December 2003 Archives

After only 8 days on the job, Isiah Thomas is making some major moves over in New York. They traded Clarence Weatherspoon (recently placed on injured list by Thomas) to the Rockets for Moochie Norris and John Amaechi. According to sources, Amaechi will be waived.

For those unfamiliar - Amaechi was our starting/backup forward/center for a few years. Remember - he is the one that would bury his face into his hands or a towel during the National anthem.

So, who wants to bet that Gabriel makes an attempt to sign Amaechi? Ugh - here we go again.

After only 8 days on the job, Isiah Thomas is making some major moves over in New York. They traded Clarence Weatherspoon (recently placed on injured list by Thomas) to the Rockets for Moochie Norris and John Amaechi. According to sources, Amaechi will be waived.

For those unfamiliar - Amaechi was our starting/backup forward/center for a few years. Remember - he is the one that would bury his face into his hands or a towel during the National anthem.

So, who wants to bet that Gabriel makes an attempt to sign Amaechi? Ugh - here we go again.

Tracy McGrady leaves after the first quarter with a strained right hip. He is listed as day to day. Other than that - it was a poor effort on the entire team. Juwan Howard and Drew Gooden put up some good numbers - but the defensive effort was not there. The Knicks would score at will against any player on the Magic except for Keith Bogans. Through all of the bad times, Bogans seems the one bright spot on the team. I really wish the players would learn how to make contact when setting a screen. The pansy ass attitude that our team takes on is getting out of control.

Speaking of Steven Hunter - did anyone else see him stare while a player grab another rebound and dunked? No wonder the Magic cannot find anyone to unload him on. Here are a few stats for the year so far. Now maybe some of the fans (sarcastic note: those who think Hunter should be our starting center) can get a real idea of what he brings to the table every night.

When Hunter plays, the Magic are 3-21. In the 3 wins, he played a total of 8 minutes. In those 8 minutes, he contributed 3 rebounds, 2 points, 1 assist, 0 blocks, 1 turnover and 2 personal fouls. The Magic have not won a single game when Hunter plays 5 or more minutes. In the other 5 victories - Hunter did not even play.

I only saw the last half of the game - and can only speak for what I saw. The Magic were hanging in until about 4 or 5 minutes to go in the third. They stopped driving to the basket and started to settle for more jumpers. When a team only shoots jumpers - they become fairly easy to defend. At that point - Tim Duncan really does not have to do much except rest up for his offensive set.

Rumor had Robert Archibald coming to the Magic in the Donnell Harvey trade. However that did not happen and we received a 2nd round draft pick instead. Now, it looks like we will be signing Archibald anyhow.

Additionally, it appears the Magic have been awarded a $1.4 million for Pat Garrity. Garrity is likely to miss the rest of the reason by result of a second surgery on his knee.

Magic brass have also confirmed they are shopping center Steven Hunter around. Since Johnny Davis has taken over as head coach, Hunter has not played any significant minutes.

Tracy McGrady had another spectactular game on Christmas day. T-Mac scored 41 points, handed out 11 assists and grabbed 9 rebounds in the matchup against Lebron James. James is definitely playing better than he did during the summer league. But the same thing happened when he was paired up against someone who played defense. Keith Bogans effectively shut down James - and it was no fluke. Bogans did the same thing in the summer league, forcing 3 turnovers in about a minute - one of which that led to the Britton Johnsen dunk.

The first half was featured on offense and was quickly turning into a battle of who could outscore the other. Both teams came out in the second half playing a little better on the defensive end. I thought the Magic had plenty of opportunity to close the game out in the fourth as James was fading and the rest of the team looked tired. With the game tied at 97, the Magic were forced into their second overtime of the year. From the tipoff - the game was there for the winning. Juwan Howard hit some big time shots to put the Magic up and they did not look back. McGrady hit a crazy three point shot to seal the deal with less than a minute to go. On the Magic's final possesion, McGrady had the ball at the top of the arc with time running down on the shot clock. James stepped up to defend him, but T-Mac pulled up and nailed another 3.

