SB Nation User Blog: Ben Q Rock

A rendering of what Hedo Turkoglu will look like in Portland Trail Blazer colors, via Bust A...

Ben Q Rock — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:36:20 -0000

A rendering of what Hedo Turkoglu will look like in Portland Trail Blazer colors, via Bust A Bucket.

This image really helps it sink in that Hedo isn't coming back.

Sources: Hedo Turkoglu has reached an agreement in principle to become a Portland Trail Blazer.

Ben Q Rock — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:36:22 -0000

Sources: Hedo Turkoglu has reached an agreement in principle to become a Portland Trail Blazer.

Ashoka Moore of ESPN

Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith Discusses Rasheed Wallace, Marcin Gortat, and Hedo Turkoglu with the Orlando Sentinel

Ben Q Rock — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:21:38 -0000

Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith speaks to the Orlando Sentinel about free agency. Ordinarily, I'd FanShot this story, but there's so much good information in here that I'll make an exception. Highlights:

The Orlando Magic have contacted Rasheed Wallace's agent and likely will not match the Dallas Mavericks' pending offer sheet for Marcin Gortat and want perhaps one last chance at re-signing Hedo Turkoglu.

Smith disputed reports that Wallace was making a visit to Orlando, although he said "it was possible" a some point.

Smith agreed that Wallace, a veteran 6 feet 11 power forward, would be a nice "fit" alongside center Dwight Howard, but "it just depends on what Rasheed wants to do."

Gortat, according to reports, has committed to sign the Mavs' offer sheet, with Howard's back-up apparently commanding a mid-level contract starting at $5.6 million.

[....]

"Those numbers are a little rich for a back-up center, a guy playing behind my best player (Dwight Howard)," Smith said. "If it's 5 (million), it puts you in a situation (financially) that you don't recover from."

As far as Turkoglu is concerned, he is being given the full-court press by the Trail Blazers and visited Portland on Thursday. Reports say that the Blazers could offer Turk a five-year, $50-million contract. The Toronto Raptors are also said to be in play for Turkoglu, 30, a versatile small forward who played the past five seasons in Orlando.

Smith said the it would be "a long-shot to get something done" with Turkoglu, but added that he had spoken with Lon Babby, Turkoglu's agent, and they agreed to talk before Turkoglu accepted a contract proposal with any team.

Good news on all fronts, I gather. Rasheed would give the Magic some toughness on the front line, and fits Magic President Bob Vander Weide's desire for his team to employ a "cranky" power forward. Marcin is a tremendous player, but simply not worth the financial hit the team would take for keeping him, given how many minutes he'd play. And I know there's virtually no chance of a deal with Turkoglu happening, it's at least a positive that Smith and Babby are on the same page. Former Magic players Keyon Dooling, Maurice Evans, and Darko Milicic expressed dissatisfaction with Smith's handling of their free agency in previous years, so we're seeing some improvement on that front.

A Tour of the Orlando Events Center Construction Site

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:21:36 -0000

Thursday morning, the Orlando Magic conducted a tour of the construction site of the Orlando Events Center, their new arena, for the media. At 9:46 AM, Alex Martins, the team's Chief Operating Officer, rounded up the assembled media at the corner of Church Street and Garland Avenue and led them down Church toward Division Avenue and the construction entrance (pictured above). Martins was a study in contrasts, as he paired dress slacks and a collared shirt with well-worn work boots and a hard hat.

Make the jump to read about the tour, and for several photographs of the construction.

Martins reported that construction is moving along on schedule, although he expressed hope that a hurricane would not complicate the effort. He was quick to add that the schedule has enough flexibility built into it to allow for some adjustments in case of a hurricane. The Magic are slated to play their first-ever game there, a preseason contest, on October 10th, 2010. That date, 10-10-10, is going to look pretty great on a t-shirt, no?

So, what does "on-schedule" entail? Plumbing and electrical work has begun. The concrete superstructure is nearly finished, and construction of the steel superstructure will begin next week. Martins said he expects the arena to be fully enclosed by January 1st, after which point air conditioning will be installed.

