SB Nation - Leon Powe

Best Bobcats Trade Possible Contest

David Arnott — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:57:48 -0000

Seeing as the members of Rufus on Fire all know better than the Bobcats front office (yes, I count myself in that group), here's your challenge. Use the RealGM Trade Checker to come up with a Bobcats trade that the other team(s) involved would accept and that advances at least one tangible goal for Charlotte. Post the teams, players, and link to the Trade Checker in a comment.

Here's my attempt.

CHARLOTTE gets: Tracy McGrady

HOUSTON gets: Raymond Felton, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Leon Powe, Alexis Ajinca

CLEVELAND gets: Stephen Jackson, Nazr Mohammed

The big obstacle is getting Houston to go along with this. They probably don't need another guard like Felton, but Z and Powe are probably very attractive for a run at the postseason (Z's poor numbers this season notwithstanding), especially since all these contracts are really flexible and just for this season. Cleveland gets the scoring swingman they've wanted to pair with LeBron James, and they replace Z with Mohammed.

For the Bobcats, they get a real, honest-to-goodness superstar. Maybe he's too hurt to play, and Houston's doing the right thing by collecting the insurance (probably the biggest obstacle to the trade), but we dump contracts and give playing time to D.J. Augustin, all in one fell swoop. We get first crack at re-signing him, and if we don't want to make that leap, he can walk after this season. I'd pull the trigger.

YOU CAN WIN A PRIZE

The best trade proposal and explanation, in my sole judgment, will win a promotional copy of The Art of a Beautiful Game, by SI's Chris Ballard, which I received for free from the publisher. I'll announce the winner on Wednesday. Have at.

Answering The Twitter Mailbag

Jeff Clark — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:32:41 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

I want my Baby back Baby back Baby back Baby back Baby back Baby back

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This weekend I wanted to do a mailbag to answer questions that some of you might have. I got most of my questions via twitter. Here's a sampling of the questions and my humble answers.

mikerobbo34 @celticsblog do you think the team considered signing Iverson?

I believe Ainge admitted that there was some internal debate about signing Iverson. Ainge has long been a fan so I would imagine it was Doc that vetoed the signing. I'm sure that Doc has respect for AI but probably felt that introducing a guy like that wasn't the best idea for the lockeroom at that point in the season. I agree. For all his offensive prowess, he doesn't seem to be much of an ubuntu type of guy. I think the Stephon experiment last year didn't hurt that much, but it didn't help much either. In the end, if everyone wasn't buying in, it wasn't worth another experiment.

Colin_in_NYC @celticsblog here's a Q - How many minutes do you think will Big Baby get when he comes back and where are they coming from?

That's a really difficult question. Shelden is much like Leon Powe in that he provides rebounding and energy but isn't always a good scoring option. I could see another platoon situation like there was with Baby and Leon last year. Both will be squeezed for minutes with Sheed coming off the bench as well. I think you'll see Baby when Doc feels he needs some more offense and Shelden when Doc really needs a rebound.

sw43 @celticsblog How will this team recover from the offseason departure of defensive stalwart Mikki Moore?

Thank you Steve Weinman. He'll be here all week folks. Tip your waitress. Wait, I thought we agreed that the Mikki Moore era never happened. As soon as Tom Ziller invoked the name of Mark Blount, I knew we were in trouble.

But seriously, even with Sheed not in his prime anymore, he is so much of an upgrade over what we had last year it is crazy.

WAD1980 @celticsblog will rebounding be the fatel flaw of the 09-10 Celtics or will Danny Ainge find a way to improve it?

Lets just say that it is a tear in the fabric. We can sew it up, patch it up, or ignore the problem. Ignoring it isn't an option because the tear will just keep getting bigger and leave a big hole in our attack. Patching it with an outside person might help, but might end up causing more problems than it is worth. I think we have players that can rebound but they need to make if more of a priority. Perk, Sheed, and KG should be able to board with anyone. Sheed and KG spend a lot of time on the perimeter on offense, but if they emphasized it, they could pull down more boards. I think.

4Hoopz @celticsblog why the Celtics? What's ur next fave' 3 teams? What players would you like to see in green? (realistically and/or unrealisticly)

Dad brought me to the '86 Championship rally in Boston when I was 11. That pretty much sealed the deal for me. Next 3 favorite? I'd have to say the Twolves (formerly because of KG, now because of Big Al and Gomes), Nuggets (I like Melo), and anyone playing against the Lakers (or Magic or Cavs). I've said before, Chris Paul is the only PG I'd trade Rondo for. Durant is unattainable but would look great in green. Ditto for Melo. Basically, once the big 3 move on, we're going to need some bigtime scorers to put next to Rondo and Perkins.

bigguyd @celticsblog what are the c's going to do with Tony Allen? Is he tradeable at his point or do we keep him as a good 12th option?

Sure he's tradable, he's got an expiring contract. As a player, however, he's not worth much at all. Couple his contract with Scal and JR Giddens and we can pick up someone for the stretch drive that might be able to help. The key will be finding a team willing to dump salary at the deadline and not taking on too many years (probably the reason why Nocioni isn't a Celtic right now).

Brian0414 @celticsblog in the offseason, any ideas of who we may be able to land?

Oh man, I'm notorious for looking ahead and thinking about the next step, but I'm not sure even I can look ahead that far. This team is built to win now. I'm not sure anyone knows what's going to happen this summer, including Danny.

My best guess is that we'll take whomever we can nab for the MLE like we did with Sheed this year. Hey, maybe if Shaq wants one more shot at a ring he'll sign on to be our Bill Walton 6th man.

CelticsCircuit @celticsblog: Is Rajon Rondo the best point guard in the Eastern Conference?

He's probably the best pure point guard, yeah. It will be fun watching him and Derrick Rose grow up together. Devin Harris had a heck of a year last year and Jameer Nelson is a heck of a player. But I like Rondo for the way he can dominate a game without needing to shoot the ball much.

katee_nbaluv09 @celticsblog do you think perkins is having an all star worthy season this year?

Good question. I'm not sure if I have a direct answer for you. On one hand, I have to make the case that his defense deserves recognition and his offense has rounded his game into an all around player. There aren't a lot of big men I'd trade him for in the East.

On the other hand, it will be very difficult from a logistical standpoint to get him on the actual All Star roster. You can bet on KG and Paul being there, I'm betting Rondo will be on this year, then you have to wonder how many Celtics they'll put on the team and you start to weight the pros and cons of putting Ray vs. Perk on the team. You can see why Doc avoided the question the other day. He doesn't want to get in the middle of that debate. In a perfect world, Paul, KG, Rondo, and Perkins go this year, leaving Ray to rest and spend time with family. But I'm not sure it will work out that way.

