Orlando Pinstriped Post: FanPosts

SB Nation Survey + Chance to donate $500 to a charity of this community's choice

2010-03-20T00:48:00Z

>> Take SB Nation Survey

Hello sports fans! We're always striving to provide you with the best experience possible and it's been quite some time since we checked in with you.

So we're rolling out this survey to learn more about you and your sports world. It should only take about 10 minutes to complete.

We really appreciate your time and this is also going to help make a donation to a good cause.

By next Thursday (3/25) at 11:59pm PST the site that has the highest percentage of their community filling out the attached survey about their sports interests and consumption will win $500 to donate to a charity of their choice. We will leave it up to the discretion of the community manager(s) of the winning blog to decide how to choose the particular charity.

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Media Better Start Hyping Orlando...For Their Own Good

2010-03-18T23:14:25Z

A common thread among Magic fans over the past few years has been how the media always disrespects the team, and they believe this for good reason. I can think of no better example than last year's Nike commercials featuring LeBron James and Kobe Bryant puppets. It was a fantastic ad campaign and fun to watch. Unfortunately, its true success hinged on the two superstars meeting each other in the NBA finals. We all know what happened. And Nike, who probably had their best stuff saved up for June, never got to show it.

The sports media moguls are fans, just as we all are. They tend to focus on the historic teams with great pedigrees, like Boston and LA. They love King James because he is a marketing gold mine. In other words, he's interesting. So when you mention LeBron, people listen. They tune in. When you mention Orlando, Florida, people tune out. Or, so they think. And this is a conundrum they, themselves, have created.

Here's a newsflash for the bigwigs who create sports news: you had better start talking up the Orlando Magic. You had better start selling them. If you keep your blinders on and continue to ignore them, you will find yourself writing about a championship team that you never prepared your readers and listeners to appreciate. When they win, you will be forced to talk about them. Do you want to always come off sounding surprised? That isn't expert commentary. No, you will only help yourselves by building the same following for Orlando that you have tried to build for LA, Boston and Cleveland. They're here to stay. Get used to it. Howard is going nowhere for quite a long time, and Orlando has the luxury of continuing to improve the team around him.

Oklahoma City is fun to talk about, but they are a side-show. Timberwolves? Boring. Nike will never make a commercial featuring the Memphis Grizzlies, because the Grizzlies don't sell on the big stage.

And this is my point. The Grizzlies don't need to sell on the big stage, because they're not going to the big stage. The Magic are on the big stage now and their ownership intends for them to stay there.

Some reasons you should consider the Magic:

1. Cleveland has to rest James. Orlando doesn't have to rest anyone. In a 7 game series against the Magic, how will the Cavaliers' one-man show hold up? For the answer, see last year's result.

2. Orlando's offense ranks 8th in the NBA today. They were 11th last year. Their defense rates 2nd in points-per-possession, just behind Boston. Does anyone think Boston is a threat to Orlando in a series? Being old catches up to you quickly.

3. Orlando reached the finals last year and lost 4-1. However, two of those games were decided at the buzzer. But the Magic played without their all-star point-guard and Nelson is now playing at the same caliber that earned him all-star accolades last year.

4. Howard is better today than he was a year ago.

So wake up, NBA people. You don't want to spend all year marketing A and B, only to find yourselves trying to sell C when the customer finally shows up with his money. If you want your audience to tune in to this year's finals, then use your time wisely today telling them why they should want to watch Orlando play.

Look, I'm not saying the Orlando Magic are going to win the NBA Championship this year. I'm just saying you might want to give your audience a reason to tune in this summer, starting today.

Ball don't lie again speaks the truth

2010-03-18T16:57:03Z

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/The-Orlando-Magic-are-still-championship-worthy?urn=nba,228784#remaining-content

"Because while the game still goes inside out, and finding a good center is still the hardest thing to do in this league, the point guard position is as important as ever. And Nelson is this league's most pivotal X-factor, if you can handle the redundancy, and the Magic don't go over the top without him contributing steadily and efficiently.

They're the keys, and Nelson is the biggest question. But beyond that, you're still looking at a championship contender. Not some team that lucked into a fourth-round finish last year and not some squad going only as far as Dwight Howard takes them.

No, the Magic can win it all. They can down the Cavs, no worries, and force Derek Fisher (notes) into retirement if Nelson is on.

It has to be "on" for him, though. This team doesn't go anywhere without him."