The building's distinguishing feature will be a 120-foot tower at the corner of Church and Hughey, shown here from the parking garage across the street:

It may not look like much now, but eventually, it will resemble the big, blue, glass tower in this rendering. But it's not just for show. Indeed, the tower is where form and function really meet in this building. The ground floor will house an Orlando Magic retail store. Above that will sit a patio restaurant open to all fans, regardless of ticket price paid. Martins described the top of the tower, the "Skybar," as a place for fans that will have "a nightclub-like atmosphere." He concluded his explanation of the tower's features by saying that it's designed in such a way that it can operate 'round the clock regardless of whether the arena is hosting an event. And the tower's placement on Church Street helps integrate the arena into the downtown area, making it feel more like a part of the city than Amway Arena, their current home, does. It's not that Amway is far away, but rather that it feels like an afterthought because it is not proximal to the city center.

The Magic have done their homework in researching the features and amenities they want their new facility to have. Martins said they had visited every arena in North America--"even places like Calgary," where the NHL's Flames play--over the last decade to draw inspiration. It seems to me that this research will go to good use. The Orlando Events Center is nearly thrice the size of Amway, yet will seat a scant 1218 more spectators, or 18,500 total. How can this be? The extra square-footage in the Orlando Events Center is almost exclusively dedicated to making the experience of attending an event more comfortable. As Martins said, "the biggest reason for the change in size is for amenities."

In addition to the Skybar and the patio restaurant in the tower, the upper level of the Events Center will have a full-service restaurant--again, open to any paying spectator--that will overlook the floor (pictured below). Fans will be able to dine there and still have a clear view of the court. Also, the arena will have an area for kids to play, and even shoot hoops, a feature Martins said was inspired by the Phoenix Suns' current arena.

Some of the new space in the arena is dedicated to the Magic's basketball operations staff, which will move in from its current digs at Maitland's RDV SportsPlex.

Overall, I came away impressed with the arena, and await the opportunity to tour it again. Martins said it will be "the most modern, most technologically advanced, and best facility" in the entire NBA. And David Stern, the league's Commissioner, said of the arena, "It's going to be a real 'wow,'" after touring it in April. Based on what I saw today, those two men probably aren't far off in their assessments.

[Rasheed] Wallace will visit San Antonio and Orlando next week, according to a source, before...

Ben Q Rock — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:07:32 -0000

[Rasheed] Wallace will visit San Antonio and Orlando next week, according to a source, before making up his mind. Wallace is not likely to visit Cleveland.

David Aldridge of NBA.com says Orlando is on Rasheed Wallace's travel itinerary. He'll also visit San Antonio, having already heard the Boston Celtics' pitch.

UPDATE: Marcin Gortat Signs Offer Sheet with Dallas Mavericks; Orlando Magic Unlikely to Match

Ben Q Rock — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:30:32 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

Browse more photos »

They say everything's bigger in Texas. Things are about to get bigger in the Dallas area, as the Mavericks have tendered Orlando Magic free-agent center Marcin Gortat an offer sheet for the mid-level exception. Gortat is a restricted free agent, which gives the Magic the right to match any offer he receives in order to retain his services. However, Magic GM Otis Smith has said throughout this offseason that he would not match an offer to Gortat if it were more than $5 million. The mid-level is valued at just over that amount, meaning Gortat's days in Orlando are at an end unless Smith changes his stance.

UPDATE (this paragraph only): I goofed. This is what happens to people if they put too much stock into Smith's public comments. Monday, he said he wouldn't match anything over $5 million. However, Tim Povtak reports that Smith said, "At this point, we're matching everything that comes back to us," as recently as Wednesday. Steve Kyler of HOOPSWORLD also hears that the Magic will match the offer, which he believes "may be a huge mistake." What it comes down to is this: is Marcin Gortat worth up to $11 million a year? An annual salary in the $5.5 million range is more than fair for his services, but the matching luxury tax payment would severely limit the Magic's options as they try to fill-out the rest of their roster. Orlando will exceed the tax threshold no matter what it does, so it seems more wise for it to try to split its mid-level on two players in order to get a better value.

