« Bobcats' Gordon trade draws positive reviews | Main | Winters, Leibovitz likely joining Charlotte Bobcats coaching staff »
August 10, 2012
Magic couldn't do better than this?
Closure is appealing at times. You find yourself in a stare-down with someone who is being entirely unreasonable, so any alternative becomes more palatable than continuing this stalemate.
That looks like the choice the Orlando Magic made in regards to Dwight Howard. Yet that still begs the question, did what they get come close to what they should have gotten?
It appears a blockbuster trade comes down today involving the Magic, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers get Howard, a Hall of Fame talent. The 76ers get Andrew Bynum, arguably the second-most talented center in the league. The Nuggets get Andre Iguodala, one of the league’s best and most versatile defenders.
The Magic gets several future draft picks that figure to be late in the first round. They get some fairly non-descript players, plus a solid prospect in rookie Moe Harkless. It appears they’ll get some salary cap relief.
I’m sure their fans are thrilled.
The Magic was never going to get fair value for Howard because that’s what happens when a superstar can leverage you, knowing he can eventually leave outright in free-agency. But after months of “Dwightmare’’ in Orlando, this looks like fairly little compared to – for instance – what Denver got back for Carmelo Anthony or what the Utah Jazz got back for Deron Williams.
I get nuance. I’ve covered the NBA long enough to appreciate the value of future draft picks, cap relief and, yes, closure. I appreciate that the Magic is starting over and needs fluid assets.
I just don’t get how something that dragged on this long would result in quite so little return.
Posted by Observer Sports on August 10, 2012 at 10:31 AM | Permalink
Comments
We're not the worst in the division anymore. Thanks Dwight
Posted by: MoD | Aug 10, 2012 10:43:40 AM
The real loser is Jameer Nelson who just resigned with the team. He's past his prime and they will stink this year. The real winners are sports fans everywhere who no longer have to hear about the daily Howard stories.
Posted by: buckshot jenkins | Aug 10, 2012 11:10:20 AM
Andrew Nicholson > Dwight Howard
Posted by: Buckley | Aug 10, 2012 11:18:20 AM
Thanks Orlando... Bobcats have hope now!
Posted by: PantherDave | Aug 10, 2012 11:25:37 AM
We play the Magic 4 times. That's 4 wins now, thanks to this silly trade. Orlando wins maybe 15 games this year.
I think Philly might be the big winner here. They'll miss Iguodala's defense, but their offense just got ramped up.
The Lakers are pulling a Dan Snyder, trying to assemble a fantasy league team. It hasn't worked before, and it won't work now. They might get the 1 or 2 seed in the playoffs, but OKC is still going to roll them.
Posted by: J | Aug 10, 2012 11:53:04 AM
Rick,
You've been quiet about the cats. Any news about their status? The cats with all the salary cap that was discussed last season, didn't make any major move in free agency. They acquire Session, but I wonder if they could've be more assertive in free agency. Ben Gordon was a trade. So where is this team headed for the coming season?
Posted by: Bobcat | Aug 10, 2012 12:09:35 PM
BOBcat fans, to quote Mike Lupica, "you are screwed".
Orlando is a great city, the climate is spectacular, the state has 0% personal income tax, the owner is a multi-billionaire, and for the life them the Magic can't retain their top players.
These players are not leaving to go to Charlotte, or Memphis....they are going to LA.
The chances of the BOBcats ever getting out of the 1st round of the playoffs just got lower. That combined with inept ownership seals their fate.
For the sake of the fans, MJ needs to sell this team.
Posted by: George Hanson | Aug 10, 2012 12:20:44 PM
"The Lakers are pulling a Dan Snyder, trying to assemble a fantasy league team. It hasn't worked before, and it won't work now."
---------
That might be the dumbest thing ever put into print on this website.
The Lakers have 17 championships including 5 since 2000. To even mention Dan Snyder in the same sentence with the Los Angeles Lakers just completely blows your credibility.
Yes there are some other good teams in the league at this time but to suggest that this collection of players the Lakers have put together won't have a real shot at a championship is ludicrous.
The Lakers have 2 of the 5 NBA 1st team roster (Kobe & Dwight), and another on the 2nd team (Bynum).
No other team has more than 2 even inclusive of 3rd team players.
Posted by: George Hanson | Aug 10, 2012 12:29:57 PM
NBA is far too close to turning into a couple of Globetrotters, and whole bunch of Washington Generals
Posted by: on and on | Aug 10, 2012 1:09:16 PM
Did anybody watch the USA-Lithuanian matchup? Here you had a moderately talented, motivated, high energy team playing the best collection of professional athletes in the world. You would think the pros would blow the other team off the map. Wrong. The Lithuanians used a high pick and role to confuse the pros and be up by two at the 6 minute mark of the game. Yes, the pros ultimately won by a few, but it was classic NBA: long missed jump shots, no box outs, few rebounds and sloppy, lackluster defense. It was almost like the American all star pro team had "been on the prowl" in all the London night clubs and at an Olympic Village afterhours party the night (and morning) before. The Lithuanians were actually very fun to watch: focused, hard-working, fundamentally sound, worked for the best shot, shot well, made their free throws...you know, they played good basketball. They didn't have superhuman talent to fall back on. I was thinking the whole time...you have 82 games a season and this is the effort you get from the pros about half the time. Catch them tired from a night out and Gardner Webb has a chance.
