The Anatomy of A Rebuild in the NBA

Jacque Vaughn and Rob Hennigan

Synergy is defined as teamwork that will produce better results if each person have the same goal individually. To the Bakers out there, it’s just like making a cake, they are certain measurements, different type of ingredients, a variety of instructions, basically, it’s a process to create one cake. It takes time to bake a cake right, and even for the first time, it’s not going to come out right the first time, so, the process must be tried again, alter a few things to get it the way it should be. This analogy goes for managing a basketball team, there is payroll, scouts, drafting, free agents, the list can go on and on for a management staff, but, what about after having a All star or superstar caliber type of player, in the grasp of being contenders, but coming up short? The Orlando Magic is at this crossroad, and Memphis Grizzles, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Oklahoma City Thunder has been at this point before, the following will review what trades, drafts, and free agents was made, and seeing if there was improvement among the way.

Memphis Grizzlies (22-60) 07-08

Marc Gasol

Blockbuster trade on February 1, 2008 involving Pau Gasol and 2010 2nd round draft pick(Devin Ebanks) to the Los Angeles Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Marc Gasol, and 2008 and 2010 first round draft pick (Donte Green and Grevis Vazquez).

June 26, 2008, drafted Kevin Love, Donte Greene

Knowing what they know now, they could have took a chance with Love, especially if they were going with the big frontline with two post players.

3 team trade, Memphis received Darrell Arthur, Houston recieved Donte Greene and Sam Young (2nd round pick- 2009) and Joey Dorsey, and Portland recieved Nicolas Batum. 

Traded Brian Cardinal, Jason Collins, Kevin Love and Mike Miller to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Greg Buckner, Marko Jaric, O.J. Mayo and Antoine Walker.

Management felt it was time to pass the keys over to Mike Conley with this transaction on February 19, 2009 As part of a 3-team trade, the Memphis Grizzlies traded Kyle Lowry to the Houston Rockets; the Houston Rockets traded Rafer Alston to the Orlando Magic; the Orlando Magic traded Brian Cook to the Houston Rockets; and the Orlando Magic traded Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks and a 2009 1st round draft pick (DeMarre Carroll) to the Memphis Grizzlies.

This trade was saving money for because there was another big acquisition in the Horizon, July 9, 2009: As part of a 4-team trade, the Memphis Grizzlies traded Greg Buckner to the Dallas Mavericks; the Dallas Mavericks traded Jerry Stackhouse and cash to the Memphis Grizzlies; the Dallas Mavericks traded cash to the Orlando Magic; the Dallas Mavericks traded Devean George and Antoine Wright to the Toronto Raptors; the Orlando Magic traded Hedo Turkoglu to the Toronto Raptors; the Toronto Raptors traded Kris Humphries, Nathan Jawai and Shawn Marion to the Dallas Mavericks; the Toronto Raptors traded a 2016 2nd round draft pick to the Memphis Grizzlies; and the Toronto Raptors traded cash to the Orlando Magic.

July 17, 2009: Traded Quentin Richardson to the Clippers for Zach Randolph 

Zach Randolph

at the time, not many people thought this a trade would turn out the way it did, talented Power forward, but a hot-head attitude came with him. 

On September 10, 2009, they signed Allen Iverson, i believe a attempt to sale seats at the FedEx forum, and it didn’t last long, with him being waived November 17, 2009. 

July 13, 2010: Memphis signed Free agent Guard Tony Allen

Solid pickup, to shore up their perimeter defense

January 4, 2010: As part of a 3-team trade, the Memphis Grizzlies traded a 2012 2nd round draft pick (Tornike Shengelia) to the Philadelphia 76ers; the Memphis Grizzlies traded Xavier Henry to the New Orleans Hornets; the New Orleans Hornets traded a 2013 2nd round draft pick to the Philadelphia 76ers; and the Philadelphia 76ers traded Marreese Speights to the Memphis Grizzlies.

This was also a smart move to help shore up a 3 man rotation upfront with Randolph, and Gasol

July 24, 2012: Traded Dante Cunningham to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Wayne Ellington.

Ellington gives them someone to shoot the ball off the bench in contrast to Tony Allen

Minnesota Timberwolves

They had to rebuild after Kevin Garnett, he never once came out and said I want a trade, he wasn’t happy with not being competitive and being to the Western Conference once back in 2003-2004 losing to the Los Angeles Lakers, the rumors build up he was going to be a Celtic at the trade deadline, at first he did not want to go, but as the summer hit, Ray Allen was traded to Boston and on

July 31, 2007: Traded Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics for Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, a 2009 1st round draft pick (Wayne Ellington) and a 2009 1st round draft pick (Jonny Flynn).

Minnesota made the decision to give the guy who gave his Heart and Soul to that Franchise, the rebuild started on 

June 26, 2008:Traded Greg Buckner, Marko Jaric, O.J. Mayo and Antoine Walker to the Memphis Grizzlies for Brian Cardinal, Jason Collins, Kevin Love and Mike Miller.

Kevin Love

They grabbed the UCLA stud in Kevin Love, in college, he was known for his rebounding ability, he was a solid post game player, now, you can see Love expanding his game all the way out to the perimeter

Drafted Nikola Pekovic in the 2nd round (31st pick) of the 2008 NBA Draft.

Someone did they notes when scouting this talent, a brute inside the paint, netting 13.6 PPG and 7.1 RPG so far this season. 

June 24, 2009:Traded Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards for Oleksiy Pecherov, Darius Songaila, Etan Thomas and a 2009 1st round draft pick 

Well, this trade netted them a first round pick 

Ricky Rubio

June 25, 2009: Drafted Ricky Rubio in the 1st round (5th pick) of the 2009 NBA Draft. 