UPDATE 2 (this paragraph only): Today, Smith tells the Orlando Sentinel he won't match the offer.

Gortat, 25, played 2 seasons in Orlando, but was only a regular rotation player last year. He averaged 3.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in just 12.6 minutes per game backing up Dwight Howard, the Magic's All-Star center.

Gortat gives the Mavericks a solid backup to the veteran starter Erick Dampier, 33, whose contract runs for two more seasons.

We've expected that Gortat would go to Texas, but not to Dallas. When the free-agent negotiating period opened at 12:01 AM Wednesday, Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey met with Gortat at the center's Orlando home. It's likely he also offered Gortat a mid-level deal. Ultimately, Gortat found Dallas' situation more appealing than Houston's, inking the offer sheet with the Mavericks instead.

Evaluating Dwight Howard

Ben Q Rock — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:11:34 -0000

This week, 3QC will take a look back on each Magic player's 2008/2009 season. Each day focuses on one position: Monday for point guards, Tuesday for shooting guards, Wednesday for small forwards, Thursday for power forwards, and Friday for centers. I'll evaluate each individual player at that position at regular intervals throughout the day, while Eddy will make a general survey of the position later in the afternoon.

Dwight Howard concludes this year's player evaluations.

Dwight Howard
No. 12	Center
Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Blocks Per Game
20.6	13.8	2.9
Points Per 36	Rebounds Per 36	Blocks Per 36
20.7	13.9	2.9
PER	Rebound Rate	Block Rate
25.4	21.8	5.9
FG%	3FG%	FT%
57.2%	0.0%	59.4%
eFG%		TS%
57.2%		60.0%
All statistics in this table from Howard's player page at basketball-reference. Career-high statistics highlighted in gold.

Another season, another career-best performance for Dwight Howard. The media hype of Howard, that he's a glorified Tyson Chandler who is too nice to ever win anything, is absurd. Focus on his dunking if you like, but also acknowledge that he's refined his post game somewhat--he still has a ways to go--and is without question the best defensive center in basketball. A year ago, his baseline spin move wasn't as polished as it is now. This is a guy making progress. And that people consistently trash him, well, it doesn't make much sense.

It all reached a fever pitch in the playoffs against Boston, when he called out coach Stan Van Gundy for not giving him the ball enough. His public tantrum, coupled with the stifling defense Kendrick Perkins played on him, conspired to make him look ordinary or weak. How quickly people forget.

These are the facts: Howard is 23 years old. In the last two years combined, he's averaged 20.6 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. He's led the league in total rebounding since he was a 20-year-old, a streak that now stands at 4 seasons. Prior to this year, he hadn't missed a game. And now, after the Magic's surprising run to the NBA Finals, he accomplished something the great LeBron James has yet to: he led his team to an NBA Finals victory. Not even Shaquille O'Neal, James' new teammate in Cleveland, did that while he was in Orlando.

So all this talk about how Dwight Howard is overrated? Stop.

I hate to turn a player evaluation into a rant. I really do. But I'm with Van Gundy on this issue: with Dwight, the media and fans tend to accentuate the negative. For whatever reason, that's not the case with the league's megastars. Let's cut him a break every now and again, shall we?

So, this year, Dwight improved his post game, became an elite defender and shot-blocker, and took his team to the Finals. What more would you like him to do? Make free throws? Sure. Get even better offensively? Okay. But it's almost getting to the point that we're picking nits. He's a stellar player who had a stellar season.

Grade: A

Evaluating Marcin Gortat

Ben Q Rock — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:43:15 -0000

Marcin Gortat is first up today, with Dwight Howard due to follow.

