SB Nation - Jeremy Richardson

Replacing Estimates of Magic 08-09 Stats With Real Ones

jonnichols — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:15:09 -0000

Some of the best stats out there, ones that most fans familiar with advanced stats know about, are actually based on estimates using box score data. For example, when we calculate Marcin Gortat's Offensive Rebound Rate, we're trying to determine what percentage of available offensive rebounds he collected while he was on the court. However, we don't really know how many rebounds were available. We have to estimate based on how things usually go for the Magic and their opponents, and assign a portion of that to Gortat.

Using box score data, that's the best we can do. But we also have play-by-play data, and we don't have to estimate. We (actually, a programming script) can go through the hundreds of thousands of recorded plays from the NBA 08-09 season, and find how many of those resulted in offensive rebound opportunities for Gortat. From there we just total how many offensive boards he had, and divide that by the number of available ones.

This method removes some of the guessing game, and the results of this method on various stats for the Magic will be discussed today. For a full explanation of how everything works, I will refer you to the article I wrote over at Basketball-Statistics.com last Thursday, which is here. Let's start by comparing the estimated rebound rates to the actual ones, as calculated from the play-by-play data, after the jump...

We can see that the estimates are pretty darn close. Amazingly, though, Dwight Howard is an even better rebounder than we thought (by 0.3%). Gortat's offensive rebounding may have been slightly overestimated, but his defensive rebounding was underestimated. The biggest differences were for Keith Bogans and Rafer Alston, who were actually not rebounding as well as we thought.

Now let's move on to some stuff for the little guys. Here are the comparisons for assists and steals:

Jameer Nelson's Assist Rate may have been inflated, while Anthony Johnson didn't receive enough credit. When we use the play-by-play data instead of the estimates, the difference between the two shrinks from 10.9% to 7%. My play-by-play steal rates are slightly lower for every player, and that may have something to do with differences in the way I calculated possessions.

Finally, let's look at blocks and usage rate:

Again, we see that each player's PBP data is less than his estimated data. This is not a Magic-only thing. The reason for this difference is again due to different calculations. Block percentage is normally calculated as the percentage of opponents' two-point attempts that were blocked by the player in question. My calculations counted three-point attempts as well. I feel that this way is more appropriate because, even though it's rare, three-pointers do get blocked. With usage rates, we again see that the estimates were actually pretty close to the real thing.

Because the differences between the estimates and the play-by-play data are usually small, this information may seem trivial. In many ways, it is. However, it's nice to get that warm fuzzy feeling when you know the numbers you're looking at are thoroughly calculated instead of just estimations.

What, does nobody else get that feeling?

Otis Smith Explains the Orlando Magic's Busy Offseason to Brian Schmitz

Ben Q Rock — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:42:05 -0000

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel conducted this interview with Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith regarding the myriad changes the club has made this offseason. Six players who were members of the roster that made it to the NBA Finals last season--Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, Courtney Lee, Tyronn Lue, Jeremy Richardson, and Hedo Turkoglu--have moved on, while five new players--Ryan Anderson, Matt Barnes, Brandon Bass, Vince Carter, and Jason Williams, have come aboard. The whole interview is well worth reading, but these portions in particular stood out to me (brackets Schmitz's):

Q: You've been a 3-point shooting club that was hurt by the Lakers' size and length in the Finals. Have the changes made you a sounder playoff team?

A: We're more versatile in that we can play different ways. We couldn't really play big and strong, but I think Brandon [Bass] gives us a different look. Ryan [Anderson] gives us a different look. What we'll look like is a totally different team at different times.

It's not the same team , but we're always going to play similar because Dwight [Howard] is still our big guy in the middle. He still draws double teams and we'll still encourage guys to take the 3.

Bass is a traditional power forward who is nonetheless an upgrade over Tony Battie, who manned that position last year. The addition of Anderson, and his three-point range, gives the Magic the floor-spreading reserve power forward they hoped Brian Cook would have been; they wound up unloading the underachieving Cook in the three-team trade which netted them Rafer Alston at last year's trading deadline. Anderson is, however, more than a three-point specialist, with a fairly sophisticated offensive repertoire, one that might eventually rival Rashard Lewis'. He might be the Magic's most intriguing addition, given his age (21) and skill-set.

