SB Nation - Wally Szczerbiak

Why I won't be surprised if Dominic McGuire gets a spot in Flip Saunders' top eight

Mike Prada — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:44:00 -0000

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Will we see a lot of this from Dominic?

Guessing Flip Saunders' player rotation in August isn't going to be easy when there are so many players who have started games for their respective teams in the last two years. Hell, it's already en vogue for us to throw out names of Wizards that we "shouldn't forget about," as some of us already have.

So take this declaration as an educated guess of sorts, since it's the best we can do at this point.

Okay. There's one guy who has started to become an afterthought that has a much better chance of cracking Flip's top eight than most believe. Yes, it's true that the Wizards just traded for two guys that can play his primary positions. It's also true that he plays the same position as DeShawn Stevenson, a returning starter from two years ago provided he remains healthy. But judging from Flip's past history, I'd say this guy's got a great chance to vault into the top eight.

That guy is Dominic McGuire.

A case for Dominic McGuire to crack the rotation has to begin with what he's done as a Wizard. In a season where pretty much nothing went right, McGuire was the only guy who displayed some growth. He was provided an opportunity when Ed Tapscott took over and did enough to earn over 26 minutes a game. We can argue forever over whether McGuire deserved his opportunity, whether he played as well as the coaching staff thought or whether he was given a longer leash compared to the team's other young players, but the bottom line is that he stayed consistent enough to play very important minutes.

The case for McGuire also has to include the argument that he provides a unique skill set. We've fallen a bit too much in love with McGuire's defense -- it's got potential, but he still loses his man too easily off the ball -- but the very fact that he emphasizes defense over offense makes him a unique player on this roster. McGuire's also one of the best rebounding wings in the league (his rebound percentage of 12.1% would have put him fifth among small forwards if John Hollinger actually listed him there) and he won't use up too many possessions and steal shots from the offensive-minded guys on the team. Plus, in a rotation that gives eight guys most of the minutes, you need players who can swing between positions like McGuire.

However, the best case for Dominic McGuire would be to simply look back at Flip Saunders-coached teams. Every single successful Flip Saunders team has given major minutes to a defensive-oriented, long wing player who can stand at the point of Flip's zone (or guard the other team's top wing) and quarterback the defense. In Detroit, of course, that guy was Tayshaun Prince, who obviously has much more of a polished offensive game than McGuire, but is a very similar type of player. As the point man in Saunders' zoneish schemes, Prince's length and quickness helped keep Detroit near the top of the defensive rankings. McGuire possesses the same type of length and quickness even if he doesn't have the polish or the offensive game.

But the best case study for McGuire involves considering Saunders' tenure in Minnesota. During the 2003/04 season, when the Timberwolves won 58 games and would have made the Finals if Sam Cassell didn't get hurt in the playoffs, Trenton Hassell of all people averaged 28 minutes a game despite scoring just 6.5 points/36 minutes and posting a pathetic 8.2 PER. Like Washington, the 03/04 Timberwolves had a lot of offensive names. Cassell and Latrell Sprewell were just acquired, and despite being vets, they still were very good offensive players. Flip also had Wally Szczerbiak, formerly the second option behind Kevin Garnett, and Troy Hudson, an offensive-minded combo guard who had a great playoff series against the Lakers in 2002/03. And yet, among that mix, Trenton Hassell of all people ended up playing the fourth-most minutes per game on the team.

Why? He played defense and didn't use any possessions offensively to hurt his team. That earned him significantly more playing time than offensive guys like Szczerbiak and Hudson.

There are a lot of statistical similarities between Hassell's 2003/04 season and McGuire's campaign last year. The teams are also set up in a similar way -- Washington, like Minnesota then, has a lot of offensive-first name guys. Other than Kevin Garnett and possibly veteran center Ervin Johnson, nobody on the Wolves leaned defense-first ... except for Hassell. That alone got Hassell a ton of minutes despite his major limitations.

Hassell's case is a good precedent for Dominic McGuire. Don't be surprised if we see history repeat itself.

Some Big Name Free Agents Still Out There

dishingoutdimes — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:00:15 -0000

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Allen Iverson is still looking for a place to play. (Photo by Ray Amati/NBAE via Getty Images)

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While there have been some trades and big free agent signings in the offseason, there remain a large number of free agents available to NBA teams. Here's a quick rundown of a few of the bigger names on the market:

Allen Iverson, PG/SG: With a career player efficiency rating of 21.2, Iverson is one of the star players still available. Perhaps that's why he's still available as he had a dropoff in production last year. That would make him less attractive to teams, especially considering he's probably got a pretty steep asking price.

Big Baby and Leon Powe: The two Celtics' forwards are restricted free agents and have not been locked up yet. Both are pretty productive players. Powe had an injury late last season, but both guys have had interest from other teams.

Wally Szczerbiak, SG: Wally poured in shots from beyond-the-arc at a 41.1% clip last season, and has a career average of 40.6%. His production declined overall, but eventually he'll be signed by a team with a little bit of cap room and a need for a deep threat.

Joe Smith, F/C: The former #1 overall draft pick is more of a veteran role player these days. He's been steadily average for his entire career - his PER has never fallen below 13.8, and has never risen above 17.2. He's also been fairly durable, never appearing in less than half the games in a season. Add to that 52 games of playoff experience, and he'll be a cheap but potentially valuable pickup for someone.

Lamar Odom, PF: It seems like he'll wind up in Miami or Los Angeles. But he's still technically available.

Flip Murray, SG: Murray is an interesting player. He's reaching the time where he should be peaking in his career. At the moment he seems like a decent energy player off the bench. However, his 3-point production has increased 24% in the last two years, and he's now shooting 36% from beyond the arc. In addition to adding range, he also improved his overall efficiency over the past couple years. He could be a good pickup.

Stephon Marbury, PG: Yep, Starbury is still available. He's not drawing a ton of interest probably because he has a bit of baggage. However, say what you will, he did make positive contributions in Boston down the stretch.

Drew Gooden, PF: Gooden has a 16.5 career PER, along with 44 games and 1189 minutes in playoff games in his career. That's about all you need to know. He'll be more expensive than a guy like Smith, but he's closer to the prime of his career.

QUESTION: Would you want any of these free agents?

Welcome to NBA free agency

Phoenix Stan — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:03:22 -0000

With the NBA free agency about to kick off on July 1st, we can expect a lot of activity over the next few days as players opt out and teams exercise their options. Mostly though, we will see a lot of movement of some big name players and perhaps even more impactful will be which young up-and-comer signs where. There is rightly a lot of discussion about next year's free agent period dubbed "The Summer of LeBron" but don't go to sleep on who's available now.