Magic win another game.

Horrible game. I wish it was as easy as saying there was no energy - but the players looked alright on the floor. Some shots were a little short, but overall the Magic could have won this game. Defense was very poor and the intensity of the past 3 games was not present. I would have liked to see Z play more minutes, especially in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Drew Gooden and Juwan Howard had quite games and Tracy McGrady had a below average game for his standards.

I completely expect the Magic to bounce back and kick the living shit out of the Cavaliers on Christmas. The Christmas day game should be entertaining, as Lebron James has quietly been improving his game, especially after Ricky Davis was traded. This should be a good one-on-one matchup with McGrady.

Rumors are floating around about upcoming trades. Tomorrow, Donnell Harvey is expected to be traded to the Phoenix Suns for Robert Archibald and a 2nd round draft pick. The draft pick will go to Atlanta to satsify a previous trade - allowing the Magic to keep next years second round pick. I don't expect much to happen with Archibald - though I do expect another trade soon. With the addition of Archibald, we now have 4 centers on the team and none of them really producing what amounts to starting numbers. I like the promise in Z - so hopefull we keep him around.

From this fan, the members on the trade block are Hunter, Giricek, DeClercq, Howard, possibly Lue (or a combo of our multiple point guards for a wingman or point) and Archibald if he stays on the roster.

I would like to see us get a big man for whatever trade we do end up making. I think Strickland is doing a good job for us point for the time being. If we could drop some dead weight and maybe a Giricek and Howard for a center and someone else - I would be extremely happy.

Update:
Rumor has Archibald going to Toronto.

Woohoo. We are no longer holding the last spot in the NBA. With the win over Toronto - we are now a half game ahead of Atlanta for last place.

Seriously though, the Magic have played tremendously in the last 3 games. I have said it before and I will say it again, Rod Strickland is providing veteran leadership to a team that was struggling for an identity. The up-tempo pace is beginning to show signs of improvement and the Magic are catching teams offguard with their speed. The defense intensity has picked up - something that the Magic have lacked for a few years. I like having Tyronn Lue off of the bench. With Drew Gooden and Lue coming off the bench, the Magic have instant production that they have not had much of lately. The bench has been playing great, mostly due to Gooden. However, I have noticed that our defensive intensity dies down a bit when players come off the bench. Shammond Williams gave up two easy rebounds simply because he did not box out.

Looking down the road, we are a few trades away from having a really good team. If Grant Hill and Pat Garrity come back healthy, then we are one good center away from a being a serious contender.

Blowout. Finally. All around awesome performance by the Magic. Rod Strickland is playing great basketball right now. I really cannot see Tyronn Lue starting even when he does get well. Strickland has played good in the reserve role since arriving with this team. He was in great shape - but now that he is getting more familiar with the team and getting NBA legs under him - he is providing the floor leadership this teams needs. Drew Gooden had another monster game off of the bench and Juwan Howard played a good game as well. I liked seeing Big 'Z' and Keith Bogans out on the floor tonight. The more minutes that these guys get - the better this team will be come February and March.

I am very proud to see this team bounce back like they have with these two big wins. I hope we close out December with a huge push towards the eighth spot in the east - it's not that far off.

Let's go MAGIC!!!

Great game. Amazing how things turnaround. It was nice to see Keith Bogans back out on the floor. Bogans recorded his second double-double of the year in 31 minutes. I said it during the summer games that Bogans was going to be a good role player for our team or any team. He is physically stronger and taller than most guards and does not seem to get rattled very easily.

Moving Rod Strickland to starting point guard was an excellent move. Strickland is an unselfish player that provides good leadership on the court. Additionally, I really like Shammond Williams coming off the bench with his energy and offense. I would like to see Rod Strickland stay in the starting lineup - but that will cause a problem with minutes between Tyronn Lue and Williams. Additionally, we have Reece Gaines wasting away on the bench. I think it is time to shuffle a big (or 2) and a guard off for a good role playing center.