Q: Other than an all-star resume, what does Carter give you that Turk did not?

A: I thought my core guys needed to be able to walk into a gym and see Vince Carter shooting at the other end and say, 'Now we got help. Now we got a guy who can do it.' I thought that was as big for their psyches as anything else.

This sentiment echoes one Stan Van Gundy made at Carter's introductory press conference about proving to the players management's commitment to winning.

After the jump, more excerpts and commentary from Schmitz's interview.

Q: You have your core group with Dwight, Rashard and a now healthy Jameer Nelson. You also, surprisingly, decided that Gortat would be part of that group, even though he hardly plays behind Dwight. Don't you at some point trade Gortat for another piece to get out from under his contract?

A: I know maybe on paper, and in theory, it makes sense. That's the history of the league, but we're trying to build a championship team and March is part of that. You'd only trade him because you're looking to get better or you have a need; you don't trade him because you are looking to get out from under the money.

We think with Marcin it's like, 'Break glass in case of emergency.' We didn't know if we needed a Rafer Alston last year, but we had a need [after Nelson's injury] and we were able to fill a need [with a trade].

Magic fans have speculated all summer about Gortat's future with the team. He'll be a great trade chip eventually, but his base-year-compensation status will make him difficult to deal this season. However, it certainly sounds like Otis isn't opposed to moving him for the right package.

Q: Lewis will miss the first 10 games because of his suspension. How will that affect a team trying to put together new pieces?

A: I think it's a blessing. Sometimes there's a silver lining. You get to see guys play extended minutes who normally would not.

Is there any doubt he's referring to Anderson in this instance?

NBA.com's Orlando Magic Highlight Reel

Ben Q Rock — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:35:43 -0000

NBA.com brings you the top 10 plays of the Orlando Magic's 2008/09 season:

There are a few surprises:

such as Hedo Turkoglu's game-winning three-pointer in Game 3 against Philadelphia ranking ahead of Rashard Lewis' go-ahead three-pointer in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Cleveland.
13th man Jeremy Richardson (1 appearance) figures more prominently than All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson (0 appearances).
Backup point guard Anthony Johnson shows up twice, with two devastating dunks.

Which play from the list was your favorite? Which plays did the NBA wrongly omit?

Tyronn Lue Declines PAOK's Offer, Wants to Stay in NBA

Ben Q Rock — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:58:49 -0000

by Fernando Medina - NBAE/Getty Images

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Contradicting yesterday's report, Orlando Magic free-agent point guard Tyronn Lue will not sign with PAOK (hat tip: SLAM). The 11-year veteran would prefer to stay in the NBA.

For whatever reason, I don't think he'll have too much trouble finding a job. A move to Boston would make the most sense, because the Celtics have--in Rajon Rondo--just one true point guard. Additionally, Lue is good friends with star Celtics forward Kevin Garnett. The Philadelphia 76ers are another team that might be interested in a steady, veteran presence behind new starter Louis Williams and rookie Jrue Holliday.

No matter where he winds up, Lue will indeed be the last Magic free-agent domino to drop. They re-signed Adonal Foyle and matched Dallas' offer sheet to Marcin Gortat, while allowing Hedo Turkoglu (Toronto) and Jeremy Richardson (Aris Thessaloniki) to ply their trades elsewhere.

Ridiculous Transactions: 8/8-8/14

Jon L — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 14:00:11 -0000

The big transaction news this week was Jeremy Tyler finally landing with an overseas team. (via oregonlive.com)

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Time again for Ridiculous Transactions, where we take a look at some of the signings, trades, and cuts from the past week involving D-League players and some others who may not (or may) be in the NBA. Some of these moves are also discussed during the week, but this is a way to make sure we cover what we need to cover, and hopefully take a larger view on some of these moves (and, truthfully, recurring features are always good in a what-should-I-write-about-today sort of way).

