Quick poll to see who you think has the worse contract and which one would have to be included in a potential Dwight Howard trade.

Turk-2 years left, $23 mil, $17 mil guaranteed, age at end of contract-35

Jason Richardson-4 years fully guaranteed at $24 mil, age at end of contract-34

Glen Davis-4 years fully guaranteed at $25.7 mil, age at end of contract-29

Chris Duhon-2 years left at $6.7, $4.7 guaranteed, age at end of contract-32

QRich-2 years left,$5.4 fully guaranteed with 15% trade kicker making it 6.25, age at end-33

Ugh, these are really ugly deals when looking at the age when they expire. I didn't realize how tough it is going to be to trade QRich. Although Turk has looked really bad these last few games, he is someone we should keep since next year is almost like an expiring deal. Because of Big Baby's age, he may eventually have some value to someone else and can be traded down the line. Duhon's contract isn't as bad, but he is a terrible PG. My vote is for JRich's deal which was bad to begin with but will have to be included in a any deal involving Dwight.

Poll

Worse Contract?

33%

Turk

51 votes

36%

JRich

56 votes

20%

Big Baby

31 votes

6%

Duhon

10 votes

3%

QRich

6 votes

154 votes | Poll has closed

In this shortened season, we are already at the quarter mark. At about the quarter mark last year, Otis made a complete roster overhaul and dramatically changed the roster. Who knows what he will do next?

The team is off to a good start, they were 12-4 last year compared to 11-5. I wanted to compare some numbers of key players and positions to see how the team is doing. Most stats are through 16 games from last year and this year (before the IND game).

Continue reading this post »

I was trying to figure out what the team can do to still add players. I keep my own spreadsheet on cap stuff and this is what I have so far.

J.Richardson $6,250,000

Howard $18,091,770

Turkoglu $11,015,850

Nelson $7,800,000

Redick $6,750,000

Duhon $3,500,000

Anderson $2,244,601

G.Davis $6,500,000

E.Clark

Orton $1,105,560

Q.Richardson $2,446,200

Wafer $1,200,000

Hughes $1,352,181

Pruitt $885,120

J.Harper $600,000

D.Liggins $600,000

Total $70,341,282

With Arenas $89,610,589

Notes:

*Hughes vet minimum salary is from the last CBA for 10 yr vets. Same with Pruitt on a 3 yr vet. I doubt they keep both, if any, but its just for visual sake.

*I left Earl Clark's spot open. He has not been signed and does not count, but I would like for him to come back.

*JRich, Wafer, Harper, Liggins, and Davis are estimates.

*Keeping Arenas contract in mind is helpful because they still have to pay him, it just doesn't count towards the cap. If the Magic use a mid-level, they will pay 100 mil in salaries this year.(70+midlevel(5)+luxury tax(5)+Arenas)

*The cap this year is the same as last year: $58,044,000. The Luxury tax line is also the same: $70,307,000

*The team still does not have a legit backup Center. But are paying SG 17.2 mil(JRich, JJ, QRich, Wafer, Liggins).

Well what does all this mean? Like jtyler wrote in his excellent fanpost, Otis has got to go! There is absolutely no creativity with acquiring players. Its just pay and hope it works out. There is still time, but the JRich deal basically locks him in here because I don't think ANY team wants him for that long.

WARNING!!! I am about to rant about hypothetical trades and players from other teams. The next few paragraphs are my frustrations on what Otis is doing to this team and what I would do differently. I try to not go too crazy in acquiring all-stars, but I am on a sports blog.

Scenario 1- Trade for Francisco Garcia and Jason Thompson. Hey you know who is younger, cheaper, taller, and a better rebounder than Bass and Davis? Jason Thompson. You know who is also cheaper, taller, younger than JRich? Francisco Garcia, who also is a career 36% 3PT shooter. These guys would not get us into the finals, but would put the team in a better financial situation for the future. Thompson I believe is definitely attainable because they just signed Chuck Hayes, they have Cousins, traded for Hickson, drafted Honeycutt, and also have Hassan Whitside.