What would you do for a Klondike Bar? (Kiorrik)

I'd do a lot for a Klondike Bar, especially if it was funny. So the question isn't what would I do, but rather what wouldn't I do. Here are some things:

Root for Kobe for any reason. In fact, I have him on my fantasy basketball team and I routinely root against myself. I was hoping to jinx him by having him on my team, but so far no such luck. Also on my team are Kidd, Richard Jefferson, Boozer, Varejao, and Horford. I'm in 3rd place and hating every moment of it.
Advocate trading Paul Pierce under any circumstance. For the right deal I could trade Ray Allen. I can't imagine it happening before the last year of his deal, but I would trade KG. I would even consider trading Rondo or Perkins for the right deal. However, I don't think I could part with Pierce for anything.
Stop writing about the Celtics. I love that this blog has become so popular and that you all like coming here to discuss the greatest basketball franchise ever, but if I didn't have this blog, I'd still be writing about the team somewhere. I just can't get enough of this stuff and I am blessed to be part of this community. Cheers.

Thanks for the questions everyone. This was fun. We'll have to do it again sometime.

Shelden Williams Making No Presumptions

tenaciousT — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:44:16 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

Shelden goes after the ball.

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The following post was written before the news of Glen Davis's early return was announced in the Steve Bulpett article. Doc Rivers comments are interesting and just a bit surprising to me. But at the same time, understandable.

Shelden Williams has done an excellent job in the time he has been given on the floor. Still, I'll stand by my piece. Davis brings a different dimension to the team than Williams. There is no doubt that Davis has the more creative game. The question is, is that what Doc Rivers wants and what the Celtics need?

Shelden's game has been a bit of a hybrid between Powe and Davis. Strong rebounding along with a shot blocking dimension to go with an emerging outside shot. And that is a good thing.

That they are on a par shooting,as Doc suggests should fuel the competition for minutes between them. I'm not quite in agreement with Doc on that aspect. But again, Davis has to prove it. Glen has demonstrated more range on his shot thus far.

Saying all that, here is the original piece discussing Shelden's mindset about how he views his own role before the recent comments from Doc. I'm sure he didn't expect the vote of confidence he received from the news.

(In addition, I had deleted a comment I made at the very end of the article about the possibility of using Davis and his base year comp salary and a few expiring contracts to pick up another piece during this season. Yes, base year comp players have been traded in the past. Perhaps that comment would have more validity if Williams becomes all that Doc Rivers wants. I've added that comment back as fuel for discussion.)

It wasn’t that long ago that many people thought that Shelden Williams might make Glen Davis, shall we say…less needed.

But that was way back when the Celtics opened the season with a few convincing wins and were 8-1. Since then they are in a 2-3 stumble. They are playing uneven and largely disappointing basketball, and they are appearing to do it in slow motion at times.

Yes, the 1988 Celtics come to mind. From that year forward, the big three were eventually worn down by less talented teams with their youth, depth, and athleticism. Bird, McHale, and Parish the thought.

I never expected that to happen to this team this season. Maybe it isn’t. But it sure looks like it.

All of a sudden Shelden Williams isn’t getting the playing time he was, maybe because he isn’t as effective as he was. It looks like there is room for Glen Davis after all.

The team needs a boost from somewhere. Youth, strength, energy, and athleticism. Glen Davis has all four.

Shelden Williams, the man who has benefited from Glen’s absence, has been aware that his time and opportunity has come at the expense of Glen Davis’ of court poor decision making and unfortunate injury. In some ways, it has all been a blessing, hopefully for both players.

Because of that, Shelden Williams has been the unexpected center of media attention many times in the locker room in this young season.

There have been times...if you saw the amount of media in front of his locker…that you thought it must one of the team stars standing there enthralling scribes with the whys and wherefores of the team’s most recent accomplishments and their own.

Instead, Sheldon Williams, former lottery pick, now Celtic veteran minimum pick up, was the player dealing with all the attention. Answering questions largely about his own solid play, his countenance has remained rather inscrutable in the course of these sessions. There is no sense of overt satisfaction nor allowing himself any real contentedness, in light of his continuing success.

Due to his overall NBA experience, has he become a bit jaded or at least skeptical of what his recent success actually means?

You never know what is going to happen. I got a chance and opportunity when someone else got hurt, you know, and for me to make the most of the minutes, I think I’ve done a pretty god job of doing that. So as of right now…what’s in front of me I can’t control.

Without referring to the future directly, he knows that some day Glen Davis will return ready to play.

Whenever that day does come, you know, it’s going to be up to them. It’s out of my control. I can only control things I can control.

The fall had been a hard one for the 26 year old former Duke star. He has gone from college star to the 5th overall draft pick, to traded twice, then obtaining just a minimum contract, albeit with a championship contending team.

Recently Williams played against his first team, the Atlanta Hawks.

In a sidenote, Joe Smith was another talented player who was unable to live up to where he was drafted. In his case, the pressure was enormous as the number one overall pick in 1995. He is now a Hawk.

An interesting post game exchange with Joe Smith, who had a good game against the Celtics, revealed the following…

Weren’t you supposed to be a Celtic?

(Laughing)

Aren’t you on the wrong team here?

(More chuckling)

Nah, they went another route. They went another route.

Did they actually make you an offer?

Umm…we talked a little bit this summer. And I think the Rasheed thing went down before anything got too serious.

And you weren’t going to come for the minimum.

Actually that’s what I’m on here.

So you could have been Sheldon Williams.

Pause (chuckling) Something like that, right?

But that never got further than talking?

Right.

So Mr. Smith Goes to Atlanta. The young Hawks needed some veteran experience. The older Celtics needed a shot of youth. While Joe Smith is a far more accomplished NBA player and has extensive playoff experience, it makes sense.

The Celtic need for youthful energy looks even more acute now.

Even in the second half of the recent halcyon days of 8-1, the Celtics weren’t looking that fearsome. A two point win against a weak Timberwolves team, followed by their first loss to the surprising Suns, then a warning sign 10 point win against the equally bad Nets, was followed by a deceptively unimpressive 19 point over the Jazz. Three troubling wins and a loss.

Add to that the last 5 games and Celtics seem far older, and far less energetic than anyone thought would be possible in the beginning of the season.

Shelden Williams’ minutes are taking a hit along the way.

Averaging 15 minutes a game, his minutes have dropped considerably in the last two games, to just 7 plus and 9 plus minutes. He did miss some assignments on the defensive end against the Knicks. He also had no rebounds, a turnover, and just 2 points in the 9 minutes. But that wasn't characteristic of his contributions this season.

Stats
While stats never tell the whole story, Williams has the highest rebound average per 36 minutes on the team at 10.9 and is 19th in the NBA per 48 minutes.

He is shooting a career high .535% with a career high in foul shooting at 85%, a career high in assists at 1.6 per 36 minutes.

Taller than either the departed Leon Powe or the injured Glen Davis, Williams seems to like contact in the middle. While he is still learning the defensive rotations, he is a space eater. I feel like I’m writing notes on his report card when I say…. Shelden has shown an occasional ability to hit the short jump shot.

He has an acceptable eFG inside of .577% and an on court/off court of +5.7 – good for 4th best on the team, though that stat has to be tempered by the fact that he is almost always on court against the other team’s second unit.

A bit undersized for inside play and not a great leaper, I haven’t really seen a ‘go to’ move from him around the hoop, but he manages to do pretty well anyway. On a team that has had a puzzling lack of rebounding, Williams gives them that skill.

