him like he was a human being.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
Oh But I Do Remember
Ive been a Magic fan before they had a name. Do you recall how the Magic got that god awful name? I do and it still pisses me off to this day.
so you're an old fart, is what you're saying
I'm a girl.
by TheGiantSquid on Jul 9, 2010 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Neither Young Nor Old
Just old enough to remember a guy from Philly named Pat Williams putting the crazy thought in our head that little Orlando, my hometown, could have an NBA franchise. Whenever Orlando does win a title I hope the first person thanked is Pat.
grandpa, it's time to get off the rocker and come inside for your medicine
I'm a girl.
by TheGiantSquid on Jul 9, 2010 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Okay darlin
you come over here.. I got some hard candy for ya. Reach right in here and fish it out
I probably know Judo! How many of you can make the same boast?
by Souwantmyname on Jul 9, 2010 7:28 PM EDT up reply actions
NOW, WTF WAS THAT ???
You might be in the wrong site here !
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
LOL
I probably know Judo! How many of you can make the same boast?
by Souwantmyname on Jul 9, 2010 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions
more like melted tootsie rolls amirite?
I'm a girl.
by TheGiantSquid on Jul 9, 2010 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions
that's not tootsie rolls
my diaper leaked
I probably know Judo! How many of you can make the same boast?
by Souwantmyname on Jul 9, 2010 8:08 PM EDT up reply actions
I _____________ you
I probably know Judo! How many of you can make the same boast?
by Souwantmyname on Jul 9, 2010 8:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Have you thought about not talking out your ass?
It’s pretty obvious you have no clue what you’re talking about, unless you care to share some examples.
Never trust a fart
by AB's triple double on Jul 9, 2010 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Don't feed the troll
Nothing to see here people
by BlueSkyOneCloud on Jul 9, 2010 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions
but what am I going to do with all these snarky comments? :(
2-for-1 deal at Costco, couldn’t resist…
I'm a girl.
by TheGiantSquid on Jul 9, 2010 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Honey, you have never had a problem finding a snark target before!
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
by NC Magic Fan on Jul 9, 2010 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions
The risking his legacy probably doesnt matter to him
These dudes must have made a pact back in China in 08. Only thing that seals it is if CP3 joins within the next 2 years. Ack!
"To my Hustlers, heres some motivation: He who has begun is half done, why you waiting?"-NaS
Certified Kristin Kreuk obsessive.
these conspiracy theories are killing me...
I'm a girl.
by TheGiantSquid on Jul 9, 2010 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions
it’s probably a bad fish you ate, take a couple of tums and see if that helps.
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
by NC Magic Fan on Jul 9, 2010 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Well once we see what they sign for
That should confirm that cp3 or any other mega stars aren’t going there too. I doubt one of them is going to take the minimum just to play with those guys while they’re still so young. If cp3 or Melo were to go anywhere for the purpose of being more competitive, I see it being the Magic.
by BlueSkyOneCloud on Jul 9, 2010 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions
i can’t imagine another super star wanting to join this team. i assume these guys are still competitive… if they get everyone on their team there will be no respectable teams left to beat, where’s the fun in that?
by Alan J Ganssle on Jul 9, 2010 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions
I can
I don’t think Chris Paul cares about competing with his buddy buddies.
Durant wouldn’t. Kobe wouldn’t. Doubt Dwight would. "Melo wouldn’t. But Chris Paul? I don’t think he’ll do it for the minimum or anything but if he can figure out a S&T in 2012, it’s very possible.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 9, 2010 10:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Lets Review Shall We
Why do we have 3 straight division titles? Reasons 1 through 99 are DWIGHT HOWARD. Reason 100 is SVG. Remember Otis’ first attempt at replacing Brian Hill? Lets hire Billy Donovan the best college recruiter at the time….oops, Billy doesnt want to coach in the NBA after they announce him as our head coach. The only other viable choice at the time was SVG, Otis’ plan B. Otis outbids himself in Rashard Lewis, an albatross of a contract that will probably doom the franchise. Otis and Dave Twardzik (spelling?) were the guys that scouted Fran Vasquez. They didnt bother to ask him if he wanted to play in the NBA during process. Otis trades Trevor Ariza for BRIAN FREAKIN COOK AND MAURICE FREAKIN EVANS!!!!!! More in a bit, gotta go to a meeting.
