The 3 Most Compelling Stories Going into the Playoffs

So I'm finally back. Some news before I jump into today's post. I've recently become the domain owner of dishingdimes.com. You can now access the site by simply typing dishingdimes.com into your browser. The webmaster is currently working on a few things, and should have everything up and running by the middle of April. With all of that, my boredom with this years' NCAA Tournament (Wake's ousting killed it for me) has brought me to focus my attention on the final stretch of the NBA season. There are 3 big story lines we need to watch before we hit the third week of April and the first round starts.

1) The 8th seed in both conferences- I'm not saying that there will be a repeat of the 2006 #8 Warriors over #1 Dallas, which I still stand by, is the biggest upset in sports history. I am saying that there are a few ways this could play out. Lets start in the East. I don't see Chicago falling out of the 8th spot right now. I think Charlotte can get there next year, but I don't think they are a consistent enough team to challenge Chicago for that spot. If Chicago hangs onto that last spot, I'm going to give the ROY to Derrick Rose. Lets take it a step further. Detroit has a chance to slip to 8th. Chicago is playing 7 games at home and 3 on the road to close the season. Out of their last 10 games, only Miami, Philly, and Detroit are playoff teams. The Bulls beat Miami without Derrick Rose and the road doesn't turn too sharply as they meet Philly, Detroit, and the rest, which are very winnable games. It is also worth noting that the game against Detroit is at Detroit, and could very well determine the 7th and 8th seeds in the East. If the Bulls can go out winning 8 of 10, they will be in great position. The Pistons lost to the Lakers in the game tonight, they have 11 more games, 1 of those games is against the Cavs, and the only other hurdles will be Philly and the big game against Chicago. Remember to watch the Pistons/Bulls game on April 13th because it will have major playoff implications. So lets think about what this actually means for Chicago and Detroit. An 8th seed means you are probably playing the Cavs, and a 7th seed means you are probably playing the Celtics. If I were the Bulls, I would much rather play against the Celtics than the Cavs. The Bulls have no one who can guard Lebron, but the Pistons can throw Tayshaun Prince on Lebron and contain him as much as any defense can. The Pistons probably don't want to play the Celtics in the first round due to their lack of size. They can't body up against KG, Glen Davis, KendrickPerkins, or Leon Powe very well. It will be a struggle for an undersized Detroit team. In short, it would be in the Pistons' best interest to drop to the 8th seed, but it might just be me. It is picking your poison.

In the West we have an interesting race between, really, #2-9. San Antonio could theoretically fall to the 8th spot at this point. Doubtful, but possible. At this point, anything can happen with those spots. The Suns are desperately trying to make the playoffs, and there is a chance they can pull it off. Dallas doesn't have a favorable schedule in the last 10 games of the season. Dallas plays Cleveland on Sunday, and has games against Miami, Phoenix, Utah, New Orleans twice, and Houston to close the season out. All of those games will have major playoff implications and all of those teams are going to be at full strength trying to finalize their playoff spots. Out of the last 10 games the Suns have, only 4 of them are playoff teams, one of those teams being Dallas. I see this playoff race going all the way until the last game. We may not know what happens, and both teams don't want to rely on the other team losing for playoff position. It will make for very interesting basketball. As for the middle of the field in the West, it is almost impossible to predict what will happen. Virtually every matchup in the West could swing either way from the 2 through 7 matchups. Lets even throw the Lakers in there in the 1 vs 8 matchup. The Lakers have a chance to lose if they don't come out at full strength. Seeding is of the utmost importance at this time of the year, and things are tight in the league right now. It will be interesting to see how the last two spots in the East play out and how the West plays out as a whole.