Before we get into specific players and the Suns salary situation, lets first have a quick primer on some free agency basics.

Free agency period, salary cap, luxury tax and what not

On July 1st free agents become "free" and teams are allowed to begin negotiations with those players. July 1st in effect marks the official end to the previous season from a salary calculation standpoint and the rosters are in essence reset. Like a pumpkin at midnight, on July 1st those valuable "expiring contracts" official expire.

But before teams can actually spend money on new players the league has a moratorium on signings and conducts an audit to establishe the salary cap for the coming season. The salary cap is mandated by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the teams and players and is designed to limit how much teams can spend. The salary cap is set at 51% of the total basketball related revenue from the NBA.

The audit that will be conducted over the next few days determines what the salary cap will be for the coming year. The cap is based on overall league revenues. If the league makes less money that translates to a lower salary cap and less money for players. A pretty smart system.

The salary cap determines how much money teams can pay free agents. If a team has $10m under the cap it can spend up to $10m to sign a free agent.

There are exceptions to the salary cap which allow teams to exceed the limit. Most of these exceptions like "Bird Rights" allow teams to exceed the cap to resign it's own free agents. The system is designed to encourage players to remain with the same team and limit player movement.

The other well known exception is the "Mid-level Exception" which allows a team to sign one or more players up to an amount equal to the average league salary. The MLE is expected to be about $5.6m this summer.

Between the MLE (which can be used on one player each year) and the various other exceptions you can see that teams quickly exceed the salary cap making it a so-called "soft cap". The Suns for example were $17m over the salary cap last season.

The other big impact of the salary cap is on trades. If two teams want to make a trade and both are over the salary cap then the salaries have to match salaries within 125%. If however, a team is under the salary cap it can use its cap space to receive the incoming player's salary and not have to send back and equivalent salary amount. This is a very important factor in trades and is why teams with cap space have a lot of leverage when it comes to making trades with teams wanting to cut payroll.

On July 8th, when the audit is complete and the salary cap is officially set teams can official begin signing free agents and can continue to sign them throughout the season.

The Luxury Tax is the next limit teams work within. The lux tax is established at essentially 61% of all basketball related income. Last season it was $71m and like the salary cap had grown about $3m every year since the 2005 CBA went into effect. This season both the salary cap and luxury tax are expected to stay about the same or perhaps decline as a result of the economy.

The luxury tax is calculated based on the total payroll a team has at the end of the season. This is important as a team that is over the tax and wanting to get under it has until the February trade deadline to shed payroll. The problem at that point is the only way to get under the tax for the current season is to make a deal with a team that has salary cap space.

When the Suns traded Kurt Thomas to the Seattle Supersonics to save $16m, Kerr had to "pay" the Sonic two first round picks to compensate the Sonics for using their cap space. If the Suns had held on to Thomas and traded him at the deadline as the Sonic did, they would not have saved the $16m as they would have had to receive contracts back. Again, this shows why teams that are under the cap have a lot of leverage and flexibility when it comes to making deals.

The luxury tax is paid dollar for dollar for any salary over the tax line meaning a team that is $4m over the tax line will pay $4m in tax. The tax gets distributed to non-tax paying teams making the process even more painful.

For more detailed CBA information see the Salary Cap FAQ

Where are the Suns now?

On July 1st the Suns will have 12 players under contract totaling about $73m in salary. That assumes they waive Pavlovic and are on the hook for only the $1.5m guaranteed portion of his full $4.5m contract. When you add in a $2m place holder for Grant Hill who is the Suns highest priority free agent and $800k for Taylor Griffin you are at 14 players at $76m which is projected to be about $4m over the tax line.

If the Suns hadn't made the trade with Cleveland they would be at $81m including Hill and Clark and assuming they wouldn't sign Griffin or any other players.

Ben Wallace has said that he's considering retirement. If he were to accept a buy out of $10m that would save the Suns $8m and put them in a sound financial position. If he were to be traded to the Hornets for Chandler's $12m salary the team would still save about $4m. As we said when the deal went down, Wallace's intentions are important to what the Suns do over the next few weeks. If he decides he wants to play next season the Suns have no option but to pay him the full $14m. Chances are good though that we will take a buy out and either retire or sign somewhere else for much less.

If the Suns don't do anything else other then sign Clark to the rookie scale and Griffin to a minimum contract and then lock up Grant Hill for about $2m then they will be paying $4m in tax. They've said they are fine with this.

What the Suns don't have (unlike numerous teams) is the room under either salary cap or the luxury tax to sign any of the free agents available. Using the MLE would cost the team over $10m in salary and tax and they are not going to do that.

Who's got money to spend?

Using $65m as the line between teams that can spend the MLE without going to far over the luxury tax, there are 14 teams that can be considered buyers in the upcoming free agency spending period. That doesn't mean all of those teams will use the MLE but they reasonably could. Those teams in order of highest payroll to lowest are:

Bulls, Rockets, Clippers, Warriors, Nets, 76ers, Trailblazers, Kings Timberwolves, Raptors, Hawks, Thunder, Pistons and Grizzlies. Those last three teams are all about $17m to $21m under the salary cap making them major players in this market.

That's not to say certain teams with deep pocketed owners won't go even further over the luxury tax to sign certain players. The Knicks who are already about $4m over the tax line are reportedly interested in signing Jason Kidd and the Lakers who are $5m over are going to have to decide how much more to spend on Odom and/or Ariza. The Mavericks with Cuban's checkbook are right at the luxury tax line and have the very movable contract of Jerry Stackhouse which should make them a player as well.

Who's available?

There are some big names out there to be had by those teams with money to spend. There are quite a few solid power forwards available and a couple of very good point guards. There are also some very interesting big names like Shawn Marion, Rasheed Wallace, Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury. I can't wait to find out where those guys end up.

Stay tuned, the next few weeks are going to be interesting.

Here's a quick look at some of the bigger names. For the full list click here:

Centers

Rasheed Wallace
Mehmet Okur
Marcin Gortat
Chris Anderson
Zaza Pachulia
Rasho Nesterovic
Others include: Ryan Hollins, Johan Petro and Joel Anthony

Power Forwards

Carlos Boozer
Brandon Bass
Paul Milsap
Charlie Villanueva
David Lee
Lamar Odom
Glen Davis
Leon Powe
Marvin Williams
Chris Wilcox
Channing Frye
Others include: Rob Kurz, Joe Smith, Walter Herrmann, James Singleton, Hakim Warrick

Small Forwards

Linas Kleiza
Ron Artest
Trevor Ariza
Jamario Moon
Matt Barnes
Grant Hill
Shawn Marion
Hedo Turkoglu
Rashad McCants
Others include: Steve Novak, Stephen Graham, Gerald Green

Shooting Guards

Point Guards

Flip Murray
Stephon Marbury
Raymond Felton
Jason Kidd
Allen Iverson
Ramon Sessions
Nate Robinson
Andre Miller
Anthony Carter

Bargain Shopping Free Agents

Jeff Clark — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:53:43 -0000

ProBasketball News has an interesting list of some lower tier free agents that could be had for cheap. Old friends Gerald Green and Wally Szczerbiak make the list and I don't think they are very good fits here (Wally can still shoot, but that's about it). However, there are some interesting names of guys that I wouldn't mind seeing here for the right price (ie. very cheap).