Kelly Dwyer

How are things looking for the playoffs?

2010-03-17T09:21:57Z

So, sometimes I get bored and travel around to different SB Nation NBA blogs and see if they're saying anything about the Magic. Plus, I always think it's interesting to be an outsider looking in on their celebration or facepalms of their preferred teams. So, anyway back to my original point, I was on another teams website and they were discussing possible match-ups for their team. Most of the fans seem to be in consensus that the Cavs will be coming out of the East. So this got me to thinking...

Am I as a fan being delusional about our teams chance of coming out of the East? I personally think that we have a good chance. I mean, I know that we are going to have a fight on our hands with the Cavs, but I think that the Magic are fully capable of making it to the finals. I'm kind of a new fan to the whole NBA thing, so I don't really know how people acted last year towards the Magic. Were they more or less doubtful of the Magic and their ability of being a championship caliber team? I know the Magic are just focusing on the regular season right now, but I just wanted everyone's opinions about this. Be gentle on me if I'm asking a silly question, I'm just curious about what everyone else is thinking on the subject.

What is wrong with the ESPN analysts? and thoughts on a ECF rematch

2010-03-16T01:57:57Z

Tim Legler made his "Final Four" picks during the halftime of the Det vs Bos game. He picked the Lakers vs Dallas and Cleveland vs Boston. His reason for picking the Celtics? He said "I haven't seen from Atlanta and Orlando that they can perform at the brighest stage just yet." lol but he picked the Cavs to make it to the Finals...What's Lebron's series record in the ECF? 1-2? Zero Finals wins? Is it just me or does Legler not make any sense? It was the Magic who showed up and performed on the bright stage last year in the playoffs not the Cavs. Dwight was the Superstar carrying his team by the "Chosen One". Is anyone else sick of ESPN and their analysts? Legler's reason for overlooking the Celtics made absolutely no sense. I'd like to know what kind of credentials they require of their analysts. Do you just have to play in the NBA? Who are they going to hire next? Anthony Mason? Seriously I'm no expert and I may be a Magic fan but from the last two games that the Magic and Cavs have played, the Magic controlled both games for the most part. Cleveland had to rally at home to beat the Magic and they lost in Orlando. I honestly think Orlando has an excellent chance of knocking off the Cavs again. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Jameer and the bench are the difference makers in the series. It won't be Rashard, Vince or Dwight, I think Jamison and Shaq will play them evenly with Dwight having a slight advantage. I think Cleveland's weak link is the PG position, Mo has got to get shut down and the their bench is not better than the Magic bench. Cleveland's wildcard will be it's homecourt advantage and Lebron Stockton. If he's getting 10-15 assists a game then they'll be tought to beat so I think the Magic have to force Lebron to do everything just like last year. Any thoughts? Anyone want to vent and make fun of ESPN analysts like Legler and Jon? :)

A brief thought: third-string center for next year!

2010-03-11T21:22:49Z

This isn't going to be an in-depth post, because there aren't a lot of stats... it's just an idea I've had.

I think we can all agree that one of the main things Dwight struggles with on offense is larger/stronger big men. (Let's say... 280 pounds or heavier.) If he can't overpower his opponent, he often has trouble in the lane. This is true not only of talented defenders like Kendrick Perkins, but also of lesser players. (Witness his difficutlies with Aaron Gray in the Hornets game.)

I guess the question is, how often does he get to face that kind of opposition? In games, obviously -- some games. Maybe once a week, if that? And sometimes the large opponent is a backup, so they don't even play each other that frequently. We're talking maybe 20-30 minutes of game time a week. He simply doesn't log a lot of time against the guys.

On our team, we have Gortat and Foyle, two skilled defenders... but neither is an especially large/strong man for a center. So Dwight doesn't get a lot of systematic practice in breaking down 280+ lb. defenders.

But if we had a guy of that size on the team, Dwight could get as much practice as he liked. He could get that 20-30 minutes of game time every day in training camp. Even if it was a twelfth-man type of guy -- an Aaron Gray/DeSagana Diop kind of player -- this might do wonders for Dwight's moves against heavier opponents. Thoughts?

Looking forward to a potential matchup with the Celtics (if they get that far)

2010-03-11T17:44:35Z

Remember when Rasheed Wallace was telling everyone who'd listen before the season that the Celtics could challenge the bulls record 72 win season (Rasheed's prediction)?