Yet, his game is pretty vanilla and the Celtics need someone who can spark this team. Glen Davis has been disciplining his own game to play within certain team confines. But Davis is quicker, more mobile, and has a more creative game. Shelden has a steady predictability emerging in his play.

From diving into the stands or on the ground for loose balls, to stealing the ball from point guards, Davis can provide a spark that Williams can’t. Williams is fundamental and safe. Davis is creative and can stir up the game.

So, while the team was winning, Williams looked like a true competitor for Davis’ minutes. The energy shortage of late makes Davis’ return look far more important than before. Williams is well aware of the situation. Now Doc has given him an additional confidence booster with his recent comments.

He has played very well and no matter what his minutes are, he knows that this team is a good fit for him.

Umm…I think so. I’m playing in a structured style system…and everybody’s doing their roles and uh…issued their roles from day one so…they kind of like… play within themselves.

Expectations are lower here for you. Does that help you so you can do what you do best?

Yeah, pretty much, I mean…for me to just come in here and be me, I haven’t felt like this since I was back on Duke campus. So just come out here and play ball and be me…it’s a different feeling.

While Shelden won’t allow himself the luxury of thinking he has gained any real foothold to a meaningful role and predictable minutes, for the first time in the NBA he has a chance to show who he really is as a player with the support of his team. As he relates, that is a different feeling and one the Celtics are both the procreators and beneficiaries of.

With so many things finally going right for him, as the new guy, he knows he has things to work on.

Still getting acclimated and adjusted to everything that’s being thrown at me right now. Obviously, the other guys on the team you know, have been around and what to expect. They know how he wants things run and (how) he wants certain plays to happen and all that stuff. So…I think just me getting more comfortable with that…and knowing what…exactly what he wants me to do in certain situations are probably being the biggest things so far right now.

When Glen Davis comes back, Shelden knows he will be a fight for minutes. Doc has actually reversed that and now says that Davis will have to fight for minutes. It should be very interesting to see how it all plays out.

Davis knows the playbook, is ahead of the curve on the defensive schemes and can play both the power forward and center positions. To many, Davis' recent off court incident hasn't helped. Shelden Williams appears to be a low maintenance kind of player, and a quick learner.

In the mean time, Shelden Williams has raised eyebrows with his play, is feeling like he did in college and is making the most of his time for the benefit of the Celtics and himself.

Is Shelden’s career…. rebounding? That would be a double yes.

Final thought: Considering the current pace of Kevin Garnett's recovery, Rasheed Wallace's current inefficiencies, and the emerging game of Shelden Williams, would it be possible that Danny Ainge uses a healthy Davis and expiring contracts as a piece in trade for another player?

I said in the preseason that I thought DA would keep his eyes open for trades and I felt that this team could use another piece. There are enough differences between the two players to keep both. But are there enough similarities to shop for a different piece?

Bonus Link: via Hardwood Paroxysm "I’ll say it. I think Shelden Williams is a better player than Glen Davis."

Battered and bruised Cavaliers head to Washington

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:09:59 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

about 1 month ago: Cleveland Cavaliers' Shaquille O'Neal, center, jokes on the bench with Mo Williams, right, and Jawad Williams during an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, in Cleveland. O'Neal sat out the game with a shoulder strain but the Cavaliers won 114-108. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

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After some computer troubles of my own, and with the network - the latter which killed the open thread last night - I am back and better than ever. Hopefully, we'll be saying that about some of the injured Cavaliers, especially across the front-line.

Here is the latest -

Jamario Moon -- Moon left last night's game vs. the Golden State Warriors with 11:03 remaining in the 3rd quarter with a sprained left ankle. He did not return to the game. He traveled with the team to Washington and is listed as QUESTIONABLE for tomorrow night's game versus the Wizards.

That's the good news. Now for the not so good.

Anderson Varejao - Varejao did not play in the game vs. Golden State (hip contusion). He traveled with the team to Washington but is listed as OUT for tomorrow night's game.

Shaquille O'Neal - Shaq also missed the game vs. the Warriors (shoulder strain). He did not travel with the team to Washington and will remain in Cleveland to receive treatment.

Leon Powe - Powe is still rehabbing his left knee.

Delonte West - Your guess is as good as mine. West is due in court in a couple days, so I'd imagine we won't be seeing him for awhile. At what point do the Cavaliers simply move on without West??

Shelden Williams: Solid Paint Work

Jeff Clark — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:55:58 -0000

Solid Paint Work

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I have been meaning to write an article about Shelden Williams for a while now, but never found the time. So seeing that Brendan Jackson of CelticsHub wrote one, I'll just quote him instead.

One thing is indisputable: Shelden Williams is by far and away exceeding expectations. Through eight games, he has made the most of his time replacing Big Baby Davis off the bench by averaging 16.1 minutes, 6.9 points, 5.1 boards.

To give another perspective, through seventy games last year, Leon Powe's numbers were 17.5 minutes, 7.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, very comparable to the production we're seeing from Williams this season. Here's the catch though. Remember when I mentioned "expectations" earlier? Williams was brought in with the hope that he'd at least be a little better than Patrick O'Bryant, and needless to say, the Celtics are getting a far more quality player.

It is all a matter of perspective. If you think about Shelden as a lottery pick, he seems like an underachiever. If you think of him as a busted lottery pick like POB, then he's actually been a very pleasant surprise. When you consider that he's a replacement on the roster for Leon Powe, you can see that statistically, thus far, he's filled that role. Now that's a tricky/sensitive topic when you are talking about such a sentimental fan favorite like Leon, but you can't argue with results.

It will be interesting to see how his role will change once Big Baby comes back from injury. Like Baby did last year, Shelden has made the most of his opportunity. It is nice to know that we'll have that kind of depth off the bench - a luxury that we didn't have last year.

Flash Forward

Jeff Clark — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:52:44 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Perkins and Rondo might be the cornerstones of the next generation.

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Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. - Matthew 6:34

The Celtics are rightly focused on the present. They need to maximize this window of opportunity. However, they cannot completely sacrifice the future. Life beyond the Big 3 isn't all that far away. Rajon Rondo just signed a contract that won't end until 2015 so the subject of our future is on my mind.

Of course there's nothing we can do about tomorrow, so there's truly nothing worth worrying about. However, that doesn't mean we can't gaze at the horizon and speculate about it a bit.

There are far, far too many variables to make any sort of well defined predictions about who will be playing for the Celtics 2, 3, or 4 years from now. Barring unforseen circumstances, you can count on Rondo, Pierce, KG, Perkins, Sheed, and most likely Big Baby to be on the roster next year. Everyone else is a free agent.

The Celtics will have a good shot at bringing Ray Allen back with a short term extension. Assuming he doesn't opt out this summer, Paul Pierce will be eligible for an extension the next year. But at some point those two, along with Garnett, will transition to being support players. I expect Pierce to retire in Boston but KG, Ray, and Sheed could each eventually be moved near the end of their contracts.