Marcin Gortat
No. 13	Center
Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Blocks Per Game
3.8	4.5	0.8
Points Per 36	Rebounds Per 36	Blocks Per 36
10.9	13.0	2.4
PER	Rebound Rate	Block Rate
17.1	20.4	4.7
FG%	3FG%	FT%
56.9%	100.0%	57.8%
eFG%		TS%
57.2%		58.0%
All statistics in this table from Gortat's player page at basketball-reference. Career-high statistics highlighted in gold.

It's not hard to put a finger on what exactly makes Marcin Gortat one of the best reserve centers in the league. He's big, for one thing. He's fast, for another. Skills are important, too. But plenty of tall, fast, skilled men have flamed out in the NBA. What sets Gortat apart is hard work. And I apologize if that appraisal sounds corny, but it's true. Marcin worked his tail off just to make it to the NBA, and even then he was only a practice sparring partner for Dwight Howard.

I distinctly recall listening to Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy's radio program one evening in January of 2008. A caller asked if Gortat would ever get a chance to play that season, and Van Gundy responded that his expectation was for Marcin to work hard in practice, and to perhaps earn a few minutes in the following season. Just 3 months later, in the Magic's first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors, Gortat leapfrogged the veteran Adonal Foyle on the Magic's depth chart. The move became permanent, as he retained his role as Howard's primary backup. It's hard not to appreciate the effort Gortat put in, both on the floor and in the weight room, to earn that role.

Gortat really does everything you'd want a backup center to do. He's one of the best rebounders in the league, he's a brilliant defender, and he plays hard. His athleticism and soft hands mitigate his lack of a well-rounded post game, and he's more-or-less automatic when receiving a crisp pass on a roll to the basket. The Dallas Mavericks, who will sign Gortat to an offer sheet for the full mid-level exception on July 8th, the first date free agents are permitted to sign, are getting a bargain.

This grade might seem high for a guy who only managed to play 12.6 minutes per game, but make no mistake: Gortat was a top-8 player for Orlando last year, and good enough to start for most teams. He did everything the Magic asked him to do, and he did it well. Really, ask yourself what more you could possibly ask Gortat to do.

It shouldn't take long to find your answer.

Grade: A

Evaluating Rashard Lewis

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:22:10 -0000

Rashard Lewis
No. 9	Power Forward
Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Blocks Per Game
17.7	5.7	0.6
Points Per 36	Rebounds Per 36	Blocks Per 36
17.6	5.7	0.6
PER	Rebound Rate	Block Rate
16.8	8.9	1.3
FG%	3FG%	FT%
43.9%	39.7%	83.6%
eFG%		TS%
54.0%		58.0%
All statistics in this table from Lewis' player page at basketball-reference. Career-high statistics highlighted in gold.

This season, his second with the Orlando Magic, Rashard Lewis became an All-Star for just the second time in his 10-year career. He benefitted from playing for an elite team, sure, and one can certainly debate the merits of his inclusion on the squad. What isn't really up for debate? Sweet Lew's steadiness, at least this year. His statistics are nearly identical from a year ago. So he's the highest-paid player, and an All-Star, on a team that was 3 wins away from a championship. Surely that counts for something in his evaluation.

Indeed it does. In addition to providing another impressive three-point shooting campaign--he bagged 220 treys for the second straight season, joining Mookie Blaylock and Antoine Walker as the only players to ever accomplish such a feat--and the resulting floor spacing, he slightly improved his rebounding (especially in the playoffs), playmaking (it doesn't show in the chart, but he set a new high in assist rate), and defense.

He maintained his reputation for coming up big when it counts. He was Orlando's second-leading scorer during the postseason; hit the deciding shot in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals; hit the go-ahead shot in regulation of Game 4 of the ECFs, then made the clinching free throw in OT; buoyed the struggling Magic with 18 of their 20 second-quarter points in Game 2 of the Finals, which they wound up losing; and scored 21 points in Game 3 of the Finals.

With that said, there's still cause for concern going forward. After peaking in Game 2, he managed just 45 points on 43 shots in 132 minutes the rest of the way. He's unlikely to duplicate his volume three-point shooting from this season, as detailed in the link above. And, at 7338 minutes played during the last two seasons, counting the playoffs, he's got a lot of miles on his tires, so to speak, since joining the Magic. For a guy who only just started playing power forward, that might start taking its toll.