I'm glad we got this win because we blew a huge chance Tuesday night against Chicago. Of course, I am more upset that we did not walk away with two wins but I will take the one.

Discuss the game @ Orlando Magic Fans

I'm done.

Here is a stat that is becoming all to familiar: Tracy McGrady - 0 points in the fourth quarter. Don't get me wrong - he didn't lose the game by himself - but he isn't exactly doing anything to win games either. No energy and no defense tonight.

How the hell can the Magic expect to make up any ground by losing to the Bulls then playing Indiana the next night?

Since the Magic are putting less than half effort into games, I will start doing my analysis just off the box scores. I won't watch the games anymore.

Drew Gooden / Juwan Howard combination is not working very well. At least, the Howard end is not working very well lately.

McGrady - 9/25, Gordan Giricek 3/16, Howard 5/16. You cannot win games shooting the ball like that - especially with not enough shots inside the paint . When the shots came in the paint, the Magic missed a lot of the easy ones.

Discuss the game @ Orlando Magic Fans

For those who wonder if management is truly doing all they can to help our team, check out the salary information on HoopsHype.com and more salary information on InsideHoops.com. Though not completely accurate, both sources show a similar fact. The Magic have one of the lowest payrolls in the NBA. This, even after our beloved owner told management that money was no object this past summer and that the cap could be exceeded. It amazes me that we even hold .500 year after year.

With one of the hardest players on the team raking in 366k and the worst pulling in 1.4m, it is a damn wonder we win any games. The Magic are a few $3-8 million dollar players away from contending.

Guess we cannot blame everything on Gabe - after all, he is working within a budget.

Fire Gabriel

Alright! Another win for the Magic - and this one on the 2nd game of a back-to-back. The Magic played a solid game and really frustrated the Hawks throughout the game. Big 'Z' had another big game tonight. Z put up 7 points and 7 rebounds in 18 minutes. This guy is really deserving of more minutes - especially come 4th quarter. Shammond Williams had a horrible night of shooting but still played a great game. Even though I think the Magic are stronger with him running the point - I like him coming off the bench better. Tyronn Lue was out tonight with a (hip flexor/left groin injury) - so that moved Williams into the starting lineup. Juwan Howard is becoming more consistent in his spot - which everyone pretty much knew would happen. It's really good to see Drew Gooden starting to fit in more with his role. Even off the bench he is getting good minutes and good numbers. I would like to Z and Donnell Harvey on the floor a little more than what they are currently getting - but every game is different.

Why haven't we seen much of Keith Bogans lately? At least give this guy 4-5 minutes. I am waiting for the first of the year to see what we can do with some of the dead weight. Hopefully we can improve the team just a little more. And if it does happen, having Grant Hill back for the last month or so - would be great. If he is cleared to play, I would start playing him 10 minutes a game or so just to get the confidence and NBA legs back. Even if we are not in the race for a playoff spot or the management don't want him playing - I still think getting him on the court would be a huge psychological boost for next year.

Discuss this game @ OrlandoMagicFans

The Magic fought a pretty hard game until the very end. I though they gave in just a little - or at the least - did not play as hard on defense at the end. After winning two games in a row and Big 'Z' playing good basketball, I was suprised to not the see Z playing in the fourth to close out that game. I think with his energy and physical presence - he could have made the difference in the game. A good sign of things to come is that Tracy McGrady is finally getting some good minutes on the bench. If he can average less than 40 minutes a game and the team pull out wins - then we will be in real good shape come March/April.

Tough loss - but still a good game. Need to pick up the defense and keep the intensity for 48 minutes.