Posted by: Jo Jo White | Aug 10, 2012 1:46:00 PM
This years Dream Team plays the best team ball in the whole Olympics.They lead the Olympics in assists and have been nothing but professional on the court.Coach K even stated that their were no egos once the team takes the court.
I know it is hip to say that the NBA is full of thugs and do not play team ball and the Euro's play as a team , blah blah blah .... This year you are barking up the wrong tree.
Posted by: Jimbo | Aug 10, 2012 2:17:05 PM
George Hanson - I love you too.
The Lakers history has nothing to do with the construction of the 2012-13 Lakers. The comparison to Snyder is that Snyder has always tried to have all the biggest names in Redskins uniforms. The Lakers are doing the same thing, just trying to get all the biggest names in Lakers uniforms. There will not be enough balls for Kobe, Howard, Gasol, Nash and Ron Metta Artest Peace. The Spurs and Thunder have fewer big names, but rosters full of players who have defined roles and play them well. The Lakers will win 60 games and put up gaudy stats, but when the playoffs start and play slows down, the team will always beat the 5 individual egos.
Posted by: J | Aug 10, 2012 2:38:44 PM
i do not for the life of me understand all the hate for this trade for orlando. everybody said the same thing about memhpis when they traded pau gasol.......for marc gasol.
orlando got 3 middle to late 1st rounders which are still solid assets even though they are going to be late. new jersey's picks would have been late also.
I will take vucevic and harkless on rookie scale over brook lopez on a max deal ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.
the other thing everybody is forgetting is that they moved duhon AND richardson off the books. al harrington's contract is supposedly only half guaranteed so that is a valuable trade chip and he's still a solid veteran player as well. they hit a homerun with nicholson late in the 1st round this year. and harkless looked good in summer league as well.
can't say they did bad with this one. the only way they could have done better is getting bynum to extend and still getting rid of duhon and richardson which really didn't appear possible.
philly really really really stepped up in this though. they have an exaggerated amount of depth now with kwame, bynum, hawes, allen, etc. bobcats should be on the phone trying to pluck allen off their bench now. that dude can play.
you have to remember that howard handcuffed hennigan by saying he wouldn't resign with them or any team not on his list. it was either new jersey or LA because dallas had nothing to offer. Aaron Afflalo is a bit overpaid but he can play and he's still young'ish. if they can turn vucevic into a player we might be looking at this deal like the carmello deal. nobody was talking about how great that trade was until gallinari was healthy and chandler and mozgov starting playing solid roles.
this wasn't a bad move for orlando given the circumstances. fair value for howard? probably not. but for the circus he created? and him not being flexible with destination? not a bad outcome. where they messed up was firing SVG and otis smith also.
Posted by: charlottean | Aug 10, 2012 3:39:13 PM
can we get boris diaw..is he available..we could use his talent and he was a regular at my dad's restuarant, so we miss the income as well.."bring back Boris Diaw"
Posted by: bobcats fan for life | Aug 10, 2012 3:55:19 PM
Well what Orlando did is no worse then what MJ did to the Bobcats by trading Wallace for basically ...........nothing!
Posted by: Big Daddy | Aug 10, 2012 4:05:40 PM
^^ Boris Diaw was never a "regular" on the court.
Posted by: on and on | Aug 10, 2012 4:08:40 PM
Well you got a new coach, new crop of players and new GM. Dont blame D12 for wanting to bounce, it was time to go. I feel like Everybody got something they wanted in this deal; Lakers got D.Howard, Denver got Andre, Philly got Byum, Orlando got young talent and three first round picks and 2nd round pick to boot not bad at all plus expiring contracts
Posted by: RAHSHON GAMBLE | Aug 10, 2012 4:22:06 PM
All the NBA teams other than Miami and LA should refuse to play this next year. Stern wants a league this unbalanced, he should reap the result.
Posted by: fleiter | Aug 10, 2012 4:25:00 PM
I think Orlando is better off with this trade. They don't have to face Howard but twice a year and his drama show is about as far away as it can be. They get four first rounds picks when you include Harkless and a few decent role players. Sure - they will be young and bad this year but next year they could draft #1 and have three additional picks.
Posted by: Dom | Aug 10, 2012 5:03:05 PM
Jimbo, did you watch the Lithuanian game? Here's a quote about this year's dream team:
"Krzyzewski has also been unable to curb his team's poor shot selection so far in London.
Considering Team USA's roster is comprised of the greatest slashers and athletes in the world, that the team has averaged 39.3 shots from beyond the arc in its past three games is asinine.
While the overall numbers look fine at 41.5 percent, it's been almost completely contingent on brilliant individual performances.
