SB Nation - Anfernee Hardaway

Coach of the Year? You're Fired!

Zorgon — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:16:06 -0000

Me? Fired?

As all of you know, Byron Scott has recently been fired by the New Orleans Hornets. This should come as no surprise if you've followed the Hornets in the past. George Shinn is a guy who can assemble winning teams, but in all cases, profit comes before winning. In this case, he's gotten rid of a successful coach, so he can hire Tim Floyd to ghost coach as an assistant, while Jeff Bower serves as a puppet so Tim Floyd doesn't get as much money.

But, that's not the point of this article. The point of this article is to point out the drastically bad luck recent coaches of the year have had when it comes to keeping their jobs. Lets just go on down the list, shall we?

2003-2004: Hubie Brown, Memphis Grizzlies

He got this win after providing a 22 win turnaround to propel the Grizzlies to a 50 win season and the playoffs. They got swept out of the first round by San Antonio, but it was probably the best season in Grizzlies history up to that point. The next season, he started 5-7, had some, "Health Issues" and walked out the door. The team went on to make the playoffs again under Mike Fratello. Granted, this isn't a matter of bad coaching or anything, but all curses have to start somewhere, right?

The obligatory totally awesome Mike D'Antoni picture.

2004-2005: Mike D'Antoni, Phoenix Suns

Mike D'Antoni and his fast break offense had done endless positives for the Suns, especially after their trying to find an identity Post-Jason Kidd. He took a roster of aging players like Anfernee Hardaway, Stephon Marbury, Tom Gugliotta, Howard Eisley, and Antonio McDyess and made success with a completely new roster, featuring players like Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson, and Amare Stoudemire. It was quite the accomplishment. But after two seasons of Semi-Finals losses, a Conference Finals loss, and a loss in the first round after Shaq was brought to town against D'Antoni's wishes, the Suns kicked him out the door. Now, how many times does that happen? Now he coaches the tanking New York Knicks. Talk about bad luck, and the start of a trend.

Things Avery Johnson don't lack are energy, tenacity, or a big mouth.

2005-2006: Avery Johnson, Dallas Mavericks

Avery Johnson won this award after inheriting an under achieving Don Nelson team. He forced them to play regular basketball, and as a result, they became one of the best teams in the NBA. But, after an embarrassing loss in the Finals after being up 2-0 on the Heat, an embarrassing (albeit totally awesome) loss to his predecessor's Golden State Warriors in the first round, and an understandable loss in the first round to the Hornets after a bad move for Jason Kidd, he was out on the street, and hasn't found another coaching job since. That's even worse luck.

2006-2007: Sam Mitchell, Toronto Raptors

The Raptors weren't extremely impressive under him, but getting the Raptors to the playoffs is, in itself, an accomplishment. The even bigger accomplishment was taking a international roster with many players who spoke entirely different languages, and making them work as one, cohesive unit. The future looked bright for him next season, but he lost Morris Peterson, an integral part of the teams success. He finished 6 wins lower at 41-41, and was booted out of the first round. Next season, it got even worse. He got an injury-prone Jermaine O'Neal, and lost a lot of his international talent, leading to a lack of team unity. After a 8-9 start, he was out of a job. His successor, Jay Triano, processed to poop the team into oblivion with a 25-40 record. This year, they look to be pretty good with the additions of players like Hedo Turkoglu, Demar DeRozan, Jarrett Jack, and Amir Johnson. Sam Mitchell hasn't found a job since, and has to be licking his chops at what he could have had. Bad luck strikes again.

2007-2008: Byron Scott, New Orleans Hornets

Byron Scott is the latest victim of this curse. He won the award after battling through two injury-laden seasons in Oklahoma City to finally become a playoff contender in New Orleans. He was gifted with Chris Paul, Peja Stojakovic, and Morris Peterson, while lucking into surprise stars in David West and Tyson Chandler. Unfortunately, his luck would turn sour as Morris Peterson, Peja Stojakovic, and Tyson Chandler suffered long injuries. As a result, the team finished 7 wins below last season at 49. They were promptly kicked out of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets. Yet, I didn't feel that his job was on the line. But after a 3-6 start with Emeka Okafor in place of Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic starting to show his age, Byron Scott was given the good 'ol pink slip. I'd hire him as my team's coach any day, but for right now, he's probably stuck as jobless until next year.

The Future:

Could Mike Brown be on the street, selling his stylish glasses for food?

2008-2009: Mike Brown, Cleveland Cavaliers

Will the curse continue? I say yes. Shaq promised to retire after this season, LeBron James is going to be a free agent, and without those two, the Cavaliers couldn't possibly be worth more than a low playoff seed at best. Which could lead to Mike Brown bringing the unluckiness streak to 6, and having people around the league start to believe that the award really is cursed.

One could point out that the award is given to coaches that are just the hot commodity at the time and not to stable, long term coaches, but that would ruin the fun! Plus, guys like Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, Don Nelson, Larry Brown, and Phil Jackson have all won the award. So quiet, doubters! The new Madden Curse is upon us! I pity the man who receives the next Coach of the Year Award!

Lets hope that Scott Brooks never gets it.

Poll

Do you see Mike Brown following the curse any time soon?

Definitely, especially after next off-seasons departure of Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James.

72 votes

Possibly, it could happen.

37 votes

Not likely. LeBron will stay in Cleveland, and as long as he's there, Mike Brown can do no wrong.

23 votes

132 votes | Poll has closed

Orlando Magic News for September 2nd: former Magic PGs Possibly on the Move, a Potential Trade Destination for Mickael Pietrus or Marcin Gortat, and More

Ben Q Rock — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:15:44 -0000

More photos » by Randy Belice - NBAE/Getty Images

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Sports Buzz

Barry Jackson reports the Orlando Magic's hated in-state rival, the Miami Heat, recently discussed acquiring either Keyon Dooling or Rafer Alston from the Nets:

The Heat -- which says it would prefer to trade for a backup point guard than sign one -- spoke to New Jersey about ex-Heat guards Rafer Alston and Keyon Dooling, one of whom could be dealt. Nothing materialized, but the door was left open for further talks.