He goes the moaning over losing a below average player again.
Why would you miss a poor shooter who does make even 1/3 of his 3-point shorts and is a big dissapointment in Houston both offensively and defensively?
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
by NC Magic Fan on Jul 9, 2010 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Once again.
Ariza was not amounting to anything in Orlando. Needed a shooting big and a wing defender. AT THE TIME, Cook and Evans fit those roles. Stop viewing/evaluating every move through hindsight. Decisions are always made on the best data available at the time. Don’t expect Otis to have a crystal ball.
Please don't simply ignore the stats when making your case
"...your eyes lie to you sometimes..."
We Have That Luxury
If people werent judged based on hindsight John Gabriel would still be our GM.
And By The Way
AT THE TIME, the Ariza trade appeared worse than it actually turned out to be. Everyone knew Cook was out of shape and uninterested in getting in shape or even playing basketball and Evans was a well established below average player. Ariza at least appeared to have potential (and still does). 6’8" with a 7’ wingspan, blazing speed and a ridiculous vertical. At the very least not making that trade to LA would have kept him from utterly destroying our wings in the finals the next year.
Evans played well for the Magic that year.
Better than Ariza would have.
Yes, there was talk of Ariza having potential — but do you know for a fact that the Magic were offered anything better for him than what the Lakers gave?
You know, there’s something to be said for getting rid of a guy with “potential” who can’t help you specifically… there was never a point at which Ariza was going to be the Magic’s kind of player. By dealing him, the Magic bypassed all the tedious questions about “should we be playing Ariza? He has potential, you know!” Those kinds of questions have the potential to unsettle a team, when it’s apparent that no,, playing Ariza would not help the Magic.
Could the Magic have gotten more for him? Maybe. Maybe not. But Evans played some good minutes for the team that year, so there’s that.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
Is there really that much separating Pietrus from Ariza?
they are the same guy
I probably know Judo! How many of you can make the same boast?
by Souwantmyname on Jul 10, 2010 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Um, Pietrus is a near 40% three-point shooter.
Ariza doesn’t shoot threes. Well, he does now, but he shouldn’t.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
LOL
Well, he does now, but he shouldn’t.
Please don't simply ignore the stats when making your case
"...your eyes lie to you sometimes..."
by magicfaninTN on Jul 10, 2010 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions
I think this year is going to be our last great shot at a title unless we can make big moves.
Until this Miami thing happened, I saw the Magic as being the young team that would only get better as some of the other great teams got older. But now this Miami team is a matchup nightmare for just about every team not named the LA Lakers.
What the Magic will bring hopefully is a refined system, an improved Howard, and better team basketball than the Miami Heat. I’m not saying the Heat won’t play great team basketball, but I can imagine there being some time to adjust for them. Not only will this be a different system for the players involved, it will pretty much be a new system for everybody involved as this kind of team has never been put together before.
The best thing I’m taking from this is that our rivalry with the Heat has been renewed. I used to hate them so much when I was younger, mainly because all of their fans would show up at Magic games and they had their own section where they would cheer on the Heat. We used to get some pretty good verbal sparring matches going with those fans. Rivalries are always fun and this will make us more relevant as we will be the chief rivals of the most visible team in the league.
And they can have our division when the pry it from our cold dead blue and white fingers! Go Magic!
The intensity has to go up, up! Not down...UP! -Stan Van Gundy
They have a lot of adjustments to make
The trio’s combined usage rate is 97% and they average over 56 shots per game. Chris Bosh will have to become Rashard Lewis and LeBron will have to get use to Wade taking the big shots. I think they can do it with 2 balls on court at all times.
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
by NC Magic Fan on Jul 9, 2010 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions
you can throw your statistics out the window
Whoever thinks the statistics of what these guys did while trying to carry their teams will mean much needs to get real. They will make this work. Most of us magic fans opinions are quite bias. Both Wade and James have no problem passing to open teammates and someone WILL be open at all times. Our current roster is no match for them. Dwight is the only reason we would have a chance, hoping he would turn James and Wade into strictly jump shooters. Sigh…Otis has work to do.