2) The Boston injuries- This could be the determining factor in the East. The Celtics will most likely get a 2 seed, and Doc Rivers assures us that they don't care what seed they get, "As long as we are healthy, we will lace up against anyone." That statement is true, but is contingent on the first clause. Can they get healthy? They are slowly bringing KG back, and they have a multitude of other injuries. KG has been unproductive as of late, but the Celtics have seemed to be playing relatively well without him at full strength. They lost a tough game to Orlando last night, but you can never underestimate what the Celtics can do with that much talent on one team. We saw the Celtics exploited by the very good Orlando team last night. Dwight Howard punishes them down low. There is virtually no one who can guard Dwight Howard. His style of play will revolutionize young centers with hopes of coming to the NBA. Howard's post presence and athleticism is too much for Boston to deal with if KG is not ready. It is also important to note that Ray Allen has had a few nagging injuries, but we can expect him to be fully healthy for the playoffs. The Celtics have been criticized for not playing with the same fire as they did last season, but a healthy Celtics team is just as dangerous as the championship team we saw last June. If KG is fully healthy, expect the Celtics to be in the Finals, but not without a 7 game series against Cleveland. The question will be whether KG's injuries follow him into the playoffs.

3) The Blazers- Does anyone remember them? They haven't made any headlines since the incident between Ariza and Fernandez. I truly believe that they can beat any team in the West. They have two interchangeable bigmen inside, a great young star, a scoring PF, and solid role players. They have upset written all over them. As of now, they would be playing the Rockets. From the history of the Rockets, an upset by the hands of the Blazers is not outrageous. Pay attention to how they play in this critical point in the season. It will be very telling to how they will perform in the playoffs. They are my sleeper pick for the playoffs.

Izzy

Rafer Alston/Kyle Lowry/Brian Cook Trade Analysis

My keyboard is on fire, but here goes the last analysis of the trade season. The most significant trade before the trade deadline is happening for Orlando. The Magic will receive Houston's Rafer Alston. The Rockets will receive Kyle Lowry. Brian Cook, a first round pick, and some filler will go to Memphis.

This deal works for everyone. Lets take this one step at a time. First, the Grizzlies. They are a team that has the lowest payroll in the league, but they have a tremendous amount of young talent. A first round pick is only going to add to that. With Mike Conley playing extremely well the last few weeks, and OJ Mayo in the long term plans, the Grizzlies got rid of Lowry. Coming into the season, they were wondering what they would do with Javaris Crittendon, Kyle Lowry, and Mike Conley. It was for sure going to be a throw down to see who would win the job. Crittendon lost the battle first, and then Conley proved that he could be the guy bringing up the court. Now Lowry finds himself on a struggling Houston team.

As for Houston, I think that Lowry can help them out back there. He will increase all of his averages of 7.6ppg and 3.6 assts a game. He will see a lot of playing time because I think that Rick Adelman will continue to play Aaron Brooks off the bench in the same capacity Brooks has played all season. Brooks will compete for the starting job next season, but as of now, Lowry will be given the thumbs up. The Rockets will also get Brian Cook. Cook has developed a terrible reputation of being a shooter every time he touches the ball. Problem is, he can't shoot. Cook is only shooting 38.3% on the season. Don't expect that to change anytime soon as he probably won't get in the rotation that often, but his salary made the deal work. Cook's impact on the team will be minimal. Overall, Lowry is about half a step down from Alston, but for next season, after he learns Adelman's unique offense, he will be a much more effective player. Lowry is a steal with his talent and salary. Lowry is due to make $1.1 million this season, and just over $2 million next season with a qualifying offer in none other than, the summer of 2010. From watching Lowry play, he doesn't seem like he commands on the floor. He seems to force the game. Lowry also seems to play off of other players. He waits for a player to make a move, and he reacts to that. It doesn't seem like Lowry creates opportunities for himself outside of his occassional drive to the basket. I think that is something he can work on, and will change when he gets used to the talent around him in Houston, and of course, when the Rockets are healthy (if that ever happens). This is the perfect situation for Lowry to develop himself as a credible guard. The spotlight is on him in Houston, and he will be asked much more next season than this season. Think of the last part of this season as a warmup for Lowry.