At some point, the next generation (led in theory by Rondo) will have to take over the reins. Perkins is the other young cornerstone to build around, but he'll need to stay healthy and be resigned first. Having Rondo and Perkins takes care of the two hardest positions to fill, but we'll need more than that to compete for more championships.

Even though I'm a huge fan of Rondo, I just can't picture him as the alpha dog and face of the franchise. He's too introverted off the court and he seems to lack that charisma that natural leaders have that makes people gravitate toward them. (Put another way, I don't think Tom Brady's coach ever had to ask him if his teammates liked playing with him.) Perhaps as he grows and matures he'll be better at it. Remember that Paul Pierce had to work on his demeanor and image a bit. But right now, I don't see it.

Regardless, Rondo and Perkins will need at least a couple of dynamic scorers to round out the starting lineup. In an ideal world we'd find a way to bring Kevin Durant to town (but don't hold your breath). The challenge is how to bring in star-quality talent that is still young enough to hit their prime alongside Rondo and Perk.

One option of course is the draft. But the Celtics are going to continue to pick at the end of the first round and wind up with gambles like Gabe Pruitt and J.R. Giddens. We can count on Danny to find the occasional gem like Big Baby or Leon Powe, but it is really hard finding future stars that low in the draft.

Another option is to move tradeable assets for lottery picks. The C's have some expiring contracts this year and maybe they could convince a team to give us a bad contract and a good pick for our Scal and Tony, but don't count on it. For one thing, picks are like gold in this economy (cheap labor). For another thing, the Celtics will be way into luxury land as it is without taking on bad contracts. I don't know just how deep Wyc's pockets are, but I tend to think it would have to be a real lopsided deal for him to sign off on a move like that.

So perhaps the most realistic option is to use the MLE each year on guys in their early 20's (rather than thirtysomethings like Sheed). I believe Red had a philosophy of adding one very good player per year, which allowed him to sustain his dominance over the years.

Like I said, there's no shortage of paths this club can take to get into the next generation but I'm far from worried about it. It will be fun to see which approaches Danny takes. In the meantime we'll just have to bide our time watching an elite team fight for more championships.

Bears in the Pros: Rodgers v. Favre II, Desean Stars, Ryan Anderson Debuts

Avinash — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:49:47 -0000

via www.electrobertjones.com (original site where image was created here)

(ieeebear will have the video of Bears with the Pros by Sunday!)

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Obviously the big storyline, but the only one Cal fans care about is how our Golden Boy will whip the Vikings back to Minneapolis. Aaron himself has taken a Zen-like approach to the whole controversy.

"I feel like a stance like that would have portrayed me as wanting some sort of sympathy or self-pity on my part, and I never felt like that," Rodgers said. "I felt like I’d waited for three years to do something that I always wanted to do since I was 3 years old watching Joe Montana and running pass patterns with my dad in the back yard. That’s the way I looked at it. I didn’t look at it like I was going through something that was unfair to me, or I was innocent."

Rodgers compared the fallout from the Favre trade to his experience in the 2005 NFL draft, when the Cal star wasn’t picked as early as many expected and had to deal with disappointment in the spotlight.

"I just try to stay focused on the things I can control," Rodgers said. "I think I learned that as a 21-year-old sitting in the green room (at the 2005 draft) firsthand. That was kind of the beginning of just continuing to trust in my close friends and advisers and just hearing the same kind of thing — that the things you should worry about, think about, spend your energy on are the things you can control."

CGB will have an open thread for this weekend's Minnesota-Green Bay game, since almost the entire country will get it. Remeber to swing by Cal fans; get your Rodgers-love/Favre hate on. 12:45 PM PST, we get it on!

The mayor of Green Bay might be my favorite public official ever now.

A section of Green Bay's east side is now Mister Rodgers's neighborhood.

Minnesota Avenue was renamed Aaron Rodgers Drive by the mayor in a special ceremony Thursday morning, in advance of the Minnesota Vikings coming to town.

Mayor Jim Schmitt said the change is temporary -- in effect until Monday.

"Hopefully he'll get a street named after him in really more of the sports district, which is over by Reggie White Way, Bart Starr Drive, Brett Favre Pass. I think that day will come, but we're a ways away from that," the mayor said.

When the sign is taken down Monday, Rodgers says he'll autograph it and donate it to charity.

The mayor wasn't shy about offering his prediction about the game. "This will be fun. It's a special weekend and the Packers are going to win this weekend, too. So it will be a special sign come Sunday night."

The mayor says the city is marking Brett Favre's return to Lambeau Field with the rival team by wearing flip-flops to work Friday in honor of the gunslinger's on-again/off-again retirements.

Finally, Packers SBN blog Acme Packing Company believes the Vikings are vulnerable through the air.

The first thing that jumped out was that their pass defense seems to be playing much better on the road. The best performance at home was holding the recently benched QB Shaun Hill to "only" a 94.6 QB rating. It's not a great sample size comparison because only the Steelers have a good pass offense among their 4 road opponents.

The second thing was that a consistent pass rush has no relationship on whether they can stop the pass. They did a great job sacking and hitting QB Aaron Rodgers and Baltimore's QB Joe Flacco, but those were their two worst games of the season per opponents' QB rating. Let's say, hypothetically, we do go ahead and pull out the 4.5 sacks DE Jared Allen had against the Packers last time, then it turns out that the Vikings would still have 20.5 sacks on the season, which would leave them ranked No. 4 overall. Once you actually add back in those 4.5 sacks, then the Vikings are the leading the league with 25 sacks as a team. The defensive front seven is getting to the QB, but it hasn't helped their pass defense climb any higher than No. 17 overall, so far.

A final point is their inconsistency. The backup CBs replacing Winfield were solid last week in Pittsburgh, but they were terrible when they had to play in the 4th quarter against the Ravens.

Their pass defense has struggled at times, whether they are recording 8 sacks against QB Aaron Rodgers or not, so this has to be the area the Packers will focus on. This is where they have to attack on Sunday.

Aaron was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September...Here's the Jay Glazer interview with Rodgers talking about Favre's return to Lambeau...Rodgers was also on Jim Rome to talk about last week's game and the upcoming matchup!

Desean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles

Jackson was happy with the way the coaching staff utilized him on Monday Night.

"The biggest thing I can say is they put me in great positions to expose the defenses," Jackson said of his coaches. "Anytime you have the coaches and the other 10 players helping you and doing everything they can to go out there and have success . . . just keep putting it together."

He also had a name for one of his end zone celebrations.

After his second touchdown in the Eagles' 27-17 Monday Night victory over the Redskins, Jackson celebrated in the end zone with something that resembled an Irish jig. He called it "The Jerk."

"That was like country dancing," Jackson said. "We're just out there having fun, honestly. My ankle was kind of hurting . . . so it affected my dancing."

He suffered an ankle sprain in the win, but fully practiced on Thursday and should be all set to go on Sunday against the Giants. Also, here's his MNF postgame interview with Suzy Kolber.

Finally...there's some weird Shining parody featuring Desean on the Eagles.com intro. Just click here and you'll get to see Antonio Pierce riding a trike!