August 10: Jeremy Richardson - signed with Aris BSA (Greece); Kaniel Dickens - signed with SLUC Nancy (France)

Aris also signed Ira Newble, but I'm a little less interested in that. Neither Richardson nor Dickens have played in the D-League for a few years, but depending on what they want to do with their careers both could potentially end up back in the U.S., I would guess. Richardson is a solid scorer, and he's gotten several NBA looks, including a dozen or so games with Orlando last year. Dickens is maybe less likely to make the NBA again, as he's 31 now and has a pretty good skill-set to play in Europe, but he's played a bit for Cleveland and if that team loves one thing it's guys they've heard of.

August 11: Linas Kleiza - signed with Olympiacos Piraeus (Greece)

If I can step over and talk about the NBA for a little bit here, Kleiza going to play in Greece combined with the Sonny Weems trade (which is how I'm referring to it) means that a lot will be on JR Smith this year. Sure the Nuggets signed Arron Afflalo, but that was largely for his defense, and while he improved as a shooter last season he's still not a big scorer. Denver's bench scoring took two hits with Weems leaving town and Kleiza leaving the country, so as the roster stands right now, this is the year JR Smith needs to really put everything together.

August 13: Jeremy Tyler - signed with Maccabi Haifa (Israel)

We've touched on this already, but I'll add that Haifa will play in the Israeli Super League last season for the first time in about a decade, so Tyler will face better competition than he could have (and indeed, I wonder if this was a selling point/reason Vaccaro picked them). I still wonder how much playing time Tyler will end up getting, as last year their starting center was Ido Kozikaro, who also plays on the Israeli national team, and I would imagine he'll start again this year. They also have former Division III Player of the Year Ben Strong and Davon Jefferson, who came out of college too early in 2008 but who was a very good high school player. The bottom line is, Haifa has guys who can play already, and now that they're back in the Super League I'm not sure they'll want to spend the time helping Tyler develop his game. I guess we'll see how this goes.

August 14: Josh Shipp - signed with Izmir (Turkey); Houston Rockets - signed with Chase Budinger; Utah Flash - signed head coach Brad Jones to a one-year contract extension; Reno Bighorns - retained Jay Humphries as head coach.

Shipp went undrafted in this year's NBA Draft but landed on Chicago's Summer League team, and while he shot the ball pretty poorly (.192 overall), he occasionally showed some rebounding ability. Plus, I can tell you that Izmir's really nice (they have really good oranges, olives and cucumbers), though going from living in Los Angeles (Shipp went to UCLA) to a small mountain town will be...different. Budinger played a fair amount in Summer League, and can definitely score, though he doesn't contribute much else at this point. Don't be surprised if he ends up with teh Vipers for a stretch or two this season, as Houston's practically swimming in forwards.

As for the coaches, I thought Jones did a good job last year, managing several NBA assignees and using them to help the Flash reach the D-League finals, so this wasn't really a surprise. I think Humphries is a solid coach as well, a former NBA player and assistant under Mike D'Antoni in Phoenix. Reno just missed the playoffs last year, but if they had Rod Benson for the whole season they could've made it in.

Jeremy Richardson Signs with Aris Thessaloniki

Ben Q Rock — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 20:44:05 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

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Add free-agent small forward Jeremy Richardson to the list of Orlando Magic summer-league players who have signed with other teams. Richardson, who appeared in 12 games last season for the Magic, signed with Aris Thessaloniki today.

Richardson earned a spot on Orlando's roster last season due to his ability to score, and spent virtually all of last season as Orlando's 15th man, disappearing briefly after the club waived him in December, only to re-sign him five days later. He is perhaps best known among Magic fans for hitting Orlando's NBA record-breaking 23rd three-pointer in a game against Sacramento last January.

Orlando had little need for Richardson this coming season, as it boasts four players (Matt Barnes, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, and Mickael Pietrus) on its roster who can play his position. Further, general manager Otis Smith has deemed signing a third-string point guard and another big man his next priorities. If the Magic decide to carry a 14th player this season--and they very well might not--it could be a wing player such as Richardson. But right now, he's simply not a priority.

Best wishes to Jeremy as he looks to establish himself overseas.