Alston and Dooling both played for Orlando and Miami earlier in their careers, so they're already in the club with--off the top of my head--Jason Williams, Rony Seikaly, Danny Schayes, Isaac Austin, Shaquille O'Neal, and Penny Hardaway. It appears as though a return to the Heat might be in the cards for one of them. (hat tip: NetsDaily)
30Q: What Kind of Kenny Thomas Trade Offers Will Pop Up?

Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty explores potential trades the Sacramento Kings might make using Kenny Thomas' hefty ($8.7 million) expiring contract. He mentions Orlando as a possibility:

The Magic, for example, have some $80 million in payroll tied up. This is a team that, until a few months ago, refused to cross the tax threshold. The team could be $20 million over the tax threshold in 2010-11. Isn't that a bit much? If it is, the Kings could give the Magic K-9's expiring contract in exchange for Mickael Pietrus or Marcin Gortat (assuming the Kings want either at their current payscales).

It's hard to imagine the Magic dumping two of their top-eight players for an expiring contract, especially since they appear to have no qualms paying the luxury tax.
Is C.J. Watson Coming to His Senses?

Matt Steinmetz of NBA FanHouse wonders what the heck C.J. Watson, the Golden State Warriors' restricted free agent point guard whom the Magic and their fans covet, is doing by balking at their three-year, $5.4 million contract offer, which includes a player option for the third year:

The only logical reason for Watson to spurn that kind of money is if he believed he'd be able to get a better deal next season on the free agent market. Only one problem: Watson will be a restricted free agent again next season, a fact that has been frequently misreported.

Indeed, if Watson takes the 1-year, $1.05 million qualifying offer to stay with the Warriors, he still won't be able to gain his freedom as an unrestricted free agent next summer, as they'll still hold his free-agent rights. Why? Because he'll be a three-year veteran, and teams hold their players' restricted free-agent rights until after their fourth season.

In other words, unless Magic GM Otis Smith can pull off a sign-and-trade deal, it looks highly unlikely that Watson could join the Magic until at least 2012.
The Rubio Situation Hits Close to Home

The Puns Are Starting to Bore Me briefly examines the parallels between the Minnesota Timberwolves' mishandling of Ricky Rubio--whom they drafted with the 5th pick this summer, only to watch him stay in Spain--and the Magic's situation with Fran Vazquez, their 2005 first-round pick who has yet to join the team.
Where Are They Now: 2009 Summer League Teams Part 2

A few weeks ago, I tried to sum up where some of the Magic's summer-league players wound up. ShamSports has done a more thorough job. Believe it or not, Courtney Fells (14.3% shooting, 8 points, 8 turnovers) has yet to sign anywhere.

Mapping the Orlando Magic's Franchise History

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:00:22 -0000

We've done a good bit of looking back at Orlando Magic history here at 3QC in recent weeks, what with Eddy's sprawling series on potential jersey-retirement candidates and all. Today, that retrospective trend continues with a broad survey of each team in Magic history, presented in map form.

Essentially, I wanted to use a visual method Tom Ziller (of Sactown Royalty and NBA FanHouse) devised to represent teams' tendencies, which involves advanced statistics and scatterplots. I'm not selling the concept well in that last sentence, but trust me, this stuff is cool. Here's Tom's original post, which he did for BallHype in August 2007, examining the NBA's 30 teams in the prior season. I consulted Basketball-Reference for statistics in this post.

And, to start us off, is a fairly simple visual which Ziller dubbed "The Map of Goodness and Badness." Click the link for a full-sized look.

On the x-axis, we have offensive efficiency; on the y-axis, we have defensive efficiency. The best teams appear in the first quadrant, the worst in the third, and the mediocre elsewhere. Fairly straightforward.

One of the things to take away from this graph is just how important Shaquille O'Neal was to this franchise. The Magic were dreadful on both sides of the ball when they drafted him. After one year, they moved to the positive side of the ledger, ranking above average in both offensive and defensive efficiency for the first time in franchise history. Now, that 1993 team was hardly dominant--look at how close it is to the center of the graph--but it represented the first decent squad in team history.

For another indication of Shaq's dominance, look at how woeful the 1992 team was, then note that Shaq anchored the most efficient offense in team history just 3 years later. He wasn't the only reason for the team's improvement--young Penny Hardaway was dynamite--but he certainly contributed to the franchise's rapid ascension. This chart illustrates the staggering progression better than anything else could.

Moving on to the team's other franchise center, Dwight Howard, we see that the 21-61 outfit in 2004 suffered mostly due to cosmically awful defense, yielding a league-worst 110.4 points per 100 possessions. The team has improved defensively, from worst in 2004 to best in 2009, in which he won the league's Defensive Player of the Year award. Consider that no other player in the Magic's usual starting five last season had proven himself to be an elite defender at the NBA level, and one gets a better appreciation for Howard's defensive ability.

Keep the following in mind when we look at another map later in this post: the 2009 Magic were barely above average on offense; indeed, it was their defense that carried them to the NBA Finals. Of the six teams which fall squarely in the first quadrant, only the Shaq-led 1993 unit, and the Tracy McGrady-led 2001 team, were less remarkable on offense.

Our next graph, "The Map of Awesome Speed and Apocalyptic Boredom," attempts to measure the "watchability" of a given team, assuming (rightly, I believe) that most people favor a faster-paced style of play. As in the previous graph, the x-axis measures offensive efficiency. What's different is that the y-axis now accounts for pace, rather than defensive efficiency. Teams in the first quadrant combine deft scoring with a fast pace, while teams in the third quadrant represent offensive ineptitude and a decidedly uncool lack of speed.

Fortunately for NBA fans, the Magic's two best and highest-profile teams (last year and the 95 squad) fall squarely in that first quadrant. Watching their games probably didn't feel like torture to most hoops addicts. Meanwhile, the expansion team in 1990 ran like the dickens, but wasn't too good at it.