Late Finals disappearance or not, 'Shard is still an asset to the Magic. He can become even more of one by asserting himself more on his rare forays to the basket. He can't shy away from contact, as he's been doing for a while, and still hope to convert at a high percentage. But let's not knock the guy too hard. 17.6 points per game, with unknown scads more for Dwight Howard via an assist or spacing created with his presence on the floor? That's nice, real nice. The Magic just need to hope he finds a way to compensate for his three-point shooting in the likely event it falls off next year. This year, though, was a strong campaign by the veteran sharpshooter.

As usual.

Grade: A-

Evaluating Tony Battie

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:38:21 -0000

We'll begin the day with a look at Tony Battie. Later this afternoon, we'll zero-in on Rashard Lewis.

Tony Battie
No. 4	Power Forward
Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Blocks Per Game
4.8	3.6	0.3
Points Per 36	Rebounds Per 36	Blocks Per 36
11.1	8.3	0.7
PER	Rebound Rate	Block Rate
11.9	13.0	1.5
FG%	3FG%	FT%
48.9%	22.2%	65.9%
eFG%		TS%
49.2%		51.8%
All statistics in this table from Battie's player page at basketball-reference. Career-high statistics highlighted in gold.

The Orlando Magic were all too happy to welcome Tony Battie back to their lineup this season. He missed all of 2007/08 with a shoulder injury he suffered while trying to guard Dwight Howard in training camp. As a result, the Magic had no choice but to play Adonal Foyle heavy minutes at center. Although the injury exception the league granted the team allowed it to obtain Brian Cook from the L.A. Lakers, in addition to Maurice Evans, Cook didn't really pan out. Indeed, the Magic missed Battie's ability to mop-up minutes at power forward and center last year. But how'd he fare in his return?

Uh, well, not too bad, but not too great, either. Battie is a known commodity, really. He's appeared in more career games than every other role-player on last year's Magic roster apart from Anthony Johnson, who has a scant 5-game edge. Battie's job with Orlando was to spread the floor with his reasonably accurate mid-range jumper; initiate offense from the high post; give opposing big-men grief defensively; and rebound. For the most part, he carried out these tasks capably. He's a solid player, one whom many teams would have coveted via trade--don't laugh, you know GMs love veteran power forwards--if not for his salary.

That's my biggest issue with Tony--not effort, the perceived lack of which The Nickel Steak detests-- and it's not his fault for inking a deal that pays him handsomely. He'll earn $6.2 million from the New Jersey Nets in 2009/10, the last year of the extension he signed with the Magic in 2006. This year, he earned $5.746 million, but produced at a less-than-stellar rate. His value rating--which measures player performance against his salary--of 34.45% was the lowest of any Magic player.

Oddly, the high salary proved to be a blessing in the end. Were he compensated in a way more befitting his abilities, the Magic would not have been able to acquire Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson from the Nets last week without offering a few more players.

But back to what he does on the floor. Apart from his monster--and I use this phrase completely unironically--game against the Philadelphia 76ers in November, nothing he did really stood out. 20 points on 9-of-9 shooting from a guy who's cracked that threshold 5 times in 10 seasons? Yeah, that's a big night. But that's also it, as far as big games for Tony this year. On the whole, he was average at best, and an offensive liabilty at the worst. If his jumper isn't falling, he's not helping your offense very much, as he's not much of an inside threat.

With all that said, I'm sure the Magic would welcome Battie back were the Nets to buy him out. To be clear, there's no indication that New Jersey is even contemplating such a move. But the Magic's big-man rotation, as of today, is merely Howard, Lewis, and Anderson. The latter two players are perimeter-oriented power forwards, although Anderson has nontheless proven to be a capable rebounder. For the right price (read: the minimum) Battie would make a welcome addition to a depleted roster.

Grade: C