They still have a decent record but are either barely beating bad teams lately, or losing to them. Anyone see the Memphis game last night? Down 29 at one point, at home, to the Grizzlies. They got booed. I went on the Celtics blog and the poll of the day is 'Can the Celts still win the championship?'. The winning choice was 'no we're done'. I don't think Nate Robinson can help.

Anyway this makes me happy we didn't get Rasheed, and that we're getting better as the season goes on. Lots to be thankful for. Also if the Magic's recent play continues, I think Stan should be up COTY again for getting Vince and the whole team to buy into his game plans and play together.

Ryan Anderson's Slump vs. Bass: A Shooting Efficiency Comparison

2010-03-10T09:31:09Z

It's no secret: in recent weeks, Ryan Anderson has shot extremely poorly from the field. This has opened up some playing time for Brandon Bass, who had looked largely disappointing in the early season. The theory is that, while Anderson is by a wide margin the stronger rebounder, and Bass has generally been seen as a greater liability on defense, his higher accuracy from the field might make up for those issues. But how do the statistics look?

First, Anderson. After going 3-6 today, Anderson has shot 14-46 (30.4%) since the beginning of February, and 5-21 (23.8%) from beyond the arc. He's 8-8 on free throws -- two of those 8 FTs came on and-ones. So Anderson's shooting has used up 49 possessions, and those possessions have yielded 41 points. Not great!

Bass, then: after going 4-7 today, he's 18-40 from the field (45%) in the same span. He's 9-10 in free throws (no and-ones), and thankfully, he hasn't shot any threes. So... 45 possessions used, 45 points. That's... slightly better than Anderson, but not game-breakingly so.

The fact is, Anderson and Bass are both inefficient from the field at this point, but Anderson has a clear path to drastic improvement. Bass is more or less doing what he's expected to do. And yet the difference between the two, even in the depths of Anderson's slump, is only 4 possessions + 4 points... Anderson doesn't need to play the way he did in November to be more efficient than Bass from the field. Just a slight improvement/recovery (or, depending on how you look at it, a couple lucky bounces) would put him over the top. That's the difference three-point range makes.

Two more statistics: first of all, Anderson has 5 assists in the surveyed time period. Bass' last assist came on January 13 vs. Denver. Admittedly, Anderson has more turnovers as well, but the impression that Bass rarely passes appears to be reflected in the stats...

...which brings me to the last point. Bass took his 40+5 shots in 109 minutes of total play -- that means that Bass attempted a shot/a pair of free throws every 2:25. Whereas Anderson took his 46+3 in 123 minutes: every 2:30. These are troublingly high usage rates for two bench guys who have been among our least effective players on offense. (Though Anderson at least has his efficiency earlier in the year as an excuse.)

And it points at another question: is the battle between Anderson and Bass for the rotation spot causing both of these players to hog the ball, so as to make a case for more playing time?

Could Otis & Dwight get LeBron to Orlando this summer?

2010-03-10T04:12:03Z

We are all familiar with the chatter about whether or not LeBron stays in Cleveland or hits the free agent market. Teams have cleared cap space to make a run at LBJ (and/or Dwayne Wade, Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh, etc.). Lately, commentators have questioned whether or not the teams that cleared out cap space can offer a roster that gives LeBron better pieces to contend for multiple championships than what he already has in Cleveland.

Secondly, in the comments on a recent thread erivera7 mentioned that JJ Redick could be resigned as the heir apparent at starting SG, but such a move would necessitate getting a premier wing at the SF position. Who is more premier at SF than LeBron James? No one. So, I got thinking about Otis and Dwight making a pitch to LeBron. And if LBJ wants to come play alongside Dwight and the other assembled pieces in Orlando, what kind of pitch would it take to Danny Ferry to get him to pull the trigger rather than just telling LeBron, "don't let the door hit you on the way out"?

So, let's say LeBron wants to play with the young, dominating big man, Dwight Howard, without state income tax, in a brand new arena, on a team put together for multiple championship runs with a serious/elite coach....that's already defending its Finals' title (okay, okay, that last one is still TBD).