The management went guard crazy this draft, also drafting Jonny Flynn, and Ty Lawson, which Ty Lawson was traded for a 2010 1st round draft pick for the Denver Nuggets. 

June 23, 2011: Drafted Derrick Williams and Donatas Motiejunas in the First round,Traded Jonny Flynn, Donatas Motiejunas and a future 2nd round draft pick to the Houston Rockets for Brad Miller, Nikola Mirotic, Chandler Parsons and a future 1st round draft pick.

They can admit the strike out on Parsons, Motiejunas is talented, but still trying to find his niche, but, can’t really blame them, Derrick Williams was highly touted, and don’t hear much about him, well, expect for trade rumors. 

December 14, 2011: they signed Jose Barea as a Free agent from Dallas, good spark off the bench

June 26, 2012: Traded 2012 1st round draft pick in Terrence Jones to Houston for Chase Budinger and Lior Eliyahu

Budinger is someone who spread the floor, and score, which Houston has a stud in Parsons, whom Minnesota drafted, so they had to make room for Parsons. 

Oklahoma City Thunder

There was this huge debate who to take for the Portland Trail Blazers with the number pick in the draft, Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, everyone will put on their Hindsight glasses, and at the Time, Greg Oden was supposed to be the the next big thing, some people was comparing him to David Robinson, nice hands around the basket, strong, agile, and you couldn’t blame them for taking that type of Talent, and with Kevin Durant who was a 6’10 SG, draw comparisons to Tracy McGrady, can create his own shot, but some worry about his scrawny frame and could he put up with the physical nature of the NBA wings. 

Kevin Durant

June 28, 2007: Drafted Kevin Durant in the 1st round (2nd pick) of the 2007 NBA Draft. 

Drafted Carl Landry in the 2nd round (31st pick) of the 2007 NBA Draft.

Drafted Glen Davis in the 2nd round (35th pick) of the 2007 NBA Draft.

Traded Carl Landry to the Houston Rockets for cash and a 2008 2nd round draft pick.

Traded Ray Allen and Glen Davis to the Boston Celtics for Jeff Green, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and a 2008 2nd round draft pick

July 11, 2007: Traded Rashard Lewis to the Orlando Magic for a 2009 2nd round draft pick. Seattle also received a trade exception from Orlando.

The Thunder management knew how to draft, Carl Landry, and Glen Davis are solid NBA players, but they felt that they wanted to go into a different direction, trading two All Stars in Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis.

July 20, 2007: Traded a 2009 2nd round draft pick  to the Phoenix Suns for Kurt Thomas, a 2008 1st round draft pick and a 2010 1st round draft pick. Phoenix also received a trade exception from Seattle.

This trade below, seem to get rid of dead weight and push room for the future since they were playing Jeff Green and Kevin Durant often in the frontcourt

February 21, 2008: As part of a 3-team trade, the Seattle SuperSonics traded Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West to the Cleveland Cavaliers; the Chicago Bulls traded Joe Smith, Ben Wallace and a 2009 2nd round draft pick (Danny Green) to the Cleveland Cavaliers; the Chicago Bulls traded Adrian Griffin to the Seattle SuperSonics; the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Shannon Brown, Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes and Cedric Simmons to the Chicago Bulls; and the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Donyell Marshall and Ira Newble to the Seattle SuperSonics.

Russell Westbrook

June 26, 2008: Drafted Russell Westbrook in the 1st round (4th pick) of the 2008 NBA Draft. 

Drafted Serge Ibaka in the 1st round (24th pick) of the 2008 NBA Draft.

Not too many experts had Westbrook going here, many thought that Brook Lopez would go here. Many was surprised that The Thunder picked him at the time when a proven Lopez was available The Scouting staff was doing their homework on Serge Ibaka, a player from Congo, who had amazing leaping ability, so, certain the Management was oozing with the potential he had and the believe that he would be worth a shot since as many call it, taking the gamble on Westbrook going over Brook Lopez.

February 19, 2009: Traded a 2009 1st round draft pick (Taj Gibson) to the Chicago Bulls for Thabo Sefolosha.

Solid move for the Management, have to add perimeter defense to the roster, and the player is pretty good at doing that. 

June 25, 2009: Drafted James Harden in the 1st round (3rd pick) of the 2009 NBA Draft.

Few experts thought for sure was to pick Ricky Rubio with this pick, and put Westbrook at 2 guard slot, but Harden could flat out score, played at Arizona State, many mock drafts sought him to be a Manu Ginobili type of player. 

December 22, 2009: Traded Peter Fehse to the Utah Jazz for Matt Harpring and Eric Maynor.

The VCU guard help shore up the back-up spot for the PG position, while Westbrook is more a scorer, Maynor is a player who looks to distribute the ball. 

June 24, 2010: Drafted Eric Bledsoe in the 1st round (18th pick) of the 2010 NBA Draft.

Drafted Craig Brackins in the 1st round (21st pick) of the 2010 NBA Draft.

Drafted Quincy Pondexter in the 1st round (26th pick) of the 2010 NBA Draft.

Traded Craig Brackins and Quincy Pondexter to the New Orleans Hornets for Cole Aldrich and Morris Peterson.

Traded Eric Bledsoe to the Los Angeles Clippers for a future 1st round draft pick.

This shows how great this Management is great at drafting players. Eric Bledsoe is having great season this year with the Clippers, and Quincy Pondexter is still contributing to a Memphis Grizzles team. 