Ike Diogu and Jason Collins would both be cheap big men and at the very least they'd work harder than Patrick O'Bryant did. Desmond Mason might cost a bit more than the other guys on this list, but he'd probably fit the role of backup small forward pretty well (if healthy). Then there's a collection of point guards on this list that I'm not terribly familiar with, including CJ Watson, Royal Ivey, and Ronnie Price.

I don't see anything linking any of these guys to the Celtics, but after the market has shaken out with the big names, they might be good options to look into.

How the Cleveland Cavaliers' Acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal Impacts the Orlando Magic

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:15:08 -0000

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Just 5 hours before February's trading deadline, when rumors of the Cleveland Cavaliers' acquiring Shaquille O'Neal from the Phoenix Suns first surfaced, I wanted the trade to go through. I figured the Orlando Magic's season ended a little more than two weeks earlier, when Jameer Nelson suffered a severe shoulder injury against the Dallas Mavericks. And the night before the deadline, the New Orleans Hornets drilled Orlando by 32 points on national TV. While I wouldn't necessary root for the Cavs, the prospect of the gregarious O'Neal joining LeBron James in Cleveland made for great theater. Those talks fell through; the Magic made a surprise, 11th-hour deal for Rafer Alston; and went on to defeat Cleveland in a 6-game Eastern Conference Finals series to advance to the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Now, on the eve of the NBA Draft, O'Neal is indeed headed to Cleveland in exchange for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, this year's 46th overall draft selection, and $500,000 cash. The trade gives the Cavs the dominant post presence they lacked in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Magic and Dwight Howard, who exposed their lack of front-line bulk. Howard averaged a personal playoff-best 25.8 points per game in that series, to go with 13 rebounds. He also shot 65.1% from the field and had no trouble scoring over whomever the Cavs threw at him, be it Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Wallace, Anderson Varejao, or Joe Smith. And the Cavs' season ended in a game Howard dominated to the tune of 40 points (14-of-21 shooting) and 14 rebounds.

Somehow, I'm still okay with Shaq joining Cleveland, although I'll quickly tire of the ensuing media circus, which will no doubt touch on his open feud with Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and his constant belittling of Howard, of whom he is (probably) jealous.

With Shaq anchoring the middle, the Cavs have undoubtedly improved from a talent standpoint. Should O'Neal falter in Cleveland, his production will nonetheless trump whatever Wallace or Pavlovic would have provided. Bearing that in mind, is Shaq enough of a difference-maker to vault Cleveland past Orlando in the East? After the jump, a look at what this move means for the Magic's chances of holding off the Cavaliers again next season.

First off, Shaq greatly helps Cleveland's defense in at least one regard: he can defend Howard one-on-one, which in turn enables the rest of the Cavaliers to stay at home on Orlando's three-point shooters. The Magic torched the Cavs for 62 three-pointers in 152 attempts (40.8%) in the Eastern Conference Finals, with many of those looks being wide-open as a result of Cleveland paying too much attention to Howard down low. WIth O'Neal in the fold, Orlando figures to get fewer such opportunities against an otherwise stingy Cleveland defense.

And I don't just say that Shaq can defend Dwight because he's a flippin' giant; in the past, he's been fairly apt at stopping the Magic's franchise center, this monumental flop notwithstanding. Here's a look at their statistics in head-to-head meetings. Note that Howard only averages 7.7 field goal attempts per game against O'Neal, which is far less than his 10.7 career average, which suggests O'Neal does a good job discouraging entry passes to Howard.

Where Shaq's acquisition doesn't help Cleveland is in the pick-and-roll area. In 17 professional seasons, Shaq has yet to master how to defend that play. And at 37, he's ill-equipped to keep up with Howard on the move. If nothing else, the Shaq trade means the Magic must now use more pick-and-roll schemes against Cleveland than they used to. Ilgauskas and Smith, too, struggled to keep up with Howard on the pick-and-roll. Varejao is younger and much more athletic, but lacks the strength to sufficiently bother Howard. Shaq falls squarely in line with Ilgauskas and Smith in this regard, and as such doesn't do much to help Cleveland.

Offensively, Shaq gives the Cavs a low-post scoring option. He's performed well on the low block even against the Defensive Player of the Year. Take another look at that last link showing their head-to-head meetings. Save for a poor 3-for-8 effort against Dwight three years ago, O'Neal has shot no worse than 53.3% against Howard in any other career meeting, and 62.1% overall. Previously, the Cavs had no inside presence of which to speak, relying on long-range shooting from Delonte West and Mo Williams; mid-range shots from Ilgauskas and Smith; and whatever creative finishes James could muster in the lane. Now? They can post-up the Magic's defense, throwing another look at it. But they also lose something, namely the pick-and-pop with Ilgauskas. And it remains to be seen how O'Neal's presence in the lane affects--if at all--James' many forays to the rim. For all we know, he'll just clog everything up. Cavs coach Mike Brown is not known for his offensive creativity. I don't trust him to immediately solve the Cavs' offensive woes, if O'Neal presents them with any.

Think of it this way: Orlando is no slouch on defense, finishing tops in the league in defensive efficiency last season. There's no reason to believe the Magic can't handle Shaq in the low post, even if he has LeBron to draw attention from him.

Another reason for cautious optimism in Orlando is that this trade did nothing to improve the Cavs' depth at the wing positions. James doesn't need much rest, which is the good news for Cleveland. The bad? Cleveland was so thin at the wings that it had to play West 45 minutes per game against Orlando in the Conference Finals. West is a fine player, and perhaps an underrated one, but he should not have to be forced into 45 minutes a night for an NBA championship contender. With Wally Szczerbiak off the books and Pavlovic shipped to the Valley of the Sun, the only swingman joining West on the Cavs' roster next season is Tarence Kinsey, and his deal is non-guaranteed, so says this report on his recent DUI arrest. Cleveland will need to keep busy in tonight's draft--it owns the 30th overall selection--and in free agency in order to round out its collection of shooting guards and small forwards.