I think James will be happy to let Wade take the big shots
I think he’s taken a look at the pressure of crunch time, and decided he wants someone else to have that responsibility.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 9, 2010 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Probably
Best second banana ever?
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
Throw in Bosh
And you can make one helluva banana smoothie.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 9, 2010 11:23 PM EDT up reply actions
I think each of them will be willing to pass to the open person if/when double teamed.
Wade, James, Bosh, M. Miller, (Haslem?) are all capable. This isn’t fair. lol
I guess (no I'm sure) I'm just impatient...
We need to make a move (VC anyone?). And a message for the Cavs fans. Coming from one who lived through the Shaq defection, you can bounce back. But it all depends on your front office and ownership. But since you fired your front office and your ownership couldn’t get it done with arguably the best player in the world because he helped surround him with bench players…OH WELL!! What comes up…
There are no moves to be made
Nobody wants Vince’s contract. The time for moving contracts for cap space is over for now – the LBJ sweepstakes result is in and everyone but Miami lost. Nobody needs cap room any more; we’re two years away from the next decent free agent to come up (Chris Paul). Trading for cap room now just puts you in the place Detroit was last year – having to overpay mediocre players just to do something with all the cap space you have.
Unless you want to trade Carter for James Posey and Emeka Okafor or other, crap, awful contracts or something.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 9, 2010 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Cap room is always an asset if used properly.
Presti.
Please don't simply ignore the stats when making your case
"...your eyes lie to you sometimes..."
by magicfaninTN on Jul 9, 2010 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Sure
But the days of teams giving up good players just to get cap room are over for a while.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 10, 2010 12:20 AM EDT up reply actions
The only way I see us getting better is via trade, not much out there right now in free agency unless I’m missing someone. Anybody got a list?
The internet has a list.
Please don't simply ignore the stats when making your case
"...your eyes lie to you sometimes..."
A number of lists were posted yesterday in the JJ thread
search for wing players
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
by NC Magic Fan on Jul 9, 2010 5:15 PM EDT reply actions
Otis's comment really was pretty stupid
Kobe won it on his own?? Kobe got ousted by the Suns early in the playoffs when he tried it on his own? It wasn’t until Pau Gasol got to LA that they started winning. Gasol is no Scottie Pippen he’s pretty much the best PF in the league. So good move Otis. Give LeBron a reason to play harder against us… Idiot
I probably know Judo! How many of you can make the same boast?
And you have proven time and again to be a liability to OPP
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
by NC Magic Fan on Jul 9, 2010 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions
so the magic are a bunch of pussies that are gonna lay down and die cause he's playing harder?
If you need the trash talking form a teams GM in order to motivate to play harder, then you’re not much of a competitor to begin with.
Never trust a fart
by AB's triple double on Jul 9, 2010 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Pau is not Wade
He is more Bosh or Stats. I don’t like Kobe, but he is the one I would want beside me going into battle given the choice of him or LeBron or Wade. Of course, there is an UNC alumni that Would be my first choice overall.
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
by NC Magic Fan on Jul 9, 2010 7:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Eric Montross?
Even though the Hippopotamus lacks a stinger for a tail, a truly wise man would rather be sat on by a bee. ~ Banacek
Serge Zwicker?
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
Whose comments were more stupid
Otis’ or Adrian Wojnarowski who said “This was the champagne shower for the Championship of Me, an exercise in self-aggrandizement and self-loathing that will have far-reaching implications for the NBA and James. What a spectacle, what a train wreck.”
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
by NC Magic Fan on Jul 9, 2010 7:49 PM EDT up reply actions
The latter.
Otis is just engaging in gamesmanship. Wojnarowski doesn’t have any incentive to be stupid.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
Well, not exactly.
He’s paid to write things that people will read. There are plenty of non-stupid things people will read.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
I don't think what he said was stupid
It was a train wreck.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 10, 2010 12:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Eh.
It was a bit of a mess. Press conferences are usually a bit of a mess. They are an inherently embarrassing form of communication, and athletes are not generally gifted public speakers. Probably, it should not have happened.
