2023-24 Orlando Magic Thread

Originally posted by VaBeachNiner:
So that b***h Vasquez is thinking about coming over? I have just about given up on him after that no-show a few years ago. He's going to have to earn his time with the team that's for sure.

He's 27..and can be a solid PF for us IMO.

Cool thing too is he can also stretch the floor like Lewis did.

Originally posted by jrg:

Originally posted by VaBeachNiner:
So that b***h Vasquez is thinking about coming over? I have just about given up on him after that no-show a few years ago. He's going to have to earn his time with the team that's for sure.

He's 27..and can be a solid PF for us IMO.

Cool thing too is he can also stretch the floor like Lewis did.

Let's hope so. SVG will have to get creative considering we already have Bass, Orton, and of course Gortat.

Originally posted by VaBeachNiner:

Originally posted by jrg:

Originally posted by VaBeachNiner:
So that b***h Vasquez is thinking about coming over? I have just about given up on him after that no-show a few years ago. He's going to have to earn his time with the team that's for sure.

He's 27..and can be a solid PF for us IMO.

Cool thing too is he can also stretch the floor like Lewis did.

Let's hope so. SVG will have to get creative considering we already have Bass, Orton, and of course Gortat.

If Vasquez comes over, Bass is gone for sure.

Thursday vs. Wizards
Friday @ Heat

Originally posted by jrg:

Originally posted by VaBeachNiner:

Originally posted by jrg:

Originally posted by VaBeachNiner:
So that b***h Vasquez is thinking about coming over? I have just about given up on him after that no-show a few years ago. He's going to have to earn his time with the team that's for sure.

He's 27..and can be a solid PF for us IMO.

Cool thing too is he can also stretch the floor like Lewis did.

Let's hope so. SVG will have to get creative considering we already have Bass, Orton, and of course Gortat.

If Vasquez comes over, Bass is gone for sure.

I am sure Bass would hate that, since he was producing this pre-season. But if Vasquez turns out to be a plus then by all means let's make it happen.

Originally posted by VaBeachNiner:

Originally posted by jrg:

Originally posted by VaBeachNiner:

Originally posted by jrg:

Originally posted by VaBeachNiner:
So that b***h Vasquez is thinking about coming over? I have just about given up on him after that no-show a few years ago. He's going to have to earn his time with the team that's for sure.

He's 27..and can be a solid PF for us IMO.

Cool thing too is he can also stretch the floor like Lewis did.

Let's hope so. SVG will have to get creative considering we already have Bass, Orton, and of course Gortat.

If Vasquez comes over, Bass is gone for sure.

I am sure Bass would hate that, since he was producing this pre-season. But if Vasquez turns out to be a plus then by all means let's make it happen.

Bass wanted out originally because we kept Lewis at the 4 and he wasn't getting the playing time he wanted. He's been great in the pre season so far, but if we get Vasquez over here..some one has to go. We'd have quit a log jam at the PF spot.

Vasquez would be an excellent compliment to D12.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
Vasquez would be an excellent compliment to D12.

I hope so.

IMO, D12 needs 14+ shots per game this year. Anything less is ridiculous. Last year he was at 10.2. The guards need to get him the damn ball.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
IMO, D12 needs 14+ shots per game this year. Anything less is ridiculous. Last year he was at 10.2. The guards need to get him the damn ball.

THIS!!!!

We have some horrible interior passers. I hold my breath evrytime RaShard tries to feed Dwight down low.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
IMO, D12 needs 14+ shots per game this year. Anything less is ridiculous. Last year he was at 10.2. The guards need to get him the damn ball.

He needs 18-20 shots a game IMO. EVERY SINGLE POSSESSION Dwight needs to touch the ball. Check out the different plays Orlando runs on pages 5 and 6 I believe. Shows Dwight touching the ball..just don't see that as much in real life.

Denton: Nelson's Defense Key to Magic's Success



ORLANDO – Jameer Nelson was arguably the Orlando Magic’s best player in the postseason last spring, torching Charlotte and Atlanta in the first two rounds and fighting to keep the Magic’s heartbeat alive against Boston after falling down 0-3.

But the memory that stuck with Nelson all offseason was one of a blur. A blur as in streaky Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, who keyed Boston’s fast start in the series by regularly getting into the lane and collapsing the Orlando defense with his dribble penetration.

The visions of Rondo getting into the lane were burned into Nelson’s psyche and drove him to work harder than ever this past summer on his lateral quickness and stamina. He reported to training camp at 190 pounds, down almost eight pounds from the weight that he played at last season. The goal was simple: Be quick enough to keep blindingly quick opposing point guards in front of him.

``I’ve gotten better with it and I’ve focused more on it – even in practice because that’s where it starts,’’ Nelson said. ``If you are late in practice you are going to be late in games. One thing we’re really focusing on this year is practicing good habits and then taking them to the game.

``I’m a little bit slimmer, but I think everybody came in a little slimmer and focused on defense,’’ Nelson continued. One big thing too is that I’m healthy and I haven’t been healthy up until the end of last season, so that makes a big difference.’’

Nelson’s newfound quickness will get a big test right away Thursday night when the Magic open the regular season and the new dazzling Amway Center against the Washington Wizards and electrifying rookie John Wall. The dynamic point guard was the first overall choice in last June’s NBA Draft because of his lightning-quick speed and his ability to break down defenses and create for others.