Reviewing Orlando Magic Players' Performance in the 2009 Orlando Pro Summer League

Ben Q Rock — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:00:18 -0000

Another Orlando Pro Summer League is in the books, and the host Orlando Magic finished the week with a 2-3 record. The Magic have several roster spots to fill on the big-league team, and must fill those spots with a limited budget. Undrafted rookies, free-agents, and veterans of international ball--in other words, players who fit the Magic's said limited budget--made their cases for inclusion on the opening-night roster.

After the jump, 3QC breaks down the chances each player has of earning an invitation to training camp.

First, a look at each player's per-game statistics. They're sorted in descending order by total minutes played, in order to show which players got the longest looks from the team.

Pos.	Name	Mins	Pts	Rebs	Asts	Stls	Blks	FG%	3FG%	FT%
PF	Ryan Anderson	31	21.4	9.4	2.0	1.0	1.0	49.3%	41.4%	92.0%
SF	Kasib Powell	34	14.8	5.8	2.0	1.0	0.8	46.0%	52.9%	44.4%
PG	Russell Robinson	22	6.6	1.4	3.6	1.0	0.2	38.5%	28.6%	91.7%
SG	Maurice Ager	19	8.0	1.4	1.4	0.6	0.2	37.5%	28.6%	60.9%
PF/C	Richard Hendrix	23	9.8	7.3	0.8	0.3	1.8	56.0%	100.0%	66.7%
PG	Brian Chase	26	12.7	4.0	2.7	0.3	0.0	55.6%	75.0%	66.7%
SF	Jeremy Richardson	26	12.0	5.7	0.3	1.0	0.0	35.1%	15.4%	88.9%
PF/C	Darian Townes	15	3.6	3.6	0.0	0.0	0.2	34.8%		40.0%
SG	Courtney Fells	18	2.7	2.7	0.7	1.0	0.3	14.3%	22.2%
C	Lance Allred	10	1.4	2.8	0.8	0.0	0.0	27.3%		50.0%
PG	Jeremy Pargo	18	4.0	1.5	1.5	1.5	0.0	33.3%	0.0%
PG	Levance Fields	13	4.5	1.0	2.5	0.5	0.0	36.5%	25.0%	0.0%
C	Stevan Milosevic	8	2.0	1.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	66.7%
PF	C.J. Giles	5	2.0	3.0	0.0	2.0	0.0	50.0%

It's pretty easy to stratify the players from there.

The Sure Thing

Ryan Anderson will make the final roster, and would have regardless of how well he played in camp, because he's the only player here with a guaranteed contract. Orlando wouldn't surrender Courtney Lee to the New Jersey Nets as part of the deal for Vince Carter were Anderson not included. But even if all that weren't the case--if he were scrapping just like everyone else--he would have assured a roster spot with his play this week. He was the best player on the floor most of the time, and displayed some admirable versatility. Catch-and-shoot, pick-and-pop? Sure, that's what he did in New Jersey. But he added some strong drives to the basket, and did some work on the offensive glass. In the regular season, he'll revert to catch-and-shoot/pick-and-pop action, but he's developing an all-around game for the long haul. At 21, he could be in Orlando for quite some time.