Discuss the game @ OrlandoMagicFans

There is a new website devoted entirely to Magic fans. Orlando Magic Fans is now online for everyone to discuss games, players, management and everything else with the Orlando Magic.

http://www.orlandomagicfans.com/

The good news is the Magic won another game. Count it - that is two in a row. Let's go Magic!!! The bad news is they were abused on the boards tonight against a poor rebounding team. The last three games our rebounding has been a little off compared to the previous games under coach Johnny Davis. I like seeing Davis take control of the ball club, especially late in the game. He seems to handle the wild shots by Drew Gooden and Tracy McGrady. McGrady is definitely going to the basket more. When he finally figures out that he can make things happen by driving everytime, he is going to be dangerous. Gooden went out in the 2nd half with some sort of foot injury. From the initial reports, it sounds as if it might be a toe injury (ugh).

Big Z played some damn good ball tonight. Shammond Williams came off the bench and played some great minutes as well. I like having these two guys on the floor late in the game. Sometimes a little energy will get the win for you. I would have liked to see Donnell Harvey on the floor more, but I think we will see that on Friday against the Nets.

Just to show that I don't forget, I will mention Steven Hunter - well, he is still himself - sulking. He has one bad play and was ready to jump all over the ref. That is no way to make in the NBA. Of course, I don't think he belongs there anyway.

One more for the books - I think my neighbors are going to call the cops next time. I have been so loud in this house the past two games. Watchout Atlantic, we are only 9 games back!

Discuss the game

The Phoenix Suns fired head coach Frank Johnson today. I hope it wasn't because the Magic beat them. =).

ESPN has a very good article on Tracy McGrady and what separates him from greatness.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=smith_sam&id=1683091

Magic play the Washington Wizards tonight at 7pm in Washington. The Wizards have had their own problems to deal with lately and will be playing the 2nd game of a back-to-back. With the momentum the Magic have from Monday night's game, this should be an easy win to pickup. Look for my man, Big 'Z', to start - if not start, then definitely more minutes.

Energy. Hustle. Everyone played extremely hard after that first quarter and it paid off. Gordan Giricek was picked on early because of his defense - but played a perfect game. Giricek did not miss a shot all night. Our bench was huge in this game. Defense in the second half, especially the fourth quarter, was about as good as I ever seen the Magic play. The upcoming schedule is somewhat favorable. Orlando can easily pick up a few wins if they play this hard in the next few games.

Discuss the game

After the worst quarter of basketball this year, the Magic put together an amazing comeback to pull this one out. Tracy McGrady played one of his better games. Big 'Z' was huge in the second half. Drew Gooden, Shammond Williams and Donnell Harvey won this game for the Magic. Nothing more than pure hustle and pride.

Now, let's rattle off a 19 game winning streak. Let's go Magic!!!

Magic play the Phoenix suns tonight at 7pm. Amare Stoudemire is out 4 weeks with a severa ankle sprain.

Tonight is the night, the Magic win.

Let's go Magic!!!

Well if you think it was bad before, wait until we play the Dallas Mavericks tonight. This will be a great practice game for the Magic. They will be able to watch and learn how an up-tempo fast break offense runs. They should easily put up 110-120 points. Actually, now that I am thinking about it - this might be a winnable game for the Magic. Forget that it is the second game of a back-to-back, but think of the defense. If we can score - we might be able to hang around. I might be experiencing a bit of delusion. Anyhow, as big a fan I am - and always will be - it is becoming increasingly difficult to watch the games on television. The weekend games in particular. I honestly have better things to do, believe it or not and the same problems exist.

All of these games seem to be about the same score. Real close towards the end of the game and the last 3 mintues or so the opposing teams hustle more down the stretch and pull out a ~10 point win. Tim Duncan was his usual self - overwhelming our big guys. I thought Drew Gooden did a pretty good job at times against him. Gooden had a bunch of energy and played very aggresively. It is good to see this guy back to his normal self and playing hard. However, he still needs to stay in the paint and away from the jump shots. Even though he made a few of those jump shots - he missed two in the final period with plenty time on the clock that really hurt us.

Tracy McGrady played an excellent game, until the fourth quarter. The guy next to me asked if the Magic could hold them and win tonight - I said only if McGrady wants to win this game. I don't care how tired anyone is, you still play. First three quarters, McGrady was driving to the basket and getting anything he wanted. The fourth - he started to settle for jumpers. Now, common sense will tell you that if you are tired - your jump shot is not going to be like it was to start the game. And driving to the basket was working really well in the first three quarters. Ugh.

