Orlando Magic Blog

Group Blog talking about the NBA 2009 Eastern Conference Champions. Due to the amazing success of the 2009 playoff run comments are now frequently deleted to kill offensive comments, incoherence, or asininity. Comments can no longer be anonymous and require either a Blogger or OpenID account.

Friday, June 19, 2009

The Sentinel Grades the Magic

Grading how the Orlando Magic performed in the 2008-09 season -- OrlandoSentinel.com

I'm not sure what type of scorecard they use, but apparently 8.5 and above is all-star worthy.
SVG 9.0/10

Howard 9.3/10
Lewis 8.5
Turk 8.0
Lee 7.1
Nelson 8.5 before injury 2.0 in finals

Alston 7.5
Gortat 7.0
Foyle 1.0
Battie 5.0
Richardson 1.0
Pietrus 6.0
Redick 5.5
Johnson 7.0
Lue 1.0
When you look at the bench and see no true 6th man you have to give Stan Van Gundy a tremendous amount of credit for coaching them to the Finals.

posted by WeRDevos @ 3:26 PM  

11 Comments:

  • At 5:44 PM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    You and I were thinking on the same wavelength WeRDevos... I was going to post the same article later on. You beat me to it.

    Brian Schmitz, the Sentinel's beat writer, did the grading, and I generally respect his opinion when he writes about the Magic.

     

  • At 11:26 AM, Blogger Unknown said…

    FIre SVG...fire him....he is the reason Orlando lost... Very porr coaching decision. i think he has a crush on Nelson, thats why he played him in hte 4th quarter....FIRE NELSON too,, he's a midget who has very Lw Basketball I.Q. not guarding Fisher at 3 points area.

     

  • At 4:34 AM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    That's been beaten to death like a dead horse... just let it go.

     

  • At 2:37 PM, Blogger WeRDevos said…

    SVG had a great season and playoffs up the Finals. I agree with a 9 overall, but give him a 5 in the Finals. Graded down for suddenly trying combinations we'd never seen before.

    I'm not so good with this scorecard business, better with grades. I'm biased, so I'm sure I'll show some grade inflation:

    SVG A -- this team has been better than expected both years he's been here. His record in the playoffs over two years is 18-17 winning four series.

    Howard A -- I would lean to A+ since he had the rare rebounds / blocks titles for this year and led the team to the Finals at 23. But he hasn't hit his ceiling yet.

    Lewis A -- All Star year, team defense improved, most beautiful jump shot ever for a Magic player.

    Turk A MINUS -- not a great one on one defender, and his numbers were down from last year. he is probably declining, but still wants the ball at the end of games. Nice ball handler. Key part of one of the best starting front lines in the game last season. (This should be a topic -- who are the best frontlines in the game)

    Nelson C+ -- downgraded a grade and a half for getting injured. Was on his way to his best season. Never should have come back in the Finals. Expect him to be an A player next year.

    Courtney Lee B+ -- who knew the Magic were capable of drafting a starter beyond the 5th pick? I expect him to be a solid contributor for years based on his playoff work.

    Pietrus C+ -- He was a season long disappointment. Injuries and confusion caused him to lose his starting spot. He was brought here to develop that Bruce Bowen defensive stopper / 3 point specialist role. Playoffs show he's the right guy. Next year he has to step up and stay healthy. Could be the starting SF next year if Turk leaves.

    Gortat B+ -- Polish hammer played hard in short minutes. The team rarely suffered when Gortat replaced Howard. Decent pick and roll player. Blocks shots, rebounds. He is an excellent low cost backup center. Next year he will probably be an expensive middle of the road starting center for someone else.

    Alston A MINUS -- came in and saved the Magic season. He will end up being a head case if he stays and backs up Nelson.

    Battie D -- Battie does what he can, but just can't defend or get to the rim anymore. He always got by on athleticism, but his knees are shot. Good guy, but being asked to do too much. Magic suffer when he is on the floor.

    Redick C -- JJ needs to go to a team that needs 3 point shooting above all. The Magic just have too many shooters to give him much time on the floor.

    Johnson B+ -- Grandpa had a nice year backing up Nelson, then Alston. Almost sunk the team as a starter, but he was never supposed to be a starter here. It was a shame he did not get to contribute in the Finals after doing a fine job all year.