Ultimately, the trade improves the Cavaliers, but not enough to assert with any degree of certainty that they are set to leapfrog Orlando. Even at his age, Shaq's a great player--Hell, he led the league in field-goal percentage last year--but he hardly solves all Cleveland's problems. It'll still be vulnerable on the pick-and-roll, and it still needs to stock-up on wing talent. Orlando is still the team to beat out East until the Cavs improve in those two areas.

No Your Links: Mike Miller and Randy Foye Are Headed to Washington

JakeTheSnake — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:52:00 -0000

More photos » by Mike Habermann - AP

Does this thing come with a map?

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Welcome to Washington, where journeyman guards come to congregate.

Not only did yesterday's trade leave us with oodles and oodles of guards, but it left us with guards who know their way around the NBA. Washington will be the 4th team for both Mike Miller and Randy Foye (remember, he was traded twice on draft night). In addition, you've got Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson and Javaris Crittenton, who have each played for three teams, Gilbert Arenas who has played for two, Juan Dixon (who is currently still on the roster) has played for four teams (including two stints in Washington), and Mike James is currently on his ninth NBA squad. At least this team won't have any problems finding good places to eat when they hit the road.

That's about the only thing that I can think of about this trade that hasn't been covered in some way, shape or form by someone already. There's a lot of great reaction and analysis on everything else from yesterday's trade and after the jump you can get a sampling of some of what people had to say about yesterday's trade.

Wizards agree to deal pick - Washington Times

They entered the offseason with a roster that featured the All-Star trio of Arenas, Butler and Jamison; a solid supporting cast of veterans; and six players under the age of 23. The Wizards remained hopeful that they could develop those six players - forwards Andray Blatche, Dominic McGuire and Pecherov, center JaVale McGee and guards Nick Young and Javaris Crittenton - to provide quality depth to their veterans, but Washington wasn't thrilled about adding even more youth to the mix. The Wizards sought to unload the injury-prone Thomas and his hefty contract at last February's trade deadline but were unable to pull off a deal. Thomas, who missed all of the 2007-08 season following heart surgery, and then was limited to 26 games this past season because of a torn MCL, was slated to make $7.35 million next season. But his contract had a $1.2 million trade kicker, which had scared teams off. The paperwork that must be finalized involves Thomas signing an agreement he won't opt out of his current deal on July 1 to pursue free agency. Thomas is expected to sign the agreement Wednesday morning.

Wizards-T-Wolves Trade Breakdown - Wizards Insider

I'm not completely sold on getting Randy Foye and Mike Miller, but I'm willing to give Ernie the initial benefit of the doubt, because if there is one area where Grunfeld has succeeded in during his time in Washington it is making shrewd deals. He landed Antawn Jamison for the No. 5 pick in 2004 and got Caron Butler for Kwame Brown a year later. This is Grunfeld's third major trade for the organization, and it yielded a former rookie of the year and sixth man of the year in Miller and a combo guard who came on strong in the second half of last season in Foye. Miller had a down year last season, but has been a capable long range shooter for most of his career. Something else to take into consideration is that with Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler both dealing with injuries the past few seasons, Foye and Miller can step in to provide relief/insurance, if necessary. I would feel better about the deal if the Wizards had secured one of the Timberwolves' late first round picks, particulary No. 18. But I heard from a source that Minnesota wasn't going to give up that selection in this deal. The trade was agreed upon about two hours after Grunfeld held his pre-draft press conference on Tuesday. I'm sure you don't care what he had to say now, right?

Washington and Minnesota pull off a nice one - Ball Don't Lie

Washington? You just put off rebuilding. You just cashed in a year's worth of misery for, possibly, only a year's worth of Mike Miller and Randy Foye. You're deluding yourselves thinking that this is a championship (or, even with everyone healthy, a 50-win) core. I should hate this move. But, for some reason, I don't. Washington is in one of those hardly-rare positions where, though they badly (badly, badly, badly) need to rebuild, isn't going to blow things up. They're refusing reality. And if you're going to refuse reality, well, might as well have some fun with it. Might as well try to average 110 a game. Trade rumors dogged Washington's lottery selection from the beginning. And rightfully so. But don't let them tell you that this payoff isn't worth a lottery pick.

Truth About It - Snap Reaction to the Mike Miller/Randy Foye Trade

I’d like to sound like some ‘expert’ and grade this trade, but honestly can’t give it anything but an incomplete at this point. Something else must happen to balance the team. Celtics fans flipped out after they traded the 5th pick,Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak for Ray Allen and a 2nd rounder two summers ago, but then Garnett fell into their laps and all was copacetic. No, the Wizards won’t be getting Garnett-caliber player, but the point is, don’t judge Grunfeld’s maneuvering by this single move, rather by his summer plan in totality.

Mike Wise - Cleanup Starts By Throwing Out The Leftovers

Grunfeld may not be done, either, as draft-day deals shake out. But if nothing else, he has already rid the Wizards of burdensome contracts. He also created two open roster spots by bringing in two players and trading the equivalent of four. If you're a fan of this maddening team that hadn't been able to scale Mount LeBron three straight Mays and went through real pain the past year -- season-killing injuries to Arenas and Haywood that resulted in 19 wins, three coaches in seven months and a general malaise that hadn't been seen since Abe Pollin fired Michael Jordan and started over -- you wanted last night's deal to be the start of things, a prelude to another deal that could bring a capable big man to town.

Wizards to deal #5 to the Timberwolves - DC Pro Sports Report

As for what they are giving up, it is basically the draft pick. Pecherov never got any playing time, even with all the injuries on this team and Etan Thomas was a pretty big fraction of those aforementioned injuries. Songaila also struggled with injuries, but emerged as the team's best shooter and passing big man. He didn't rebound well or play a lot of defense, but the offense looked a lot better when he was on the floor. However, for some reason Wizards coaches couldn't resist playing him wildly out of position, in the pivot, and it is just as well that he won't be around to tempt Flip Saunders. In other words, the Wizards get a starting combo guard who has improved every year in the league in Randy Foye, they get to rent Mike Miller's 3-point shooting for a year and they get to move Thomas' contract off the books. And they do all that without giving up a single player on the roster that the team needed to keep. The draft pick was the only thing of value that was lost and in this weak draft, we don't know how valuable this was. It's too early to say if this trade is lopsided -- it probably is not -- but right now I like what it does for Washington. Foye gives the team a young guard who can play either back court position and add some speed and athleticism to the lineup. It's a nice move by GM Ernie Grunfeld.