The Likely Camp Invitees

Kasib Powell, too, looked like an all-around player. He struggles to finish near the basket, but he's a solid jump-shooter, with a better handle than at least one small forward on Orlando's roster. At 28, he has limited upside, but he's a smart player who works hard. There might be a spot at the end of Orlando's bench for him. Given his play this week, and given his familiarity with the organization--he went to training camp with the Magic in 2006--there's a darn good chance he'll go camping with them again this year.
Russell Robinson's shooting and scoring stats won't impress you, but his ability to run a team might. He turned the ball over 6 times in 109 minutes, coordinated the offense, and made smart plays. Defensively, he pressures the ball well. Coach Stan Van Gundy went out of the way to compliment Robinson after camp, and it appears as though the Magic will use their remaining free-agency dollars to address needs at small forward and at center. Maybe they'll take a flier on Robinson, hoping the 23-year-old can fill-in as their third point guard this year, and maybe develop into a backup down the line.
Richard Hendrix is neither tall nor athletic. That did not stop him from fairly quietly posting impressive numbers at both power positions or Orlando this week. He's not much of a shot creator or jump-shooter--regardless of the made three-pointer, at the end of a quarter, off a designed play-- but as a garbageman, he's efficient. Defensively, he holds his own, and has good-but-not-great instincts as a shot-blocker. The Magic could do worse than to fill their 6th big-man spot with Hendrix.
Jeremy Richardson's week ended due to a sore right foot, so his minutes played and per-game stats skew unfavorably. I thought he played better than his 35.1% shooting would suggest. Don't get hung up on his poor three-point shooting; if there's one thing he's proven in his brief NBA career, it's that he can hit the three-ball, with a career 38.5% mark from beyond the arc. His woeful percentage inside it has held him back, so to see him make almost half of his two-pointers? It's progress. He expects to sign soon, and I'm inclined to take his word for it.

The Possible Camp Invitees

Maurice Ager might have been the most vocal Magic player, in terms of yelling in either exuberance or frustration. He plays hard, and we can't fault him for that. But in 78 NBA games over 3 seasons, he's been just awful. He's a scoring specialist who doesn't score efficiently. So why might he make the Magic's camp roster? It's only someone else's hunch: one media member at RDV this week said Ager and his agent wouldn't have chosen to join Orlando's summer-league team without some sort of "wink/nod" agreement with GM Otis Smith.
Brian Chase elevated himself from "Everyone Else" to "Possible Camp Invitee" status with his play on Friday. On the court for the final 31 minutes after Robinson started, he put on a clinic against the Pacers. 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, with 1-of-1 from downtown. He's quick, he can finish, and he has a nice handle. What he isn't, however, is a playmaker. But sure, he can make a professional career out of being a scoring guard. Professionally in Europe, in all likelihood.

The Wildcard

Milovan Rakovic didn't play a single minute this week, apparently due to a paperwork/clearance issue. The Magic might want to see how their 2006 second-rounder performs in their own camp, if that paperwork is resolved. The more likely result is that Rakovic will spend another year with Spartak Saint Petersburg, and Orlando will take another look at him next summer.

Everyone Else

Lance Allred was a step slower than his contemporaries all week, didn't rebound or defend especially well, and didn't do much besides hit some elbow jumpers. On the plus side, he's the only published author on the Magic's summer roster.
Courtney Fells did not meet a shot attempt he didn't like. 3-of-21 shooting, 2-of-9 from three-point range, no free throw attempts, and as many turnovers as points (8). He sure can jump, though.
Levance Fields played reasonably well in limited minutes--if we're honest, he's a cut above the other players in this section--but Robinson and Chase outperformed him. He'll catch on somewhere overseas and might get another opportunity in the NBA next season.
C.J. Giles appeared in one game, for 5 minutes. Not to be too glib, but that's about all you need to know about his chances of making the team.
Stevan Milosevic is a big guy, and that might be the extent of his positives, in terms of NBA potential. He was involved in arguably the two most embarrassing plays of camp: the Celtics' J.R. Giddens threw down a vicious tomahawk dunk on him on Wednesday. Later in the week, he made an impressive spin around Pacers center Scott Vander Meer, had a wide-open look to the basket... and airballed the layup. He threw the ball straight up in the air. One of the more spectacular misses in summer-league history. I hate to rip the guy, because he tried his best, but his best isn't going to get it done in the NBA.
Jeremy Pargo hardly played this week, and in limited minutes, did not do much to distinguish himself as a better shoot-first point guard prospect than Chase did.
Darian Townes started at center in 3 of the 5 games, but usually gave way to Hendrix in crunch-time situations. Defenders block his shot all too easily, even at the rim, which helps to explain his 34.8% shooting despite hardly taking any jumpers, that I can recall. There's room for a few offensive zeroes in the NBA--think Chuck Hayes--but they have to be able to do something else extremely well. Hayes, for instance, is one of the league's best post defenders despite standing only 6'06". Townes didn't distinguish himself as a rebounder, defender, or shot-blocker.