     

  • At 4:35 PM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    Pretty good analysis and grading... here's my two cents...

    In Stan Van Gundy's two years as Magic head coach, the Magic have improved significantly, and are now in a position to be an Eastern Conference powerhouse for years to come, thanks to Otis Smith's player acquisitions and SVG's coaching.

    Nelson was playing at an all-star level prior to his injury, and there's no reason why he shouldn't be back at that level next season.

    I think Redick provides a very good insurance policy on the bench for the Magic in case of injuries or matchups; his defense was a very pleasant surprise.

     

  • At 9:07 PM, Blogger Matt said…

    I agree that WeRDevos' grading is a fair one. Nobody intended to grade Otis Smith, and I am constantly annoyed by Mike's giving him too much credit. Smith remains a light weight GM who may just have been lucky. No credit is due to him for drafting Lee (a crap shoot, and it is a wash with Fran guy's draft), and signing Rashard (who had nothing better than Magic going for him, and yet got overpaid) and signing SVG who loved to come back to Florida (family still lived in Miami). Nobody is talking about Otis Smith who cannot even put two sentences together. Get over it, Mike.

     

  • At 3:38 AM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    This comment has been removed by the author.

     

  • At 5:48 AM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    OK, let's take a look at the 2008 NBA Draft in the first round after the Magic drafted Courtney Lee at Number 22...

    23) Kosta Koufos C Utah
    24) Serge Ibaka F Seattle
    25) Nicolas Batum F Houston (traded to Portland)
    26) George Hill G San Antonio
    27) Darrell Arthur F New Orleans (traded to Memphis)
    28) Donte Green F Memphis (traded to Houston)
    29) D.J. White F Detroit (traded to Seattle)
    30) J.R. Giddens G Boston

    George Hill led the rookies drafted 23-30 with 5.7 ppg.

    Courtney Lee averaged 8.4 ppg on 45% FG shooting and 40.4% three point shooting for the Magic.

    Here is what DraftExpress.com had to say about the Magic's draft last June (before the season started):

    "You won’t find us arguing with this pick, as the Magic got good value, filled a definite need, and also landed one of our favorite wing players in this draft. Stan Van Gundy will actually like Lee, and it’s not difficult to envision him getting playing time as a rookie even. They definitely telegraphed this move in the weeks leading up to draft night, but ended up getting their man regardless. Lee brings them outside shooting, passing skills, defensive ability on the wing, and an excellent all-around feel for the game."

    A spot-on evaluation from DraftExpress.com

    Most people feel that Otis did his homework here, and picked the guy that he felt would help the Magic the most of all the remaining rookies that were left, so for Matt to say that Smith deserves no credit for drafting Lee because it was a "crapshoot" is not accurate at all, in my estimation.

    Matt also said "that nobody is talking about Otis Smith who cannot even put two sentences together." but Smith finished in third place in the 2008-09 NBA Executive of the Year, with six votes, behind Danny Ferry of Cleveland and winner Mark Warkentien of Denver.

    Even Smith's peers are recognizing his good work.

    OK... no more mentioning of Otis on my part for at least a week (or maybe even two), since the Magic have no draft picks this year.

     

  • At 12:30 PM, Blogger WeRDevos said…

    Do the Magic have a 2nd pick this year?

     

  • At 4:43 PM, Blogger Matt said…

    Do I need to prove that when a team picks low it is a crap-shoot? I would go no further than the lack of success on the part of those who were picked right after Courtney Lee. Does anybody have time to look at the stats of those who were picked before lee? May prove my point again.

    Enough of this nonsense. I have better things to attend to.

     

  • At 5:58 PM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    Here's a complete explanation about why the Magic have no draft picks this year, courtesy of DraftExpress.com

    -Memphis receives Orlando's 2009 first round draft pick, as part of Rafer Alston/Kyle Lowry three-way trade
    -Orlando owes Phoenix a conditional second-round pick, via Seattle from Rashard Lewis sign-and-trade
    -Orlando will convey their 2009 second-round pick to Phoenix, via Oklahoma City, top-55 protected.

    The Magic would have had the 57th pick overall, so that's why they don't have a second round pick this year; it's not in the top 55.

     

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