Source: Deal sends Minnesota Timberwolves' Randy Foye, Mike Miller to Washington Wizards - ESPN

The source told Katz that the Wizards expect this trade to become official Wednesday. Washington had made overtures regarding moving the No. 5 pick ever since the Wizards landed it on the draft lottery on May 19. Washington listened to offers from New York, Dallas, Phoenix and Portland but settled on a deal with Minnesota, looking for veteran perimeter help while getting rid of expiring contracts. Once the trade becomes official on Wednesday, the NBA draft board will show the Timberwolves on the clock with the fifth pick on Thursday night, not the Wizards. When trades are completed after the midday deadline on draft day, the draft board doesn't change, and teams must pick for their trade partner. The source told Katz that until the deal is officially done, Minnesota could still work a trade to get a third party involved.

Twitter / Kevin Love

ESPN should have let me break the news...haters!!!

Will Mike Miller Rise (and Shoot) Again? -- NBA FanHouse

Miller went from 12 field goal attempts per 36 minutes in his final Memphis season to just over eight in Minnesota. He lopped off a full quarter of his attempts ... to get Sebastian Telfair more looks? Sure, he became a bit of a Renaissance Man in the process, boosting his rebound and assist frequency to their highest career levels. Something tells me it was not worth it. If in order to be a better rebounder and passer Miller needs to abandon his jumper, Miller needs to stop trying to be a better rebounder and passer. That extra rebound and extra assist ain't worth the six or so points M.M. gives up. Minnesota traded for a Ray Allen but got an awful version of John Salmons. Washington needs the Ray Allen version. Leave the rebounding to Brendan Haywood and Antawn Jamison. Leave the passing to Gilbert Arenas. Just shoot, baby, and everything will be right in the House of Miller again.

Wizards get Mike Miller, Randy Foye for fifth pick in NBA draft - SI.com

It is clear from the trade that Kahn intends to rebuild his backcourt after offering his two most talented guards to Washington -- and by no coincidence, this happens to be a draft heavy with guards, and point guards in particular. For Washington, the trade is particularly intriguing. With the arrival of new coach Flip Saunders coinciding with the return from injury of point guard Gilbert Arenas and center Brendan Haywood, the Wizards are in win-now mode. This trade would deepen their backcourt with Miller becoming the likely starter at shooting guard alongside Arenas, and Foye serving as an excellent combo guard off the bench.

Wizards send T-Wolves No. 5 pick - Yahoo! Sports

The Wizards also have a plentiful supply of youngsters who are supposedly up-and-coming - Nick Young, JaVale McGee, Andray Blatche, Dominic McGuire - and are in need of more veteran poise in the locker room rather than another developing rookie. Plus the deal with the Timberwolves gives them a veteran shooter in Miller and a young combo guard in Foye, who may benefit from a change of scenery. Foye has been dogged by comparisons to Portland star Brandon Roy ever since the two were swapped on draft night in 2006. Roy developed into an All-Star and one of the best young players in the game. Foye has been solid, but not spectacular, and missed most of his second season with a knee injury. He picked up some of the scoring load when Al Jefferson went down with a knee injury in February. Foye averaged 16.3 points and 4.3 assists, but the Wolves had difficulty deciding whether to play him at point guard or shooting guard, and fans never let him forget he’s been out-performed by Roy.

Twitter / Javaris Crittenton

@WizardsExtreme I guess the trade was good. I really hate to see those guys go but as we all know this is a business. Hope it helps the team

D.C. Sports Bog - Farewell Pech, Welcome Organ Reversal Man

The trade also means the end of Pech in D.C. May you get buckets, son, wherever you wind up. I'll remember him calling Antawn Jamison "My brozer! From anozer mozer!" being nicknamed The White Hole and I'll remember him saying "I get buckets son" and "keep it gangsta son," but I'll especially remember eating a Russian dinner with him, Harvey Grant, and then-Wiz PR guy Zack Bolno in Las Vegas. An excerpt, in which Pech was discussing going to Chipotle:

"It's always so many people," he said, "and when you stand in this line, people all the time, they ask you something: 'Are you a basketball player? Can I shake your hand?'"

"Get used to it, brother," Harvey said.

"What about shake hands?" Pech asked.

"Some of them smell bad, it's difficult to give him hand." "

You shake their hand, then you go in the restroom to wash your hand," Harvey explained.

I left Vegas that summer thinking Pech might work out well for the Wiz, and would definitely work out well for the Bog. I'll miss him.

Wizards Reportedly Trading No. 5 Selection to Timberwolves -- NBA FanHouse

For Washington, the pick held little value for them, as they need to cash in on what they have now in the Big 3. They needed shooters and backup guards, and Foye and Miller fill those needs to a T. Throw in the long term financial relief and you can see the value in this for Washington, even if it's the less flashy of the two options.

We're Off To See The Willards - Wizards Trade #5 & Scrubs To Timberwolves For Mike Miller & Randy Foye

The Wizards trade Etan Thomas (good move), Oleksiy Pecherov (good move), Darius Songaila (ok move), and...the #5 Pick (DAGGER!) to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Mike Miller & Randy Foye. Bye Bye Stephen Curry...tears...No! Not Possible! Is Mike Miller the next step to a championship, or just the cheapest option available? I'll go with the latter. Actually Foye may be the better player. I fully expect the Wizards to make another deal for some kind of big man and get rid of one of the point guards. The Wiz PGs include Gilbert Arenas, Javaris Crittenton, Randy Foye, and Mike James. James and/or Javaris gotta go.

D.C. Sports Bog - Morning Bog -The Draft is Dead

My initial reaction was this: once this trade goes through, the Wiz will have no Euros on their team, and will have seven guys on the practice court who were recently in Minnesota: Foye, Miller, Mike James, Flip Saunders, and three assistants. Because the Jim Bowden theory of Single-City Midwestern Imports has worked so well in this city in the past.

Wolves trade Foye and Miller to Wizards for #5 Pick - Rip City Project

I like the trade from both standpoints. For Washington it’s a deal that allows them to compete now and gives them people who can surround their core 3. Foye is an uber upgrade over Antonio Daniels, ditto for Mike Miller over DeShawn Stevenson. For Minnesota, this kind of reminds me of the Blazers wheeling and dealing of a couple years back. It’s a great step in the rebuilding process if you ask me. This isn’t the greatest of drafts to have 4 first round picks in but they can either package them up or develop all of them because they have major needs in their backcourt and possibly adding to the Love/Jefferson big man combo.