To get LeBron, Otis ought to be willing to part with anyone not named Dwight. Right? This offer is pretty tilted for Cleveland, but this is LBJ, so in the final analysis, ORL gets the better package. Nonetheless, even with LeBron in the driver's seat as far as the Cavs, I'm leaning toward making it sweet for CLE to avoid losing the deal to one of the cap-cleared teams. With this, Danny Ferry doesn't end up looking like such a jerk, because (1) LeBron himself pushes the issue, and (2) the Cavs get something in return.....small consolation for setting up another team in the East for a dynasty. And, I recognize that one reason Ferry would not do this is that it would upset the "balance of power" in the East, but not significantly more than letting LeBron team up with Bosh, Wade, or Amare on one of the cap-cleared teams. Just throwing it out to get the OPP community's feedback.

Here's the package:

Take on Antawn Jamison's contract (I said it tilted toward CLE, didn't I?)
Vince Carter ($17.3M in 10/11, $4M buyout in 11/12)
$3M Cash towards the 11/12 buyout of Carter's contract (thus giving CLE one year of Carter instead of two years of Jamison)
Marcin Gortat (young, experienced defensive center/PNR player fills the hole left by the expirings of Shaq/Big Z)
Ryan Anderson (3-point shooting PF on a rookie salary....per36 numbers have been better than Rashard Lewis. I know few OPP faithful want to give up Ryan, but again, this is LeBron we're talking about.)
2010 1st round drafted player (CLE essentially recovers completely from the Jamison deal)
Potentially give TPEs (from the Hedo TPE) for Telfair or Gibson (prefer Gibson) AND Moon or Parker to get CLE out of their contracts. Cannot do Gibson + Moon since it is just over the total of the TPE, but the other combos work.

Essentially, Vince, Gortat, Anderson, 2010 1st, TPE for LeBron, Jamison, Telfair or Gibson, Parker or Moon

CLE saves another ~$4.5 million off the cap (giving them close to $10M for the summer, plus the TPEs) and has 6 expiring contracts for the summer of 2011 (marked with an "x" in the depth chart below).

CLE
Williams/Gibson
xCarter/xWest/xGreen
xJawad Williams/xMoon
Hickson/Anderson/xPowe
Gortat/Varajao (or Varajao/Gortat)

+ $10M Free Agent(s) & ORL's 1st round pick

ORL
Nelson/Williams (re-signed)/Telfair (or Gibson)
Redick (re-signed)/Parker (or Moon)
LeBron/Pietrus
Lewis/Jamison
Howard/Bass/vet 7ft'er

At this cost, if Barnes opts out, he'd have to be let go. Orlando goes deeper into the tax next year, but boy can they sell out the new arena and count on playoff ticket sales each year.

I know if this happened many would say we would have been better off just signing Hedo.

And, yes, I know it is a little early for off-season threads. Oh well. Wanted to get Otis thinking about this daydream early.

10-11 Black Magic Alternate Uniform?

2010-03-08T01:52:29Z

This is a question for BQR or Eddy. I just wanted to know if any of you two (or anyone else here) can shed some light on the rumors of a possible black alternate uniform for next season. I read on some other Magic blog that the reason why Orlando is sporting the old-school blacks pinstripes as a pre-lude to next season's uni? Anyone know if there is any truth to this?

2004-2010 Player Comparison Chart

2010-03-03T23:16:44Z

Hey Folks,

So I have been doing a lot of compiling stats lately and importing them into really useful and enjoyable to use Google Motion Charts. As I understand it via Ben at Blazersedge you folks, Ben and Eddy included are a bit of stat heads like us up here in rain country, and thought I would pass along this chart. It encompasses players that have compiled 15+ Poss/gm between 2004-2010, as you'll see the list of variables is pretty large. However the Default state for the chart I am linking to shows how Orlando players stack up from a value stand point. The size of the player bubble represents the salary a player earned during that year, the color of the bubble represents their number of years of service. The 2 Axis are PER rating, and Poss/gm.

Hope you all enjoy. Here is a bit of a tutorial image that I created to help you understand how to use these graphs.

Click through for Chart

Invisible Ninja

Modified playoff format

2010-03-03T20:11:16Z

1	Cleveland

		1	Cleveland
16	Houston

8	Utah			1	Cleveland

		8	Utah
9	Phoenix

5	Denver					4	Dallas

		5	Denver
12	Portland

4	Dallas			4	Dallas

		4	Dallas
13	Toronto

6	Atlanta
						Championship		3	Orlando
		11	San Antonio			Championship
11	San Antonio

3	Orlando			3	Orlando

		3	Orlando
14	Chicago

7	Boston					3	Orlando

		10	Oklahoma City
10	Oklahoma City

2	LA Lakers			2	LA Lakers

		2	LA Lakers
15	Milwaukee

Would the NBA playoffs be as entertaining if the NBA switched to a 1-16 format, best 16 teams get in regardless of Conference? Would it help or hurt the Orlando Magic this season? So, I went in and pulled the top 16 as of Today (March 3rd) and constructed a playoff chart.