February 24, 2011: Traded Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, cash and a 2012 1st round draft pick (Fab Melo) to the Boston Celtics for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson.

Traded Morris Peterson and D.J. White to the Charlotte Bobcats for Nazr Mohammed.

Management needed to shore up their frontline, and beefed it up with adding Kendrick Perkins, and Nazr Mohammed, solid trades. 

March 21, 2012: Signed Derek Fisher as a free agent.

Management added Fisher for championship experience, and with Maynor being hurt. 

June 28, 2012:Drafted Perry Jones in the 1st round (28th pick) of the 2012 NBA Draft.

Low risk pick, since Jones slipped from Lottery status, so, this is worth a gamble. 

October 27, 2012: Traded Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook, James Harden and Lazar Hayward to the Houston Rockets for Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, a future 1st round draft pick, a future 1st round draft pick and a future 2nd round draft pick. 

James Harden

They had to make a decision on Harden or Ibaka, they could not have 4 players tying up the cap room, this was a really smart trade, Harden wants to get paid, he deserves near max money. Kevin Martin comes back, and he provides the scoring punch that Harden did, just can’t create for others, and also, that contract is an expiring, talented prospect in Jeremy Lamb, on top of that, get some draft picks that this management proves they can scout and grab talent. 

To break this down, Here is the Memphis Grizzlies record following the Pau Gasol Trade

2008-2009- 24-58

2009-2010- 40-42 

2010-2011- 46-36(Lost to Oklahoma City Thunder 4-3 in the NBA Western Conference Semifinals)

2011-2012- 41-25 (Lost to Los Angeles Clippers 4-3 in the Western Conference First Round) *Lockout Season*

2012-2013- 18-7

Minnesota Timberwolves After trading Kevin Garnett

2007-2008- 22-60

2008-2009- 24-58

2009-2010- 15-67

2010-2011- 17-65

2011-2012- 26-40 *Lockout Season*

2012-2013- 13-11

Oklahoma City Thunder(Seattle Supersonics) after trading Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen

2007-2008- 20-62

2008-2009- 23-59

2009-2010- 50-32 (Lost to Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 in the Western Conference 1st Round)

2010-2011- 55-27 (Lost to Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in NBA Western Conference Finals)

2011-2012- 47-19 (Lost to Miami Heat 4-2 in NBA Finals) *Lockout Season*

2012-2013- 21-5 

J.J. Redick

In relation to Orlando, they traded a Superstar in Dwight Howard who led the Magic to six playoff berths during his tenure, one trip to the Finals, notching the Franchise only win reaching the promised land. Otis Smith took the approach through free agency and trades, Rob Hennigan at this point at time stated he will rebuild through the draft and player development. Memphis acquired their centerpiece thru trade in Zach Randolph, and renovated his career here, they traded Kyle Lowry to open up the slot for Michael Conley. Memphis centerpiece of the rebuilding trade was Marc Gasol. The trades for the Memphis Grizzlies built their success. Minnesota on the other hand, the trades their management did kept them in mediocrity, but a draft day trade grab them Kevin Love, and also choose pick Ricky Rubio, this is the same year they drafted Jonny Flynn and Ty Lawson. Oklahoma City relied heavily on drafting, and player development, honestly, some say luck with getting Kevin Durant, the injury to Greg Oden only makes it look worse, taking a gamble on Russell Westbrook, picking Serge Ibaka, and drafting James Harden, give credit to their scouting staff. Otis Smith top picks were Courtney Lee, and J.J. Redick, the other picks didn’t pan out so well, but so far Hennigan stuck gold on Andrew Nicholson for being a 19th pick, Harkless is young, and will see how Jacque Vaughin and his staff develop him. DeQuan Jones was a undrafted rookie, and stole the show during preseason, and Kyle O’Quinn tough nosed player, all these players has seem play time. So if Hennigan and company hit two of three of these categories of rebuilding: Drafting, Free Agency or Trades, Orlando could be back to it’s winning ways that sooner than others thought. Developing draft picks and draft day trades or Trade deadlines could be his strength. His first decision that is approaching fast is what to do with J.J. Redick.  Would love to see Redick finish his career here in Orlando, but many of the Magic Nation knows he’s in his prime and would for him to get a shot at a title again, he;s in the last year of his contract, since Orlando decided not to waive him before August 8th. This is year one for Hennigan and his staff, so, after a trading a Superstar, stop looking at what we have now, and judge his decisions and transactions when his four years is up. Look at these three teams above, Success is not built overnight. 

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Welcome back NBA: The 2012/13 NBA Season

Soon the NBA will officially begin and I couldn't be more happier.  This has always been my favorite time of the year and I am very curious at how the season will play out.  Recently, as a season ticket holder of the Orlando Magic, I had the privilege of attending a "Meet and Greet"which the franchise hosted and was front and center as they laid out what their goals are with the current team and what direction they are trying to move towards.  The organization seems to be focused on what they are trying to accomplish and didn't seem at all disappointed in the off season decision.  I know it will be a challenging year for them, but I am happy that they acquired the strength to make the tough decisions and move forward.  The Dwightmare saga appeared to hinder the franchise for much of last season and the change needed to be made, a new direction had to be chosen.