The juxtaposition between the teams from Brian Hill's two stints coaching the Magic might be my favorite element of this graph, and we'll see a similar disconnect later. Hill's most successful teams--in 1994, 1995, and 1996--all played at a fast pace, and were reasonably efficient. Those tendencies changed in 1997, when a Hardaway-led revolt resulted in Hill's firing; note how the 1997 team is on the complete opposite end of the "fun" spectrum, neither running nor scoring.

When the Magic hired Hill again for the 2006 season, he did not change his stripes. He installed a slow, plodding offense built around Howard, then a sophomore. But unlike in the earlier years, with Shaq, Hill didn't have any lethal three-point shooters at his disposal. As a result, those teams played some stagnant, unbearable basketball (although they did at least show up on the defensive end).

Another thing to note here is how the four worst teams in franchise history--the ones appearing in the third quadrant in the first graph--also show up in a similar grouping here. They played at a fast pace, but didn't do much with it. Maybe there's something to that thesis, that less talented teams tend to play at a frenetic pace. Hmm.

We now move on to our next graph, entitled "The Map of Thugs and Hummingbirds."

Here, we're measuring pace (on the x-axis) against foul rate (on the y-axis). Here's what Ziller wrote about the Magic in his original Mapping the NBA piece:

We could be subjected to the unwatchable Orlando Magic. Terrible offense, slow offense, foul a lot on defense. Three ingredients for ADHD suicides. Blame ironhands Dwight Howard and noodly-armed Darko Milicic, or keep blaming Brian Hill (see if I care). Something's got be done, and I imagine Rashard Lewis is that something: He doesn't care enough about defense to bother fouling, and he's never been one to let the shot clock wind down before making his move. Sleep well tonight Florida, fun is on its way.

He was dead-on, no? As I've indicated on the graph, Brian Hill helmed the only slow-paced Magic teams that also fouled at a high rate. And again, we see how drastically different current coach Stan Van Gundy is from Hill. Despite playing at a faster pace than Hill's teams did, Van Gundy's teams foul less. A cynic might attribute that fact to Howard's ascension to superstardom earning him more respect with the officials; I tend to believe Van Gundy's simply a better defensive coach.

Finally, we come to "The Map of Riflemen and Roughnecks," which illustrates teams' tendency to draw fouls (on the x-axis) against its tendency to shoot three-pointers (on the y-axis). Given the Magic's record-setting season shooting the three-ball last year, this graph will no doubt be of particular interest.

Yup, another stark contrast between Hill and Van Gundy. Since Stan took over, the Magic have shot more treys than ever, while still drawing fouls at a high rate (due in no small part to Howard's leading the league in free-throw attempts). Now I don't mean to pile on Hill here--he didn't have Rashard Lewis, the league's leader in three-point attempts, at his disposal--but this graph clearly shows how Van Gundy's been able to maximize Howard's talents. Dwight draws fouls at a high rate, scores 20 points per game, and spreads the floor enough for the Magic's three-point marksmen to fire away. Hill only got the foul-drawing part right.

To be fair to Hill, the first time he had a dominant center, he also had the likes of Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson to launch bombs; the 1994, 1995, and 1996 teams appear in the same quadrant as do Van Gundy's teams, albeit not as conspicuously. What is conspicuous, however, is the sharp decline in fouls drawn in 1997. It all fits in with the pattern of the team's style of play changing in that season, which (perhaps not coincidentally) marked the end of Hill's first stint with Orlando.

Another note on Van Gundy: for all the tricks the Magic have, what with the league's most prolific free-throw shooter and three-point shooter starting together on the same front line, neither of his teams has really distinguished itself offensively. The 2009 crew, for instance, was just 0.9 points per 100 possessions better than league average. However, that mark should change for the better this season, as the efficient Vince Carter enters the fold, replacing the inefficient Hedo Turkoglu. This roster might be the most loaded ("stacked" is how Kelly Dwyer put it) in team history, and we'll get to see if Van Gundy can ratchet up the offensive firepower without losing too much on the other end of the floor. Which is, as I've said, where the Magic really made their mark last season.

And how about that 1990 team? We saw earlier it played quickly but inefficiently, which would lead us to believe it'd be a fun-and-gun, three-point-shooting unit. Not so, at all. Indeed, Lewis attempted 162 more three-pointers last season than the entire Magic team did in 1990. Put another way, the 1990 team's leading three-point shooter (Scott Skiles, with 52 makes) would have tied Anthony Johnson for 7th on last year's team. If those facts don't indicate how important the three-point shot is in today's game, I'm not sure what does.

On this note, we conclude our graphical tour of the Magic's franchise history, which reveals not a few patterns about certain coaches' and players' respective impacts on the team. Incidentally, our backward-looking trend continues later today as Eddy examines the merits of the Magic potentially retiring Skiles' uniform number. Stay tuned.

Orlando Magic News for August 18th: Dwight Howard Speaks, 'Building Magic' Update, and More

erivera7 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:47:41 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

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Q&A with Magic center Dwight Howard
Bill Eichenberger of the Sporting News was able to chat with Dwight Howard while he was filming a movie last week in New Jersey.

BE: Speaking of real basketball, what’s your reaction to the moves made this offseason by the other teams in the East, starting with Shaquille O’Neal going to the Cavs and Rasheed Wallace going to the Celtics? Will they make it tougher for the Magic to get back to The Finals?

DH: Nah. For us to get back to The Finals, we have to worry about ourselves, get ourselves better. Everybody is talking about the moves that everyone else has made. We’ve made a lot of moves ourselves to get better. But I don’t think a lot of people have recognized that because it’s mostly not big-name players. But it’s the little pieces that hold everything together.
Photo: Oh, Orlando Magic team building exercise '09!
J.E. Skeets of Ball Don't Lie posts a picture of several Orlando Magic players donning camouflage outfits and sporting paintball guns. Don't worry, the team is ALSO doing basketball-related drills. Still, doesn't hurt to have some fun.
C.J. Watson's off the table, so what's next at point guard?
Tania Ganguli lists possible options at point guard for the Magic.
Summer shuffling, done right, can turn a team around
Jeff Case of NBA.com takes the time to lists off-season moves in the past that dramatically changed a team's fortune for the better or for the worse. Naturally, Orlando makes the list. (via the Orlando Sentinel)

Sept. 19 & Sept. 22, 1994 -- Magic sign Horace Grant and Brian Shaw

The buzz: Orlando was fresh off its first 50-win season, had a budding star tandem in Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee Hardaway but had yet to win a playoff game. With some cash in hand, the Magic signed veterans Grant and Shaw, who helped Orlando to 57 wins in 1994-95 and the team's first Finals appearance.

