Hmmm. With a full strength Raptors squad making it in the playoffs all of once with Vince, compared to a Magic squad without one of it's key components for two years...yeah, comparing playoff series makes a lot of sense. Head-to-head, the Magic have owned the Raptors. And until an EC title is won, that's all that matters... And I'm not letting this escalate into something bigger, so I'm ending my discussion now.
Raptors went to a Game 5 without Vince vs the #2 seed Magic without Grant Hill lost in 4 to a Charlotte team without Mashburn. Yep, you can't compare the teams.
Sasser is good. A Sasser for Collier swap would be dumb for the Magic. Jeryl just needs time to develop but I do think he will turn into a very solid role-player.
Dude - Any player blowin out their knee aint funny. Don't let your otherwise interesting posts be tainted by such comments in poor taste.
I've had 9 knee surgeries already, at least Hunter will have millions of dollars when all is said and done, so please don't try to act like he's so bad off.
The Magic aren't better than the Raptors, everything Loogie says is right, magic have no supporters and hill will NEVER be healthy.. he's the fred taylor of basketball GO RAPS! =/
So you're saying if I cut you a check for $6million right now you'd let me go at your knees with a sledgehammer?
Your signature is right...you're killing me, Smallz. Please. Edit: It doesn't matter in the end that the Magic lost Steven Hunter. Why? Because the Raptors lost Keon Clark, a much more integral piece of the squad, while adding nothing. And with that, I (again, sigh) end my participation in this discussion. You Raptor fans can continue on with whatever banter you want, but I'm moving on to more productive threads...such as the 300 in the Rockets forum about Steve Francis.
Kelly, I'm tkaing a look at the article right now and I'd like to point out a couple of things... DeVos has stated that he is in Orlando for the long haul now, ready and willing to put a team on the court. The Magic are at the luxury tax this year, but will be under the cap next year. Everyone questioned whether he'd dole out max dollars in 2000 and did it with both McGrady and Hill, even knowing the potential for trouble with Hill's ankle...for a big man next year, there should be no problem with DeVos opening up the checkbook. The Magic would not have let Troy Hudson go if they were not 100% convinced that Grant Hill would be back. Hill, who will be the starting point guard, will give way to Darrell Armstrong and Jacque Vaughn in a small backcourt; in essence, Armstrong takes over Hudson's role and though he's not as quick, he's a better defender and can score just as well. Vaughn really takes a position the Magic didn't have last year - a true backup PG. Ewing barely even sopped up minutes...the Magic turned to Steven Hunter, Andrew DeClercq, and then a small lineup all in an effort to keep him off the court as much as possible. His release freed up a spot for a younger player who can still provide what Ewing did along with more athleticism - and the team feels Oyedeji can do that. Ryan Humphrey actually was drafted to contribute this season; he's one of the few seniors to come out of the draft and although a tad undersized, he's got great athleticism (for a PF) and the strength to battle down low for rebounds and to block shots. He may end up being the Magic's starting PF, moving Garrity to the bench (likely at SF), come opening night. Drafting Humphrey, re-signing Garrity, and picking up younger players like Oyedeji, Vaughn, and so on - as well as releasing older players like Ewing and Buechler - is an effort to rebuild the frontcourt and become more athletic and youthful all around. The Magic are one of the younger teams in the league; excluding Grant and Armstrong, no one is over 29. I'll take what wins ballgames, however, over an exciting team anyday. It's worked for many a squad through the years and though a lack of excitement alone may cause ticket sales to be sluggish, winning ballgames would pick them right back up. I don't think that first quote will win you any brownie points with many on this board. However, the city has always been able to sell itself. Players like playing for Doc Rivers, DeVos has shown the willingness to pay for his players up to the luxury tax, and Orlando offers a warm climate and no state sales tax. In fact, were it not for David Robinson's persuasion, Tim Duncan would probably be a member of the Orlando Magic right now. And as for the stereotypes of Orlando...no, it's not exclusively a tourist town; that's confined to the southern extent of town, well isolated from the rest of the city. No, it is not a redneck town; Orlando is one of the fastest-growing technological hotbeds (along the I-4 corridor) in the nation and is trying to model itself on Austin's rise to prominence. And no, there are not that many chinese restaurants in town; in fact, ask the players, and they'll tell you about all of the "soul food" available near the arena as well as the upscale dining options abound. Sure, there's uncertainty alright...but many of the moves the Magic have made do not make sense without knowing that Grant Hill would be 100% healthy; they simply aren't that stupid. Orlando will surprise this year - well, at least the teams expecting nothing out of them. A rise to the top of the East is not out of the picture...yes, and that includes over Boston and New Jersey.
mfclark, I'm just wondering...we've heard this before about Hill finally being healthy before last season. We all know how that turned out; his ankle flared up on him again. How will this season be any different? I remember people worrying about if Hill will ever be the Grant Hill we all knew once he returns. Is there some sort of breakthrough to Hill's condition?