Okay, that's out of the way.

So, 3QCers, who would you like to see invited to Orlando's training camp in the fall?

Jeremy Richardson Expects to Sign with Orlando Magic; Don't Hold Your Breath on Fran Vazquez

Ben Q Rock — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:11:41 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

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Two updates on the Orlando Magic's search for people to round out their bare roster, courtesy of Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel:

First, swingman Jeremy Richardson, who spent almost all of last season at the end of Orlando's bench, told Robbins he expects to sign with the Magic soon:

One guy who might fill out the roster is Jeremy Richardson, a guard/forward who played in 12 games last season. Richardson said he expects to sign a contract with the Magic in the coming days.

Richardson averaged 3.1 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in Orlando last year. He shot 28.6% from the field overall, but a respectable 35.3% from three-point range. In 44 minutes of summer-league play this week, he's scored 20 points on 8-of-24 from the field and 1-of-7 from long range. In other words, he doesn't figure to play many minutes even if he does sign with Orlando.

Second, former Magic lottery selection Fran Vazquez will not join the team this season, Orlando GM Otis Smith told Robbins. Vazquez has another year on his contract with is European team, so the earliest he can sign with the Magic is next summer, which is a full 5 years after Orlando drafted him 11th overall.

Orlando Pro Summer League: Orlando Magic 85, Boston Celtics 82

Ben Q Rock — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:52:14 -0000

In a surprisingly well-played game on both sides, the Orlando Magic defeated the Boston Celtics, 85-82, thanks in large part to Ryan Anderson's 33 points and 14 boards. The Magic trailed by 6 at the end of three periods but rallied to win in the fourth. It wasn't easy, as Boston's J.R. Giddens had a chance to send the game to overtime at the buzzer, after the Celtics stole an Orlando inbounds pass, but his trey rattled around and out. In what may have been a mock show of frustration, he screamed and fell to the floor as the other players exited the floor.

Clearly, Orlando played much better today than it did yesterday, albeit against less impressive competition. Better ball movement, better focus, better shooting... really, the Magic didn't do anything worse than they did yesterday. They're building some momentum, which is encouraging. Also encouraging? Anderson. There's some concern--perhaps not in the Magic organization, but among the fans--that he's little more than a standstill shooter. I'd like to go ahead and refute that right now. Anderson aggressively took the ball to the basket today, and finished strong inside once he got to the rim. 9-of-13 on two-pointers for Anderson, who sank both of his three-point attempts.

Rebounds? Split evenly, 7 on either side of the ball. His tip-in after Darian Townes missed two free throws gave the Magic a 78-72 lead late in the game. That play seemed to energize the team, to some extent.

After the jump, an assessment of every other Magic player.

