Just fooling around with the ESPN Trade machine, which I know we're all fans of on this site. I put this three team trade together trying to give each of the three teams equal value for what their departing with. Obviously my opinion of our players is probably exaggerated, but look it over and see what you think.

Teams involved? Phoenix, Orlando, GSW.

Orlando Receives:

PG- Steve Nash

F- Channing Frye

Why? Its an obvious all-in to keep Dwight. Win a championship with Nash, keep Dwight. (Not a guarantee by any means, but it's a better shot than where we are now.)

We take back Channing Frye and his bad contract-- but it's equal to JRich's 4 year deal. So even if Nash doesn't stay, at least we shed some salary by clearing Jameer off the books.

We also manage to keep Ryno.

Starting 5 of Nash/Redick/Turkoglu/Anderson/Howard.

2nd Unit: Duhon/Liggins/QRich/Frye/Davis.

I'm a big fan of what I'm seeing out of Liggins so far, so I may even sneak him into the starting lineup to keep JJ coming off the bench. We;d have Liggs for D, JJ for a spark of Offense on that shakier second unit.

Phoenix Receives:

G- Monta Ellis

PG- Jameer Nelson

F- Justin Harper

One 1st Rd Picks from ORL

One 2nd Rd Pick from ORL

One 1st Rd Pick from GSW

They receive a player capable of selling tickets in Ellis, as well as an All-Star PG who has been seeing the court tremendously since returning from his concussion. They receive the prospect Harper, who has potential, but does seem a little lost in our system.

The picks are thrown in towards the rebuilding effort.

My only concern is to whether or not Phoenix will actually part ways with Gortat, who is beasting for them. My logic to them letting him go is that they aren't going anywhere with him now, and by losing Nash, it's not going to get better fast enough. Ellis is more likely to sell tickets than Gortat IMO.

GSW Receives:

C- Marcin Gortat

SG- Jason Richardson

Golden State gets the big man they've desired in Gortat, who Phoenix won't need without Nash.

They also get JRich, who they are familiar with, to replace Ellis. This should be more than enough for them to part ways with Ellis, as they are already fielding calls from all over the league about his availability. Gortat is about the best big man they can get in return for Ellis.

While it would be incredible for the Magic to get both Nash and Ellis, it's obvious that will NEVER happen. This to me is a very reasonable way to get Ellis and Nash involved in trades, bringing a second superstar to Orlando. Will we win a championship with this lineup? Who knows. The real question is, can we afford to be naive enough in thinking that the current roster IS capable of winning it all?

Here's a link to the trade:

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6slpjzd

So, the Magic have played 5 games so far. We're a very respectable 4 and 1, with a four game winning streak. Our loss comes at the hand of the favorite to come out of the Western Conference this year-- Oklahoma City. Our wins? Four teams expected to fight for the last few playoff spots in a very top heavy Eastern Conference. Maybe that's the reason for the disrespect we're being shown by ESPN. I've watched Sportscenter the night of every game for which we have a win... and I dont recall seeing ANY highlights of our games. Sure, the Bobcats game was pretty much a wire to wire win for Orlando, so there wasn't much to show. What about last nights game? That was a thrilling comeback. That is what Sportscenter used to be about.

I make these points for a reason. I am COMPLETELY okay with being ignored by the national media. Why you may ask? Because that is exactly what we had back in the 08-09 season. Nobody expected much from us. The past two seasons, we were expected by a couple of writers to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown, and also a Championship. How did we react? The Magic essentially crumbled under the pressure of the national microscope. They seemed to turn on each other resulting in an embarrassing first-round playoff exit to an opponent whom we dismantled the previous year. I mean, I actually think that Atlanta was considered for contraction after how bad we embarrassed them. (I kid, of course.)

Back to the point. We're flying under the radar. We're beating the teams that we're supposed to beat-- and the Magic look as though they are enjoying each other on the court. I'm not going to make the point that Dwight should be able to see the championship potential in contrast with his "trade destinations," because that is a moot point; however, if Orlando continues to remain competitive against tougher competition, while defeating the inferior teams, Orlando could surprise some people this season. (Minus us Blue Blooded Magic fans.)

Keep talking about the Clippers, who contain a roster of players who are great individually and are learning how to play as a team.

Keep talking about the Heat, who are under the extreme pressure of being the favorites to win a championship.

Keep talking about the Knicks, who are quite frankly made up of players who are "Me First" types and honestly won't win anything when they face a team with a defensive mentality.

Leave my Magic out of it. Let our players play loose and free without wondering if they are going to be in the Top 10. This way-- when we sneak up on people-- we can play our underdog role which we play so well.

Go Magic.

I must say, I find the buy outs and trades quite ridiculous lately. Most Magic fans were hoping that we would sign Troy Murphy is he was bought out. Well, he has been and now they say we're not going to be able to sign him with the likes of Miami and Boston competing for his services. Okay. Now Mike Bibby has been bought out. What are the teams rumored to be interested in him?

Boston and Miami.

I don't get it. I am NOT arguing that we need Mike Bibby. What I am arguing is, where is the sense of pride in these players? Why do they want to piggy back on the successes of other players? What happened to the mentality of "I want to go somewhere to be a vital part of a team contending to win a championship," rather than what has become the norm of "I want to go to a favorite and sit on the bench to watch other players win a championship."

I know that Miami could use an upgrade at the PG position, but if I were Miami, I wouldn't see Mike Bibby as much of an upgrade over what we already have. If I were Bibby, I would want to go to a team like Houston, right outside the playoff bubble, to provide some leadership and playoff experience. 

Maybe I feel this way because as a Magic fan, I like the underdog role. I like the turmoil we have gone through this season. Have I been the most optimistic fan? Not at all. I was probably one of the first to get extremely frustrated with the recent losses, like Detroit and Sacramento. But I still believe that we are a team to be reckoned with. 

After writing this, I actually hope that both Murphy and Bibby go to Miami. I hope that they sit on the bench and expect Wade, James, and Bosh to do all of the heavy lifting. Then I hope that I get to smile as we knock both Boston and Miami out of the playoffs. 

A place to play GM for the Magic. Find a trade that works to get us CP3. I've become addicted since this afternoon.  I think that this trade is very decent for all parties involved. I am obviously not an NBA gm but I hope to see Chris Paul in a Magic Uni. This way we can keep track of all of the ideas our brilliant Magic fans can come up with.

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