The fact is (and always has been) that Team USA is a mediocre outside shooting team that shouldn't take any more than 20 three-pointers in a game."
What I saw against Lithuania was a cocky jump shooting, non boxing out, half-hearted rebounding team. Basketball - true basketball - is fun to watch. The hustle, the penetration, the great passes, etc. What's not fun is to watch a cocky millionaire just dribble down and jack up a shot Raymond Felton-style. Terrible. Mind-blowing talent. But individualistic, high ego players. That's the bottom line.
Posted by: Jo Jo White | Aug 10, 2012 5:51:52 PM
"The Lakers history has nothing to do with the construction of the 2012-13 Lakers."
------
It sure as heck does! Same owner, same GM, same system...Lakers have played in 7 of the last 13 Finals and won 5...and you really have the gall to suggest this experience means nothing in the coming season?
Dude, get a clue.
"Big names"? Come on man. They don't hand out All-NBA spots to "big names", they give those spots to the BEST PLAYERS. Kobe, All-NBA 1st team. Dwight, All-NBA 1st team. Bynum, All-NBA 2nd team. NO OTHER TEAM HAS 3 ALL-NBA PLAYERS -- GOT THAT?!?
Steve Nash is the missing piece of the puzzle, he is going to have an EPIC season!
The only thing that concerns me is the coach but Nash will overcome that.
I'm calling it right here, Lakers WIN IT ALL THIS YEAR!!!
Posted by: George Hanson | Aug 10, 2012 6:21:19 PM
does this mean that Bobcats will go to the playoff man this is difficult because we want to be worse for high picks.
Posted by: vinh | Aug 11, 2012 12:19:13 AM
George, Bynum now plays for Philadelphia. This sort of reminds me of the year Gary Payton and Karl Malone came to the Lakers. Looked good on paper, but could not deliver when it counted. Sorry, but San Antonio and OKC are still going deeper than Lakers in the playoffs...T-wolves are probably better than the Lakers.
Either way, I look forward to the annual Bobcat win in L.A this coming season.
Posted by: Ocracoma | Aug 11, 2012 12:07:24 PM
I can't believe some of these dumb comments. Peyton and Malone? Malone was 40, Payton was 35. They were washed up.
And that "J" obviously has absolutely no context of NBA history. The best teams in history were filled with future Hall of Famers in their starting lineups, including the 60s, 70s and 80s Lakers and Celtics. All of those players were big scorers but still played within a team concept. This team will be no different.
Dan Snyder? Brilliant analogy.
Posted by: Hawthorne Wingo | Aug 11, 2012 1:18:05 PM
Well dang Ocracoma, you coulda let me know that sooner! :-)
Heck, if there was one guy on the Lakers that wasn't a team player it's Bynum, he won't be missed.
Hawthorne Wingo, please go on...
Posted by: George Hanson | Aug 11, 2012 6:57:58 PM
They were contenders last year and they added nash and jamison, swapped bynum for howard, annd I believe improved the coaching staff if I'm not mistaken.
How are they NOT the favorites? OKC is absolutely right there with them because KD is in his prime and kobe past his....BUT.....young teams don't usually win in the playoffs. They feel like the 1990's supersonics teams. This lakers team feels like.....the lakers that win championships. They have 2 ELITE defenders and 4 ELITE scorers. All 6 guys were the number 1 option on a contender at one point. That's insane. And none of them are at the end. Nash and jamison are close but not payton/malone close.
All that being said, miami just added ray allen to a team that won it all. It will be interesting.
And for all the big market complaints....indiana and okc and san antonio are all rright there in the conversation. There aren't supposed to be small market franchises. We should be happy they include us in their club. The rules are fine.
Posted by: charlottean | Aug 12, 2012 12:32:05 AM
Rick,
If I'm not wrong, the Bobcats used $2.0M of the MLE to sign Haywood, that leaves almost $3.5M of the MLE avaliable. In addition the team is $1.2M under the Cap and they still have two open spots.
Any ideas or rumors about what the Bobcats are expected to do with those two spots?
Will they be willing to gamble on a 1 year deal with a young player let go by some other team (i.e. Donte Greene)?
Will they stand pat and perhaps get some non-guaranteed contracts in case a good trade opportunity comes up?
Please Rick, write something about the Bobcats, even if it's just a gossip. Are there any players workouts going on?
Posted by: Rob C | Aug 13, 2012 2:12:42 PM
Rob we have no MLE...we used cap space to sign Haywood and in order to do that we had to renounce the (nontaxpayer)MLE and all of our traded player exceptions. We do have the "room" MLE, which is the exception given to teams who start out below the salary cap.
The room exception is 2.575 million.
http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q25
"ROOM MID-LEVEL EXCEPTION -- This exception is available only to teams that drop far enough below the cap to use cap room, and lose their Bi-Annual, Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level and Taxpayer Mid-Level exceptions"
Posted by: spectre | Aug 14, 2012 12:00:13 PM
Post a comment
Advertisements