Tully Banta-Cain, New England Patriots

Banta-Cain has found his new role with the Pats. He had 5 tackles and 2 sacks in the 35-7 beatdown of the Bucs across the pond.

The first year in San Francisco, Banta-Cain had a career-best 59 tackles. Yet an injury ruined his 2008 season, and the experience soured. When he returned to New England, the understanding was that he would concentrate on rushing the passer.

He accepted it, but thought to himself that he wanted more.

"My deal is, I pride myself on how I play and I want to definitely be somebody who doesn’t come off the field," Banta-Cain said. "But I’ve known what’s worked for me in the past and that’s situational responsibilities. If I can take advantage of those, that’s only going to give me more chances to hopefully prove that I do deserve to be on the field more."

It has worked out like that. He has three sacks, while receiving more chances to make plays.

"You get an inch, you try to take a mile," said Banta-Cain, who has 18 tackles. "I was given a limited role, and I figured, ‘Hey, I can build off of that.’ "

Justin Forsett, Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks blog seems to be conceding that the team will utilize Forsett more in the offense.

Q: Matt in Graham asks, "Do you see Justin Forsett playing a bigger role in the offense as the season goes on?"

A: Forsett had 18 carries (for a 5.7-yard average) and 10 receptions in the first six games, when he was used primarily as the third-down back. But as he continues to produce in that role, the coaches will find other ways to use his special talents. He is listed at 5 feet 8, but Forsett plays bigger. He is a willing – and effective – blocker in picking up blitzes. He can be very elusive, especially when getting the ball in space on screen passes. But Forsett also has the power to break tackles when used in a more tradition way.

Ryan Anderson, Orlando Magic

Anderson got the start for Orlando with the suspension of Rashard Lewis, and scored 16 points and 5 rebounds, including going 4 for 7 from downtown in a dominating opening game win for the Magic! It'll be interesting to see how Anderson will be used as the season goes on; Stan Van Gundy has indicated he'll be starting Friday night in his return to New Jersey. If you have an extended cable package, there's a free preview of League Pass out there, so check out your channels!

Third Quarter Collapse interviewed Anderson after the game.

How much is it a luxury, for when the starters come off, to be able to have a bench that increases the lead and keeps things going?

It just makes the game a lot easier. The guys who are starting, it makes it so they don't have to press and come out to keep the momentum, the game our way, it's just a harder way to play and when the games drops off, I don't see that happening. We have so many different lineups, different guys who can come in and play, if somebody is having an off-night, you can bet that somebody off the bench is going to step up and play great.

Other Bears in the Pros

idmann (via Okaydo1)

Lorenzo Alexander is involved in getting buereucrats to cut their own personal pork. Good luck with that Lorenzo. He had three tackles in the loss to the Eagles.
Nnamdi Asomugha had 4 tackles in a 38-0 loss to the Jets. More importantly, he made a cameo appearance on Friday Night Lights! Check it out above.
Aaron Rodgers has a funny story about how Desmond Bishop (on the Packers scout defense team) is faster in practice than the current Browns starting safety. Bishop did have one tackle in the Packer rout of the Browns.
Poor Andre Carter had the job to contain Desean on his 67 yard TD run, but it wasn't really his fault. Carter did have six tackles, a forced fumble and a sack.
Thomas Decoud did ding up Tony Romo for a period, although Romo appears to be okay. Decoud had 10 tackles and a sack in the loss to Dallas.
Zack Follett was at the Cal-Wazzu game, and I believe someone here saw him (Monica's Dad?). He missed practice this week due to illness.
Scott Fujita did not practice and his status is questionable for Monday Night against Atlanta. He missed last week's game against Miami.
The Cowboys kept Tony Gonzalez in check in their win. Tony G had a quiet 4 catches for 37 yards.
Ryan Longwell, who kicked a field goal in the Vikings loss, ponders if Packers fans will boo Favre the same way he's been booed ever since leaving Green Bay.
Bills fans aren't happy with Marshawn Lynch hotdogging it into the end zone on his touchdown run, and his poor blocking on another play that could've sealed the game. He only rushed for 47 yards in the Bills victory.
Browns head coach Eric Mangini continues to like the progress of Alex Mack, who has played every snap since the start of the season.
Field Gulls recognizes the importance of Brandon Mebane to getting the rest of the pieces on defense early to have them operating properly.
Jason Kidd had 4 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in his season debut at home against the Wizards.
Leon Powe, recovering from offseason surgery, "joked that he asked the Cavs staff to "just get me 10 minutes and I’ll get you 10 (points) and eight (rebounds)."

3 In the Key: Toronto Raptors Game Day Preview vs. Cavaliers

RaptorsHQ - Howland — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:00:26 -0000

More photos » by LM OTERO - AP

The Raps have quite a duo to deal with opening night. Who do you double team or in the case of Lebron, triple team? (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

Browse more photos »

With the regular season upon us it’s time for the first preview of the season. In game number 1 the Raps face a Cleveland Cavaliers team with some very familiar faces including Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon. Oh, and let’s not forget the Cavs also acquired some guy named Shaq in the off-season.

Tonight at the ACC the Raptors 2009-2010 regular season will get under way.

It should be a rocking good time and if you have a ticket feel fortunate. Last time I checked the cheapest ticket on Stubhub was $85 and that’s for a single in row 16 of the upper deck. Not surprisingly it’s a hot ticket, in particular with Lebron and Shaq in town.

Make no mistake about it, even though the Cavs will be playing for the second time in two nights, this is going to be a mighty challenge for the new look Raps. It is also going to be a pretty good indication of where this team is after the month long preseason.

It’s hard to say what we are in for or what we should expect from the Raps tonight. Coach Triano played with a variety of different lineups during the preseason and by his own admission, was not running a lot of the offensive sets that the team intends to run from this point forward.

Tonight we will get our first real flavor of this season’s squad (shy Reggie Evans, who on a night like tonight where the team faces a rather massive front court will be greatly missed).

I will be focused, in particular on the new guys. It will be particularly interesting to watch the former Raptors in action. Both Parker and Moon were were heavy minute/rotation players while in Toronto. With the Cavs? Not so much. Parker, although starting is not being asked to do more than he is capable of and Moon is the 8th or 9th guy. This was far from being the case when these guys were in TO. Actually, wouldn't Parker and Moon be considered key guys if they were still here? I think so and that's pretty telling.

On the Raps side of things my eyes will be squarely on Hedo Turkoglu. Given his skill sets it will be interesting to see just how much Hedo handles the rock, how much he is involved in a pick and roll and more importantly how the Raps plan on masking his defensive flaws against Lebron.

It’s hard not to be excited about Raps ball being back. Unfortunately the home opener is against a team whose name is in the championship mix and just got beat on their own home court. I don't think anyone expects to see the Cavs start the season 0-2. Nevertheless, what’s it going to take for the Raps to secure an unlikely W?