But ultimately, who cares, you know? Who really cares? So James announced that he was going to Miami via a press conference. How does this matter to anyone? How many tortured attempts at hyperbole can you wring out of one press conference?
It’s over now, and anyone who really cares needs to examine their priorities in life. The important thing, to the extent that even this is an important thing, is the basketball games. Those will happen eventually. Once that happens, who even cares about some press conference?
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
James didn't announce it at a press conference
He announced it on a made-for-TV special presentation, dedicated solely to him and his ego, and he got up there, and screwed his home city.
I’m OK with him moving to Miami, but doing it live on TV? That’s just pathetic. No reason he couldn’t have made a joint annoucement with Wade and Bosh the day before.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 10, 2010 12:55 AM EDT up reply actions
Cleveland screwed LeBron for seven years.
LeBron has earned the right to screw Cleveland for an hour.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
I can't agree with that
Cleveland did just about everythng humanly possibly James asked for. They hired all his school mates, they went and got every free agent they could convince to come, they traded away the farm for help every time James decided his teammates sucked.
It’s not their fault nobody good wanted to come play with James.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 10, 2010 1:15 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't believe that for a second.
That may be the story Gilbert’s telling now. But unless you have a notarized document signed by LeBron saying “hey, Cavs — I want you to make sure not to get me a single supporting player who’s better than a league-average starter”…
I don’t know what kind of behind-the-scenes perks and nonsense were involved. But on the court, Cleveland’s front office screwed LeBron repeatedly and without exception.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
What else could they have done?
Seriously. They went and Jamison, they went and got Williams, they got West, the got Shaq, they kept Varejao.
They were never going to get a superstar of the NBA, never even going to get an All Star. Never going to get a solid role player, because they had nothing to give back and teams aren’t stupid. There’s probably been one really lopsided trade in the NBA in the last decade (Gasol) and the Cavs couldn’t even have given up what the Lakers did (baby Gasol).
by eltharion_doa on Jul 10, 2010 1:31 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't know what exactly they "could have done".
Because a) I don’t know who was being offered where by whom, and b) they had seven years. They probably had innumerable chances to sign free agents, make trades, etc. Free up some cap room, make some space that way, sign a guy.
It’s over half a decade. If you can’t get a single above-average starter in over half a decade, that’s not a shortage of talent to work with, that’s a shortage of talent in the front office.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
They got quite a few above average starters
2009/10
Shaq – PER 17.82
Jamison – PER 17.33
Williams – PER 16.18
2008/09
Big Z – PER 18
Williams – PER 17.25
2007/8
Big Z – PER 18.7
2006/7
Big Z – PER 18
Gooden – PER 16.5
2005/6
Big Z and Gooden again, you get the picture
by eltharion_doa on Jul 10, 2010 1:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Good info
But it doesn’t fit in with the excuses that Lebron didn’t have any good teammates. I bet that those PER’s compare favorably with those of the teammates of the other contenders. But for whatever reason, every season when Lebron fails, his teammates are to blame while for other teams, the entire team takes the blame. I wonder when the Heat lose in the playoffs next season if people will say that Wade and Bosh are no good?
And by "whatever reason"...
…you mean “LeBron was clearly holding up his part of the bargain”. Do you remember the 2009 ECF? That was the greatest individual performance I have seen in a postseason series… and it was for a losing team, because most of the Cavs weren’t even solid supporting players, let alone contributors.
Don’t put up composite stats and act like they tell any kind of story — how about you tell me in words who the viable no. 2 man was on any of those teams. How about you tell me which championship team of the last 20 years could’ve featured any Cavs player as a top-3 guy. I’ve asked that last one dozens of times… nobody’s been able to answer it.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
Look at those names.
All of the flaws of PER are evident here. Shaq played 20-25 minutes a game. Williams’ inept defense almost single-handedly lost them the Celtics series (and many other games). Jamison put up numbers (is that stat just for his games in Cleveland, or overall?), but because he wasn’t in the playbook, his presence disrupted the offense. Ilgauskas, though chronically underrated, was perpetually injured and (like Shaq) played limited minutes in the later seasons. Etc.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
I'm not saying those guys are perfect
Saying they’re not above average NBA players is completely unsupportable.