In an attempt to become more competitive, NBA franchises made many off season moves.  We saw the Los Angeles Lakers become the center of attention again with their moves and we aslo saw the NBA Champion Miami Heat add to their already loaded roster, picking up some nice additions in Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis that I think will help them greatly down the stretch of the season.  The New York Knicks suffered an early roster loss with Jeremy Lin departure for Houston but they made a few changes to improve their ever changing roster.  One move that the Knicks made that I'm a little skeptical about is the signing of Rasheed Wallace.  I didn't really understand that move and I feel this way because they literally pulled Wallace out of the retirement home and my last memory of Mr. Wallace involved him laying out on the court injured and having fouled out before his teammates had to lift him up as he was done.  With that being said, I have no problem with Wallace as a player as he is funny to watch while he argues with the officials and entertains with little activities on the court.  He's also known for knocking down big tree-pointer but if Wallace can return.....why the hell can’t anyone pick up Allen Iverson!

I just wanted to say welcome back NBA and I look forward to this season and all the new changes we have made here at The Hardwood Nation. I thank you guys will like the new look and features we have added  and I look forward to seeing your comments this year.  Never forget that we are fans and we do this for you.

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Orlando Magic Season Preview 2012-2013

Back in 2005, when Orlando Magic opened up Amway Arena for the Select-A-Seat event, I remember seeing all the players around.  I had my basketball signed by Jameer Nelson, Nick Anderson, Keyon Dooling, Grant Hill, and many others. Magic fans were awaiting the arrival of the Big guy, Dwight Howard. He came in with a goofy smile, balloon created hat, signing autographs. I was five spots away from getting his autograph, I was bummed, but fans behind me were visibly upset, “oh, you so busy Dwight?” my kid waited this long for nothing? I screamed out, respect him, he’s going to bring a title to Orlando one day! He looked in my direction, and put up the peace sign. Now fast forward to 2012 and Dwight is traded, waving a Purple and Gold jersey all the while seemingly going down a eerily similar path blazed by Shaquille O’ Neal.  He has not signed the extension yet, matter of fact, in the Orange County Register, he said “People don’t understand, I didn’t choose to come here; I got traded here, I lost my rights to walk to any team.” also, he added L.A. is the best situation he's been in and they have the opportunity to do something great, and he’s happy about it.  It will be interesting to see if he re-signs with the Lakers next year.  I like the route the Magic took to get cap relief and draft picks, but, to see the guy in a Lakers Uniform is very disgusting, but I look at what Orlando Magic is doing, and while this may be a struggle the next few years, I understand the new management has a vision that us Magic fans have yet to see.  In this article, it will preview the Magic’s season, who I think should start and be in the rotation, and a final analysis of Orlando’s season.


The Orlando Magic are starting anew, a new coach, new General Manager, new scouts, a lot of new everything. From the few games that were played so far during this preseason, there has been plays ran from the high post, high pick and roll, creating offense from the mid post, and run back door plays. Vaughn’s Motion offense seems to preach fluency on the offensive side of the ball, likes to have three point shooting from the sides, instead of the arc, where as Stan Van Gundy ran a pick and roll and pick and pop system, and based his philosophy off post play to open up the three point shooting, or give our post threat a one on one match-up, the 4 out, 1 in offense. during the preseason, the Magic are averaging 24 assists per game, and 97.5 per game. Nelson and Moore, the PG tandem, has 10.1 assists together and 4.33 turnovers. Gustavo Ayon, the Spanish-bred center who is known for his passing, averaging 3.2, shown some nice flashes in putting the ball in the right place. Vaughn’s defense so far in the preseason seems to involve a lot of zone, 2-3 zone, and 3-2 zone during the games that were broadcast over the past few weeks, still analyzing for ways how Vaughn is pressuring the ballhanders, His offense will be very solid, on the other side of ball, the glaring weaknesses are what the Howard took with him, rebounding and interior post defense. Since there are so many new faces, I will take a stab who should be starting and in the rotation, and why, which player may surprise some people, and how many games do I see the Magic winning.

The starting lineup will be Jameer Nelson, Arron Afflalo, Hedo Turkoglu, Glen Davis, and Nikola Vucevic, but below are the ones who should start in my opinion.

Starting Lineup
PG- Jameer Nelson
SG- JJ Redick
SF- Hedo Turkoglu
PF- Glen Davis
C- Gustavo Ayon

Nelson, Turkoglu, and Davis you could say were already locked to be starters, including Afflalo and Honestly, Redick and Ayon won’t start, but here’s why I think they should open the season against the Denver Nuggets. JJ has been playing exceptionally well. Redick is averaging a second best 5.0 this preseason in assists, while scoring 13.7 ppg. he’s the smartest player on the Magic as far as Basketball IQ, not to mention, he’s another 3 point threat, this has to do with JJ winning it, and seizing the opportunity while Arron Afflalo was out with an Hamstring injury, but came back to play the last two games. JJ should at least start the season, and see can Afflalo can work his way into the starting lineup. Now who gets the following act behind Dwight Howard? How about getting Ayon a nod here, last year, the 27 year old rookie that has a 1.61 assist-to-turnover ratio, the big men in front of him you ask? Marc Gasol with 1.71, and Pau Gasol at 1.69, and leading was Boris Diaw with 1.83. In 20 MPG, Ayon grabbed 4.9 rebounds, and if that was on a per 36 minutes scale, he would average 8.8 RPG. While Nikola Vucevic has the higher ceiling, of the two, coming off averaging 5.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG on .45% FG, in 16 MPG with the Philadelphia 76ers. Davis, Nelson are looking to be our primary options, I think the “Goose” would a better clean up player, operate passing the ball from the mid and high post to our slashers to create the back door opportunities. Ayon recently injured himself in the Spurs game with a sprained thumb, and will be out for two weeks, once again, this is off
opinion.