Scenario 2-Trade for Iguodala and Nocioni. Iggy has ran out his welcome, but I think the 76ers are waiting for the right deal. Probably would have to take a third team because the Magic just have overpaid role players(except Anderson, our las

t really good asset). I hate Nocioni but we would probably have to take his contract. He would also be a legit back SF, can shoot the 3 also.

Scenario 3-Trade for Kevin Martin. Im going to combine Martin and Iggy for 1 statement:

Martin makes 11 mil, Iggy makes 13. We are paying 5 SGs 17 mil and none are as good. What?!

There are also ideas with Josh Smith but I'm gettin mad. I just can't believe Otis gave JRich a 4 year deal when FA's are getting 2 yr deals(Y'know, because the tax penalties go up in 2 years. Otis knows this right?)Here is the lineup I would have preferred:

PG-Nelson, Pruitt,

SG-Garcia, QRich,Wafer(still picked up using Lewis TE), Liggins

SF-Turk, Harper

PF-Anderson, Clark

C-Howard, Thompson

Trade Bass for a nice backup wing. Waive Duhon. Still would need another good/all-star type player, but the contracts are not as toxic and Thompson could become something with us. An Anderson/Thompson package could be worth something to the right team. I hate Otis.

I wanted to see what the other OPP fans wanted to see in a Dwight Howard trade. Obviously, if we can keep him that would be ideal. But that may not happen so the team needs to identify the best player to get in return.

My vote is Eric Gordon. A little injury prone so far, but he is young, cheap, and a potential All-Star. Otis: Stay away from Bynum! Noah would be nice too; I would probably list him 2nd to Gordon.

So what are your thoughts? Explain why you would want that player also. If there are any other players, post in the comments.

Poll

Which player would you prefer in a Dwight Howard trade?

25%

Andrew Bynum

119 votes

10%

Eric Gordon

48 votes

10%

Joakim Noah

50 votes

8%

Pau Gasol

39 votes

1%

Lamar Odom

5 votes

43%

LeBron James

204 votes

465 votes | Poll has closed

I'm super duper bored. I'm an NBA junkie; obviously I read blogs but I watch the summer league and euro-league, study the cap for free agency, and its all gone. This is usually a good down time in the NBA; now all I hear about is Arenas cap number and how royally screwed the Magic are if they implement some type of hard cap. Whatever; wake me up when they settle it.

But I've been really intrigued about Justin Harper since we drafted him. Every draft all the players get compared to someone and the first person Harper has been compared to was Rashard Lewis. I thought that might be too easy so I wanted to find out if there was someone else that's more comparable. After the jump, my findings.  

Continue reading this post »

Looks like the Bobcats, Bucks, and Kings already got the first trade in. Bobcats with picks number 7 and 10. Other random Draft thoughts:

• Rooting for Kawaii Leonard to land in a good situation. Gotta root for my fellow Aztecs. Also, Malcolm Thomas should go in the 2nd also.
• The more I think about it, I think Jimmer can be Jameer Nelson type of PG. Strong but a bit short, good shooter, good leadership qualities.
• Besides the top 2, if I'm a GM, I think Valunciuanus, Thompson, Jeremy Tyler, and Biyombo are biggest risk/reward players. Most potential to be all-stars or busts. No in between.

C'mon Otis, let's see some Magic!

Does anyone have any first hand scouting reports on any of the potential 2nd round picks? Mateo posted a good fanpost about a month ago with some potential targets:

http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2011/5/17/2175366/magic-and-the-draft

I actually think Malcolm Lee will sneak into the first round. The current draftexpress.com mock draft has us taking Andrew Goudelock, PG from College of Charleston. Never heard of him.

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2011/

I'm an Aztec Alum and watched a lot of Malcolm Thomas play and it seems that he has turned himself into a legit prospect. Although I see him more of a PF in the NBA, he has the athleticism to play and should help any team that drafts him. But I don't think the Magic should go PF with Ryan Anderson and Earl Clark already there, and we drafted Orton last year.

A smart wing or big PG should be the targets. Its tough to target anything at #53 but there are always gems in the 2nd round. I prefer a wing because I feel like a 2nd round pick will do ANYTHING the coaching staff asks him to do to make the team.