LeBron had guys. Were they perfect? No. Were they good enough to win a title? Maybe not. Well coached? Definitely not. But the support was there. The Cavs put pieces around him. They did what they could.
The only time I’ve ever heard of a trade that didn’t go through was the Stoudamire one this season which yes, was foolish on the Cavs part – but I think James was gone in his own mind by then anyway.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 10, 2010 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions
The Jamison stat was overall
But his PER only dropped to 16.7 in Cleveland, still around 12% greater than the average NBA player in the PER formula.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 10, 2010 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions
...what???
Cleveland bent over backwards to cater to LeBron’s every whim and demand. He was in no way EVER screwed over by Cleveland.
I'm a girl.
by TheGiantSquid on Jul 10, 2010 1:17 AM EDT up reply actions
This.
Gilbert gave LeBron everything he ever wanted. And it cost them their star. Like a child, LeBron needs someone to tell him no.
I'm a girl too.
Haters gonna hate.
by GoMagicGo on Jul 10, 2010 1:18 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
REC'd
Please don't simply ignore the stats when making your case
"...your eyes lie to you sometimes..."
by magicfaninTN on Jul 10, 2010 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
The Lakers were winning before Gasol
People forget that before the Lakers traded for Gasol, they had the best record in the West in 2007-2008 when Andrew Bynum got hurt. Had Bynum not gotten hurt, they may have never made the trade for Gasol. And Gasol was definitely not considered the best PF in the league when the Lakers got him (Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Bosh, David West and KG ring a bell?). He had only made one All-Star game and NO All-NBA 1st, 2nd or 3rd teams before joining the Lakers. So how much of Gasol’s improved status is due to playing with Kobe and the Lakers?
The fact is, after trading away Shaq and before getting Gasol, the Lakers were able to rebuild and be the best team in the West by keeping Kobe and making some good draft picks (Bynum, Farmar, Turiaf), some good trades (Ariza who wasn’t getting minutes in Orlando, Odom from the Shaq trade) and some good free-agent signings (Fisher). Could they have won a championship without Gasol? Maybe, maybe not. But to say the Lakers were not improving before they acquired him is wrong.
Good post.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
yes, very good post
The problem with fans is that they are homers and thus biased. First they said that Kobe couldn’t do it without Shaq, now Kobe can’t do it withou Pau, lol. Pau had never or perhaps just 1 time made an all star game without Kobe. He had NEVER even won 1 playoff game in his entire life. Then he is traded to the Lakers and is now considered the best big man in the game, lol. This is insane. Did Kobe need Pau or did Pau need Kobe?
And the Lakers did have the BEST record in the Western Conference BEFORE they got Pau in that trade. That is absolutely correct. Unfortunately, people don’t like to recognize this inconvenient truth because it automatically destroys their kobe hating arguments.
While your post was 100% correct and well put, i expect about 1% of the other side to take note of it. They will most likely post what they have been posting and just pretend as though the facts in your post do not exist. They have their conclusion and they want to find reasons for that conclusion. When the reasons point the other way, they look the other way.
Well...
…Kobe can’t do it without somebody. That’s not a knock on Kobe, even… nobody can win a championship as the only star on the team. (Barring a huge fluke, or a strong supporting cast of non-star above-average starters.)
And yeah, MVP-caliber stars like Kobe and LeBron can get their teams surprisingly close. But a team built on one guy is fragile, and will generally run into a team that can defend the one star. That’s why you need the second guy.
And don’t get ahead of yourself. Nobody considers Gasol “the best big man in the game”. Only a minority of people would even consider him the best PF in the game, and even that is more because it’s a bad era for PFs — Duncan and KG are in decline, Bosh still hasn’t proven he’s tough, and Dirk (probably the front-runner for this title) just isn’t a traditional enough PF to get that kind of credit.
They consider Gasol a strong no. 2 player who’s a good fit with his team. And that’s about what people considered him in Memphis… well, those people who were paying attention to Memphis at the time. Except that Memphis was trying to use him as the no. 1 guy, so people more considered him a guy who wasn’t quite capable of leading a team. Same difference.