Andrew Nicholson

Arron Afflalo, E’Twaun Moore, Andrew Nicholson, Nikola Vucevic, Al Harrington
Those names should be in the rotation, sure when Afflalo catches up the grasp of what Vaughn wants to do, he will take the starting SG slot back from Redick, which Redick can come to the bench and help Moore with another facilitator operate Vaughn’s motion offense, it was an assumption that Ish Smith would have that spot, but injuries are plaguing him as well, and Moore has done a great job this preseason, and is a lock for the backup Point Guard. Nikola is having a nice preseason averaging 8.6 PPG and 7.8 RPG will get the starting nod for the season due to Ayon’s injury, solid mid-range game, who’s still a work in progress. Al Harrington is battling a knee injury, and projecting his debut in mid-November, I expect him to back up Turkoglu, or if Coach Vaughn wants to go small, play him as a stretch four. This brings the attention to Andrew Nicholson, the 19th pick from St. Bonaventure, who at first, there were a lot of doubts about this young player, with a few prospects that was still available at the time, Sullinger and Jones III being available. Hennigan saw something we didn’t, which now it’s present, this kid has great offensive IQ, plays very well on the high post, and wonderful footwork around the basketball, he’s averaging 20 MPG, 10.5 PPG on 42% shooting, and 3.4 RPG. Injuries open up more playing time and possibly during the regular season for Nicholson. Moe Harkless is battling from injuries and DeQuan Jones, the undrafted rookie from Miami is taking advantage of the opportunity fighting for a roster spot, and he’s opening eyes in the preseason with a quick first step, and athletic ability around the rim, time will tell if he makes the team, but as of right now, because of all the wings the Magic have at the moment, if he makes the team, and his role won’t be significant as of right now.

Orlando's rebuilding mode on the court officially starts on November 2nd. the Franchise worst years, well, if including expansion in 1989 was 18-64, but having a Superstar in Tracy McGrady back in 2003 and going 21-61 was quite embarrassing, losing 19 straight that year. McGrady had no help, the next player was a tie between Drew Gooden or Juwan Howard, and that’s not saying much. Don’t see this team losing near 19 in a row, different types of characters on this team, Jacque Vaughn will get this team to compete, and the Motion offense is where everyone is active, moving around, screening, cutting. What will lose us games is defense, and rebounding, that causes extra possessions, and it exhausts players to reset and give up a lot of opportunities. Orlando will not be as bad as the Bobcats, but, could see them winning 25-30 games this year, so, I will give them 28-54. But, my bold prediction will be Orlando will be back in the playoffs in three years, low seed. Orlando’s campaign “WE WILL” is taking fire, and we will compete and start with the building blocks of the foundation, starting November 2nd, Rob Hennigan’s way, and hopefully the right way.

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The Pressure to stay relevant: Kobe Bryant and the Lakers

By H.F. Blanco

Kobe Bryant is now entering his 17^th season in the NBA and currently he is facing controversy on whether if he is too old to win a sixth championship and is he capable of winning said championship without Phil Jackson.  In his career, Bryant has always had someone to rely on for support whether it was Shaq, Coach Jackson, and even Derek Fisher.  As a matter of fact, all five championships were won with Fisher at Bryant's side which shouldn’t be an eye-opener to anyone because you can’t spell finisher without the Fisher!  Consider these circumstances, the normal wear and tear of an 82 game NBA regular season, potential lengthy playoff run and a new playbook scheme has caused many to believe that Bryant's goal of a sixth NBA Championship is out of reach.  During last season, Bryant's shooting efficiency decreased and the team chemistry was rarely seen.  A prime example of this was displayed during the game four loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2nd round of the Western Conference playoffs.  Bryant’s frustration was shown when he placed the blame on Pau Gasol by stating the following “he (Gasol) needs to be much more aggressive and not pass the ball so often.”  Anytime there is a dispute between teammates after a loss that becomes public, a truth of disharmony between players is revealed and that never looks good for any organization let alone the Los Angeles Lakers. 

With the disappointing end of last season at the hand of the Thunder, the Lakers decided to acquire veteran players Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, and Antwan Jamison, which just adds to an already aging roster.  This team is full of wisdom (there’s probably nothing they haven’t seen on the court), but the question is simple...can they stay healthy for an entire season and compete against the youth and athleticism that other championship contending teams have to offer such as the Thunder, Knicks, and the defending NBA Champion Heat?  We’ve all seen what happened to the veteran roster of the Boston Celtics when they faced the youthfulness of the Heat in the playoffs the last two seasons; it wasn’t even a match as the Celtics were annihilated.  So my question is if acquiring these big name players are just a last ditch effort for the Lakers organization to stay relevant and mentioned in the same conversation as the previous teams listed or are they the real deal soon to be crowned 2013 NBA champions?

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The Dwight Saga Found an Ending: Thoughts from a Magic Fan

Dwight Howard 2004

This is going to be an opinion piece for the most part, because I am a fan of the Orlando Magic first and will give my thoughts to what happened here.  Dwight Howard, I saw him grow into the most dominant center this era, such raw power and he can control the paint on the defensive side of the ball.  I was one of many who questioned it when we drafted Howard over a proven center in Emeka Ofakor that came from a powerhouse in University of Connecticut who was the National player of the year and won the National Championship in 2004.  I had Ofakor's picture printed out, ready for him to be in a Magic uniform.  I remember working a summer camp in Tennessee that year, so I couldn’t catch the draft, and could not receive calls so I decided to buy the Tennessean newsprint only to see an 18 year kid drafted out of Atlanta, GA.  I heard briefly about him but I was so disappointed that I started to have visions of Kwane Brown running thru my head, knowing how hard it is to develop a big man coming out of high school.  As I started to watch footage of Dwight Howard in the summer league, I saw potential but I wanted to wait for the end result.  The franchise had just recently traded Tracy McGrady who was our franchise player at the time, so for the most part, many Magic fans were still recovering from losing the hometown kid.  Dwight Howard eventually put the Orlando Magic back in championship status, recovering from the Shaq/Penny era, no disrespect to Tracy and Grant Hill but we really never saw what that could have been, at one point, this team was planning to relocate to Kansas City, then we built the Amway Center, Dwight’s home to stay in Orlando.  It’s funny, the kid I saw the last few years didn’t enjoy being around these parts anymore.  The relationship between him and the front office grew sour, to a point where the relationship could not be repaired.   Let me review this blockbuster trade, from what I perceive to be the Magic’s point of view.