Maurice Ager continued his active, aggressive play on both ends of the court. The difference? Today, he was simply more effective. In 17 minutes off the bench, he contributed 10 points and 4 assists, and showed a willingness to keep the ball moving. Now this is a guy who made a name for himself as a scorer in college, but who hasn't earned a consistent job in the NBA precisely because he can't score. So it was interesting to see him work as a facilitator of sorts.
Lance Allred again played sparingly--just 4:37--so his chances of making the team don't look great at this point. With that said, he made his only shot of the day, an 18-footer from near the top of the key, Tony Battie-style.
Courtney Fells, who did not play in the first game, saw 16 minutes of action today. Unfortunately, he didn't do much with it. The 6'06" shooting guard looked for his offense early and often. He might still be looking for it. No points on 0-of-8 shooting, with 4 boards, for Fells. That's a summer-league linescore if I've ever seen one.
Levance Fields, who also did not play yesterday, saw 9 minutes of the court today. 2 points, 1 assist, and 1-of-4 shooting. Not much to see here.
Stevan Milosevic started at center after being ruled out of yesterday's contest due to a FIBA paperwork problem. Unfortunately, he didn't look too great today. He fits the stereotype of most European stiffs: big, not especially quick, and robotic on both ends of the court. 5 fouls and 5 turnovers for the 7-footer, who also contributed 4 points and 2 boards.
Kasib Powell looked like end-of-an-NBA-bench material today, and I mean that as a compliment. He probably belongs in the league. No minutes yesterday. Today? Starting at the 3, and playing nearly the entire game. He's the prototypical small forward, in my mind: he can shoot, he can create off the dribble, he can defend, and he's unselfish. 15 points, 2 boards, 2 assists. Not bad.
Jeremy Richardson managed only 9:07 on the court today, and was apparently injured early in the game, visibly limping when he left in the second period. He returned to the bench sometime during the third period wearing street clothes. He managed to take 5 shots in those 9 minutes though. A trooper, he is.
Russell Robinson impressed most people in attendance with his ability to run the team. The 23-year-old point guard takes what the defense gives him, makes good passes, and generally knows what the heck he's doing. It's not hard to imagine him as the Magic's third-string point guard this year. His defense is good, too. Applies pressure to the ball without gambling, pesters people, and draws offensive fouls. He's well-schooled in the Allen Iverson Method of Drawing Moving Screens, by running into the screener and taking a bit of a dive. Twice today, he did that, and he also flopped a bit on a Magic inbounds pass near the end of the game which drew an away-from-the-ball foul on Celtics rookie Lester Hudson. If you're watching the rest of this week's games at home, keep an eye on this man. You may be impressed.
Darian Townes had another quietly effective game, with 10 points and 7 rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.
DNP - CDs: Brian Chase, C.J. Giles, Richard Hendrix, Jeremy Pargo, and Milovan Rakovic

That last name may surprise some people, and to be honest, I have no idea why Rakovic was once again in street clothes today. If Milosevic's paperwork got sorted out, why didn't Rakovic's? That's something I'll try to look into tomorrow. After the game, Rakovic had changed into his workout gear and could be seen in the Magic's weight room overlooking the floor.

Overall, a solid day for the Magic. They'll try to build on it tomorrow against the New Jersey/Philadelphia split squad at 7 PM.

Orlando Pro Summer League: Oklahoma City Thunder 88, Orlando Magic 77

Ben Q Rock — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:30:15 -0000

In what turned out to be a mostly lopsided contest, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic, 88-77, in the teams' debuts at the Orlando Pro Summer League. Thunder second-year point guard Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 22 points, punishing the Magic's slap-happy big men by connecting on 16 of his 18 free throw attempts. Ryan Anderson led Orlando with 21 points--17 after halftime, on 6-of-8 shooting--but it wasn't enough to compensate for the Thunder's large edge in talent.

The Magic started Russell Robinson and Maurice Ager in the backcourt, with Anderson and Jeremy Richardson at the forwards, flanking the 6'09" Darian Townes at center. And honestly, they played well for the most part. The thing with summer league is that winning isn't really the ultimate goal, but rather to see which players have which skills, and how that player can integrate into the system the team has in place. This isn't an issue for the Oklahoma City squad, which is loaded with guys who will make the big-league team. But for Orlando, with Anderson as the only man with a guaranteed deal? A little bit rougher go of it, yeah.

The Thunder led by as many as 15, with the Magic snagging the lead only twice, and never by more than a single point. Once Westbrook made up his mind to drive the ball, and once third overall selection James Harden heated up, the Thunder really didn't look back. They coasted, in fact, not that I can blame them. The Magic looked like a group that hadn't played together before--how about Ryan Anderson spinning right into Darian Townes as Anderson made his move to score in the low post?--while the Thunder have some familiarity with one another.

Disappointing? Well, maybe. You'd like to score more than 9 points in the first quarter of a summer-league game. But the Magic shook off that early slow start, made a bit of a run, and gave solid effort from top-to-bottom. Their roster hopefuls lost to the mid-to-back end of the Thunder's regular season rotation, which is to be expected. Nothing of which to be ashamed.

After the jump, a look at how the Magic's individual players did.