So the last point guard that went to Orlando from Houston was a guy named Steve Francis. The guy who came to Houston was Tracy McGrady. We know how that went down. Put aside what you may think about T-Mac right now, and realize that he averages over 29ppg in the playoffs. When healthy, Tracy McGrady is one of the NBA's elite. Steve Francis, not so much, to say the least. When Jameer Nelson went down, Orlando tried to play it like Anthony Johnson could carry the load. After watching the unathletic veteran for a few games, it became very clear that Johnson would not be able to hold the fort down. So here comes Alston. The guy has had some big games the last couple games. Alston is an extremely streaky shooter. I never thought about it, but Alston is a poor man's Jameer Nelson. He is averaging 11.5 ppg, 5.4 assts, and 1.19 steals. Nelson averages 16.7ppg, 5.4 assts, and 1.21 stls. With the exception of points, those are virtually the same numbers. Alston is smaller in size, has the handles, can pass, and score. I can make this comparison because they both played with a dominant center that changes defenses. We should also note that Alston has never had a full arsenal of options available to him. He does have that in Orlando. Expect his numbers to jump a little bit. I think they have some similarities and some differences. The similarity is their shots off of screens. Nelson loves shooting off of screens and giving the pick n'roll pass. Alston likes to shoot off of screens, but the pick n'roll isn't so big in Houston, but Alston had his fair share of assists to Yao. I think Alston will make an immediate impact in Orlando, and that is what they need. Alston was stuck in the limbo land of Houston, and he is now on a championship contending team. If the Magic don't like what Alston is doing, he is making $4.9 million and will make a bit above that next season, but his contract expires in none other than the summer of 2010. Perfect. Alston will undoubtedly thrive off of Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu's shooting ability. He will be able to create shots for himself, and like Jameer Nelson, Alston loves to drive to the basket. We have seen this time and time again, Alston driving to the basket, defenses collapose, and he drops the ball off the Scola or Yao for the easy put away. Well, the same thing is going to happen in Orlando with the exception of dropping off to a PF or SF, he could kick it out to the wings for 3, or give it to Dwight Howard. Either option is going to be a favorable outcome for the Magic. The one concern is when Nelson comes back. Do they just have Alston come off the bench? I think they will let that happen for a while, but they will probably trade him away after they don't need him. Alston is a quick bandaid for the Jameer Nelson loss. After Nelson is back and healthy, Alston's expiring contract and proven play will be good trade bait next season. It is looking good for Orlando. They can now safely start discussing a legitimate playoff run.

Izzy

Sports Links

For the first time since last June, when the site first started, I'm posting links to some interesting sports stories. More articles to come in the next few days about the Association.

I'm sure a lot of you have heard this, but this is the story of how DWade's divorce is hitting a low point. A lot of people have criticized the NBA for the culture of the players. We have heard of Michael Jordan's divorce, Shaq's divorce, and now Dwyane Wade's divorce. Three of the most high profile athletes in the world have had very high profile divorces, and they all happen to be basketball players? I hope there is no correlation here. Take what you may from this. I'm not sure of what to make of it. I hope it all gets sorted out, and is not that big of a distraction for Wade's play on the court.

Awesome story about Danny Granger's childhood with an emphasis on Danny Granger's dad, Danny Granger Sr. I'll let you all read the details for yourself.

Most valuable sports franchises in the world by Forbes. Unfortunately, no NBA teams, but I suspect that the Knicks would have been on the bubble for the top 10.

Westchester High has put out some really good NBA players over the years. Just a short little thing about Trevor Ariza and how Kobe visited the high school back in the day.

Obama has impacted all of our lives. We have all seen how the reaction to him taking office has been in the NBA. A few NBA players paid top dollar to get tickets to the inauguration. Apparently some people paid around $50,000 a ticket for a seat. Here is a link to show how important this was to the NBA. This is just one example of NBA players and teams reacting to the Obama presidency.

DishingDimes was just featured in this article from a great blog that focuses on college basketball during the college season, but the NBA right when the playoffs race starts getting heated up. Check the site out.

Izzy

The Diversity at the Top of the NBA

There was once a time in the NBA where critics of the Conference system lobbied to split the conferences up and make them into an NFL like division system. The tide has changed in the NBA. 3 out of the 4 best teams in the league are Eastern Conference teams. The worst team in the NBA comes from the West (OKC). For the purposes of this post, we should look at the top teams in the NBA, the Lakers, Celtics, Magic, and Cavs, and examine the diversity each of the 4 teams' diverse style. As a fan of the game, it is a joy to watch the differences in the makeup and style of the 4 teams. I'll tell you what I mean.