Hill's ankle problem last year wasn't entirely related to the previous injuries. The initial injury involved a fracture in the ankle that didn't heal correctly, thus the 2nd surgery. After the 2nd surgery (the beginning of last year), things were getting better - but weren't quite right. It turned out that he had bone spurs that were limiting him, and thus the decision was made to have another surgery. In the 3rd surgery, he had these spurs removed and chopped into a powdery liquid. This "liquid" was then used to seal off the fracture and spur area entirely, promoting healing and correct regrowth. If things had not gone as plan involving this surgery, we would've known near the end of the playoffs. Why? Because the recovery time from that injury is much shorter; the Magic even considered putting Hill on their playoff roster last season, just in case, but opted against it. Everything that has been said thus far has been a positive - Hill is gradually ramping up his efforts in scrimmage games and workout drills and has felt no pain or experienced any setbacks thus far. Having said the ankle was only 75-80% better before, it appears as though unless something unforseen happens, Hill's back. If the Magic didn't believe it, I don't think they would've made some of the moves they did this offseason. And if Hill can put up the numbers he did last year at only 75-80% of ankle health - 17ppg, 9rpg, 4.6apg - I don't see any reason why he can't approach his career averages of 21ppg, 8rpg, and 6apg next season. For what he *may* lose in athleticism (though that topic has been overdrawn, imo) he'll regain in experience. Hill's always been one of the smartest players in the league and will use that to his advantage next season.
Kelly, A bunch of Magic fans are pretty steamed up about your latest article against the Magic. I'll refrain from posting their comments here, as some of them aren't suitable for the board, but I'd like to take issue with a couple of points myself. Link to article, for everyone else. For one, the Magic plan to run Grant Hill as the point guard in a starting 5 alongside Mike Miller and Tracy McGrady. Even if that doesn't materialize from the start, Jacque Vaughn is expected to start at PG in place of Armstrong; in this scenario, Grant Hill would still be bringing up the ball and controlling the tempot, something he's done his entire career. It's nowhere near as big of a shift as you'd think. As for recovering from his ankle injury...that's been documented in other threads, and I truly don't think it'll be a problem. If it is, he's done. Essentially, I believe it's either no Grant Hill or the all-star Grant Hill from his days with Detroit. As for McGrady's back - yes, he will have occasional flare-ups with his back but has been on a stretching routine all summer and started to drink copious amounts of water, both things that have eliminated all problems he's had related to playing basketball. It's a concern down the road, yes, but there's no reason that it should hinder him at all this season. Doc Rivers has said as much in other articles; Doc himself had back troubles (worse than McGrady) his entire career, yet still managed to post nice numbers. I didn't know that a prerequisite for a power forward or center was to be able to create his own shot. The Magic have players who can create their own shot as well as create for others - see the success of Pat Garrity for one such example. They may not be a great bunch, but they are improved over last year's bunch at the very least. Not so fast. Have you seen Kemp's starters splits from his time in Portland last season? Mar 16 vs. Washington - 21pt (8-15 shooting), 14reb, 3stl, 2blk, 5to Mar 18 at Boston - 12pt (6-9 shooting), 11reb Mar 25 vs. Memphis - 12pt (3-7 shooting), 8reb Mar 29 at LA Lakers - 12pt (4-13 shooting), 16reb Mar 30 vs. Seattle - 13pt (6-20 shooting), 16reb, 2stl Admittedly, it's a small statistical example, but even in the West, Kemp proved that given the minutes, he can contribute. Whether that holds up over the course of the season is still to be determined, but even if he is reduced to a 300lb jump shooter and isn't the "Reign Man" like he used to be, he's still one more weapon that the Magic have to draw big bodies away from the paint and allow McGrady, Hill, and Miller to create for themselves. I think that takes care of everything.
I would like to see any Magic fan site, any comments I could use, every day is a new learning exp. I don't really like the article, usually I save my best for Friday, but I broke up with someone the night before, and took a good eight minutes to write this one. Any link to the cats who hate me? Need to drink water, soon...
KD - e-mail me through the BBS and I'll send it along. Just don't want to post it here and get caught up in a rule infringment.
