FanPost

Who is the next Earl Clark?

What is going on OPP fam? It has been a while since I last posted something on here; the new layout has been giving my computer fits. But it seems like some of the bugs have been fixed and I wanted to get some feedback on a idea I had.

If you have been following what Earl Clark has been doing in LA, for me, it has been a pleasent surprise. He added a 3 pt shot, he rotates more decisively on defense, and he uses his energy and hustle to grab more rebounds and has become a much better defender.

Clark was a "throw-in" in the Dwight trade. He might have been a "throw-in" in the original Phoenix trade with Orlando. Remember, Phoenix declined to pick up his rookie option after year 2 and Orlando; and I think specifically Stan Van Gundy, saw something in Clark to have him re-up in Orlando for another 2 years. I believe if SVG didn't believe in him he might be out of the league by now. He was on a list of the 25 worst players in the NBA (by complex.com, but still)

http://www.complex.com/sports/2012/04/the-25-worst-players-in-the-nba-right-now/earl-clark-magic

But hard work and an opportunity(although playing him over Gasol is just..anyway this is about Earl Clark!) will probably lead to a 4 year deal somewhere.

This is from the sentinel:

Stan Van Gundy on Earl Clark after last night’s Magic victory, "I think that Earl is going to be a really good player. I think that he offensively is very talented, he’s quick, he can shoot the ball, and he can put it on the floor. He is a very hard working guy. He’s the first in here every day, and he is here on off days. Every game he hasn’t played in, after the game, he’s in there working out and shooting until about 11 o’clock."

Anyhow, Clark just turned 25. Who could be a Earl Clark-type target for the team; someone who does not play a lot of minutes, is under 25, but is a hard worker and is attainable. ( I say that because Kyrie Irving, Andre Drummond, and even Chandler Parsons are not attainable.) Here is a list from bball reference with guys under 25, getting under 25 minutes a game, and guard or forward(I think Vuc has locked up the center position for us).

http://bkref.com/tiny/oRcM1

Some notes:

-124 players right now under 25(Magic have 5)

-I am eliminating 20 guys because they seem unattainable (Rubio, Bledsoe, Ilysova, Favors, etc.)

-Josh McRoberts is only 25. I thought he was 30.

My top ten guys that the team should target (with their current contract):

1) Derrick Williams,age 21, under rookie contract until at least 15/16 season-He should be under the unattainable category but it seems that the T'Wolves would let him go for the right deal. If they didn't have so many injuries and were in the playoff picture I think they might have let him go for JJ and something else. A long shot, but seems to have NBA athleticism; just doesn't have the IQ yet.

2) Erik Maynor, age 25, qualifying offer this summer-Not sure how the team feels about E'Twan Moore as part of the future, but PG seems to be a position of need going forward. Maynor has been losing minutes to Reggie Jackson and maybe Presti would give him up at a discount to his old apprentice.

3) Jonas Jerebko, age 25, under contract for another 2 seasons at 4.5 mil-Even after trading 2 guys at his position(Prince and Daye) it looks like Singler and Villanueva are still receiving more minutes. Harkless is 19 and seems like it will take a few more seasons for him to really get up to NBA speed. Until then, Jerebko can man the 3 and play some 4 also.

4) Anthony Randolph, age 23, under contract for another 2 seasons at 1.7 and 1.8-OK, so this is more of a hunch than anything else. I just think this guy can play if given the opportunity. Brewer(there could probably be a post about him too, man has he improved this season), Iguodala, and Wilson Chandler have the wing positions locked up. They even have their 1st round pick from this year Evan Fournier waiting also.

For the heck of it, here is a trade proposal involving Randolph and Jerebko:

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bdzp4zz

Why they do it-

Detroit-basically a salary dump. Get out from 2 years of Jerbko's deal

Denver-Switch out a young wing for a young big. I actually think Ayon would do well in Denver's up tempo system.

Orlando-Get more athletic without compromising the salary cap too much.

Any one else I missed?

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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