The Celtics: At the beginning of the season, everyone was talking about the reigning NBA champions losing single digit games. That is not going to happen, and since their loss the Lakers on Christmas, the Celtics went on a bit of a skid. They have regained their swagger, and look like they are back to their old selves. The Celtics are made up around The Big 3. They have their proven superstar in KG, another clutch superstar in Paul Pierce, and one of the best shooters/scorers in NBA history in Ray Allen. Put those 3 together, and some role players, and you have the reigning NBA champions. No other team in the league can boast 3 household names on one team. They proved that they could get the job done with that mix of players. Then we have Rajon Rondo. Rondo has been in a slump right now, but that is expected of his youth. The talent Rondo has at age 22 is amazing. He is a great complementary player to The Big 3.

When it comes down to it. The Celtics have built around 3 key players. It makes them tough to beat because you can lock down on KG all you want, but then you have the problem of Pierce and Allen to deal with, lock down on Pierce, and then you have the same dilemma. Lock down on Allen, and you know the story. It forces teams to be superior on defense. Defense needs to be the #1 priority when playing the Celtics. Throwing single coverage on any of the players means you need to have some really good perimeter defenders to guard Pierce and Allen, and then you need to have a heck of a versatile defender to defend KG. These are the types of matchup problems the Celtics pose every night for opposing teams. A lot of NBA teams try to center around a superstar. The Celtics did that too, times 3.

The Magic: Coming off a season sweep of the Lakers, the first time that has happened in 10 years, the Magic have proven they can play with the best. The Magic have their superstar in Dwight Howard, and they have their great scoring forwards in Turkoglu and Lewis. Another big boost for the Magic is Jameer Nelson. He is putting up career numbers with 16.9 ppg, 5.4 assts, and 1.26 stls. Nelson has proven that he can lead the team. When the Magic's shooters are off, Nelson takes it upon himself to go for 30+. Coach Stan Van Gundy doesn't even need to tell Nelson what they need from him that night because Nelson has that innate intuition of what he needs to bring to the table. Last night was a great example of Nelson and his leadership. He saw his teammates struggling from the floor. He goes 9/18 and drops 28 pts, 8 assts, and 6 rebs, and only 3 TO's against the Lakers. It was a performance from a player who is ready to win.

The Magic have the $100 million man in Rashard Lewis. He is a deadly shooter who is a rich man's Lamar Odom. He can do everything you want, and he brings you a pretty good level of consistency. Of course, Lewis has his off nights, but the Magic have scorers who will pick up the slack. Hedo Turkoglu is also a great player for the Magic. He has consistently contributed at a high level and is 4th on the team in scoring by only .1 of a margin at 16.8ppg behind Nelson. Hedo has also hit big shots for the Magic this season. With Nelson running the show in the backcourt, an up and coming rookie in Courtney Lee, the gunners, Turkoglu and Lewis, Dwight Howard's job is pretty easy. Wrong. Howard is undoubtedly the reason for the Magic's success. He leads the team in every category except for assists. He leads the league in rebs and blks. The one stat that he is not top 5 in the NBA in, is in FG%. That is something Howard needs to improve for the Magic to maintain this success. He only shot 8 for 18 last night against the Lakers, and finished with 25 pts. Some might not think that is of concern for the Magic. I mean, they won. You can't complain. The Magic have built themselves around Howard. They put 2 of the best shooters in the NBA next to him, and a point guard who has risen to his potential, but Howard needs to shoot north of 50% consistently for the Magic to be successful in the postseason. The Magic have proven they are one of the deadliest shooting teams in the league with their record setting 3point shooting night in Sacramento the other night. What is unique about the Magic is how much they have improved since last season with virtually the same team. You would think that with all the movement in the East, and the Magic staying the same, they would not be a top 3 team in the East anymore. Well, they have stayed the same. The Magic got better on the court while a lot of other teams got better on paper. Building around the best Center in the league is not a bad deal either. They are going to make some noise.

The Lakers: The Lakers are looking to make another Finals appearance. They have been hit with the injury bug lately, but the consistency of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol is about all the Lakers need to be a threat. Many argue that the Lakers are the deepest team in the Association. I tend to agree with that assessment. When healthy, they can bring Jordan Farmar off the bench behind Fisher. Farmar could start for 75% of teams in this league. Unfortunately for Farmar, he is playing for one of the 25% of teams that can start a point guard ahead of him. The Lakers are unique in the sense that they have players who can play multiple positions. Phil Jackson is known to have Kobe and Sasha Vujacic to play the 1. Pau can play the 4 or 5, Lamar can play pretty much any position except for the 5, Walton can play 2 or 3, and Ariza can play the 3 or 4. The Lakers also have the most size in the NBA. A front court that can play 2 7-footers and and a 6'10 SF is a pretty tough thing to go against. Put 6'7 Kobe in the backcourt, and the Lakers become a matchup nightmare. Phil Jackson has always been an advocate of size, and the current Lakers roster is proving his philosophy correct.

The Lakers have been centered around Kobe for so many years that people have been reluctant to accept the level of talent the Lakers have on their team. Kobe has come into a role where he has become more comfortable trusting his teammates and being a faciltator and a scorer, and most importantly, knowing when to be in both roles. The Lakers are a team that is struggling to find a level of consistency at this point. One can't argue they are being lackadaisical per say, but one could argue they struggle to effectively execute. The most glaring problem for the Lakers is their lack of defense. The Lakers allow 99.5 points per game, but their strong offense has been able to cover up for that every game, except for 8. The Lakers consistently allow their opponents into the century mark midway through the 4th. That will need to change come playoff time. Throwing their unrivaled combination of size, experience, and talent into the playoffs makes them a huge threat to any team, and unlike any other.

Cavaliers: Lebron James. Not much more needs to be said here. The help of Mo Williams has helped Lebron and the Cavs hold the best record in the NBA. Lebron does everything a superstar should do. He is a freak of an athlete, and is virtually unguardable. If he improves his jumpshot, Lebron is the best player in the league. The biggest highlight for Lebron is his impressive passing ability. We have all seen his bullet passes on SportsCenter, and if he continues his high level of play, I would not be surprised to see them in the Finals.

What makes the Cavs unique is that outside of Lebron, every player is a role player. Obviously Mo Williams is the #2 option, but he feeds off Lebron. Williams has to wait to pick his spots, and go for it. Wally Sczerbiak is the same way. He is a shooter that feeds off of double teams from Lebron. The Cavs also play surprisingly good defense for their lack of size. They only allow 89ppg, the best in the NBA. They average 11 more points than their opponents. You can't argue with that stat. It proves their defensive superiority. Their defense comes from the perimeter. They have shot blockers in Ben Wallace, Varejao, and Ilgauskas (when healthy). Mo Williams is a great on the ball defender, and of course, James' unparalled athleticism makes it hard for any offensive player to get what he wants. I can't even find a comparison to the makeup of the Cavs in the last 25 years. There is almost no contemporary example of a team that has had the success the Cavs have enjoyed without another star on the team. There is an argument for Mo Williams to be that star, but we know that he is playing at this level because of Lebron. Ask the Bucks if they recognize this Mo Williams. This is all Lebron James. He is the future of this league, and maybe the only player we may ever seen that has James' physical build that mixes athleticism and overall basketball skill together to produce what Lebron has produced in his very young career.

All 4 of these teams have proven they are fallible. The Celtics went for a stretch of losing 6 out of 8, the Magic have losses to Memphis and Toronto, the Lakers have back-to-back losses twice this season, and the Cavs have lost to the Bulls. As good as these teams are, they have their vulnerabilities. For the first time in a while, the East is more top heavy than the West. I think the Spurs can challenge the Lakers for a Finals spot, but the race in the East is what everyone will be watching.

Izzy

Offseason to do list: Magic

A lot of people forget about the Magic when they think about the Eastern Conference. It makes sense as to why people don't think about them because they are a mid sized market and have not made much noise in the league recently. When the Magic made it to the finals with Shaq and the supposed superstar Penny Hardaway, they had the one-two punch combination we have seen work so frequently for past championship teams. When looking at this Magic team it seems like they have all the pieces. They have one of the top 2 centers in the league in Dwight Howard and a supposed sidekick in Rashard Lewis. They even have a credible third option in Hedo Turkoglu. I say they have a sidekick in Rashard Lewis, but he isn't really a side kick. He is the highest paid player on the team at $17.2 million this year and he makes more each year than Dwight Howard will until the end of the summer of 2013. No one knows how Lewis was able to get Rich DeVos to cut him that kind of check, but he sure is not playing like a $100+ million plus player.

Rashard Lewis gets paid superstar money. He is solid player without question. Lewis is a versatile 4 who can be a spot-up shooter or a creator. He stretches defenses and creates serious matchup problems. Although he makes the most money on the team he wasn't even the team leader in scoring. He was not even the second leader in scoring. Yes, he was the third. He averaged 18.2 ppg and grabs 5.4 rebs a game. He is third on the team in rebs too. He has hit some big shots for the Magic and shows up when they need him to, but there does not seem to be the 'it factor' in his game. He makes superstar money, but has no superstar quality about him. Could he be another Penny Hardaway in the making? A player who thrives off of the big man in the middle? He is clearly incapable of leading a team himself, just ask the former NBA team the Seattle Sonics how that went for them. The problem for the Magic would not be Lewis himself, if it weren't for his enormous contract. He eats up a huge portion of their salary and since he is signed to the end of the 2012-2013 season, he is going to sit on Orlando's books and be completely content every time they get knocked out of the second round of the playoffs. Stan Van Gundy runs plays for Lewis, but that is only because a guy with Lewis' talent should be able to deliver. He is a marginal defender and gets lost during stretches of the game. He did lead the team in steals at 1.22 a game which shows a little life in his defense, and aggression. He holds the key to the Magic's success. If he can improve his defense the Magic can have a good shot at getting deep into the playoffs. If the Magic do not get some results at the end of this coming year expect them to try and dish Lewis elsewhere, but expect there to be few to no offers for his massive contract.

Dwight Howard is the franchise player. If there was a way to switch contracts between players on a team, it would be no more justified than in the instance of Lewis and Howard. At least it would be a little easier to trade Lewis. Howard is one of the last pure centers in the league. He is the poster boy for the next generation of centers. The speed of the modern game has called for Centers to be versatile in more than one area. The 90s glory years for centers that included Shaq, Mourning, Ewing, and Hakeem were strictly post players. They were moderately good athletes, but Dwight Howard represents the future evolution of what NBA centers will be. He is listed at 6'11 and 265 lbs and covered in muscle. He can jump out of the gym, well, at least to the top of the backboard. He is the most credible shot blocker in the game today and poses a huge inside presence that discourages shifty guards from getting easy layups. His numbers are just as big as his physique. He is the leading scorer on the team at 20.7 ppg, 14.2 rebs and 2.15 blks. People forget that Howard won't even turn 23 until December. If his career continues on this upward trend, he will be a Hall of Fame player before it is all over. His career has turned out a little bit different than fellow draft classmates, Sebastian Telfair and J.R Smith, both of which he played against in high school. Dwight Howard played all 82 games this past season and needs rest which means the Magic need some good backup for him. They have Tony Battie who did not play a game this season but made $5.2 million. They also have Colgate's professional sports claim to fame in Adonal Foyle who averages 9.5 minutes a game and an amazing 1.9 ppg and also squeezes in time to grab 1.2 rebs. The Magic need a serious upgrade for the backup center position, but Howard is young enough to carry the load right now.

We have all seen Dwight Howard's ridiculous dunks from the dunk contest from the 2008 All-Star game so I thought posting that would be a little boring. Here is a Vitamin Water ad showing him practicing for the dunk contest.