Nelson, who is among the Magic’s savviest defenders, knows he’ll have his work cut out against the speedy Wall. But he is wise enough to know how to turn the rookie into his help defense, primarily shot-block king Dwight Howard.

``I’ve seen some film on (Wall) and seen him play and he’s really fast,’’ the Magic co-captain said. ``He’s faster than a blur. I’ll just rely on my help defense a little bit, but not too much because I want to keep him in front of me as much as I can so he can’t find open people. But I know that I have help back there and it’s not just on me to stop him.’’

When Nelson and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy met following the crushing Eastern Conference Finals loss to Boston last spring, they talked about where Nelson could improve his game the most. Van Gundy asked that he push himself to become a better defender. To do just that, Nelson went through hours of agility drills to better his side-to-side movement and footwork and he trained again with boxing drills to make his hands and reactions better.

And Van Gundy said he’s seen positive results in the preseason. He hopes that it carries over to Thursday when Nelson will be matched up with Wall, Gilbert Arenas and Kirk Hinrich at times throughout the game.

``It’s going to be really tough for Jameer because Wall is really tough and really explosive. And he’s big and strong too, so it’s not going to be easy,’’ Van Gundy said. ``Jameer’s been working hard it so far, and this will be a good test for him.’’

Nelson’s offensive numbers in the preseason – 7.9 points a game on 44 percent shooting and 30 percent accuracy from 3-point range – were pedestrian compared to the electrifying impact he had last spring in the playoffs. Nelson was never better than he was against Charlotte’s Raymond Felton, Atlanta’s Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford and even Boston’s Rondo, averaging 19 points and 4.8 assists. Many experts measure true overall greatness by a players ability to shoot 50 percent from the floor, 40 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line, and Nelson nearly hit all of those numbers at 47.9 percent overall shooting, 39.3 percent from 3-point range and 82.3 percent from the foul line.

Besides working on his defense, Nelson also used the preseason to excel as a playmaker. With the Magic having the deepest roster in the NBA, Nelson has always had to walk the fine line of getting his teammates involved and staying aggressive himself. In seven preseason games, Nelson had a dazzling 5 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio with 41 assists compared to just five turnovers.

``Even though you are called upon to make a lot of plays, if you have a lot of turnovers you aren’t doing your job. There might be a play where if you just make the right play instead of trying to thread the needle then you might get the hockey assist,’’ Nelson said. ``In the preseason, I stayed aggressive. I wasn’t necessarily shooting the ball that much, but because I was in the paint as often as I was, pushing the ball and attacking, other guys were getting open shots,’’ Nelson said. ``It’s not about me scoring. I just want to be aggressive for my team because we’re at our best when I’m aggressive.’’

As for the bitter memory of last season, Nelson said he still isn’t over losing to Boston in the playoffs. But starting the season and playing games will help. He said the pain from last spring has driven the Magic throughout the summer and in preseason, and it should persist until Orlando is back in the playoffs again.

``We have to put last year behind us. But we have to use it for fuel to our fire,’’ he said. ``We did some things that were great last year, but we also did some things that will be lessons. We didn’t get it done against Boston and couldn’t play in the Finals. It starts now. You can’t say we’re going to make it to the playoffs or to The Finals; you’ve got to put in the work now.’’

BASKETBALLLLLL!!!!!

Originally posted by jrg:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
IMO, D12 needs 14+ shots per game this year. Anything less is ridiculous. Last year he was at 10.2. The guards need to get him the damn ball.

He needs 18-20 shots a game IMO. EVERY SINGLE POSSESSION Dwight needs to touch the ball. Check out the different plays Orlando runs on pages 5 and 6 I believe. Shows Dwight touching the ball..just don't see that as much in real life.

I keep forgetting to check those plays. My GF is gone tonight, so I can bask in b-ball nerdiness.

It's really difficult to get a big to average 18-20 shots per game in today's league with the zone defensive rules the way they are. Duncan's only done it once. Shaq only did it twice after they changed the rules. Yao & Gasol have never done it.

I'm sure I'm forgetting somebody, but the only big that I can think of that's gotten 18-20 shots up per game since '02 is Al Jefferson.

But my babbling aside...we both agree that D12 needs A LOT more shots than the 10.2 he was getting last year.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by jrg:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
IMO, D12 needs 14+ shots per game this year. Anything less is ridiculous. Last year he was at 10.2. The guards need to get him the damn ball.

He needs 18-20 shots a game IMO. EVERY SINGLE POSSESSION Dwight needs to touch the ball. Check out the different plays Orlando runs on pages 5 and 6 I believe. Shows Dwight touching the ball..just don't see that as much in real life.

I keep forgetting to check those plays. My GF is gone tonight, so I can bask in b-ball nerdiness.

It's really difficult to get a big to average 18-20 shots per game in today's league with the zone defensive rules the way they are. Duncan's only done it once. Shaq only did it twice after they changed the rules. Yao & Gasol have never done it.

I'm sure I'm forgetting somebody, but the only big that I can think of that's gotten 18-20 shots up per game since '02 is Al Jefferson.

But my babbling aside...we both agree that D12 needs A LOT more shots than the 10.2 he was getting last year.

Absolutely. There are multiple times Jameer will dribble the ball down court and just hit Carter/Lewis/etc and they hit the 3 w/o Howard touching the ball..and while I enjoy the 3...Howard needs to be touching the ball every possession.