Arron Afflalo

Orlando has acquired Aaron Afflalo and Al Harrington from Denver, Maurice Harkless and Nikola Vucevic from Philadelphia, as well as Josh McRoberts and Christian Eyenga from the Los Angeles Lakers. The Magic have also acquired five additional draft picks over the next five years. Orlando receives: a second round pick from Denver in 2013, a first round pick from either Denver or New York in 2014, a conditional first round pick from Philadelphia and a conditional second round pick from the L.A. Lakers in 2015, and a conditional first round pick from the L.A. Lakers in 2017. Included in the trade was a 18 million Trade Player Exception

Orlando is clearly looking to the future with this trade, along with Howard, they got rid of bloated contracts in Jason Richardson and Chris Duhon which will set up Orlando to be major players in the 2014-2015 season in free agency.  Based on early estimates, the Orlando Magic will be around $30 million under contract during 2014/15.  The old saying is you must take a step back to move two steps forward, needless to say, Orlando is a lottery bound team for the next few years.  As far as the talent coming back in, Afflalo comes in being a solid wing defender that can knock down open shots, could be a solid piece, Al Harrington could be a trade piece in 2014 as a expiring contract, Maurice Harkless, the St. John’s product was highly touted by Hennigan and staff before the 76ers picked him with the 15th pick.  McRoberts is noted as a banger, and Eyenga, very athletic but still labeled as a extremely raw talent.  Which i will do further analysis of the players on a season preview coming within a few months. (Hennigan's Press Conference)

I've seen many responses that indicate that this was the worst trade in NBA history but many people are not looking into the future and hindsight is apparent.  The last transaction that was lopsided was the Memphis Grizzles trading Pau Gasol and 2nd round pick to the Lakers in 2008 for Kwane Brown, Javaris Crittenton and Aaron McKie.  Years later, they have a playoff team at the moment and are back in playoff contention with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol anchoring the frontline along with swingman Rudy Gay, the point being, under the right management, the moves were made to be relevant again and this Dwight Howard trade should be judged in a few years and not at the moment.

Jacque Vaughn and Rob Hennigan

I will be forever grateful for what Dwight has done for our franchise however there were some things he could have handled and said better but he’s a kid and honestly I would not know how I would act with money and attention coming my way either.  It’s no secret that I do not like the Lakers, it’s the history with Shaquille O’Neal that gets me but that’s a whole another segment. I have no beef with Dwight right now but If he signs that extension with the Los Angeles Lakers I will lose all respect for him. He once said, “I don’t want to follow in the footsteps of Shaq.” Well, he is known for flip flopping, right?

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Finally: The Dwightmare is over

Well well well, the Orlando Magic finally did it!  I cried out for the Orlando Magic to trade Howard a month ago and its finally done.  So congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers on their new all star addition, I wish them luck.  As the Balla Commish stated they have an aging Kobe and Steve Nash  and this is definitely a good addition for them especially by keeping Gasol who will be able to take pressure off of Howard.  However, before everyone gets too happy, it needs to be understood that Howard has not played a game since his back injury in April and no one knows if he will be the same Dwight Howard or will he lose a step.  

In the past, many great players have gone down with injuries and they weren't the same as they once were.  Then you have the age factor of the superstars that could play a role in the Lakers not being as good as people may think and last but not least there's no Phil Jackson which one of our readers reminded everyone of this morning on the News/Rumors page.  There's going to be a lot to take into consideration and no one will know anything until the season begins but I feel as if the OKC Thunder is still a threat in the West and the 2012 NBA Champions, the Miami Heat are the ultimate team to beat. The Heat are the champions and will remain the champs until they are taken off the thrown.  One more small thought, Dwight presence in LA will not be as dominate as Shaq’s was and for one good reason. Dwight can be guarded one-on-one; many teams defeated the Magic because they figured out that you don’t have to put two players on him, he is not as dominate as Shaquille and therefore the power house LA had before will not be reborn.

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Orlando Magic: Please get Dwight out

Magic GM Rob Hennigan

     I've been quiet for too long, but something has been really troubling me; its been like having a needle directly in my spine.....the ongoing drama that the Orlando Magic have been going through and still going through with this Dwight dilemma.  The Howard situation is one of the most annoying things I've ever seen in the NBA and I don’t understand why it's taken so long to get rid of a guy that doesn't want to be in Orlando.  The problem is that Rob Hennigan "the new Magic General Manager" has been praised for helping in the restructuring of two organizations where he has helped aide in the processes of bringing young talent in and making teams that wasn’t so good, great contenders.  He's a very young guy and I know his idea is to get a lot of the bad expensive contracts that former GM Otis Smith brought in off of the books and restructure the Magic to a younger, energetic team that can compete.  The goal now isn't to win a championship but to compete and revive the excitement in Orlando.  Another problem is that Hennigan has allowed this process to carry on far too long.  Just recently, the Nets accused the Magic of wasting 14 days when they had an opportunity to seal a deal but the Magic sat around and did nothing which validated the Nets claim.  