And yeah, the second guy probably didn’t have to be Gasol. But barring a fluke, it had to be someone. Not a knock on Kobe — it always has to be someone. Otherwise, you end up with the ’09 ECF.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
Is LA beating BOS with Odom and Bynum?
the answer is no. They were able to beat the Magic last year because Odom could defend Lewis easily.
I probably know Judo! How many of you can make the same boast?
by Souwantmyname on Jul 10, 2010 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions
That's what I'm saying.
I mean, I’m on the record as believing the Magic would’ve won the finals last year with a healthy Jameer. But subtract Gasol from that team, and the Lakers probably lose to the Nuggets, and definitely to the Magic. Same thing this year.
And you could’ve added another player of Gasol’s caliber instead of Gasol. It’s not specifically him. But yeah, Odom and Bynum (and Artest?) alone wouldn’t have been enough.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
Who knows?
The Lakers have never played Boston in the playoffs with a healthy team. When they lost to Boston in 2008, they didn’t have Bynum or Ariza. When they played Orlando in 2009, Bynum wasn’t healthy and Jameer wasn’t either for the Magic. I think even without Gasol, a Lakers team with a healthy Bynum could compete with anybody, but unfortunately Bynum has been getting hurt every season. Their bench would be much thinner with Odom moving back to the starting lineup and it’d be far from a sure thing, but they’d give any team a run for their money. But yeah, without Gasol and an injured Bynum they wouldn’t stand a chance.
Otis called it like it is
What those three set up in Miami is a monopoly of sorts and they all deserve to be shamed. I would vote to give them a championship trophy and send them into a league of their own. They don’t want competition make it happen. Wussies.
If you were a man I would punch you, right in the mouth.
Since Otis' comment was questioned, here is mine :
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
by 44792212 on Jul 9, 2010 7:01 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I just remembered
We will pay Rashard Lewis another three years 20 million a year.
If you were a man I would punch you, right in the mouth.
Bulls made offer for Redick. 3 year $20 mil
we HAVE to match.
Around about what I expected
More than the MLE. But the Bulls can spend, and so they have. Korver AND JJ. I thought once they signed the former they wouldn’t get our man. Well.. still our man for another week at least.
Yeah this is pretty dumb on Chicago's part
they dont have a viable post player to demand double teams which makes shooters like these two less effective
I probably know Judo! How many of you can make the same boast?
by Souwantmyname on Jul 10, 2010 1:22 AM EDT up reply actions
oh right
I probably know Judo! How many of you can make the same boast?
by Souwantmyname on Jul 10, 2010 1:36 AM EDT up reply actions
I think Redick's perfect for Chicago
Will they get him for $19m? Maybe not.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 10, 2010 1:33 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm not overly high on the Bulls...
…largely because I don’t have any regard for Rose’s game. But they’ve put together most of a pretty solid team, I’ll give them that.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
he's worth every penny in my opinion.
He has a great feel for our offense and is a underrated defensive player. Lock this man up, he’s only getting better.
All that money for a 2nd place team
Too funny…
While the “big 3” spend a year feeling eachother out and trying to figure out their roles while trying to win with a roster full of minimum contract guys, Orlando is still there to win 55-60 games, grab the top seed (with cleveland gone) and likely a spot in at least the EC Finals…
I feel like if the Magic win only 55-60 games next season, I'll be disappointed.
I mean, they won 59 last year… and that’s with Jameer and Lewis both having worst-case-scenario seasons, Carter taking half a season to adjust to the team’s offense, etc. Simply put, the Magic underachieved during the regular season last year, and still won 59. Unless something goes horribly wrong, I expect them to win well over 60 next season.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
Agree. I hope we'll start great like last season and then throw less games till all-star week-end.
65 is a good number for me.
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
6 was about the number of games we shouldn't have lost last year.
I know it’s optimistic but not out of reach, given that the “chemistry” problems shouldn’t happen this year.
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
Yeah but every team loses games it shouldnt. They also win games they shouldn't. It happens
Our seeding shouldn’t matter too much anyways, no need to burn the team out in the regular season going after wins when we know we can win on the road.