The aftermath: The youthful Magic were swept by the Rockets in the 1995 Finals. The 1995-96 Magic won 60 games, a franchise first, but were swept in the conference finals by the Bulls. From there, Shaq left town for L.A., Penny started to break down and the Magic suddenly fell off the title-contending map. Grant was traded to the Sonics on June 30, 1999 while Shaw was traded to the Warriors on Oct. 28, 1997.
UPDATE: Superman works on a commercial for ESPN, today. (via Twitter)
http://twitpic.com/eeh9h - me (clark kent) and hannah storm (lois lane) filming a @sportscenter commercial

A Second Opinion on Nick Anderson

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:00:11 -0000

Earlier today, Eddy gave you his take on the possibility of the Orlando Magic retiring Nick Anderson's uniform number. He laid out the facts with a little help from Jon Nichols and Neil Paine. Now, using a slightly different approach, I'll take on the same subject.

Before we continue, a confession. Nick Anderson is absolutely one of my favorite Magic players, ever. A poster depicting him dunking adorned my wall as an eight-year-old, alongside one of Penny Hardaway, but I always liked Nick just a bit more. Although I'd like to keep sentiment outside this evaluation, it might find ways to creep in. And ultimately, would that be so bad? Jersey retirements are, by nature, sentimental events.

I'll have help in this process, as Eddy had in his. I've shamelessly lifted the "jersey retirement formula" Ben Golliver of Blazersedge devised over a year ago, which Eddy too has mentioned. But as Ben explains in the post, the "formula" uses only addition, and is wholly uncomplicated. Golliver awarded anywhere from 1 to 5 points in 5 distinct categories, for a possible maximum score of 25. After the jump, we'll see how Nick fares.

Criterion One: Connection with the Franchise

Ben explains:
To determine how closely a player is connected with a franchise, one generally assesses 4 conditions:
1. Did the player play his most important years with the team?
2. Did the player play the majority of his career with the team?
3. Was the player drafted by the team?
4. Did the player retire with the team?
So it's readily apparent that Anderson satisfies items 1, 2, and 3 on the list. Counting the playoffs, he played 736 of his 849 games with Orlando, which made him the first draft selection in franchise history. Because he did not retire with the team--which shipped him to Sacramento for Tariq Abdul-Wahad 10 years and 10 days ago--I cannot award him the maximum 5 points for this category. For meeting the other components here, however, he gets 4 points, and we move on.
Criterion Two: Success with the Franchise

From Ben:

Judging a player's relative success across generations can be tricky, but its clear two factors are important to consider: the maximum success his team's enjoyed and his role in creating that success.

Ask yourself, "Can the story of the franchise's glory days be told without mentioning this player?"

To weigh both the team's success and the player's role in that sucess, I gave 5 points to a star on a championship team, 5 points to a starter on championship team, 5 points to a star on a finalist team, 4 points to a role player on a finalist team and 4 points to a starter on a finalist team.

Even Anderson's harshest detractors--the ones who never forgave him for missing four crucial free throws in Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals--would concede it's impossible to omit Anderson's name from discussing that era in Magic history. Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal were the superstars, but Anderson was arguably the next-most-important player. And if you're going to mention Dennis freakin' Scott in this conversation, you can't very well overlook Anderson.

The real question becomes, for our purposes, "was Anderson a 'star' or a 'role player'?" In the year Orlando made its first trip to the Finals, Anderson averaged 15.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.6 steals, while shooting 47.6% from the field and 41.5% from three-point range. All solid numbers, but not enough to justify the "star" label. Thus, for being a starter/role player on a finalist team, he gets 4 points in this category. Onto the next one.
Criterion Three: Statistical Body of Work

Golliver:

Ask yourself, "How dominant (and for how long) was this player?"

In assigning the points in this category, I took into account: league-leading tallies, franchise/league records, double-doubles, 10+ year careers, and anything else that truly jumps out of the box score/ stat sheet.

One can use any number of words to describe Anderson's playing career, but "dominant" is not one of them. In 10 seasons with the Magic, he averaged 15.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 steals, while shooting 45.4% from the field and 36.3% from three-point range. Again, not dominant, but also respectable.

And, in terms of totals--not averages--he's Orlando's franchise leader in games played, minutes played, points scored, field goals made, field goals attempted, and steals. We also must point out the negative: by virtue of his long tenure, he has the dubious distinction of leading the franchise in the turnovers and personal fouls categories, although Dwight Howard will most assuredly pass him in both early in the coming season.

So, what's it boil down to? How do we reconcile his modest (by jersey-retirement standards) averages with his franchise-best totals? We split the difference between the two: 3.5 points in this category for Anderson.
Criterion Four: Individual Awards

Golliver:

Ask, "What are the standout individual achievements on this player's resume and how do they compare to other franchise greats?"

We'll discuss this category briefly, and by necessity: it suffices to say that Anderson never won any individual honors during his career. About the best we can say for him on this score is that he was among the league-leaders in three-point field goals made during three separate seasons he spent with Orlando. But no All-Rookie appearances, no All-Star game appearances... nothing. No points for Nick here, sadly.
Criterion Five: The Intangibles

Golliver:

This section takes into account the player's personality, contributions to the community and investment in the organization.

Ask yourself, "Is the player a credit to the organization, the city and the league?"

[....]

While this category is certainly subjective, it is only 20% of the overall picture so haggling over a point up or down should not make or break a candidate's application.