The Magic should have dealt Dwight last year as soon as he said that he wanted to be traded.  With that being said, I understand the need for any franchise to keep their franchise player by convincing them to stay for the long run but sometimes a Boss must be able to make unpopular and hard decisions; for Hennigan, this could have been and still may be one of those times.  Orlando hosted the 2012 All-Star Weekend and it wouldn’t have looked good for the city hosting All-Star Weekend with no ALL-Star, but hey look at it this way, it was Hosted in Vegas a few years back and they don’t even have a fucking team...excuse my French.  When Deron Williams said he wanted out of Utah, that trade went down so fast that no one saw it coming and when Melo wanted out of Denver, the Nuggets obliged.  When you have players not wanting to be apart of the team anymore for whatever reason, just let the cry babies go.  Trust me, it's better for the organizations to let these players move on and the Magic should understand that regardless of whom they are trying to acquire,  you never get equal value in return.  They need to man up and stop kissing this guys ass and let him go and they need to do this ASAP. 


I really don’t know how many more days I can take of the discomfort I have in my back, but I know this drama series has taken place for too long now and like a bad reality show it needs to be canceled.  I'm so close to writing a letter to the Magic organization and begging them to speed up the process, I’m even considering taking a horse to Orlando so we can get Dwight on it and ride this cowboy out of dodge.  I didn’t have much to say on this but I just wanted to speak a small piece about it because I have held it in too long.  I will leave the real talk to my partner Tez and see what he has to say about this, I think he will have far more to say than I do.

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A New Regime: Orlando Magic

A New Day is upon Orlando Magic fans as ownership has hired Rob Hennigan as their new GM.  Rob is only 30 years old, making him the youngest GM in the NBA.  He forgoes his duties from Oklahoma City Thunder as Player Personnel and Operations Manager under GM Sam Presti. He started off as a Interim of the San Antonio Spurs in 2004 and was named Director of Basketball Operations in 2007.  His resume is quite impressive at his age, as Alex Martins pointed out in the Press Conference this past Thursday.  Listening to him speak, he’s saying all the right words and must have impressed the DeVos family enough to beat out Dennis Lindsey and Jeff Bower.  His statement ”Simply put, our goal is to build an elite basketball operation both on the court and off the court,’’ Hennigan said. ``If we can stay strategic and stay systematic the end goal is to be sustainable. We want to create something that has some longevity and continuity to it,” was heard loud and clear by Magic fans.  Here’s the path that is ahead of him.

1. The Draft:

The Magic possess the 19th and 49th picks of the NBA draft and this is Hennigan’s calling card, recent picks that he consulted with the Thunder choosing Ibaka, Westbrook(2008), Harden(2009), Aldrich(2010), and R. Jackson(2011) in past drafts. Mock drafts have Magic all over the place, going from Moe Harkless, Andrew Nicholson, Kendall Marshall, Jared Sullinger, Tony Wroten, Marquis Teague, and Quincy Miller to name a few. This was a weakness with the previous Basketball Operations staff, and there is plenty of talent available. Hennigan pointed out this is a vital way to build a team in his press conference.

2. Free Agency:

Jameer Nelson has a opt-out clause in his contract, and received an extension on his decision. As of right now, our remaining point guards are Chris Duhon and Ish Smith, so we must sign Nelson back or look to replace this position in the draft. The free agents, which include Lou Williams, Andre Miller and Steve Nash are available. The Most Improved Player Ryan Anderson is a restricted free agent and would be able to leave the team unless the price is right and Hennigan and staff are willing to match the offers that comes his way.


3. Dwight Howard: 


Browsing over some forums, Hennigan’s regime will be forever known as the person who kept Dwight Howard or traded Howard and started his own path. Either way, Magic fans label his episode “The Indecision” that includes the young star wavering back and forth with continuing his career in Orlando. Listening to the press conference, Martins is trying to avoid another episode, and will get a answer out of him if he wants to leave or not, and will turn to Hennigan to find the best package available if the superstar wants to leave Orlando, or sell him on his vision for the team, and make Howard realize that in 2013, Orlando will have cap room to get him some help.

Alex Martins is putting a lot of work on Hennigan’s plate, and he seems like a solid hire. This will take some time, and there will a lot of activity come draft night for all franchises.  Magic Nation shall see what the 30 year old has in stored for the Magic franchise, buckle up.

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Orlando's Off-Season Outlook

At the beginning of the NBA season, 30 teams take the hardwood court to become the 16 teams who qualify for the playoffs and half of those teams eventually fall off to leave eight. Then the four remaining compete in the conference finals for the opportunity to be the best team in their respective conference. And then it happens,  two teams are left fighting for the most prized possession in the game, The Larry O’Brien Trophy.  Every year, 29 teams fail, leave to recoup, some trying to still reach the playoffs while certain elite teams that go at it again to go for the prize.