Personal thoughts-

1-Orlando’s road got tougher

2-The 2nd round match-ups are highly entertaining

3-I would be in favor of a switch, no cake-walks if you are in an inferior division.

What are you thoughts? Would you be opposed to the change?

Poll

Would you change the current playoff format?

No, leave it alone

36 votes

Yes, 1-16 format

22 votes

Yes, but something different

10 votes

68 votes | Poll has closed

"Ball don't lie" speaks the truth about Jameer

2010-03-02T16:10:10Z

Here's the link from Kelly Dwyer

or here's what he said

"I didn't mean to start a little trend with this, but it's clear that Jameer Nelson is this league's most important non-star. When he's average, to me, the Magic don't quite approach the level of the league's top teams. When he's on? When he's playing All-Star level ball? The Magic are a championship favorite. Not contender, favorite. I've that much faith for a Magic team with two starters dropping respective 20 and 10s.

22 and 10 for Nelson in this win. Three straight 30-point (plus, actually) quarters for Orlando, who brought the D in the third quarter to turn this into a rout. Nearly 139 points per 100 possessions for the Magic. Goodness."

I was absent for a long time, so I'm wondering...

2010-02-18T15:02:58Z

Ok, I was absent from OPP, and I was following only Magic results, due to lack of time. Results were, well, you know it. They were ok. Now, since I missed a lot of info on individuals, I would like to know this:

What is general opinion on Magic chances this season at the OPP, assuming that all teams are healthy, ready and complete?

How far are we going?

1st, 2nd, Finals, all the way?

Thanks for the thoughts.

Jamison to Cavs: How does this affect the Magic?

2010-02-18T02:45:47Z

The Cavaliers have traded Ilgauskas' expiring contract for Antawn Jamison. On paper, this move has to make them more dangerous -- they get a legitimate no. 2 scorer to pair with LeBron James, and they've given up almost nothing to acquire him. But how does the deal work in detail? And how does it affect the way they stack up against Orlando?

First of all, this is great news for Cleveland's offense. Jamison is one of the top post scorers in the league -- a guy who can usually maneuver his way into a good shot with or without the ball. Unfortunately, none of our defensive PFs really have the ability to contain a player like Jamison all that well... Rashard is a decent defender, but not a dominant one, and the post is not his best area. So Howard may need to keep one eye on Jamison and another on his man. (And a third on LeBron.)

On the bright side, Jamison also spends a lot of time on the perimeter... he's a good perimeter scorer, but this fact may allow the Magic to reduce the amount of post pounding our PFs take, and give them the chance to run out and use their speed. With their slow-paced game and lack of frontcourt speed, the Cavs are potentially vulnerable in transition.

It's also not entirely clear how Jamison's post offense works in the context of Shaq. The more the big man clogs the lane, the less room Jamison has to maneuver. (Alternately: the threat of Shaq down low gives Jamison one more option -- passing in the post -- and ensures that the Magic can't double-team either. This could go either way, and will most likely go a little of both.)

Defense, though, may be a problem for the Cavs. They may get Ilgauskas back if Washington waives him, but right now, their big man rotation consists of Shaq, Jamison, Varejao and Hickson. Of the four, only Shaq is a natural center, and he can only play 25 minutes or so. (He may be able to increase that number in the finals, but still, I can't see Shaq managing more than 28-30 MPG.)

Where does that leave the Cavs during the rest of the time? Well, neither Hickson nor Jamison is a viable center. So we'll probably see Varejao guarding the center position a lot. This is a potentially exploitable matchup -- Varejao is of course the focal point of their interior defense, but he's too small to match up with Dwight, and will have to rely on flopping to draw offensive fouls. If that doesn't work, he may pick up fouls himself, which compounds the Magic's problems. Meanwhile, shifting Varejao to the 5 leaves Jamison (or Hickson) at the 4, which is a downgrade. So Rashard and Ryan may be able to step up on offense. (Though of course LeBron is a threat to them as well.)

The only other lineup possibility to discuss is that the Cavs might try playing Jamison at the 3. He's too slow to defend that position at this point, but SF is not a major offensive position for the Magic. If they do attempt this, it's up to Pietrus and Barnes to use their athletic gifts against him.