The Crowd: The crowd is going to have to play the role of sixth man this evening. There will be a few key points in tonight’s game which will dictate the outcome and the fans have to rise to the occasion and give this team a lift. Under no circumstances, no matter what the expectations, can the fans turn on the team should things not start to go the Raps way. If the Raps have any chance to win they will need to feed off the energy of the crowd as the Cavs start to feel the effects of playing the first back-to-back of the season. If the crowd was going to really get revved up tonight hopefully it will be when the bench players get into the mix. It was clear that the Cavs bench is a work in progress and the Raps need to take advantage at that moment.

Gang Rebounding: Shaquille O’Neal, Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilglauskas combined make for a sizable front court and when put alongside the likes of Lebron James one that should, on most occasions, destroy their opponent on the glass. These are the types of teams that the Raps will struggle with. I have little doubt that the Raps are going to get beat on the glass and therefore the question is whether they can keep the rebounding differential at a respectable number. Giving the Cavs extra opportunities is a recipe for suffering the first loss of the season. I noted on a number of occasions through the preseason that the only players willing to crash the boards on a regular basis were Reggie Evans and Sonny Weems as the rest of the team just seemed satisfied hanging out on the perimeter or making their way back down the court. With Evans still on the shelf and Weems on the inactive list, someone is going to have to step-up and make a difference on the glass. I am just not sure who, if anyone, will.

Withstand the Punishment: By all accounts King James feels like he has improved his game over the summer. That is a scary thought. Arguably the most dominant and explosive player in the game it’s almost impossible to imagine Lebron being any better than he has been over the course of the past two seasons. The Raps will get their first taste of Lebron this evening and it’s going to take a serious effort to prevent him from completely dominating this game. Lebron is going to punish this Raps team, the question really is whether the Raps can somehow withstand it. Defensive rotations are going to be absolutely key in this game. No-one on the Raps can come anywhere near defending the King so expect numerous double teams. That of course means someone is going to be left open. If the Raps are not quick to adjust and rotate then it could make for a long night. We have all seen Parker nail the three and he, along with Mo Williams and others could have a field day from beyond the arc should the Raps be even a half a step slow.

It’s going to be a test and the first of many over the course of the next month. Hopefully this team can start off on the right foot.

Go Raps!

Daily Links 10/27

FLCeltsFan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:18:05 -0000

Herald Celtics season preview coverage
Blake Griffin sidelined with broken kneecap
Best defensive teams in NBA history
NBA capsules for the Atlantic Division
John Kuester is just one of those guys you’ll like to root for
Celtics go to great depths
Defense won’t rest
1st stop: Cleveland
Danny Ainge’s age-old challenge
Kevin Garnett back in the flow
Sources: Glen Davis’ thumb hurt in off-court scrap
Globe Previews and predictions
They’ll try not to get tripped up
Cavaliers open about rivalry
Celtics ready to fire up hybrid
Once-green Ainge thriving in role as Celtics general manager
Celtics forward Davis breaks thumb, is out indefinitely
Chat with NBA reporter Gary Washburn on Tuesday at noon
Agent: Rondo won't sign new deal
Davis likely to be suspended by Celtics