Ager was arguably the most active player for either team on the floor. You can't fault his passion, that's for sure. Skills? That's fair game. John Hollinger's assessment of him on ESPN.com is hysterically funny, but also accurate. Ager made a name for himself at Michigan State as a scorer, but that hasn't translated in the NBA. Today, he shot 3-of-8 for 9 points, with 3 fouls and 5 turnovers. Just a bit too aggressive. His athleticism is a plus, though, as he was able to convert some difficult finishes in traffic on the fast break. Still, based on his horrid NBA career so far, it's hard to lobby for his inclusion on the Magic's final roster. Can't fault the effort, though, as I said.
Lance Allred only played 7 minutes tonight, the lowest total of any Magic player. He missed all 3 of his shots and grabbed just 1 rebound. Wholly unproductive. He doesn't appear to have much upside. Of the Orlando big men who saw the court today, he was probably the least impressive.
Anderson needed some time to work into a rhythm. He scored only 4 points in the first half, missing all 6 of his shot attempts, including a three-pointer he airballed short and to the right. After that shot, he winced, looked skyward, clapped his hands together, and said, "Wow," in an exasperated tone. Maybe a bit jittery. In the second half, he kicked whatever might have bothered him in the first. 17 second-half points for Anderson, who showed his shooting stroke as well as his passing ability. He's not Kevin McHale or anything in the high post, but he makes pretty good reads and delivers crisp feeds to cutters. I like that much.
Brian Chase, the 5'10" point guard, played 21 minutes off Orlando's bench. A competent finisher in transition, especially at his size, and the team's best playmaker with 4 assists, but he didn't bring much else to the table. As someone who'll turn 28 in training camp, his upside is limited. A good effort today, but he's not a guy I can envision the Magic keeping around for the long haul.
Richard Hendrix, whom I favored before camp began, looked like someone worth retaining as a potential replacement for Marcin Gortat (who was in attendance today, incidentally). An active, athletic, big man, Hendrix made the most of his 15 minutes: 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, 4 rebounds, and 1 blocked shot. If we're honest, the center/power forward positions are Orlando's weakest right now. Sure, the Magic are fishing for players of that ilk in free agency, and they might land one. Either way, Hendrix is a guy worth keeping around, in my estimation. Very active, very smart. Big, too, and he's only 22. This is a guy to watch in the coming days.
Jeremy Pargo went undrafted out of Gonzaga this year, perhaps because he's more of a two guard trapped in a point guard's body (6'02", 220 pounds), like his brother Jannero. Interestingly, the Magic often elected to play Pargo at the two next to either Chase or Robinson. 2 points, 1 board, 1 assist, 2 turnovers in 11 minutes for Pargo, who hardly registered out there, but who is nonetheless worth a few more looks as camp continues.
Richardson? I actually like him, inefficient offense and all. 19 shot attempts, with 0 assists and 5 turnovers, and 18 points, for Richardson. Not a surprising line, given how often we joke about his tendency to shoot. Thing is, he's in the NBA to shoot. That's supposedly his specialty, so we shouldn't really bust on him for it. He gave an impressive effort today, with 11 rebounds. If he could connect more frequently on his two-pointers, he could crack an NBA rotation. He probably makes the most sense for the Magic to sign out of camp, as he's familiar with the team and fills a role as the "break glass in case of emergency" wing player.
Robinson played 27 minutes, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the rest of his line. 1 shot attempt, 2 assists, 2 steals, 5 fouls, and a turnover. It took him 27 minutes for that? It's not as though he was some sort of disaster--he looked like an energetic, capable defender--but one would certainly expect more from a starting point guard in summer league.
Finally, Darian Townes, a pleasant surprise in his starting center role. He played just 20 minutes, but scored 8 points and grabbed 6 boards (5 offensive) while generally throwing his weight around and being a nuisance in the low post defensively. He's listed at 250 pounds, but could very well be more than that. Based on one game, I wouldn't elevate him above Hendrix on the big-man pecking order yet, but it's something to consider as the week goes by. The fact that he starts, and not Hendrix, might tell us something of the Magic's thoughts about both players.

Were it not for the rough start, the Magic might have given the Thunder a bit of a scare today. They have an even more daunting task in front of them tomorrow as they take on the Boston Celtics, who laid an 87-56 hurtin' on the Utah Jazz today, at 3 PM. Eddy and I will be there.