We're Off To See The Willards - Why Nick Young & Mike James Need To Be Traded

The most likely deal in my opinion is trading Nick Young & Mike James away for a big man. Are there any teams with an excess of big men who need to get a decent backup young shooting guard? Wizards trade Nick Young & Mike James for Veteran PF, scoring not needed If teams dont' want to do that, throw in Andray Blatche and get a Veteran PF and a Center who can play 8 minutes per game. There are still no minutes for McGuire in this move. He may have to go too...

Does the East Have a New Contender? - Celtics Hub

But are they now a contender? That will be decided as much on defense as on offense. Last season, the Wizards guarded two-point jumpers at a nearly average rate but could not defend three-point shots or inside shots, according to 82games. Only the Heat, Nets and Kings allowed teams to shoot better from deep, and no one even approached the Wizards level of incompetence in defending the interior. Teams hit 65.5 percent of their inside shots against the Wizards, by far the worst rate in the league. It didn’t help that the Wizards had the fifth-worst defensive rebounding rate in the league, according to Basketball Reference. Put-backs are often pretty easy shots. This trade can’t make the ‘Zards worse at guarding the three (right?), but it leaves them awfully dependent on Haywood and two inexperienced bigs (McGee and Blatche) to guard the paint. It makes you wonder if the Wiz have another deal planned for a big man, or if they will be competing for the mid-level type big men on the market. (Mikki Moore may be available for the right price, Wiz fans). Miller and Foye both have expiring contracts (worth about $13.5 million combined), so the Wiz still have trade chips to play with even though they just unloaded Thomas’s deal. (They also managed to unload Songalia’s contract, which contains a $4.8 million player option for 2011. Nice work by Ernie Grunfeld).

N.B.A. Roundup - Spurs Acquire Jefferson From Bucks for 3 Players - NYTimes.com

Washington, which missed the playoffs this year, is positioned for a quick rebound if Gilbert Arenas returns to health. Miller is a gifted 3-point shooter. Foye will provide backcourt depth.

Washington Wizards go pedal to the metal -Hollinger

Today the Wizards agreed to a deal that sends Mike Miller and Randy Foye from Minnesota to Washington for the No. 5 pick and the flotsam otherwise known as Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov. But by adding these two players, the Wizards certainly have made themselves a fearsome offensive team. If Arenas is healthy, they could very well lead the league in offensive efficiency, and if that happens, new coach Flip Saunders just needs to coax an average defensive effort from them to win a ton of games.

2009 NBA Draft Coverage: In Sam Presti We Trust (Thunder GM)

Mr Pappagiorgio — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:00:21 -0000

As we inch closer and closer to the 2009 NBA Draft, I thought it would be fitting to make very clear of one thing, In Sam Presti We Trust. The moves he's made since joining the organization have been cold and calculated as he attempts to completely rebuild this team, for the long haul, and from the ground up. He hasn't been afraid to trade superstars (Ray Allen), walk away from pricey re-signings (Rashard Lewis), or even walk away from completed trades involving stud players because his future became a little cloudy after Thunder trainers evaluated him (Tyson Chandler). He did all that and more, much more, in just 2 years since being hired by the Sonics. Its a pretty long list that you'll see after you make the jump.

Sam Presti became the General Manager of the Seattle Sonics on June 7, 2007 and since then, not only has he made those tough decisions/big deals listed above, but he's also turned over nearly the entire roster. Just take a look at these names: Ray Allen, Andre Brown, Desmon Farmer, Danny Fortson, Mickael Gelabale, Andreas Glyniadakis, Rashard Lewis, Randy Livingston, Johan Petro, Luke Ridnour, Mo Sene, Chris Wilcox, and Mike Wilks. In addition to those guys, Earl Watson, Nick Collison, and Damien Wilkins were also on the roster when Sam Presti took over the club, however, before the end of the summer, or before the trade deadline next year, its not out of the realm of possibilities for one, two, or even all three of those guys to be moved. Of the three remaining Pre-Presti players, only Nick Collison figures to be around past next year, at least in our estimation.

We've all been exhausting ourselves discussing what the Thunder will do with their #3 pick in next weeks draft, and while all the possibilities are intriguing, one thing we can bank on is that Thunder General Manager Sam Presti will undoubtedly make the smartest move for Oklahoma City with respect towards building this team for the future. He and his staff are looking at all sorts of players, and discussing potential moves with all sorts of teams. By the time the Thunder officially make/trade their pick come draft day, you can trust that the staff will have done their homework, carefully plotted out their move, and figured out the best way to make the most of our draft choice. It could come by using the 3rd pick to select a guy like James Harden (Which we love), Hasheem Thabeet, or even a guy like Tyreke Evens (whom you'll likely be hearing from, fictitiously of course, this week in our continued "My Name Is Series"). Or perhaps it could come by trading that third pick away, possibly with expiring contracts (Earl Watson anyone....please?), or with draft picks, and could be used to add a veteran player from another team in addition to dropping down a few slots and drafting a player like Stephen Curry to help maximize the value of our 3rd overall pick.

Whatever the case, In Sam Presti We Trust, and In Sam Presti You Can Trust. If you don't believe us, just take a look at the entire history of moves he's made since joining the club. Its quite a long list, especially when you consider he only took the job just a little over two years ago, but one thing is for sure, he isn't afraid of wheeling and dealing. So take a few minutes, look over this list, form your opinion about any/all of the moves he's made, and let us know if you Trust in Presti as much as we do.

Also, it's recently been announced that the state of Oklahoma will be releasing a limited edition State specific Nickel for use in the state of Oklahoma only, as part of an advertising campaign to raise awareness about our professional basketball team. The tails side is of course the Thunder logo, but the heads side features our very own Sam Presti, with the words In Sam We Trust. You can see the head side of the Nickel below Presti's transaction history on this post. Of course this is all complete malarkey and isn't actually true, I just had to make something up so that my post header made more sense, or cents. I mean not everybody would have made the connection between In Sam We Trust and In God We Trust which is most commonly found on all forms of American Money. And no, in no way does this post, or post title have anything to do with God or Religion, its just my new catch phrase for anytime someone posts or makes comments in reference to our wunderkind general manager.