Ultimately, this trade undoubtedly makes the Cavs the front-runners for the title, at least for now. Jamison isn't a perfect player, but he's definitely the best teammate LeBron has ever had. But that doesn't mean they're a lock for the title. It seems unlikely that a veteran like Jamison would create any chemistry problems in the locker room, but a trade like this always raises the risk of on-court miscommunication, as they're now working with a player who has not played in their system before. The Magic need to keep an eye on the Cavs, and if Jamison isn't rotating properly within the team's schemes, they need to exploit that.

Lebron stopper?

2010-02-16T04:58:00Z

Now I know that nobody can stop Lebron on defense but i'm curious and I'd like to hear who everyone on here thinks guards Lebron James the best? I was looking for statistics but I wasn't successful. Is it Peitrus? lol judging by Lebron James' beastly numbers in th ECF I wouldn't think so. Gerald Wallace? They do own the Cavs. Any ideas or facts? It would be interesting to know who holds him to a low ppg avg.

If the Cavs get Amare, do the Magic stand pat or make a move?

2010-02-14T21:12:02Z

I read on various websites that the Cavs are closing in on dealing for Amare. What does everybody think, does it force the Magic to make a move to be able to compete with the Cavs? Do you think they shouldn't make any trades because the Magic still have the ability to compete with a Cavs team that adds Amare?

I think the Cavs getting Amare could turn out one of two ways, really really bad or really really good. There's no middle ground here in my opinion. If Amare plays no defense like in PHX and just clogs up the paint along with shaq it could force more jump shots from Lebron. We all saw how well Amare and Shaq worked out together in PHX, can those 2 and Lebron coincide? On the other hand if he stays healthy, plays defense and actually rebounds like if he's 6'10 then they are going to present a lot of mismatches. Just taking the Magic for example, Dwight will be occupied with Shaq, Rashard will have his hands full with Amare, and Barnes and Peitrus will have more than their work cut out for them with Lebron. The Magic would really have to pick their poison. I don't know enough about Amare's game other than he gets a lot of his points off of Nash's pick and rolls. So i'm looking for some insight as to what this trade could mean for the Magic if it does happen. Also, I haven't seen Stoudemire play much so I'm not sure if he can guard Lewis out at the 3 point line. Anyone know?

How important is PER?