CelticsBlog    Busy Opening Tip Eve
Can You Feel It?
Quick BBD Update: Out Indefinitely + Suspension?
Loy's Place    Random Thoughts on Game Day
Celtics Start Quest for Banner 18 at the Q
CT News     Marc Spears: Glen Davis Injury Not Season Ending
Miami Heat Previews 2009-10
Orlando Magic Preview 2009-10
Celtics: ‘Breaking’ News; Glen Davis Injures Hand
Chronicle    Cavs, Celtics can’t wait to get rivalry going again
Honolulu Advertiser   NBA: Atlantic Division capsules; Celtics favored
Hoopsworld    NBA AM: Ready To Make A Deal?
Awards Predictions: ROY, MIP, 6th Man
Waiting for Next Year    Leave Delonte West Alone!
Mercury News    NBA: Several notable achievements are within reach this season
Metro    Celtics reloaded in offseason
Dimemag   Top 5 Second Units In The NBA
Boston Celtics ‘09-10 NBA season preview
ProJo    Davis injures thumb; Rondo rejects Celts' contract offer
The Celtics could not reach a deal with Rondo yesterday
Celtics Davis injured in off-the-court altercation
Breaking down the Celtics’ roster, 1 through 10
Celtics believe they’re the best. Now’s the time to prove it.
Celtics Life    Thankful to be a Celtics Fan
Glen Davis Needs Thumb Surgery (Out 6-8 weeks)
More Bad News
Let Me Hear It! (Ampin' up for 2009-2010)
Celtics.com    Celtics-Cavaliers Preview
Cleveland.com   Opening night is always special for the Boston Celtics: Cleveland Cavaliers morning news roundup
Patriot Ledger    CELTICS NOTEBOOK: Davis suffers injured thumb reportedly in altercation
Mike Fine’s Starting Five
Celtics will rule again
NBA.com    Game Preview: Celtics at Cavaliers
Celtics 17    I Can Remember It Like It Was Yesterday: Celtics Must Stay Strong in Aftermath of Injuries
Both Teams Played Hard   The NBA Logo Ranking Project:#1 – The Boston Celtics
Red's Army    Rondo's agent: We're not doing a deal
Season Preview... Highlights style
Perkisabeast     Memo to Big Baby: Don’t Quit Your Day Job
Wicked Local    New Celtic Marquis Daniels prepared for LeBron duty
Celtics Hub    Rondo/C’s Talking; Does Rajon Want Max Deal? (UPDATE)
No Baby For Two Months: What Does It Mean?
No Rondo Deal
Examiner     Interview with Dave Lubach of the US Sports Academy, vote for the greatest basketball player of all
Big Baby injures hand: does he deserve immediate fan vilification?
North Station Sports     Pierce, Garnett,Allen: Serious About Success in Season Opener
New Kicks to Sport on Opening Night
NBA Season Preview
A Few Random Thoughts on Opening Night
Celtics Town     Boston Celtics preview/predictions... and a few NBA tidbits, too
Fernsten's Follies     Will the Boston Celtics’ Bench Outperform the Starters?
Lex Nihil Novi    McHale Survived Fitch and Lived to Tell About It (83-84)
1983-84 Season Preview
Boston: Basketball or Hockey Town? (83-84)
Gino's Jungle     Who Will Take Big Baby's Minutes?
0 Days Left- Time to Unleash the Monster
ESPN NBA Basketball Power Rankings
Report: Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics can't come to extension deal
Boston Celtics forward Glen Davis reportedly injures thumb in altercation
Tufts Daily     After offseason shuffles, contenders line up for a shot at the NBA title
AJC     5 reasons the Hawks will reach the Eastern Conference finals
Sporting News     Eastern Conference Preview: With Shaq On Board, Cavs Size Up Trip To Finals
Standard    Storylines for the upcoming NBA season
Lakers Nation    9 Headlines for ‘09 | The Lakers Nation
Tony Allen for President    Yo Man NBA Preview-Time
Orlando Sentinel     The Atlanta Hawks could challenge the Eastern Conference's big three this season
More powerful than a locomotive (and Kevin Garnett), Dwight Howard is all business about an Orlando NBA title
Gloucester Times The quest for 18
NESN    Report: Rajon Rondo Heading Toward Restricted Free Agency
Celtics Facing Cavaliers in Star-Studded Season Opener
These Celtics May Be Better Than the Celtics of Years Past
Familiar Face of Leon Powe Becomes Foe for Celtics
Boston's Stable Bench Enticed Rasheed Wallace to Join Celtics
Boston Legend Jo Jo White Believes Celtics Are the Early Favorite in 2009-10
Paul Pierce Creates 'Twitterhunt' for Celtics Tickets
Glen Davis Questionable for Celtics' Season Opener With Hand Injury
SouthCoast Today    Celts hoping Daniels will prove a 'Marquis' attraction
Opportunity knocks for bolstered Green
MetroWest Daily     Celtics: Davis out for opener
Megliola: Captain savors start of a new season
Wicked Local   Celtics: Davis out for opener
Star Tribune    Flip's flop and other hoopla
NBA.com   A lot's different -- and some's not -- in the 2009-10 season
Big Aristotle    Undefeated Preseason not Meaningless
Indy Star    Rest of NBA chasing Kobe and the Lakers
Blog Critics     Your 2009-10 NBA Champion Boston Celtics! Maybe? Sorta?
Fan House    Report: Glen Davis Could Miss Season
Le Basketbawl    Looks Like Big Baby Is A Big Dummy!
Herald Tribune     In NBA, the rich get richer
Cape Cod Online     Duca on Celtics: Reloaded and ready
Bleacher Report     Boston Celtics 2009-2010 Season Preview, Picks & Odds
NBA: Who's The Best Of The East and West
Press Herald    Celtics opener: Great way to start the season
Courant.com    NBA Season Starts Tonight
Bet Us    NBA Preseason Power Rankings
Hardwood Paroxysm   15 Footer: Once More, From The Top, Shall We?
Yahoo Rondo to join 2010 free-agent class
Dimemag   The Wait Is Over (For Some)
NBA Rumor: Antonio Daniels Could Sign With The Cavs
Jackson Sun   UTM's Hudson makes Celtics roster
Sports of Boston   Kendrick Perkins: Not a Household Name
Celtics Sign Stealth Point Guard?
Green Street     Source: Rondo, Celts $10-15 million apart
What a Rondo deal would mean
Report: Davis Suffers Broken Hand
Celtics, Rondo Set to Talk Monday Night
NY Post    Walsh creating cap space, not a winning team
USA Today    James, Cavaliers renew drive toward title with O'Neal in tow
CBS Sports    Top-heavy NBA will crown already well-decorated franchise champion
WEEI   The Chase Begins Anew: Celtics Resume Title Hunt
25 Questions for the 2009-10 NBA Season
NBA.com   Celtics, Rondo talk contract extension
Indy Cornrows    Former Pacers Already Making New Teams Happy
Peachtree Hoops   How much is separating the Atlanta Hawks from the big 3?
AP    Even players not sure free agency risk worth it
New-look Cavs and Celtics open season with one of NBA's best rivalries
Cleveland.com Cavaliers Insider: Delonte West's status still uncertain
Cleveland Cavaliers wouldn't mind a few extra days to get ready for opening night
Wave Newspapers    Laker preview: Team is built to repeat
Ohio.com   Cavs deny animosity toward Celtics
National Post   It's title or bust for the fab five
Hoopsworld     Celtics Cavaliers Preview
NBA Power Rankings
News Tribune NBA Eastern Conference team capsules
Bleacher Report   Final NBA Power Rankings Heading Into Season Tip-off
USA Today     Cavaliers and Celtics prepare to renew rivalry
Palm Beach Post   The Palm Beach Post's 2009-10 NBA power rankings
Ballerblogger   Position Rankings: Point Guards
Maine Campus    High expectations: Wallace to complement "Big Three"
SI.com   Shaquille O'Neal, Gilbert Arenas face pressure in season ahead
Sporting News   Wallace: Celtics Can Be
Nuggetpalooza These are your Boston Celtics
Interbasket    Boston Celtics: Least internationally diverse NBA team
Hooped Up Online   Top 5: Best Power Forwards In ‘09-10
Nuggetpalooza These are your Boston Celtics
Interbasket    Boston Celtics: Least internationally diverse NBA team
Hooped Up Online   Top 5: Best Power Forwards In ‘09-10
LA Times Which two teams will play in the NBA Finals, and which team will win?
Nuggetpalooza These are your Boston Celtics
Interbasket    Boston Celtics: Least internationally diverse NBA team
Hooped Up Online   Top 5: Best Power Forwards In ‘09-10
LA Times Which two teams will play in the NBA Finals, and which team will win?

3QC Roundtable Discussion: Previewing the 2009-2010 Season for the Orlando Magic

erivera7 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:01:03 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

Browse more photos »

"Runnin' mad games as if your name was Scott Skiles." - A Tribe Called Quest

After months of trading for players, signing free-agents, and playing pre-season games, the NBA is officially underway tonight for several teams. The Orlando Magic are not one of them, which is bad and good. Bad, because people have to wait one more day. Good, because it allows Third Quarter Collapse to fit in one more preview before the Magic begin its quest to return to the NBA Finals this year (and win it all).

As has been my custom in the past, I was able to corral some of the brightest minds around the internet and in the APBRmetrics community to provide their thoughts on Orlando this year. For regular 3QC readers, you'll recognize the names fairly quickly:

Bradford Doolitte, Basketball Prospectus

Neil Paine, Basketball-Reference

Ryan J. Parker, Basketball Geek

Kevin Pelton, Basketball Prospectus

Each individual provided his opinion on the Magic's busy off-season, ascertained which Eastern Conference rival matches up the best with Orlando, and more.

Recently, the NBA released it's annual GM survey and only 7.1% believe the Orlando Magic will win the Eastern Conference. Likewise, Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated polled a half-dozen scouts and all of them agreed that the Magic were the consensus #3 team in the East. Even Orlando was ranked #8 by Sporting News in a power ranking a couple weeks ago. In your time covering the NBA, have you ever seen a team receive less respect after reaching the Finals just a few months ago? To what you would attribute it to?

Neil Paine: I don't know, it seemed like the East's representative was constantly being slept on after losing the Finals at the beginning of the 2000s, too -- Philly, New Jersey, etc. I think the general feeling (and I can't say it's totally wrong, to be honest) is that Orlando caught lightning in a bottle last spring, and that the burden of proof is on them to show that it wasn't a one-year thing. Boston obviously has proven themselves two years ago, and they very nearly beat Orlando even without Garnett, so it's easy to see them ranking ahead of the Magic. Cleveland is better on paper and they have the best player in the game -- but that was true last year and Orlando still won, so their ranking above the Magic is harder to justify. Maybe it's the Shaq addition, maybe it's (undeserved) disrespect for Vince Carter, exactly why I can't say. The stats obviously say to go with Cleveland, but you'd think the sportswriters would go with the team that won last year.

Ryan J. Parker: Historical preseason rankings aren't really relevant here. The reality is that there are other good teams in the East that are getting more respect. People like the Magic, they just like Cleveland and Boston more. I personally see Cleveland as the team to beat, with Boston and Orlando behind them. Simply getting to the Finals shouldn't give the Magic a sense of entitlement. It's probably better that way, since SVG doesn't have to worry about the guys getting big heads. They get to play the disrespect card, however useful that may be.