Here, Anderson makes out like a bandit. He's the first draft pick in franchise history, a fan-favorite in his decade with the team, and still in its employ as a Community Ambassador. The list of Magic players Anderson's equal, in terms of popularity in the Central Florida community, is short, and includes Bo Outlaw (also a Community Ambassador), Scott Skiles, Horace Grant, Darrell Armstrong, Howard, and maybe Hedo Turkoglu. O'Neal and Hardaway were popular in their prime, but the decidedly less-than-amiable ways in which they parted with the franchise--O'Neal with his infamous "small pond" comments, Hardaway with his trade demands--have forever diminished their standing in the community.

Finally, in 1996, Anderson became the first winner of the Rich and Helen DeVos Community Enrichment award.

In short, Anderson earns the full 5 points here easily.

Conclusions:

Nick Anderson sustained a high--but not elite--level of play for a decade with the Orlando Magic. He was a key component of their first NBA finalist team, in the franchise's first truly successful stint.

Whether those credentials are enough to merit jersey retirement is up for interpretation. Some people, justifiably, believe that sports franchise should only retire jersey numbers of Hall-of-Fame players. My counter is that jersey retirement honors players for their contributions to a specific franchise, rather than to the sport as a whole; that last bit is the Hall of Fame's responsibility. And, when viewed in this light, Nick Anderson's number 25 jersey absolutely deserves to hang from the rafters of Amway Center when it opens in 2010.

Orlando Magic & Retired Jerseys: Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway, Part II

erivera7 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:00:25 -0000

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Penny.

To this day, that nickname still resonates in the sports world. More often than not, almost any casual fan of basketball immediately knows who Penny is. Almost any.

For Orlando Magic fans, Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway represented three things - what he was (a great player), what he is (a retired player), and what he will be (a distant memory?). There are so many superlatives to describe Hardaway's career.

Penny was a supernova; his career exploded so brightly and quickly.

Penny was a tragic hero; abandoned by Shaquille O'Neal at the apex of their reign in 1996, he infamously executed a coup d'état against Brian Hill in 1997 (among other things), and in almost karmic nature, paid the price for the mutiny by suffering a career-changing & serious knee injury in 1998, which required micro-fracture surgery. Unfortunately for Penny, that type of procedure was handled during its infancy. Treated as a 6-to-8 week ordeal, Hardaway was rushed back onto the parquet floor. And unfortunately for Penny, he was never the same player again. Ever.

What type of player was Hardaway, in his prime?

Via Ric Bucher of ESPN.com:

Long forgotten is the All-NBA first-teamer considered a lock-solid franchise cornerstone as a 6-foot-7 point guard with a tight handle, extraordinary court vision and a high basketball IQ who's fearless about taking the big shot but not hesitant to find an open teammate.

Penny was seen by many as the next Magic Johnson, the next prodigy, the next revolutionary point guard that would take the NBA by storm. For a few years, Hardaway was the player as described. Perhaps the zenith of Penny's skill displayed itself against the Miami Heat in the first round of the 1997 NBA Playoffs. Although Orlando lost the series against Miami in five games, Hardaway choreographed two dominant, historic, ridiculous performances (against a Pat Riley-coached team, no less) that showcased how special a player he was early in his career. On the court, no one denied Penny's greatness. Off the court, well ..

.. that will be addressed in a minute.

I turned to Benjamin Golliver's "formula" made in a write-up over a year ago at the superb Blazersedge to ascertain whether Hardaway deserved an analytical and a statistical breakdown. After I noted that Penny met a majority of the criterion listed in Ben's post (for example, Hardaway was a superstar on the 1995 NBA Finals team for the Magic), I surmised that Anfernee deserved an examination.

Before I begin, I want to make it explicitly clear that I'm not advocating against or for an Orlando player in this mini-series. The main purpose of these posts is to figure out who in Magic history has a legit argument for such an honor, and let the community decide accordingly (there will be a poll so that people can chime in).

So, without further ado, let's begin.

As I stated in my post yesterday, I enlisted the help of Jon Nichols of Basketball-Statistics and Neil Paine of Basketball-Reference to a.) add an APBRmetrician's unbiased perspective and b.) provide statistical data.

Beginning (by Jon Nichols):

In his first four years with the Magic, he was spectacular. He posted PER’s of 17.4, 20.8, 24.6, and 21.4. He appeared on two All-NBA First Teams, one All-NBA Third Team, and an All-Rookie Team. He also appeared in four all-star games and was among the league leaders in a number of categories for a brief period. Of course, as the story goes, he was injury-plagued and inconsistent for the rest of his career.

Are there other players who had spectacular but short tenures and still had their jerseys retired? Of course. Earl Monroe played just four seasons with the Bullets, Pete Maravich played five with the Jazz, Bill Walton played four with the Blazers, Charles Barkley played four with the Suns, and so on. Of course, a lot of these guys had Hall of Fame careers with other teams, but for the teams in question, they were just short and sweet. The Sacramento Kings, who are not afraid to retire jerseys, honored Vlade Divac despite him only playing five solid seasons there.

Hardaway’s career will always be remembered with disappointment. However, he was involved with some of the greatest Magic teams ever, and even though his stardom was short-lived, it was dramatic. Hardaway should have his jersey retired.

Middle:

Credit goes to Nichols for the PER graph and Paine for the statistical plus/minus data.

As was noted before, there is precedent for a player of Penny's caliber to have a short & sweet career with a particular team and have his jersey retired by that respective franchise. Statistically, Hardaway's numbers are impressive when comparing and looking at them side-by-side with four Hall of Fame players from different NBA eras. It was brought up yesterday and it's worth mentioning again - it's not advisable to compare the PER's of individuals that play different positions, but this will be an exception for the purposes of this exercise.

End:

There's no doubt that from a numbers standpoint, Penny deserves to have his jersey retired by Orlando because he was an elite player and a superstar. But, of course, it's not all about stats and this is where Hardaway falls short.

Via George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel:

The slice-and-dice is Penny's signature move, one that will define his legacy with the Magic. The DNA evidence is irrefutable: His handprints are on the knife he used to bloody Coach Brian Hill, undercut teammate Nick Anderson and stab elderly Chuck Daly into retirement.