2010-02-13T18:07:59Z

	Player	Age	G	MP	PER ?	TS%	eFG%
	Dwight Howard	24	54	1889	23.1	0.628	0.601
	Ryan Anderson	21	45	714	16.6	0.558	0.514
	Brandon Bass	24	30	387	16.3	0.551	0.521
	Vince Carter	33	47	1439	15.5	0.507	0.449
	J.J. Redick	25	54	1222	14.7	0.618	0.558
	Jason Williams	34	54	1218	14.5	0.582	0.569
	Rashard Lewis	30	44	1453	14.5	0.57	0.535
	Jameer Nelson	27	37	1029	13.7	0.523	0.488
	Matt Barnes	29	54	1364	13.1	0.559	0.522
	Marcin Gortat	25	53	695	12.4	0.535	0.514
	Anthony Johnson	35	25	369	11.9	0.528	0.485
	Mickael Pietrus	27	51	1206	11	0.539	0.523
Orlando	AVG	27.83	45.67	1082.08	14.78	0.56	0.52
	LeBron James	25	54	2098	31.5	0.612	0.552
	Anderson Var.	27	52	1536	15	0.581	0.553
	Mo Williams	27	43	1532	16.3	0.578	0.532
	Anthony Parker	34	54	1547	9.2	0.572	0.547
	Shaquille O'Neal	37	48	1109	18.1	0.563	0.559
	J.J. Hickson	21	54	1041	14.3	0.581	0.553
	Daniel Gibson	23	47	959	11.6	0.613	0.597
	Zydrunas Ilgauskas	34	53	1087	12.9	0.499	0.467
	Jamario Moon	29	40	719	12.6	0.556	0.515
	Delonte West	26	36	844	13.4	0.535	0.482
	Jawad Williams	26	29	362	10.4	0.516	0.481
	Danny Green	22	13	68	17.7	0.598	0.58
Cleveland	AVG	27.58	43.58	1075.17	15.25	0.57	0.53
	Al Horford	23	51	1780	18.4	0.599	0.564
	Josh Smith	24	51	1736	21.7	0.543	0.511
	Joe Johnson	28	51	1927	19.5	0.542	0.508
	Jamal Crawford	29	50	1526	19	0.583	0.534
	Marvin Williams	23	50	1489	13.3	0.535	0.48
	Mike Bibby	31	51	1393	13	0.525	0.498
	Maurice Evans	31	50	767	11.6	0.532	0.505
	Zaza Pachulia	25	47	651	11.6	0.519	0.466
	Joe Smith	34	38	344	10.5	0.445	0.393
	Randolph Morris	24	22	103	15	0.569	0.528
	Jeff Teague	21	45	436	9.7	0.408	0.356
	Mario West	25	12	57	8.9	0.539	0.5
Atlanta	AVG	26.50	43.17	1017.42	14.35	0.53	0.49
	Player	Age	G	MP	PER	TS%	eFG%
	Rajon Rondo	23	49	1807	20.1	0.555	0.54
	Paul Pierce	32	43	1528	18.1	0.625	0.546
	Kevin Garnett	33	39	1195	19.3	0.581	0.536
	Ray Allen	34	49	1798	13.9	0.568	0.515
	Kendrick Perkins	25	50	1429	15.6	0.624	0.614
	Rasheed Wallace	35	47	1116	14.1	0.511	0.483
	Eddie House	31	49	830	11.9	0.522	0.494
	Shelden Williams	26	34	431	12.4	0.589	0.488
	Tony Allen	28	29	570	13.8	0.55	0.519
	Marquis Daniels	29	21	424	11.3	0.521	0.509
	Glen Davis	24	22	367	12.3	0.515	0.455
	Brian Scalabrine	31	39	383	3.9	0.458	0.446
Boston	AVG	29.25	39.25	989.83	13.89	0.55	0.51
	Gerald Wallace	27	49	2068	18.7	0.585	0.509
	Raymond Felton	25	50	1631	15	0.522	0.491
	Stephen Jackson	31	42	1704	16.9	0.531	0.481
	Nazr Mohammed	32	51	883	21.5	0.597	0.573
	Boris Diaw	27	51	1796	11	0.528	0.502
	D.J. Augustin	22	49	895	10.3	0.503	0.452
	Derrick Brown	22	38	458	13.5	0.524	0.485
	Ronald Murray	30	45	975	11.8	0.485	0.44
	Tyson Chandler	27	27	665	9.6	0.579	0.504
	Stephen Graham	27	42	460	9.5	0.511	0.481
	DeSagana Diop	28	26	257	8.4	0.517	0.556
	Raja Bell	33	5	157	13.1	0.533	0.518
	Gerald Henderson	22	28	220	9	0.456	0.375
Charlotte	AVG	27.17	37.83	841.75	12.47	0.52	0.49

All data is from http://www.basketball-reference.com/

I decide to take a look at the PER of the top 4 teams in the East, I also included the popular playoff upset pick the Charlotte Bobcats.

What I discovered? That PER has high correlation with a team’s overall success, if you players perform the team performs.

Orlando- Is very balanced team, lead by Dwight’s 23.1 rating. They have 4 players over the league average, set by Hollinger (tied for 2nd in the East), and 7 players over 14 making them 1st in the East. Overall PER 14.78-2nd in the East.

Cleveland-is a top Heavy team, led by the best player in basketball Lebron James and his 31.5 rating. They have 4 players over the league average, set by Hollinger (tied for 2nd in the East) and 5 players over 14. Overall PER 15.25-1st in the East.

Atlanta-is a team driven by its Top 4 players-Smith-21.7, Johnson 19.5, Crawford 19, and Horford 18.4. They have 5 players over the league average, set by Hollinger(1st in the East) and 5 players over 14. Overall PER 14.35 3RD in the East.

Boston-is a balanced team led by their All-Star PG Rajon Rondo 20.1. They have 4 players over the league average, set by Hollinger (tied for 2nd in the East) and 5 players over 14. Overall PER is 13.89.

Charlotte-is a team driven by their starting 5, leading the team in PER is Nazr Mohammed 21.5 PER. They have 4 players over the set league average, set by Hollinger (tied for 2nd in the East). Overall PER is 12.47.

Orlando to me has the best chance to come out of the East, they have Dwight Howard, 2nd in the East in PER, and the most balance with 7 players with a rating of 14 or greater. Orlando needs moe production from its starting 5, their 2nd and 3rd highest rated players are bench players, and they behind their highest paid player..

