Orlando Magic Makeover

[Big Sexy]

The Magic made a couple of huge trades today. First they sent Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus, and a 2011 first round pick to Phoenix for Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson, and Earl Clark. The Magic get more athletic with the deal while Phoenix was able to add a little more size and Pietrus's contract comes off this summer while Carter's will in two years.

The second trade was Rashard Lewis going to Washington for Gilbert Arenas straight up. This adds even more athleticism for Orlando and if Arenas is able to get close to where he was before the knee injury then it is a steal. Washington was able to get rid of a guy that they really didn't want in their locker room and replace him with a guy who can possibly make their starting 5 very big. They could have John Wall, Nick Young, Lewis, Javale Mcgee, and Andray Blatche as the starting 5.

The Magic now have a potential starting lineup of Jameer Nelson, Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Dwight Howard. Their bench core would be Jason Williams, JJ Redick, Quentin Richardson, Brandon Bass, and Ryan Anderson.

I personally like the trade for Orlando. They weren't going to be able to compete with Boston and Miami before the trade so they had to do something. They got more athletic so they can compete with the wings for Miami and if Gilbert can get back to his old self then this team could be very dangerous.

Thoughts on the trade for all teams involved? Can Orlando now compete in the East?

 

[People's Champ]

I definately like this trade for the Magic and think that if they can get Arenas back to his old self they might be better than the Heat and Celtics. They will be a more complete team than Miami with a true center in Howard, with a true PG in Nelson with Richardson, Arenas and the return of Turkoglu. Add in the depth they will have with that bench and this is a huge day for the Magic. They beat the Heat with a complete team while being younger than the Celtics. The Magic went from 3rd best (at best) to top of the conference.

Aside from what this does for the Magic, look at what this does for the conference. You have the Heat, Celtics, Bulls, Magic, and throw Anthony on the Knicks and then you have the Knicks who all would be top players for years to come. We are really seeing the difference between the teams that have and teams that have not. Power has definately shifted from the West to the East again, and it looks like whoever comes out of the East will be battle tested.

Big day as far as impact not only this season, but for the future as well.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

I like the deal for Orlando. Turkoglu hasn't played that good since he left Orlando 2 years ago, now that he is back where he played best, I think he will regain some of that form we seen from him 2-3 years ago. Arenas leaving the Wizards is the best thing for the team, he can leave all his troubles behind and start fresh with the Magic. Also, will help John Wall develop better now that Arenas is gone. I was surprised to hear Jason Richardson being moved by the Suns, he is playing pretty good this year and is averaging most points scored since 07-08. Magic get some of the height back with Earl Clark as well although I don't see him contributing that much as he is still a work in progress.

The moves definitely help the Magic get more athletic like you mentioned Sexy, but I think they still need a more dominant forward to compete with the East's elite teams.

As for the the other teams, Suns really don't change that much other than adding depth to the forwards, I expect Vince Carter to put up bigger numbers now, providing he can stay healthy, might even get his ppg back up around 20. They will be looking nice after the season depending what they do with the extra money and 1st round draft pick. Who knows maybe package Nash with the 1st round pick for a big name, or dump Nash for more picks and just start the rebuilding next year.

The Wizards benefit by letting Wall take over full time, by finally parting ways with Arenas. They only gain Rashard Lewis in return, who in my eyes is highly over paid and never really lived up to the huge contract he signed, he has been on a steady decline over the past 3 seasons. Well he will get a chance to redeem himself in Washington. Like you said Sexy, it makes them a pretty big team now. Only better if Lewis can start playing better.

 

[Goliath Uterus]

It was obvious they weren't going to be able to compete with the top tier teams with their current line-up, so they mix it up and land some great players. Gilbert and Jameer will be a great backcourt, Richardson is a quality scorer. The Magic also realized that they were missing something without Hedo, I think he'll play at a high level once again on the Magic.

The Suns also made some good pick ups, but I still don't see them competing at all in the playoffs. Carter and Nash will be a fantastic pairing in the fast paced Suns offense.

The Lewis/Wall combo will be interesting to see as well.

 

[Big Sexy]

First off, from my initial post I left off Chris Duhon when discussing the Magic's line up. He is obviously still the backup point guard and is a big part of that bench. Jason Williams will continue to ride the pine and get very few minutes as the third point guard. It also looks like the Magic will stick with Brandon Bass starting at the 4 spot for now and will bring Turkoglu off the bench.

 

[WWEboy13]

The Orlando Magic just made a bunch of trades. Sure they got good players but look who they gave up and they have 2 Starting Point Guards.
Starting Lineup
C Dwight Howard
PFBrandon Bass
SF Hedo Turkoglu
SG Gilbert Arenas(Originally a PG)
PGJameer Nelson

Losing Lewis made the 3-Point Shooting go down and Arenas isn't what he used to be. If it was 2008 maybe the Magic would do good, but I think they won't change. Nelson and Howard are the highlight of the team and maybe Bass( I like him a lot; he has good potential)

 

[Big Sexy]

Losing Lewis made the 3-Point Shooting go down and Arenas isn't what he used to be. If it was 2008 maybe the Magic would do good, but I think they won't change. Nelson and Howard are the highlight of the team and maybe Bass( I like him a lot; he has good potential)

Richardson and Arenas are an improvement over Carter and Pietrus and Rashard Lewis's numbers have gone down the last two years. He was struggling shooting the ball and just wasn't as effective as he should have been. Turkoglu has come in and in the 5 games he has played, he has been much more efficient then Lewis and is actually shooting the three ball almost 8% better then Lewis was in Orlando.

The Magic are also a more versatile and athletic team now. They are 4-1 since the trade and have ended two big winning streaks from very good teams. They stopped the Spurs 10 game winning streak and the Celtics 14 game winning streak in consecutive games.

Gilbert Arenas is the big X factor here and although he has struggled in some games he has also showed signs of returning close to what he once was. Just tonight he had 22 points on 8-15 shooting along with 11 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals.