TheRevTy's 08-09 Preview - *UPDATED* The Usual Suspects

[TheRevTy]

I am going to do a player by player preview, so here is our starting 5:

Jameer Nelson: The Redeemer. As Jameer showed in the playoffs, he can be a solid player. The key for him is to be aggressive and use his outstanding offensive skills to set up his passing. If he can penetrate the lane and make teams collapse on him, you will see his assist numbers improve. His problem thus far has been coaches telling him to pass first, then score. That is simply not how Jameer’s game is played. After the playoffs, Stan Van Gundy will hopefully put the ball in Jameer’s hands more often and allow him to prove his ability. If he can continue his play from last Spring, he will redeem not only himself, but GM Otis Smith for inking Nelson to a sizable contract.

Strengths: Scoring skills, leadership, 3-point shooting
Weaknesses: Defense, size

Mickeal Pietrus: The Unknown Commodity. Thus far in his career, Pietrus has been underwhelming. While he shows flashes of the skills that gave him the nickname “French Jordan,” he has been unable to put it all together. Why not? It can be assumed that playing in the streetball system of Don Nelson had something to do with it. But now, Pietrus is playing in a controlled system under a coach known for getting the best out of his players. Pietrus will not earn his paycheck on the offensive side of the ball, as Orlando already has plenty of firepower there, but rather with ball-hounding defense. If he can stop opposing swingmen from routinely putting on a scoring exhibition, he’ll be worth his weight in gold.

Strengths: Potential, defensive tenacity, size
Weaknesses: Makes stupid mistakes, unproven

Hedo Turkoglu: The Shadow. Hedo Turkoglu was a different player last year. He went from decent small forward with size that causes mismatches to Lebron James light. As such he won the MIP. The question on every Magic fan, coach, and player’s mind is, “Can he keep it up?” Well, you can expect the same confidence, and the same mismatches. Turk now knows how well he can play, as does the coaching staff. However, he had the ball in his hands an awful lot last year. With Dwight Howard’s development, and Rashard Lewis gaining a full year of familiarity with the team and position, you can expect Hedo to be relied upon a little less. As such, expect to see his numbers drop slightly, but not his level of play. The question remains, will he stay? Hedo is expected to opt out of his contract, and the Magic may be reluctant to meet his asking price. Will Hedo be a shadow of his former self? Will his departure cast a shadow on this franchise? Or will he be able to sneak up on opponents, waiting for a kick out from Dwight Howard, or for the defense to lag so he can slice through the lane and dish a nice alley-oop.

Strengths: Passing, Ballhandling, size, crunch-time performer
Weaknesses: Defense, possible contract situation

Rashard Lewis: The Pudding. Rashard Lewis has a very large contract. OK, glad we got that out of the way. The Lewis we saw last year was a player adjusting to a new team, a new position, and a new city. He was a third option and still put up incredible numbers. But does he have the skills and attitude to step up and take a game over, as the Magic thought he could when they signed him? Can he adjust to playing power forward? Yes and yes. Rashard is the ultimate team player, always willing to play the company line and take what is given to him. But expect Stan Van Gundy to get in his ear and tell him to just do his thing. This season, we can expect to see a Lewis that is more comfortable, both with his position and with his teammates. As such, expect to see more offense go through him. He can be a Chris Bosh-type power forward, which is the perfect companion to the next player on this list. So, Rashard, do your thing, put up numbers, dominate the opponent. The proof is in the pudding. We all hope you ate some this summer to bulk up. Heaven knows you can afford it.

Strengths: Size, offensive post-up game, three point shooting
Weaknesses: Natural SF, defense, timidity

Dwight Howard: The Climax. Dwight Howard is the Magic. He is the rock around which this team is assembled. And as of yet, he has not lived up to that billing. Oh, he has dominated games, put up eye-popping numbers, and performed some jaw-dropping feats. But he hasn’t been Hakeem Olajuwon, where you can throw the ball to him and things happen. Yet. This season should be the break-out year for Dwight. After spending the summer with players like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, he should see killer instinct. Hopefully he learned some of Carlos Boozer’s post moves, too. He has it all, he just has to put the pieces together. This is the culmination of the past seasons, the climax of Dwight’s progression. And we all know a book is only as good as its climax.

Strengths: Athleticism, size, defense, overall skill
Weaknesses: Attitude, turnovers, free-throws

ROTATION PLAYERS

Tony Battie: The Dark Knight.

Tony’s return is one of the best things to happen to the Magic this year. While he certainly is no savior, he can be the bruising big we lacked last year. Now, he has never put up stats that gets anyone excited, and he is no Dennis Rodman in regards to defense and toughness, but he doesn’t mind doing the dirty work (see: Cook, Brian). His hustle and muscle will save Dwight from getting smashed between two Pistons and getting a cracked sternum. Batman Returns, and this time, he’s pissed.

Strengths: Defense, Size
Weaknesses: Offense, Age

Courtney Lee: The Hidden Hype.

Courtney Lee was projected to go in the 2nd round, but is ranked 11th on ESPN’s Rookie of the Year possibilities. Is he Rip Hamilton mixed with Kevin Martin or is he ::gulp:: Reece Gaines. Experts seem to think he’ll be solid. It remains to be seen. What can be expected is every Magic fan will be quietly pulling for him to live up to the hype no one ever heard.

Strengths: Potential, Ball-Handling, Shooting, Defense
Weaknesses: Experience, Size

Brian Cook: The Atkins Diet.

Everyone who has seen Cookie has raved about the weight loss this summer. We can expect a quicker, revitalized Cook, not only raining threes in from outside, but sliding down low and scoring some in the post. Don’t be mistaken, Cook is no Battie. That is the beauty of the Atkins Diet. You get to eat all the tasty food you want and avoid the vegetables. Hopefully Cook will get his fill of bacon (points) and maybe try some corn (rebounds) or even some asparagus (blocks, charges taken). If that is the case, expect him to get plenty of PT.

Strengths: Shooting, Size
Weaknesses: Desire, Consistency

Marcin Gortat: The Slight White Dwight.

Marcin Gortat has shown flashes of being a very good player. Dwight good? No. But perhaps Dalembert or Camby good in the absolute best case scenario. He has a knack for shot-blocking, which probably stems from his experience as a soccer goalie. He has a game very similar to Dwight, based around efense and rebounding, as well as using his athleticism (he may be one of the fastest centers to get down the court in the league). If he develops well this year, he could very easily be a great sub for Dwight, and even at times play next to him.

Strengths: Defense, Shot Blocking, Desire
Weaknesses: Experience, Knowledge of the Game, Shooting

Anthony Johnson: The Plain Yogurt.

AJ is our solid, somewhat bland back-up PG. Compare his reliable game with that of Arroyo or Dooling. If Johnson is plain yogurt, Arroyo is Tutti Frutti ice cream. It may taste good at times, but sometimes it is just overwhelming, Plus, it doesn’t exactly mix well with other flavors. Yogurt, on the other hand, can be used in a smoothie to smooth it out and serve to bring it all together. On its own, not much to speak of, but a vital cog.

Strengths: Reliability, Passing
Weaknesses: Age

JJ Redick: The Wine.

He has ridden the bench his first 2 years, but perhaps will get a chance to prove himself this season. He is skilled, but lacks key components of his game to get consistent PT. He has also whined a bit about playing time. Is he like fine wine, better when aged? Or is he bitter and ruined. Oh, and his fans are somewhat snooty and all too devoted.

Strengths: Shooting, Passing, Competitive Fire
Weaknesses: Defense, Size

Up Next: The Peanut Gallery Bench-Warmers!

[eyriq]

Good write up!

I enjoyed your use of unique nicknames, though I suspect that Lewis will be the one sneaking up on people this year and not Hedo....

Speaking of Lewis, I see you put down his defense as a weakness. Not saying your wrong, but by some standards he is actually an elite defender from the 4 spot http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dd4nrbjq_256dgvk3rgg. (This is a like a generic version of what Hollinger does at ESPN, but I like the guys perspective and most of his numbers pass the laugh test, so take it for what you will).

As for comparing him to Bosh, I like the Nowitzki comparison better, and it was actually the first comparison that came to mind when I found out we were getting him. If he could rebound as well as Dirk does he'd be an allstar power forward.

[Optimus_Steel]

Rashard, do your thing, put up numbers, dominate the opponent. The proof is in the pudding. We all hope you ate some this summer to bulk up. Heaven knows you can afford it.

LOL fantastic sequence. Rashard "The Pudding" Lewis.


Real good outlook there. Good job.

[TheRevTy]

Thanks for the responses, I was hoping somebody would enjoy my unique brand of humor.

I agree that Shard's defense isn't terrible, I guess it shouldn't be classified as a weakness per se, but it isn't a strength.

The Dirk comparison is interesting as well. I suppose it is valid because of Shard's ability to shoot the 3.

I thought about calling Hedo "The Elephant", in reference to his role in a room, if you catch my drift.

[eyriq]

I'm interested to see your take on the rest of the crew

[TheRevTy]

You can expect our regular reserves sometime tomorrow and our Peanut Gallery bench warmers and training camp fodder some time... eventually.

[NEM]

good follow up to my overall team analysis. im hoping more is to come

[tjm384]

Dwight Howard: The Climax. Dwight Howard is the Magic. He is the rock around which this team is assembled. And as of yet, he has not lived up to that billing. Oh, he has dominated games, put up eye-popping numbers, and performed some jaw-dropping feats. But he hasn’t been Hakeem Olajuwon, where you can throw the ball to him and things happen. Yet. This season should be the break-out year for Dwight. After spending the summer with players like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, he should see killer instinct. Hopefully he learned some of Carlos Boozer’s post moves, too. He has it all, he just has to put the pieces together. This is the culmination of the past seasons, the climax of Dwight’s progression. And we all know a book is only as good as its climax.

Strengths: Athleticism, size, defense, overall skill
Weaknesses: Attitude, turnovers, free-throws


And the problem with his attitude would be?

[damo[23]]

And the problem with his attitude would be?

Not sure if he implied this, but Dwight has been called into check by SVG for paying too much interest into offense and neglecting his defensive duties, which really is his main role for the team [all the glory in offensive numbers and all that]. Some times see in games when the ball isnt coming to him that he starts to get disheartened, and it shows on the defensive end.

[TheRevTy]

Yeah, my main beef with Dwight's attitude is he doesn't keep his head in the game. If he isn't getting touches or the other team is flopping, rather than getting more determined, he starts to pout and complain to the refs. It is too easy to take Dwight out of a game mentally. Plus, he hasn't developed that "I'm the best player on the court right now, watch while I prove it" mentality yet.

[drsd]

If he can stop opposing swingmen from routinely putting on a scoring exhibition, he’ll be worth his weight in gold.

Gold closed at 881 US$/ounce. 16 ounces to a pound. Pietrus weighs 215 pounds.

So, Pietrus is worth US$3,030,640 in gold.

Given that the MLE is double that, it looks like GM Smith made a bad signing

[drsd]

Reading the author's comments, I again come to the conclusion that the Magic are on the cusp of greatness. A very good team is assembled that has depth and versatility. Furthermore, from potion #1 to #15, all Magicians are hungry. The Magic also have a good X-n-O coach in Stan-the-Man.

Why not here? Why not now?

[TheRevTy]

If he can stop opposing swingmen from routinely putting on a scoring exhibition, he’ll be worth his weight in gold.

Gold closed at 881 US$/ounce. 16 ounces to a pound. Pietrus weighs 215 pounds.

So, Pietrus is worth US$3,030,640 in gold.

Given that the MLE is double that, it looks like GM Smith made a bad signing

HAHA! Touche!

Is platinum more? He's worth his weight in.... milk! Yep, if Pietrus can be our defensive ace, he's worth his weight in dairy. Or maybe oil.

[MagicalMan]

Yeah, my main beef with Dwight's attitude is he doesn't keep his head in the game. If he isn't getting touches or the other team is flopping, rather than getting more determined, he starts to pout and complain to the refs. It is too easy to take Dwight out of a game mentally. Plus, he hasn't developed that "I'm the best player on the court right now, watch while I prove it" mentality yet.

Agree 100%

[TheRevTy]

Updated to include rotation players.

[drsd]

Again, it is easy to agree with all your points.

[mhectorgato]

Updated to include rotation players.

I think you misspelled JJ's nickname ... shouldn't there be a "h" in there somewhere?

Seriously, I'd add "blue collar work ethic" to the Battie list.

All in all, hard to disagree with the list. I know it's early, but I'm excited for this year!!!

[TheRevTy]

Slow days during a break between games is a great time to look back at season previews!

[eyriq]

lol, you were pretty spot on with all this.

[TheRevTy]

I botched the Cook prediction, but no one could predict his allergy to hard work, especially after hearing how much weight he'd lost over the offseason.

As a side note, as I scrolled back in time to find this thread, I saw no fewer than 3 threads calling for a change at PG. Thought about bumping those, but decided against it.