Some guys I think could fit:

David Lighty-http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/David-Lighty-1177/

Justin Holiday-http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Justin-Holiday-6336/

Darius Morris-http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Darius-Morris-6343/

Jimmy Butler-http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jimmy-Butler-6315/

So has anyone seen these guys play? I've seen Lighty and Butler and Lighty reminds me a bit of Courtney Lee. Is there anyone else?

** UPDATE** I commented on a new post on draftexpress about the guards. Here is the link to the guards and forwards.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Just-By-the-Numbers-the-2011-Guard-Crop-3749/

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Just-By-the-Numbers-the-2011-Forward-Crop-3752/

 

 

So the Diesel finally retires after 19 seasons. Shaq burned a lot of bridges in those 19 years, but the first one he burned was in Orlando. But what does the community here think about 1) his time in Orlando and 2) his overall impact to the league.

I'll tell you mine. I'm from San Diego; born, raised, and still live here. I was 12 years old when Shaq was drafted and I was watching the Ahmad Rashad show, I think it was Inside Stuff, and he broke a backboard and I thought that was the coolest thing I've ever seen. I said I was going to root for the team that the guy gets drafted to.

When he left to LA, I was devastated. I've never experienced an athlete leaving "his" team; Fouts and Gwynn were life long Padres and Chargers. Although he would be closer to where I lived, he was dead to me. I have always hated the Lakers and that was the one team I couldn't stand him going too.

I got over it with Shaq as I got older. I was actually happy for him on his success in LA and in Miami, although it was bittersweet.

But he made me a Magic fan and I never stopped rooting for the team. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be a fan of this team. I appreciated all his work within different communities. I appreciated that he loved life. A great ambassador of the game.

My top 5 Shaq moments:

1) New Jersey Backboard breaking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyDg-Ex0GmE

2) No Hooks Track w/ Wu-Tang

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B10_LhVGqiQ

3) Destroying Kobe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU2Otd3bSEA

4) Phoenix basket goes down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFME30bB7ok

5) Just for my memory; the one against Ahmad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYWGKVf_aVY

 

 

This last post wraps up the first 2 and tries to piece together a new roster for next season. I also would like to know what type of players would fit best around Dwight Howard. I know that the CBA will be WAY different next year, especially after reading the piece about what changes have been discussed, but just play along.

Free Agent Signings-Joel Przybila ($4 mil, 2 yr deal from Mid-level exception), Vlad Radmanovic (2 mil, bi-annual vet exception), Earl Clark (2 yr extension, 2-3 mil a year)

Trades-Paul Milsap and Raja Bell for Chris Duhon and Brandon Bass

New Roster: Jameer, Bell, Turk, Milsap, Howard

Bench: Arenas, JJ, QRich, Anderson, Przybilla

End of bench: Clark, Radmonovic, Orton, 2nd round pick

Minutes allocation-

Jameer-30, Bell 20, Turk-28, Milsap-30, Howard-36, Arenas-25, JJ-25, Q-12, Anderson-20, Pzybilla-12

This adds up to 240. Obviously, things would change according to matchups, injuries, and who is in Van Gundy's doghouse at the time. If Keith Bogans and DeShawn Stevenson can start for contending teams, than Raja Bell can start for the Magic. He is older than the other 2, but limiting his minutes and giving them to Arenas and JJ works best. Re-signing Clark is key because Anderson is our best trade asset and hopefully Clark can move into the backup PF role if Anderson is traded.

Salary:

Current salary for '11/12 season: 76 mil

New salary with additions: 86 mil

This is the part where I tried to keep things as cheap as possible. The Magic have to at least acquire 3 players because the are locked in for 10 players next season and the league minimum is 13. But no matter what, it is going to cost money to sign a backup center unless they trade for one. This isn't the greatest team on paper, but upgrading the PF position and getting a legit backup center should give  the team a chance to at least contend next year.

Watching the Mavericks embarrass the Lakers really stood out to me. Games 3 and 4 were almost perfect basketball. Crisp ball movement, trying to get out on the break, hitting open 3s, defensive rotations; everyone seems so in sync it was great team basketball to watch.