I still think that there were 12 games last season that we sould have taken so winning 6 more next year is possible.
Nobody said that seeding matters nor that we must “burn” the team, which I don’t agree will happen if they win some more games. Last season the team was great after all-star and didn’t really seemed “burned”.
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
November 17th, 2010
After 12 gruelling overtimes, the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls agree to a historic tie after neither team are left with enough players to continue the game due to foul trouble.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 10, 2010 6:27 PM EDT up reply actions
No way, Stan didn’t agree to the tie. He got in and scored a winning mid-range jumper just to prove he can make the less efficient shot in basketball.
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
MOAR TWIN TOWERS PLZ
Honor is no substitute for victory.
FISH FOR BASS FISH FOR BASS FISH FOR BASS
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
by NC Magic Fan on Jul 10, 2010 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Otis needs to do less trash talking and more roster management.
Cause right now even though Miami has Literally 3 players and 2 role guys, they are still overtaking us.
Nobody on our team screams “Alpha dog/Killer instinct” at all.
"To my Hustlers, heres some motivation: He who has begun is half done, why you waiting?"-NaS
Certified Kristin Kreuk obsessive.
So Dwight getting 40 points in the elimination game against Cleveland is no killer instinct at all?
We have enough talented players to win the championship this coming year.
What does that have to do with him coming up small against Boston in this years playoffs?
"To my Hustlers, heres some motivation: He who has begun is half done, why you waiting?"-NaS
Certified Kristin Kreuk obsessive.
by Wasabi Steak on Jul 10, 2010 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Dwight had 2 poor games in the ECF but no way I would call his game soft.
Remember Boston fans wanting their team to hit him ? I think there are things from the ECF that will stick with him this season and the future.
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
Then let’s see VC and RL’s stats in that series; I agree Howard is one of the best centers in the league. He truly needs, however, to improve his FTs and his moves/shots in the paint. Every player on this team, regardless of Howard, needs to spend time on their own individual games.
by Mr. Mystery on Jul 10, 2010 10:39 PM EDT up reply actions
He is who he is
Nobody in the NBA suddenly develops a FT stroke after 6 or 7 seasons.
He can improve his post game but his free throws are what they are. It’s a mental thing as much as anything, I suspect.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 10, 2010 10:41 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You're right.
Nobody on this team does say “ball hog/imaginary thing” to me.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
Its called having a lack of fear and lots of drive
Not flaling your arms and crying to the refs and coach. I expect to Dwight to overcome it this season especially working with Olajuwan down in in Houston
"To my Hustlers, heres some motivation: He who has begun is half done, why you waiting?"-NaS
Certified Kristin Kreuk obsessive.
by Wasabi Steak on Jul 10, 2010 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Kobe complains to the refs as much as Dwight does.
Yelling and whining about no-calls has nothing to do with performing well when necessary or “coming up small”. He performed well against Boston for the series, better than his numbers in the regular season. Boston was a better team, a champion, and a team that almost won again this year (probably would’ve if not for Perkins’ injury).
Stop hating.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
Interesting statistic - Technical fouls called (ignores recended call) Kpbe is a Saint!
Technicals
wallace,rasheed Bos 17
howard,dwight Orl 17
perkins,kendrick Bos 16
bryant,kobe LAL 14
jackson,stephen cha 13
stoudemire,amare Pho 13
kaman,chris LAC 12
anthony,carmelo Den 12
hamilton,richard Det 10
smith,josh Atl 10
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
by NC Magic Fan on Jul 11, 2010 8:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah but Kobe mans up and backs it up in the clutch
Dwight, god love him, still doesnt have a killer instinct. And he’s extra senstive (its just a personality thing)
"To my Hustlers, heres some motivation: He who has begun is half done, why you waiting?"-NaS
Certified Kristin Kreuk obsessive.
by Wasabi Steak on Jul 13, 2010 4:15 AM EDT up reply actions
Do they even talk to you?
I might be insulted if they waled by and said “ball hog imaginary thing” straight to my face. I think I would flip out…..
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
by NC Magic Fan on Jul 10, 2010 11:20 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
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