After one of the most devastating seasons in their 22 years of existence, the Magic have a pivotal off season on the horizon. Alex Martins will discuss Dwight Howard’s future with him to see if he willing to commit long term to the franchise or not, therefore he will know to proceed with moving the franchise player. GM Otis Smith is unsure if he wants to return for next season, seemed the mess he made is too big for him to clean and he knows the storm is coming, in other words, he’s aware his job is in jeopardy. The Most Improved Player Ryan Anderson is a restricted free agent, Orlando wants to see his value on the market and will determine if they will match his contract or not. After the no-show in the playoffs, his value took a hit, the upside, the kid is 23 years old, and did pretty well with a whole starting season under his belt. Jameer Nelson is going to opt out, there is two stories that is being thrown Jameer’s way, he is planning to sign a low contract more years with Orlando, or his camp believes he’s worth 10 million or so, and believes this could be his shot at a payday. JJ Redick have a player option, and he seems likely to opt in, Earl Clark, Daniel Orton, and DeAndre Liggins are also up. There may be a slight possibility that Fran Vazquez, the 11th pick on the 2005 draft shows up to camp in 2012.

Seven player contracts are up, and the General Manager and Head Coach Stan Van Gundy’s futures are in limbo and it's likely the head coach is the first domino to fall. The Rumor that was going around a few weeks ago Donnie Walsh could be contacted about a Management position, likely the GM position.  At this point in time,  Orlando claims the 19th and 49th picks in June's NBA Draft. The Magic's largest challenge will be during the free agency period due to having virtually no cap, but David Aldridge recommend that Orlando pick up Tracy McGrady at the veteran minimum contract. I don’t expect any other team to be busy as Orlando would be this year, this Franchise could have a different team make up coming to training camp next year. It will be interesting, but the Magic Nation is screaming for change.

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Let's March Into April

This weekend ended with a bittersweet moment, seeing the Amway Arena get imploded and just to think all of the memories we had in that building, as a Magic fan, don’t forget Nick Anderson’s steal from the GOAT, 19 game losing streak, my favorite was when in attendance, the game winning dunk from Turkoglu to Howard over the Spurs, and of course clinching the Eastern Conference titles back in 1995, and 2009. But down the road is our new home, playground, and it’s the huge stopping block that could have been Kansas City Magic, it don’t even sound right. The Amway Center does a great job of highlighting the past in chronological order, so it’s like taking a stroll down memory lane.

The task at hand, ad mist the Dwight Drama, the New York media is ripping him a new one with signing his Early Termination Option to stay in Orlando till 2013, he made a decision with his heart, and he loves it here in Orlando, and wants to do something special here, the Management stressed that the team would be in a better position in 2013 with contracts coming off the books, and have trade bait with expiring contracts to acquire some help for Dwight. The first few games after the fiasco ended, we ended up winning big up New Jersey 91-81, the traveled down to South Beach, and went toe to toe with the Heat until they clicked on all cylinders in the fourth quarter. Chicago Bulls without Derrick Rose ended up embarrassing the Magic 59-85, the next few games got back on track to win against Phoenix 103-93, and Cleveland 93-80.  Orlando must focus, because they have 17 games left, including 4 back to backs, and seven home games left. As of now, The Magic are currently match up with the Hawks in the first round, they beat us twice with battling significant injuries and seem to remain a match up nightmare. Dwight stood with us because he believes we could make a title run, when the shots fall, the Magic are a tough team to beat, that we do know, but when the lid covers the basket, and if you stay home at the shooters, and play Dwight one-on-one, that becomes a problem, April is the home run stretch, so Magic fans, relax and enjoy the ride, because the playoffs are around the corner.

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Boston just has your number Orlando

Watching the game on Monday, seeing the Magic struggle against the full court press and while having Avery Bradley attached hip to hip with Jameer Nelson, the Orlando Magic lost 87-56.  The last time the Magic scored that low of a point total was in 1996, a season where Shaq departed to the Lakers, Penny Hardaway, Dennis Scott, and Nick Anderson with dealing with injuries and that team finished 57 points scored against the Cavs.  I was convinced that after the Magic showed resiliency with a win against the Pacers, an up and coming team, I thought we were ready for revenge against the Celtics.  Once I found out that the Celtics would be without Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, and adding Jermaine O’Neal,I thought to myself  "this can’t happen twice right?"

The First Half was great besides Howard getting into foul trouble.  The ball movement was crisp, shots falling in, the Most Improved Candidate in Ryan Anderson came back to life in the game, we were up 27 going into halftime. A huge smile was on my face, and I thought that since they were missing players that they wouldn't have enough offense to get back into the game.  So, that light at the end of the tunnel, where Orlando can redeem themselves, ended up being a Train, painted with green and white colors.  It was unreal, 3 quick turnovers and they have a spark going on.  Bradley was not trapping but still applied some great half court defense and it looked like deja vu all over again.  E’Twuan Moore had a career night, making four vital three pointers and if you make it a ball game, put the ball in Pierce’s hand.  I was in a state of utter complete shock!

Boston made a 44-16 run. I didn't know what to say, I saw my team broken down twice this week and technical fouls were flying everywhere.  It was the first time I'd seen Ryan Anderson bark at a ref like he did tonight and Dwight Howard had a (+/-) minus 25.  I’m not going to let these two games define our season, because I know we have enough talent to make noise but if this roster goes forward with Dwight on it, this week proves why we need a scorer on the wing, one who can break down defenses, penetrate in the lane, collapse the defense, and create his own shot.  Boston since 2008 against the Magic, including playoffs are 14-12.  As an longtime NBA fan, there are certain teams that causes team problems, and it’s obvious in Orlando’s case, it’s Boston. I don’t think Boston will go to the playoffs and predict they will return to losing after being on cloud 9 about beating Orlando.  If they do however make the playoffs, they better pray that they play the Magic because they own us.  The Magic's next game is in New Orleans, on to the next one.  At full strength, and hopefully with our roster the way it is, on 4/28 we see this battle again.  I don’t think it would matter at that point but there could be a lot of crossroads and story-lines at that time.

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