Why is Cleveland a threat? They have the best player in the league and he makes everyone better, Its Lebron or bust. You let Lebron does his thing and contain the rest.

Why is Atlanta a threat? They have 3 highly effective starters and the leading candidate for 6th man of the year candidate. They are team driven by the players from 1-6-- They are young, hungry, and very athletic. Orlando needs to go D12 early often to beat them, you get them in foul trouble, and they are vulnerable. Orlando has the better player and the better overall team from 1-10.

Why is Boston a threat? Experience, they know how to win, and their best player is PG, which Orlando struggles to guard. Positives for Boston, they have a couple of players that can defend our best player, minuses for Boston, they are getting old, and it shows. I am interest to see how they look after they trade Ray Allen.

Why is Charlotte a threat? They really aren’t a threat. They play good D and they are well coached, but they aren’t very deep or talented. In a 7 games series the better team wins 90% of the time, Orlando is clearly the better team.

Let me know what you think?

Looking for a wing sharpshooter

2010-02-12T13:31:26Z

Since speculative trades are a significant hobby around here, and there's criticism about the offensive prowess of our small forwards, I decided to look briefly at who's a better long-range shooter than our current pair, and what it would take in purely contract-balancing terms to get each of those players. I don't have enough of an ear to the ground to know what various teams are looking for. Some guys are just flat out untradeable, though, so I won't even bother with star players on rival teams. They'll just get a "Next."

Mickael Pietrus, surprisingly enough, is the 13th-best three-point shooting small forward by shooting percentage. The better SFs are:

1. Jared Dudley, Phoenix. Dudley makes almost nothing by NBA standards. Money wise, we could either trade Ryan Anderson straight up or Anthony Johnson for Dudley and bench-warmer Taylor Griffin. The first wouldn't make sense for Orlando, the second wouldn't make sense for Phoenix.

2. Paul Pierce, Boston. Next.

3. Ryan Gomes, Minnesota. A decent player signed to a team that isn't going anywhere. Again looking money wise, Brandon Bass for Gomes would work. Given that they have Love, I don't know if it would be considered.

4. Ron Artest, Los Angeles. Next.

5. Peja Stojakovic, New Orleans. Good grief, he's overpaid. It would take something along the lines of Brandon Bass and Anthony Johnson and Mickael Pietrus to balance salaries.

6. Omri Casspi, Sacramento. I don't think the Kings are interested in trading him, but they have cap space that would allow a Casspi for Johnson trade to work.

7. Hedo Turkoglu, Toronto. Irony, thy name is Turk. Bass + Pietrus would fit salary-wise, but I can't see this happening. I'd laugh my head off while cussing out Otis if we took on his contract.

8. Carmelo Anthony, Denver. Next.

9. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City. Next.

10. Donte Greene, Sacramento. Seriously, Sacramento has two of the top ten long-range sharpshooting SFs. Greene's even less expensive than Casspi, and can also be had for Johnson's expiring contract.

11. Martell Webster, Portland. Brandon Bass' contract is roughly equivalent to Webster's, and he's more than just a sniper.

12. LeBron James, Cleveland. Um. Next, I guess, but we're out of guys that shoot from long range better than Pietrus.

Barnes is "only" 24th in the league at SF for three-point shooting. I won't go into trades for each of the players between Peaches and Matt Barnes, but they are:

Trade: Gortat for Collison

2010-02-09T19:01:53Z

Collison is never going to play, once Chris Paul comes back, so I think he could be had if the right pieces are offered.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yhqt286

ORL:

Incoming: Darren Collison, James Posey

Outgoing: Marcin Gortat, Anthony Johnson, Adonal Foyle

Why they do it: Simple, they get a great young point guard to sure up the second unit. They take on Pose's crappy contract, but hey, you have to give to get. Also, Posey could be a nice situational piece in SVG's offense. Plus, I would think that Foyle gets bought out and returns to Orlando to continue his role as a good locker room guy.

NOR:

Incoming: Marcin Gortat, Anthony Johnson, Adonal Foyle (probably bought out)

Outgoing: Daren Collison, James Posey

Why they do it: Gortat is a great value. By getting him, they can trade Okafor's bad contract to get cap relief. Also, they get more relief by shedding Posey's awful contract. They need to get something for Collison, since his talents will be waste for years if he stays in New Orleans.

Sound like a winner?