The Magic did the right thing by severing ties with Hardaway, an unsightly cancerous growth in the locker room and this community.

It is a contentious divorce, the end of one party's exhaustive pleas for a reconciliation. Hardaway would have none of it, and certainly will absolve himself of any culpability.

Certainly, both Penny and the organization have matured since then and time has allowed for old wounds to heal on both ends of the table. Whether or not old wounds HAVE healed is the question that is yet to have an answer.

Hardaway has the accolades and the statistics, but he doesn't have the intangibles. Penny hasn't contributed to the Central Florida community or has made an investment in the organization in a while. In return, Orlando has yet to honor Hardaway in any capacity since he stopped playing professional ball. For Penny, that may never change.

But alas ..

No one can forget the Lil' Penny commercials and the Air Penny shoes, each classic in every sense of the word.

No one can forget LeBron James, arguably the best player in the NBA right now, reference Penny as one of his favorite players.

No one can forget the good and the bad with Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway; he represented his number perfectly (#1).

One of a kind (pun intended).

Accolades:

1994 All-NBA Rookie First Team

1995, 1996 All-NBA First Team

1997 All-NBA Third Team

1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 NBA All-Star (starter each year)

1996 Olympic Gold Medalist (USA men's national basketball team)

Awards:

1994 MVP of Rookie Challenge

Franchise Leaderboard:

Steals per game (1.9)

Poll

Does Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway deserve to have his jersey retired by the Orlando Magic?

Yes

239 votes

No

205 votes

444 votes | Poll has closed

Orlando Magic & Retired Jerseys: Darrell Armstrong, Part I

erivera7 — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:00:20 -0000

Photo is courtesy of the Orlando Magic.

View full size photo »

If Orlando Magic fans had to choose one player that epitomized and exemplified the "Heart and Hustle" era for the franchise, the individual chosen would probably be Darrell Armstrong. Known for his energy, grit, and intensity, Armstrong endeared himself to his peers in the NBA & the local fans for always giving his all and exciting crowds with his dunking ability, despite his small stature (6'0''). As such, Darrell is probably most famous for a few things, like accidentally making a layup in the 1996 NBA Dunk Contest and stealing a game (figuratively & literally) away from the Philadelphia 76ers in the closing seconds (3.3, to be exact) of a game in 1999.

Armstrong was a perfect underdog to root for - he attended and played college ball at a small school (Fayetteville State University), didn't get drafted by an NBA team, was forced to play in the GBA (Global Basketball Association), in the USBL (United States Basketball League), and in Europe before being signed by Orlando as a free agent during the 1994-1995 season. Even then, Darrell didn't see significant playing time with the Magic until the 1997-1998 season.

Talk about paying your dues, right?

I turned to Benjamin Golliver's "formula" made in a write-up over a year ago at the superb Blazersedge to ascertain whether Armstrong deserved an analytical and a statistical breakdown. After I noted that Darrell met a majority of the criterion listed in Ben's post (for example, Armstrong played the majority of his career and his most important years with the team), I surmised that D.A. deserved an examination.

So, without further ado, let's begin.

As I stated in my preview yesterday, I enlisted the help of Jon Nichols of Basketball-Statistics and Neil Paine of Basketball-Reference to a.) add an APBRmetrician's unbiased perspective and b.) provide statistical data.

Beginning (by Jon Nichols):

During his nine seasons with the Magic, they never finished with a losing record. Statistically, he was solid but not superb. He was never particularly efficient (excluding his very short 1994-95 appearance, his single season career high in Offensive Rating was 112). However, he produced enough (usage rates hovering around 20) to post solid PER’s. Hs best seasons came from 1998-2001, when he posted PER’s of 22.2, 19.5, and 18.6. However, none of these statistics really reflect his strong defensive ability.

Statistically, there are other players who have had their jerseys retired who have posted numbers similar to Armstrong’s. Austin Carr played nine seasons with the Cavaliers and posted numbers at a level below Armstrong. However, he was known as "Mr. Cavalier," works in the Cleveland front office, is the team’s color commentator, and was a college superstar. Clearly his jersey was retired for reasons beyond his on-court production.

Brad Davis had similar numbers in 12 years with the Dallas Mavericks and had his jersey retired. However, he too works for his team’s front office and is a television personality. Ditto for John McGlocklin of the Milwaukee Bucks. Finally, we have Dennis Johnson, who posted regular season numbers inferior to those of Armstrong. However, he won multiple championships with the Celtics and even won a Finals MVP Award once.

So to sum up Armstrong’s situation: his numbers are on par with the lower level of players who have had their jerseys retired. However, he has two factors working against him: he did not finish his career with the Magic nor does he still hold a position in the team’s front office. It doesn’t help that his Magic career ended around the time he was charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer. Also, you could probably find other players with numbers like his that never had their jerseys retired. It all comes down to how much he means to the Magic franchise: was he just a pretty good player or did he mean something more? I’d probably vote against retiring his jersey.

Middle:

Credit goes to Nichols for the PER graph and Paine for the statistical plus/minus data.

As a rule of thumb, it's best to compare PER's of players who play the same position and/or compare PER's of the same individual over a span of a few seasons because issues do arise in other situations where comparisons are being made. In this case, the only glaring problem comparing these crop of guards is that blocks and steals weren't an official NBA statistic until the 1973-1974 season, which skews Jon McGlocklin's career PER. Nevertheless, Darrell's career PER and career statistical plus/minus compare favorably to other guards that have had their jerseys retired. In fact, Armstrong fares best among the quintet in two separate linear metrics. It'd be great to use more advanced statistics to see how Darrell lines up among his peers, but limitations in retrieving that data is a problem.

With that being said, some of the numbers DO speak for themselves.

End:

Armstrong didn't end his career with Orlando on a high note as was pointed out, but it's clear that he means something more to the city and to the franchise.