Kevin Pelton: Well, the 1998-99 Chicago Bulls (who were a little before my time actively covering the NBA) and the 2004-05 L.A. Lakers come to mind. Now, a team that brought back the majority of its roster and arguably improved its talent? No, certainly not. I think a lot of it is that people never completely bought into Orlando's playoff run. The win over the Celtics can be written off as due to Kevin Garnett's injury (never mind Jameer Nelson's injury), while the Cleveland series could be viewed as something of a fluke. The other factor, which you guys have discussed from all angles, is this surprising notion that going from Hedo Turkoglu to Vince Carter is a huge negative for the Magic.

Bradford Doolittle: A lot of it comes from the belief that the Celtics would have beaten them had Kevin Garnett would be healthy. Now Garnett is back the Celtics have added Rasheed Wallace. As for Cleveland -- the Cavaliers did win 66 games last season and it was an upset when the Magic knocked them out last spring. I wouldn't take it as a lack of respect. The league is really top heavy right now and I think everyone agrees the Magic are part of the upper crust. Also playing into this, I believe, is that Jameer Nelson's importance to the Magic is underrated. It's amazing that they made the Finals without him and were competitive in the Finals even with Nelson playing at about 60 percent of his capacity.

More after the jump.

Out of all the moves general manager Otis Smith and the Magic made in the off-season, which one did you like the most and why?

NP: I liked the headline move, the Vince Carter pickup. He gets a lot of flak from the press for not being what they wanted him to be (he isn't the next Michael Jordan, and he never was), and it's true that he quit on the Raps a few years ago, but I can see him being an important piece on a winning team like the Magic because of his ability to both create off the dribble and shoot from long-range. He's also an underrated defender, which will fit in very well with Van Gundy and the Magic. All in all, I think he's a terrific fit and hands down one of the off-season's best pickups.

RP: The addition of Vince will be interesting to see, but I believe that managing to keep Gortat and add Bass helps to give the team depth that any real championship contender needs.

KP: I think it is tough to pick out one specific move because they were all interconnected. For example, if the Magic would have lost Courtney Lee as part of the Carter trade and failed to replace him, that initial deal would have been much worse. Therefore, getting Matt Barnes is not only useful in and of itself but also as it fits in with the Carter trade. That said, if I'm picking just one move, it's not only getting Carter for expiring contracts and Lee but adding Ryan Anderson as something of a throw-in with that deal. Already, demanding Anderson is looking genius.

BD: It's awesome that he was able to pry Ryan Anderson away from New Jersey in the V.C. deal. I really like Anderson's game and he'll be able to replace many of the things that they got from Turkoglu. I saw where Dwight Howard is now referring to him as 'Pat Garrity' which is funny, but Anderson's a more well-rounded player than Garrity.

Isn't Stan Van Gundy due for a Coach of the Year award? Could this be the season when he finally gets recognition for the work he's been doing in Orlando?

NP: You definitely could make a case that he deserved it last year, even before outmatching Mike Brown as a tactician in the Conference Finals. The way he turned Orlando into a legitimately great defensive team, with that personnel -- I know Howard is a complete beast and would anchor any D to an above-average ranking, but think about the rest of his lineup: Rashard Lewis at the 4? Turkoglu manning up on the perimeter? On the best defensive team in the league? That, to me, has been one of the best coaching performances of the past few years.

RP: After taking a quick look at last year's voting, I see SVG placed 3rd. Only one coach can win the award, so it's not likely he gets it, but it seems like he is being recognized in some form, even if he doesn't have the hardware to show off.

KP: I definitely think Van Gundy should have won a year ago. Like his team as a whole, he seems to have a hard time convincing the national media that he is a world-class coach. If the Magic challenges for first place in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, it will be hard to deny Van Gundy this year.

BD: SVG deserves the award someday, but not until Jerry Sloan gets one.

Between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers, which team presents more problems for the Magic when looking at possible playoff matchups?

NP: It's still Boston just in terms of individual matchups; if healthy, they've got more than enough talent at all the right places to take Orlando out. Cleveland's the wild card, though -- we know Orlando manhandled them inside w/ Howard and destroyed them on the pick-n-roll last year, and I'm not even close to being sold on this idea that Shaq cures the first problem. Moon and Parker, though, those guys were terrific additions because they can defend the wing as well as anybody Cleveland had. Besides, James is so good that he could have carried Cleveland to a win if his teammates had made just a few more shots.

RP: Cleveland.

KP: I would say the Celtics right now. I think both teams made moves that allow them to better match up with Rashard Lewis and his ability to stretch the floor. Boston can put a healthy Kevin Garnett at the four as well as Rasheed Wallace, which is a massive upgrade on the minutes Brian Scalabrine played in the series a year ago. The Cavaliers had the problem of trying to find a fifth guy to put on the floor because they had a hard time playing two bigs together against Lewis. Depending on the situation with Delonte West, Cleveland could have two strong options this year in Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker, as well as potentially a healthy Leon Powe by playing time. That said, I still think Dwight Howard can present more problems for the Cavaliers than the Celtics. While Shaquille O'Neal can handle Howard in the post in a way Anderson Varejao was unable to last spring, the Magic will be content to play pick-and-roll basketball against O'Neal. That should mean a steady stream of easy jumpers for Nelson, who is more than capable of knocking them down.

BD: If the Celtics are fully healthy, they have an answer for everything that the Magic can throw at them, especially now that Wallace is on board to help pound on Dwight.

What are the chances Orlando wins a title this year? What is your official prediction for the team?

NP: The Southeast is going to be a cakewalk again, so pencil them in for at least 50 wins, and I think they'll be right there in the end, playing a major role in the Conference Semis or even the Conference Finals again. That said, I don't know if they can take care of both Boston and Cleveland if those teams are at 100%. Barring some kind of injury problems, the Magic are going to be the 3 seed again, they're going to have to go through the Celtics and the Cavs, and I don't think they'll take care of both in the same postseason for a 2nd straight year. The East hasn't sent the same team to the Finals in back-to-back years since Detroit in '05, and I think when the dust settles, we'll see that streak continue in 2010.

KP: Our official preseason SCHOENE projections, released Monday, have Orlando as co-favorites in the East and in the entire league with Cleveland. They give the Magic a whopping 36-percent chance of finishing the regular season with the NBA's best record. That's not quite the same as winning the championship, so I'd put the odds at about one in four. Subjectively, I'm taking Orlando to win it all. West's status troubles me, and I think the Magic matches up better this year with the Lakers or whoever might come out of the other conference.

BD: Given the ultra-competitiveness of the top of the NBA right now, I'd put Orlando sixth the overall league pecking order, with maybe a seven to 10 percent shot at a title. My subjective pick is 52 wins and a six-game loss to Cleveland in the East semifinals.

I like to thank Mr. Doolittle, Mr. Paine, Mr. Parker, and Mr. Pelton for answering my questions.