The true mistakes: No Big 'Z' in the final quarter and poor substitution at the beginning of the fourth. Johnny Davis had 2 6' foot gaurds on the floor to start the fourth quarter - huge mistake. The Spurs dominated this stretch and opened a lead on us. Z should have played that fourth quarter - if everyone was so tired. He was bouncing up and down on the bench. His hustle and physical pressence would have been able to change a few of those easy, driving baskets against us.

In the end, this was the best crowd of the season and the fans were really into this game. At the end of the third quarter, everyone was pumped up and ready for the 'W'. There was not person around me that thought they would lose this game. We can blame fatigue or whatever for this loss - but there is no excuse - especially when Duncan sat for portion of the fourth and we did not capitalize.

Shammon Williams has been activated off of the injured list. Reece Gaines was moved to the injured list for some bullshit medical excuse.

The Magic play the world champion San Antonio Spurs tonight at 8pm. The Spurs were my favorite team years ago when everyone else was rooting for the Chicago Bulls. Now, the days of David Robinson and Dennis Rodman are gone - and its just Tim Duncan. I thoroughly expect a good ass kicking tonight even though the Spurs are in a bit of slump. However, if the Magic can manage to put together a solid 48 minute effort - this would be the perfect confidence booster.

Let's GO MAGIC!!!

Another loss and the Magic have now tied their longest losing streak in franchise history. First half was a great half of basketball. The Magic played very well and Tracy McGrady took control. I think he knew it was up to him to pull them through the funk and have a good second quarter to finish the half strong. Drew Gooden is beginning to look like the Gooden of last year. He is all over the boards and causing problems for the opposing team. You don't have to get every rebound but at least make the other team work for it.

Andrew DeClercq finally started in place of Steven Hunter and there was a huge difference in energy in this team. With Big 'Z' coming of the bench, the energy continued. Both centers played very well. Hunter played a few minutes in between. His overall effort was poor and the defense was worse. The faster we can get rid of this guy the better.

Third quarter, both teams came out flat. I really thought McGrady would come out shooting and pull the Magic through the quarter like he had in the second. Overall, a much better effort until the last 3 minutes of the game. The team just shutdown and gave up. The lead went from 3 to 15 by the end of the game. Really, no matter how tired you are, there is no excuse for that kind of performance in the last minutes of the game.

Since obviously someone is listening to me in the Magic circle, how about an honorary assistant coach for a night? =).

I like the up tempo offense. We should have been doing this all year (as previously noted) and probably part of last year. I would like them to add in a little more defensive pressure on opposing teams when they bring the ball up the court. The few times the Magic have done this, good things have happened.

Big 'Z' played well tonight even though his numbers are not what I expected. With his energy and toughness, Z proved that playing hard is rewarded. Give this kid a few more minutes over the next few games and he will easily outpace Steven Hunter. Speaking of Hunter, tell me how a 7 footer can consistenly miss a 2 foot putback off of an offensive rebound. Shameful. Drew Gooden played with a lot more energy tonight and the results are there. If he can step it up one more notch and stop shooting jumpers - we will win the next game. He made two bonehead plays at the end of the game - one on a jumpshot and another on a drive. Both plays, Tracy McGrady was open and should have touched the ball.

Rod Strickland is playing very well considering his short amount of time with the team. Once he gets settled into our offense and gets a few games under his belt, I think he will help solidify our shaking point guard situation. Tyronn Lue is a good backup point guard and I expect him to be that by the end of the season.

Even though his shot was off,  I think that if McGrady would have had a little more intensity - the Magic could have pulled this off. They played well against Toronto because of his energy and they could have used that in this game.

Next game - we need more consistent energy, better ball control and bench Hunter. Hell J.D, humor me for one game and start Andrew DeClercq or Z.