Off the court, Darrell continues to make an impact in the Central Florida community (for example, the Darrell Armstrong and Chucky Atkins, 2009 11th Annual Basketball Camps & the 10th Annual Darrell Armstrong Classic Weekend) and remains a favorite with Magic fans. On the court, Armstrong bridged the gap between the Shaquille O'Neal era and the Dwight Howard era, played alongside a pair of #1's (Anfernee Hardaway and Tracy McGrady), and steered Orlando through many, many, many years of ups and downs.

Darrell played the majority of his career and the most important years (in other words, his prime) with the Magic. Armstrong's teams weren't remember for being extremely successful, though, that's what happens when an individual is a product of his environment. Which is to say, it's not Darrell's fault that Hardaway got traded, Hill was injured, and so on and so forth. When looking at Armstrong in a vacuum, his statistical body of work hovered between good & great during his tenure with Orlando and Darrell was rewarded justly, when he became (and still remains) the only player in the history of the Association to win the Most Improved Player Award and Sixth Man Award in the same year (1999). Impressive.

Random thought. Remember when Tim Hardaway of the Denver Nuggets was ejected in the third quarter of a regular season home game in 2002 against the Orlando Magic and promptly threw a courtside monitor onto the court during his temper tantrum?

Who picked up the television and plugged it back in where it belonged?

Darrell Armstrong.

Awards:

1999 Most Improved Player Award

1999 Sixth Man Award

Poll

Does Darrell Armstrong deserve to have his jersey retired by the Orlando Magic?

Yes

250 votes

No

144 votes

394 votes | Poll has closed

The Four Best Words in Sacramento

Exhibit G — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:00:14 -0000

Right now I think the 4 best words out there are "Kenny Thomas' Expiring Contract". Congrats Kenny! You've moved into the lexicon with legends such as P.J. Brown, Penny Hardaway and Raef LaFrentz!

Kenny Thomas is slated to make a little over $8.7 million this season. A staggering number considering his production. But he might be the best asset on the team this season. He either provides us cap relief towards next summer's storied free agent class of 2010, or he could be traded to a team looking for cap relief. Either way, we'll be in a better situation.

I've always wondered what it would feel like to be known only for the fact that I represented upcoming cap space. The idea that you are so worthless and overpaid that someone would trade for you simply because they wouldn't have you around the following season. It astounds me. As a professional athlete, one would think that you'd have a certain level of pride. Players are derailed for a variety of reasons, obviously. Hardaway and LaFrentz were betrayed by their bodies, P.J. was just getting old. Hell, Brown was still a valuable asset beyond just his expiring contract.

That brings me back to the case of Kenny Thomas. His downfall in Sacramento has been due to not meshing with the coaching staff(s), not trying, or both. Since he's been in Sacramento through several coaches, it probably is not a reach to assume that his downfall is due more to a lack of effort than a coaching style clash.

But imagine if he cared again. There was a time when Thomas was a serviceable player, and a pretty good rebounder. How tempting might he be to a team seeking cap relief next summer, and also seeing Thomas as a guy who needs a change of scenery? I don't know that anyone is out there who might think that. There's little evidence to support such an idea. But how about this, what if someone wants to capitalize on a player who once showed some ability, represents cap space in the summer of 2010, and is in a contract year and has shown motivation only when working towards a new contract? Suddenly, Kenny Thomas could be very appealing.

And even if the Kings don't get any quality players in a trade, they can hold Thomas for another season and have cap space next summer. After all we've been through, what's one more season with Kenny Thomas on the bench?

For once, having Thomas on the roster is a win-win situation.

Nellie Knows NBA Draft: The Warriors and Mavericks Years

Atma Brother ONE — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:38:41 -0000

What can I say? I'm a real sucka for NBA Draft history. My friend and fellow Dubs fanatic Adam Lauridsen has researched and put together a thought-provoking piece Nelson on Draft Day: An Appreciation over on Fast Break, which examines the 14 drafts Don Nelson has been the head honcho in the front office of the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks. Unlike Chris Mullin's spotty draft history, it's hard to argue with Nellie's draft and scouting acumen. This is one sharp and shrewd hoops mind.

Nellie and Lucky know NBA Draft. via farm2.static.flickr.com

Make the jump for some foto fun and player highlights.

1988 #5 pick Mitch Richmond (SG) [Basketball-Reference.com]

It's the rock! via www.beckett.com

14 year NBA career
21.0 career ppg
1988-1989 NBA Rookie of the Year: 22ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.2 apg. 1 steal
6 time NBA All-Star
5 time All-NBA Team

1989 #14 pick Tim Hardaway (PG) [Basketball-Reference.com]

Killer Crossover. Killer Rookie. via www.checkoutmycards.com

13 year NBA career
Career: 17.7 ppg, 8.2 apg, 1.6 stl
1989-1990 All NBA Rookie 1st Team
5 time NBA All-Star
5 time All-NBA Team

1990 #11 pick Tyrone Hill (PF) [Basketball-Reference.com]

Mini Manute? via www.checkoutmycards.com

14 year NBA career
Career: 9.4 ppg and 8.6 rpg
14th highest career total rebounding percentage in league history
Named to 1995 NBA All-Star Team

1991

#16 pick Chris Gatling (PF/C) [Basketball-Reference.com]

Who can forget good ol' Gatty? via www.beckett.com

11 year NBA career
Led league in field goal percentage/ effective field goal percentage in 1994-1995 and finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in 1995-1996
Named to 1997 NBA All-Star Team

#17 pick Victor Alexander (C/PF) [Basketball-Reference.com]

RARE. via farm4.static.flickr.com

5 year NBA career
Averaged double digits scoring twice for the Warriors

#25 pick Shaun Vandiver

A different type of European pick. via media.rockymountainnews.com

Never played in league- see Wikipedia
BUST

1992 #24 pick Latrell Sprewell (SG/SF) [Basketball-Reference.com]

Little did we know he'd have so much trouble feeding his family. via www.checkoutmycards.com

13 year NBA career
Career: 18.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.0 apg
1992-1993 All NBA Rookie 2nd Team
1993-1994 All NBA Defensive 2nd Team
4 time NBA All-Star
1993-1994 All-NBA 1st Team
1996-1996 5th in lead points per game at 24.2

