Steve Francis is no longer the "Franchise" in Orlando. Francis was sent to the New York Knicks for the expiring contract of Penny Hardaway and forward Trevor Ariza. Personally, I think this is a bad move for Orlando - even though they will more than likely waive Hardaway faster than you can spell "cap relief".
Most everyone expected a deal for Francis, I just thought the Magic would hold out until the summer and possibly get a better deal. However, the up-and-down play of Stevie the Franchise is now New York's problem and Hardaway is ours - for the time being.
In Trevor Ariza, the Magic are getting a 6'9" forward who will splittiing minutes alongside the treo of Grant Hill, Hedo Turkoglu and Pat Garrity. Ariza is sporting career averages of 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists.
Two things are for sure now. One, you can bet the Magic have resigned to missing the playoffs this year. If they haven't, then the problems are deeper than even I can complain about. Two, you will see some new players on the floor as Grant Hill, Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson are all injured. Hopefully the Magic are wise about this and play Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo 20+ minutes a game from here on.
4 Comments on "Franchise no more"
Honestly, I think getting anything in return for Francis is a good deal. He's proven to be a pouter who turns the ball over all the time and plays no defense. Good riddance. I can't think of a worse fit for him than the Knicks and LB, but it's not our problem now.
Great info on your site by the way. I tried to do one of these magic blogs last year and couldn't keep up everyday- great consistency.
As far as 'rebuilding' goes, if that's what we're doing, we are in a great position actually. The bigs are the hardest part to get and we've got a great (howard) and a great possibility (darko). I love battie off the bench b/c he goes to work every night. I don't worry much about Vasquez, if he shows up in the future that just makes the frontline deeper. I think another vet who can bang and defend would help the frontline. A healthy Hill makes our small forward extra deep. I don't know much about Ariza but he is young also. Point guard now has two legit starters in nelson & arroyo. Only thing missing is an athletic 2 guard with some range, preferably one with strong fundamentals/ college experience (Ronnie Brewer from Arkansas torched my gators...). Sorry deshawn & keyon, you guys are role players, not starters.
I hear what you are saying. I agree on the 2 guard. DeShawn has done a great job in the position considering where this team was last year and before. He is definitely helping out on defense - but now we need someone to balance out the offensive side. It's hard to get a player in both - but a Paul Pierce type of guy would be nice.
Thanks for stopping by!
Just to update, I think the Magic got a good deal on Ariza. The play of Steve Francis had really declined before the trade and we are no worse off now than we were.