Magic GM Smith Answers Fans' Burning Questions
Magic general manager Otis Smith described the season as a "failure." As an organization, the bar has been raised.
"We set the bar," stated Smith. "And the bar is a championship. Anything less than that, rests on my head."
Smith believes the Magic need to make up an "eighth of an inch" between themselves and the NBA's best teams.
What holes need to be filled?
Orlando only has one point guard, with Jason Williams and Anthony Johnson having expiring contracts. Smith described both players as being “long in the tooth."
Turnovers hurt the Magic throughout the season. The effect of Orlando's occasional sloppy play became magnified against the Celtics. More ball handlers would alleviate pressure on Nelson to keep the ball moving.
How much will the roster change?
Smith clearly believes the Magic can compete as is. That said, Smith predicts only minor roster adjustments.
Simply put, the Magic will be looking to get better at the wing and point guard position. Somehow, I can still see Smith performing his NBA Jedi magic, and adding a true power forward.
Will the team keep J.J. Redick?
My rock solid pick for NBA free-agency, J.J. Redick stays in Orlando.
The organization values Redick.
Smith indicated as such, "We'll do what we can to keep him."
What are the Magic's draft plans?
Smith did a great job finding Courtney Lee two years ago. Orlando has the 29th pick in the first round, and the 59th pick in the second.
Orlando hopes to get better via the draft—but if they can't, expect a deal.
Orlando's approach—make the team better—could mean that Smith trades the picks, getting more seasoned talent in return.
Here is the complete article from bleacherreport.com.
posted by Mike from Illinois @ 1:35 AM
4 Comments:
At 2:03 AM,
Mike from Illinois said…
We'll see if the Magic are as active this off-season as they were last off-season.
I think Jason Williams did a credible job as the backup PG, especially the first half of the season, but seemed to lose a lot of his effectiveness as the season went on. It won't be a surprise to see the Magic try and sign someone else.
It sounds like they will do everything they can to re-sign J.J. Redick, which is good.
As far as the draft goes, it will be surprising if the Magic can find someone at number 29 and number 59 who will contribute significantly next season, as Courtney Lee did in 2008-'09 as the number 22 pick.
It sounds like the Magic are still going to keep the offense they've been using under Stan Van Gundy, with 4 starters who are capable of hitting the three along with the strong post presence of Dwight Howard; but that could change if the Magic are able to acquire a traditional PF.
At 7:57 PM,
Matt said…
It is obvious to any reasonable mind that the structure of the team does not fit the objective of winning a championship. Simply stated, playing Rashard at PF did not test well against Lakers last year or BOS this year. It is proven that even with the rebounding leader in the middle, we are not able to keep opposing teams from offensive rebounding, or be able to defend against penetrating teams without risking to have Dwight in foul trouble (case in point: many PGs, SGs and SFs attacking the basket, in particular in CHA series).
Stating the goal of winning a championship, and yet staying put or making minor cosmetic changes do not align with each other, and are indicative of either the lack of sincerity or lack of wisdom.
At 4:39 PM,
Big Figure said…
I have to agree with matt. Back-up PG and a starting PF should be the off season goals. Otis may stay with the same starting five but the the question becomes what are the changes? Basically just changing the bench a little in my opinion isnt going to cut it.
At 10:31 AM,
Anonymous said…
GOOOOO LLLakers!!!
Da Lakeshow going win another championship. You orlando bandwagon asshole fans can watch how its done kid. aight.
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