1993 #1 pick Chris Webber (PF/C) (via trade for Anfernee Hardaway) [Basketball-Reference.com]

I remember ripping Fantasy Junkie off for one of these back in the day! via www.checkoutmycards.com

15 year NBA career
Career: 20.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.4 blk, 1.4 stl
1993-1994 Rookie of the Year: 17.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.2 blk (career high), 1.2 stl
Led league in rebounding at 13.0 rpg in 1998-1999
5 time NBA All-Star
5 time All-NBA Team

1994 #16 pick Clifford Rozier [Basketball-Reference.com]

He sure did make it easier for CWebb to play power forward... on the Bullets, Wizards, Kings, and Sixers. via www.checkoutmycards.com

4 year NBA career
BUST

1998

#9 pick Dirk Nowitzki (PF) (via trade for Robert Traylor) [Basketball-Reference.com]

11 year NBA career (thus far)
Career: 22.7 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.7 apg,
8 time NBA All-Star
9 time All-NBA Team
2006-2007 NBA MVP

Steve Nash (PG) (via trade for Martin Muursepp, Bubba Wells, the draft rights to Pat Garrity and a future first-round draft pick which ended up being Shawn Marion) [Basketball-Reference.com]

Lead league in assists per game 3 times: 2004-2005 (11.5 apg), 2005-2006 (10.5 apg), 2006-2007 (11.6 apg)
2 time NBA MVP
6 time NBA All-Star
6 time All-NBA Team

The softest pair of MVPs ever assembled. via www.blackmarks.net

2000

#12 pick Etan Thomas (PF) [Basketball-Reference.com]

Never played for Nellie

#13 pick Courtney Alexander (G) [Basketball-Reference.com]

BUST

That didn't turn out so hot. via SPLN.imageg.net

2002 pick and Juwan Howard, Donnell Harvey, and Tim Hardaway traded for Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz, Avery Johnson, and Tariq Abdul-Wahad

Can't say Nellie doesn't keep things interesting

Fun team to watch. via assets.espn.go.com

2003 #29th pick Josh Howard (SF/SG) [Basketball-Reference.com]

Career: 15.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.1 stl
2003-2004 NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team
2007 NBA All-Star

Quite a steal. via www.sportsmemorabiliabaseball.com

2004 pick, Raef LaFrentz, Chris Mills, and Jiri Welsch traded for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk

Another interesting trade.

Quite possibly the tackiest NBA jerseys ever made. via images.usatoday.com

MYTHS

Don Nelson does not play rookies. See Richmond, Hardaway, Hill, Gatling, Alexander, Sprewell, Webber, Rozier, Nowitzski, Alexander, and Howard.
Chris Mullin has a better draft record than Don Nelson and his associates. (Nellie draft day All-Star count in Warriors and Mavs years: 9; Mullin draft day All-Star count: ZERO)
Don Nelson does not draft/ like big men. See Hill, Gatty, Big Vic, CWebb, Rozier, and Dirk.

I can only guarantee you that there's more draft day reflection in store on GSoM. (This is like our playoffs!)

Poll

What was Nellie's best draft day move for the Warriors and Mavericks?

1988 #5 pick Mitch Richmond

104 votes

1989 #14 pick Tim Hardaway

212 votes

1990 #11 pick Tyrone Hill

6 votes

1991 #16 pick Chris Gatling

6 votes

1992 #24 pick Latrell Sprewell

151 votes

1993 #1 pick Chris Webber

142 votes

1998 #9 pick Dirk Nowitzki

738 votes

1998 trade for Steve Nash

290 votes

2002 trade for Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz, Avery Johnson, and Tariq Abdul-Wahad

10 votes

2003 #29th pick Josh Howard

63 votes

2004 trade for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk

6 votes

1728 votes | Poll has closed

2009 NBA Finals: Game 2 Magic @ Lakers- Do something Shaq and Penny couldn't do

Atma Brother ONE — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 08:15:09 -0000

They say hate is a strong word.

And that's exactly why we use it.

Dogg Dwight and gang need you over in Staples! [via flickr.com]

Lace up your Nike Air Penny's tight and jump for some Game 1 rewinding and Game 2 previewing courtesy of our SB Nation brother sites.

Third Quarter Collapse (Magical Orlando Magic blog): After that crushing Game 1 defeat, Ben Q Rock didn't pull a LeBron. Instead he brought it with a (painful) look inside the numbers. I always learn something new when I visit this blog like the rest days efficiency statistic. The morning after that 25 point loss wasn't so hot and humid in the Magic Kingdom- it was cold like that shooting performance. Makes you wonder what Stan Van Gundy is saying to Dwight Howard right about now. Well at least we know for sure what they're saying before Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

Silver Screen and Roll (LA Lakers credentialed blog): Yes the Magic swept the season series against the Lakers 2-0 this season, but so much for the regular season. They're calling Game 1 "When Kobe Takes More than 30 Shots ...". When you breakdown the box score it comes down to 38 possessions. I was impressed by the Lakers Game 1 performance, but Laker fans aka Faker Nation really wanted 50 from Kobe. Are you concerned with the way the Lakers won Game 1? Anyone rooting for the Magic would have to say yes. In all seriousness, don't sleep on the excellent coverage by John Tucker and the rest of the gang at Silver Screen and Roll- they even take you behind the scenes. Here's there's first preview of Game 2.

I was one of the few hoops junkies who picked the Orlando Magic to win this series. I even went so far to call it Magic in 6. Well it's way too early for me to jump ship. Look for some Magic in Game 2 and I'm not talking about Magic Johnson. It's time for Mickael Pietrus, Adonal Foyle, and crew to do something the Shaq and Penny Magic could never do- win an NBA Finals game.

No rings or Finals wins, but still a FUN, FUN, FUN duo back in the mid-90's.

Poll

Who are you picking to win Game 2 of The Disney Finals?

Disney World (Orlando Magic)

161 votes

Disneyland (LA Lakers)

95 votes

256 votes | Poll has closed