Hedo Turkoglu had an absolutely breakout season. He showed that he can make it in this league and is further evidence (not that we need it) that they breed NBA stars. Hedo put up 19.5 ppg, 5.7 rebs and 5 assts in 36.9 minutes a game while only commanding $6.8 million a season. That is a pretty good deal for a player of his caliber. He is deadly when left open and is the beneficiary of defenses that overplay Lewis and Howard. If he continues to produce at this level and Howard continues to grow, the Magic will be a serious threat in the Eastern Conference. Like Lewis, Hedo's deficiency is at the defensive end because he lacks the athleticism to match up to the top players at his positions like Lebron, Tayshaun Prince, and Luol Deng.

The Magic have a pretty solid front court. Their back court is a little less deep, but they have potential. At point guard they have Jameer Nelson and Carlos Arroyo. Arroyo is a free agent now and not under contract, but he made about twice as much as Nelson by cashing in a $4 million check at the end of the last season. Nelson made $1.9 million the last season, but is due to make $5.5 next season and locked in under contract till the summer of 2013. Nelson is a solid point guard who can produce more, and will need to if the Magic want to compete harder in the Eastern Conference. He averages a modest 10.9 ppg and 5.6 assts. Keith Bogans is the 2 guard along with Nelson and doesn't do much else to help the backcourt of the Magic. He averages 8.7 ppg and 3.2 rebs, and gets paid fairly for that production at $2.4 million this past season and will get paid $2.9 million in the coming season. With that kind of salary, don't expect too much out of Bogans.

The Magic's bench does not go too deep. Along with defense, depth is probably the second problem plaguing the team. JJ Reddick, the former Duke legend has not had the opportunities to shine in the NBA. He has only been able to get in for 8.1 minutes a game and averages 4.1 ppg during that stretch, most of which is garbage time. Reddick can offer something to an NBA team, but the Magic do not seem to like what Reddick brings. It seems like they drafted him based on his star power. That is, they drafted him in 2007 for the sole purpose of putting people in seats. Unfortunately for the Magic and Reddick, no one cares about the former Blue Devil and Magic fans want wins, not former college stars. The bad news continues for Magic fans, JJ is locked in under contract until the summer of 2011, but JJ says that he wants out. The Magic aren't going to budge, but that is more due to the fact that no one wants Reddick's services. If JJ got on the right team, he could be a huge asset. There will always be jobs in the NBA for pure shooters. JJ is one of them. He will never be a star like he was in college, but he is good enough to stay in the league if given the opportunity.

The Magic drafted Courtney Lee out of Western Kentucky. I'm not going to act like I know much about Lee or watched him play outside of the tournament. The most I know about this guy is that he busted my bracket when he led Western Kentucky to an upset over Drake (12 over 5's... they get you ever year). The Magic just signed Lee to a $9 million dollar contract that has him until the end of the 2013 season. From what I have heard, Lee was amazing in his pre-draft workouts and has an incredibly work ethic. From those reports, I can make the judgment that he probably has that underdog mentality. He went to a small D1 program, managed to shine during the tournament, make it to the big leagues, and now he wants to prove that he is worthy of all of it. You can't help but root for the guy. If he becomes a credible 2 guard for the Magic, they have a solid team.

The defense and depth of the Magic hurt them. They probably won't be winning conference titles in the coming years, but they will always be around that 3rd or 4th spot in the East. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. I expect the Magic to give his one more year, and then seriously explore trade options and dumping players to get cap room. The city of Orlando has been deprived of championship hopes for far too long.

Izzy

Links:

Who says the Bucks play in a small market? Well...is it as small of a market as DC? Here is an article that answers that age old question, is DC better than Milwaukee?

Why does no one want J.R Smith? Tremendous article by Hardwood Paroxysm on why J.R Smith has superstar talent, but needs to get on a team that will guide him.

Haven't you ever looked at an NBA player or coach and said, "Hey, he looks like..." Well, SLAM did too, and some of these players have striking resemblances.

Picture Sources: nba.com (first), slamonline.com (second), bleacherreport.com (third), dwighthoward.com (fourth), orlandosentinel.com (fifth), nba.com (sixth), deadspin.com (seventh), sports.espn.com (eighth)