But what do the Mavshave around Dirk? Past their prime players and guys accepting their role on the team. Marion, Kidd, Stevenson, Stojakavic; not really all-star caliber players any more surrounding him.

So what 4 guys would you surround Dwight with if the Magic could start over? The only exception is that these guys could not be on the team:

LeBron

Wade

K.Love

Bryant

Durant

Paul

Rose

Westbrook

Dirk

Pau Gasol

Amare

Ginobili

Blake

Melo

KG

D.Williams

S.Nash

Duncan

R.Allen

Pierce

L.Aldridge

Granger

Iguodala

So who would be the best role/borderline All-Star players to surround Dwight Howard with? This is my 4:

PG-Steph Curry

SG-Kevin Martin

SF-Luol Deng

PF-Josh Smith

So who do you got?

The first post I had last week tried to breakdown some potential free agents that the Magic could potentially sign. This post is going to focus on trade targets and why they could happen. I'll break these down into different categories to see how likely they are. Sorry, but I couldn't link to the trade machine because my work blocks sites that are considered "games. Trust me that the salaries would match.

Continue reading this post »

Like most of you, I was disappointed that the season ended in the first round. Props to Atlanta, they had a gameplan(no matter how in-efficient it looked) and they stuck with it. So how can the Magic improve?

The Magic will start next season with a $76 million payroll which will be number 2 behind the Lakers. The new CBA will change how teams can sign free agents but we won't know the structure of it for a while.  Let's assume the rules will stay the same and teams will have a mid-level exception (5.7 in 2011), the bi-annual exception (2.08 in 2011), and minimum salary exception(800k) to sign free agents. After the jump a list of potential free agents and some stats to see which ones would be a good fit in Orlando.

Continue reading this post »

I'm trying to wrap my head around this and it's just giving me a headache. We have added some new players, but our core is about the same. So far, we have not been hit too hard with injuries (knock on wood). So what gives?

 

I decided to compare the team for the last 3 seasons after 52 games and the full season stats. After the jump, maybe we can find some answers.

Continue reading this post »

So I'm finally off the ledge after the loss and was wondering if these Chargers are ever going to put it together. I started thinking about the Steelers and how it seemed that they were always good in the '90s, but never could win the whole thing.

 

The Steelers made the playoffs for 6 straight years from 92-97. They also made it in 01,02, and 04. Cowher's record in this period was 8-9 in the playoffs. They had all types of losses: at home, heavily favored, after the bye week.

 

I know the Steelers did make an appearance in the Super Bowl and Neil O'Donnell literally threw away the game. But they were a dominant team that could not put it all together. They almost blew the '05 division game against the Colts with the Bettis fumlbe. But they got saved by a missed kick by (at that time) the NFL's most accurate kicker(too soon?).

 

Hang in there Bolt fans. Lady luck has not been kind but hope is a good thing, right? 

What up everybody. Just wanted to throw a post out to see if people are down for a fantasy basketball league here from 3QC. I wasn't sure if Ben or Eddy were going to have one but if not, I would be happy to set up a league for the 3QC community.

 

I'm in a 24 team fantasy football league in boltsfromtheblue and I'm doing terrible but its the funnest league I'm in. Its from fleaflicker and it works pretty well.

With 8 draft picks this year, CJ Spillman made the 53 man-roster as the latest UDFA.  AJ Smith has had at least 1 UDFA make the team since '03 and that player usually lasts 2 years on the squad which is pretty impressive.

'03-Dielman, Gates, Cooper, Osgood, Cesaire

'04-Floyd, Welker(I know he was cut, but I'll give AJ credit for finding him)

'05-Camarillo

'06-Gregory, Gordon, Tucker

'07-Applewhite

'08-Tolbert

'09-Spillman

If the UDFA makes the team, AJ usually gets it right and that player should contribute something for the year. Spillman did make some coverage mistakes in the pre-season but he was a legit hitter and someone who was around the football. Special teams is were he will make his mark but I see a bright future for the kid.

Go bolts!