Sam Presti's Transaction History (2007-09) Seattle Sonics / Oklahoma City Thunder

(Transaction History From HoopsHype, although any links contained inside stay in the SBNation Network)

TRANSACTIONS:
SEASON 2008-09
March 31 2009 Signed guard Shaun Livingston. March 1 2009 Waived forward Joe Smith. February 20 2009 Waived center Saer Sene. February 19 2009 Traded forward Chris Wilcox to the New York Knicks for forward Malik Rose and cash. Traded a conditional 2009 first-round pick to the Chicago Bulls for guard Thabo Sefolosha. February 17 2009 Traded forwards Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox and the draft rights to forward DeVon Hardin to the New Orleans Hornets for center Tyson Chandler. The trade was voided the following day. January 7 2009 Traded center Johan Petro and a second-round pick to the Denver Nuggets for guard Chucky Atkins. December 31 2008 Signed center Nenad Krstic. December 30 2008 Waived center Steven Hill. December 22 2008 Signed center Nenad Krstic to an offer sheet. November 22 2008 Fired head coach PJ Carlesimo and assistant coach Paul Westhead and named Scott Brooks interim head coach. November 4 2008 Signed center Steven Hill. November 3 2008 Waived guard John Lucas. October 21 2008 Waived forward Derrick Byars and center Chris Alexander. October 16 2008 Exercised the contract options on forwards Kevin Durant and Jeff Green through 2009-10. September 29 2008 Signed guard John Lucas, forward Derrick Byars and center Chris Alexander. September 11 2008 Re-signed center Robert Swift. August 27 2008 Signed guard Kyle Weaver. August 20 2008 Waived forward Donyell Marshall. August 13 2008 Traded guard Luke Ridnour and forward Adrian Griffin to the Milwaukee Bucks for guard Desmond Mason from the Milwaukee Bucks and forward Joe Smith from the Cleveland Cavaliers. August 11 2008 Traded a second-round pick to the Charlotte Bobcats for the draft rights to guard Kyle Weaver. July 18 2008 Signed guard CJ Miles to an offer sheet. July 4 2008 Signed guard Russell Westbrook and forward DJ White. June 28 2008 Tendered a qualifying offer to forward Robert Swift. Draft 2008 Selected guard Russell Westbrook (4th overall pick), forwards Serge Ibaka (24th overall pick) and Walter Sharpe (32nd overall pick) and centers Trent Plaisted (46th overall pick), Devon Hardin (50th overall pick) and Sasha Kaun (56th overall pick). Traded the draft rights to forward Walter Sharpe and center Trent Plaisted to the Detroit Pistons for the draft rights to forward DJ White; traded the draft rights to center Sasha Kaun to the Cleveland Cavaliers for cash. May 8 2008 Named Troy Weaver assistant general manager.
SEASON 2007-08
April 13 2008 Signed forward Ronald Dupree for the remainder of the season. April 3 2008 Signed forward Ronald Dupree to a 10-day contract. March 24 2008 Signed guard Eddie Gill to a 10-day contract. March 11 2008 Signed guard Mike Wilks to a second 10-day contract. February 29 2008 Signed guard Mike Wilks to a 10-day contract and waived forward Ira Newble. February 21 2008 Traded guards Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West to the Cleveland Cavaliers for forwards Donyell Marshall and Ira Newble and forward Adrian Griffin from the Chicago Bulls; waived guard Brent Barry. February 20 2008 Traded forward Kurt Thomas to the San Antonio Spurs for guard Brent Barry, center Francisco Elson and a 2009 first-round pick. October 26 2007 Exercised the contract options of centers Johan Petro and Saer Sene through 2008-09. October 22 2007 Waived guard Jermaine Jackson. October 1 2007 Signed guard Jermaine Jackson. September 27 2007 Named Paul Westhead assistant coach. August 29 2007 Named Bill Branch director of pro player personnel and Gerald Madkins and Frank Ross scouts. August 23 2007 Named Scott Brooks, Mark Bryant and Ralph Lewis assistant coaches and Brian Keefe player development assistant. July 20 2007 Traded a future conditional second-round pick and cash to the Phoenix Suns for forward Kurt Thomas and the first-round picks of 2008 and 2010. July 11 2007 Signed forward Rashard Lewis and traded him to the Orlando Magic for a conditional second-round pick and cash. July 5 2007 Named PJ Carlesimo head coach. July 4 2007 Signed forwards Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. Draft 2007 Selected forwards Kevin Durant (2nd overall pick) and Carl Landry (31st overall pick overall pick), center Glen Davis (35th overall pick). June 28 2007 Traded guard Ray Allen and the 35th overall pick to the Boston Celtics for guards Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and the 5th overall pick.

Like this post? 2009 NBA Draft Coverage: Hello, My Name is series (Click on a player card to view article)

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Alonzo Mourning: "I think Phil is just showing up"

DolPhanDave — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 03:46:21 -0000

During a conference call promoting a celebrity golf tournament, Alonzo Mourning made some comments about Kobe Bryant's ability to be a floor commander, and how he thinks that Phil Jackson is "just showing up". It's no surprise a call between Zo and fellow NBA-ers Shane Battier and Wally Szczerbiak led to talk about the NBA Finals, but for Mourning to come out and blast Phil Jackson like this is interesting, to say the least.

"To tell you the truth, Phil doesn't have to do anything but call time outs,'' said Mourning. "Kobe is the facilitator. He is the one driving the mission of this particular team right now. The communication level he has with his teammates out there, you can just see it. I think Phil is just showing up, to tell you the truth, and Kobe is doing all the work to make this team successful.''

Perhaps Zo is still a little sore about the Bulls ruining his chances for a title with the championship caliber Heat teams of the late 90's. But still, is this the time to come out and start talking smack about one of the greatest coaches in NBA history? I love Alonzo as much as the next guy, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume there is some reason he is suddenly coming out and blasting Phil.

Still Alive! LeBron, with some help, leads Cavaliers to Game 5 win 112-102

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Fri, 29 May 2009 03:45:39 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

Here's hoping Daniel Gibson has finally found his Playoff stroke from a couple seasons ago... (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Browse more photos »

Guts, grit, determination, and even a few demons exorcised. The Cavaliers did a little bit of all of it tonight at The Q, warding off elimination and staying alive 112-102. Starting anywhere else than with the greatest player on the planet would be simply unfair, though what else can we say about LeBron. James scored 17 points in the 4th quarter, while nailing down a triple-double. In fact, at one point, LeBron had scored or assisted on 32 straight points, a true indication of how great he was down the stretch.

A far cry from the way LeBron finished Game 4, when he looked tired. Hell, at the end of the 3rd quarter, with the Magic leading by 1, James looked spent as well. Something happened, however, something we have been waiting for all series long -- James got some help. It started with a Mo Williams three, followed by a Daniel Gibson triple. LeBron seemed energized by the fact his teammates were finally hitting open shots and decided that it was time to take over.

Whether it was attacking the basket, hitting long range jumpers, or creating easy looks for his teammates, LeBron did it all as the Cavs outscored the Magic 34-23 in the 4th, the first time the Cavaliers had won a 2nd half quarter the entire series.

While LeBron was the story, the help he has been looking for, the help he has received all season, finally arrived. Five Cavaliers scored in double-digits, lead by James with 37. Mo Williams added 24, the first time someone other than #23 scored more than 20 points. Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16, Delonte West 13 and Daniel Gibson, for one night at least, regained his shooting touch, scoring 11.

Early on, Game 5 took on the look and feel of Games 1 and 2. The Cavs jumped out to a big lead, 22 at it's largest, before allowing the Magic to chip away. Orlando was down one at halftime and you could sense the tension in the air. It got even thicker in the 3rd quarter when the Magic came out and scoring the first 8 points to actually lead by as many as 8.

The Cavs battled back, however, and trailed by one entering the 4th quarter, setting the stage for James.

A note to all the conspiracy theorists out there. Once again, the Orlando Magic shot several more free throws than the Cavaliers(41-34). Total fouls were nearly even(27-25) with a few of those picked up late when Orlando was intentionally fouling. As much as the Magic players and coaches, and fans for that matter, want to play the "the NBA wants LeBron James in the Finals" card, the numbers just don't support it. Sorry.

For the Cavs it is one game. They still need two more. But if the Cavs take advantage of it, the worth of tonight's win could be so much more. The Cavs finally played well in the second half of a game. They finally won a 4th quarter. They finally got contributions from the bench and the other starters. Most importantly, LeBron seems to have found a second wind, one that surely will be there for Game 6.

Orlando has thrived in the 'underdog' role. They have thrived on the lack-of-respect card. Both are null and void now. It is the Magic that are the favorites, the Magic the are expected to finish off the Cavs. Cleveland thwarted them off tonight. Can they do it again?

Game 6, Saturday Night from Orlando. GO CAVS!

Orlando Magic 116, Cleveland Cavaliers 114 (OT)

Ben Q Rock — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:25:09 -0000

More photos » by Phelan Ebenhack - AP

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Led by Dwight Howard's 27 points--10 of them in overtime--and Rafer Alston's career-playoff-high 26 points, the Orlando Magic surged past the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime, 116-114, to take a 3-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Orlando trailed by 8 at halftime, yet Alston's 15-point third quarter helped Orlando draw to within 1 heading into the final period of regulation. The Magic weathered another onslaught by LeBron James, who led his team with 44 points, 12 boards, and 7 assists. His pair of free throws with 0.5 seconds remaining sent the game to overtime knotted at 100.

Team	Pace	Efficiency	eFG%	FT Rate	OReb%	TO Rate
Cavaliers	99	115.2	48.3%	34.5	17.1	14.1
Magic	99	117.5	60.6%	23.8	10.8	15.2

I know the Cavaliers are upset to be down 3-1, but they should at least take solace in the fact that they forced the Magic to overtime, on the road, despite yielding a whopping 17 made three-pointers. On the other hand, there's really no excusing how wide-open they left the Magic on a lot of those threes. I suppose they can live with some of Alston's looks because he is the Magic's poorest outside shooter in the rotation, historically speaking, but they consistently left Mickael Pietrus open in the corners, his favorite places to shoot. Cleveland dared Alston to win the game for Orlando, and he delivered more often than not. 26 points on 10-of-17 from the field and 6-of-12 from three-point range. Taking what the defense gave him, which is to say taking a lot. Stellar play from Orlando's deadline-day acquisition.

And this is how Orlando wins games. Simply too many weapons for the Cavs to match. Alston, we've mentioned. Howard, we've mentioned. Pietrus scored 17 off the bench, making 5 three-pointers. Rashard Lewis scored 10 of his 17 points in the 4th period, including what would have been the game-winning three-pointer were it not for James' late free throws. Hedo Turkoglu had 15 points and 8 assists. The Magic look every bit like the better team in this series, having pushed the league's winningest team to the brink of elimination, and nearly having swept it.

None of this is meant to gloat. I agree with Dwight Howard when he says, "It is no time to celebrate."

Howard, though, should absolutely be proud of his performance, particularly when it happened most. He might have silenced the critics who said during the Magic's previous series against the Boston Celtics that he could not be a go-to player. The Cavs do not have anyone capable of pushing him off his spots, and it showed on the Magic's second, third, and fourth possessions of the overtime period, which resulted in two dunks and a layup. Later on, he tipped in a missed Turkoglu layup. And with the Magic clinging to a two-point lead with 21 seconds to play, he calmly sank two free throws to help put the game away. His defense was huge, too, forcing a jump-ball against James and not committing what would have been a crucial three-shot foul against him on the Cavs' ensuing possession.

For the first time in this series, James got some offensive help from his teammates, and it resulted in arguably the Cavs' best-played offensive game against the Magic... although they once again fell into the stand-around-and-watch-LeBron offense late. Delonte West worked hard for his 17 points. He had his step-back jumper working and repeatedly attacked Alston in the low post. James, too, made the most of his post-up chances against Pietrus. But apart from Daniel Gibson's two three-pointers in the waning minutes of the first half, Cleveland got very little from the perimeter. Mo Williams scored 18 points, but got 8 of those at the foul line. His 5-of-15 mark from the field is more indicative of his offensive play in this game. He's sure to hear it from the media, and maybe even from his teammates, after he failed to make good on his guarantee to win Game 4.

114 points on 99 possessions for Cleveland, which would appear to indicate the Magic played poor defense. Maybe that's true, as they managed to lose track of Anderson Varejao under the rim a few times. But at least acknowledge that the Magic didn't allow their offense to do what they wanted to do, namely drive-and-kick. As John Krolik of Cavs: The Blog indicates, 5 of Cleveland's 6 three-pointers came off the dribble, while the other was a well-contested look.

What's clear about the Cavs, more than anything else, after this game is the following: they're not sure what else they can do in this series. Coach Mike Brown dusted off Wally Szczerbiak, who did not play in Game 3, and put him out there for 21 minutes. Gibson made a cameo in the first half of Game 3; he played 22 minutes tonight. Meanwhile, Sasha Pavlovic earned a DNP-CD tonight after playing 25 minutes in Game 3. I don't mean to demean Brown's coaching, but it's rather telling that he still can't decide on a rotation that works against the Magic. It's his team that's being reactive, and not proactive, in this series. And that's one reason why it's in a 3-1 hole right now.

This game was unique in that both teams had their chances to put the other away. Cleveland couldn't capitalize on its 8-point halftime lead, while the Magic themselves led by 6 with 4:18 left in regulation. For the first time in a while, the Magic nearly gave a game away, which was legitimately surprising to see given their recent history. But no, there's no reason to question their playoff moxie now.

The Magic head to Cleveland and will try to finish off the Cavs this Thursday night. Another effort like tonight should get it done.