http://www.sacbee.com/kings/story/345046.html
NBA Beat: Money might not make Magic's problems disappear
By Scott Howard-Cooper - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:41 am PDT Sunday, August 26, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C4
Their moves were the biggest and the splashiest of the offseason:
• A max deal of six years and $118 million for free agent Rashard Lewis.
• Five years and $85 million in an extension for Dwight Howard.
• Four years and $16 million to hire coach Stan Van Gundy before the Kings, the save move after Billy Donovan took the job and fled.
The Orlando Magic made its statement. The team spent mightily, the region responded in kind by committing to a new arena set to open in 2010 after threats to move, signs of NBA long-term hope are everywhere in Central Florida, and it would all be a dream sequence come to life if not for a final small matter.
The season.
In the other part of real life, the Magic might be having a summer for the ages and still not be good enough to reach the top half of the Eastern Conference. Even with the spending and the investment in the new building and the benefit of geography -- being in the weaker East -- Orlando might have just made its big move only to find it will not be nearly big enough.
The Magic was the final playoff qualifier in 2006-07, at 40-42. Among the teams that finished better, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Toronto and New Jersey still appear stronger than Orlando, led by Howard and Lewis. Among the teams that finished worse, Boston will be much improved with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and almost surely bump one of the top eight from the playoffs, and New York will challenge for the postseason with Zach Randolph, Eddy Curry and David Lee inside.
The Magic was better than most realize -- in the top six in shooting, shooting defense and rebounding -- but also scatterbrained. No team committed more turnovers, and that was with the maturity and versatility of Grant Hill. Now, he's in Phoenix and Orlando is on its own, with Howard needing to make great strides in taking care of the ball and Jameer Nelson a starting point guard with much to prove.
So great are the needs still, or so poor is the East, that agreeing to terms with Adonal Foyle on Wednesday was seen as a significant addition. He goes from barely being able to get off the Warriors' bench to a candidate to become the third big man with Howard and Tony Battie.
The Magic, after losing Darko Milicic in free agency, feels it addressed a need, and everyone around Oakland feels they got one over on Central Florida. At least Foyle, reportedly pursued by others in the East but attracted to the Magic by its proximity to his native Canouan in the Caribbean, is in for the minimum.
It took everything possible to land Lewis -- a coveted free agent, to be sure, and a 20-point scorer still just 28 years old -- except that Orlando also just mangled the salary cap into the next decade to get its second-best player. That's perspective in any conference.
Red, white, black and blue
The United States predictably rolled the early opponents in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Las Vegas -- who had the Virgin Islands plus 64 Thursday? -- but the 10-team field representing the Americas offered even less of a challenge than originally planned. Or maybe even less than the United States, hoping to get acclimated to international rules and competition, wanted.
Argentina, the defending Olympic champion, was without Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto and Andres Nocioni, three prominent NBA players, and former Temple guard Pepe Sánchez. Mexico, after once dreaming otherwise, didn't have Eduardo Najera or Earl Watson, although Nolan Richardson did coach. Canada didn't have Steve Nash or Jamaal Magloire.
The first two U.S. wins, over Venezuela and the Virgin Islands, were by a combined 235-128, and before sparse crowds at Thomas & Mack Center. The closest thing to a projected test comes tonight against Brazil, which has Nene, Leandro Barbosa and Spurs first-round pick Tiago Splitter, although two other big men who could have made it interesting against smallish Team USA, Anderson Varejao and Rafael Araújo, skipped the tournament rather than risk injury as NBA free agents.
About the writer: The Bee's Scott Howard-Cooper can be reached at showard-cooper@ sacbee.com.
NBA Beat: Money might not make Magic's problems disappear
By Scott Howard-Cooper - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:41 am PDT Sunday, August 26, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C4
Their moves were the biggest and the splashiest of the offseason:
• A max deal of six years and $118 million for free agent Rashard Lewis.
• Five years and $85 million in an extension for Dwight Howard.
• Four years and $16 million to hire coach Stan Van Gundy before the Kings, the save move after Billy Donovan took the job and fled.
The Orlando Magic made its statement. The team spent mightily, the region responded in kind by committing to a new arena set to open in 2010 after threats to move, signs of NBA long-term hope are everywhere in Central Florida, and it would all be a dream sequence come to life if not for a final small matter.
The season.
In the other part of real life, the Magic might be having a summer for the ages and still not be good enough to reach the top half of the Eastern Conference. Even with the spending and the investment in the new building and the benefit of geography -- being in the weaker East -- Orlando might have just made its big move only to find it will not be nearly big enough.
The Magic was the final playoff qualifier in 2006-07, at 40-42. Among the teams that finished better, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Toronto and New Jersey still appear stronger than Orlando, led by Howard and Lewis. Among the teams that finished worse, Boston will be much improved with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and almost surely bump one of the top eight from the playoffs, and New York will challenge for the postseason with Zach Randolph, Eddy Curry and David Lee inside.
The Magic was better than most realize -- in the top six in shooting, shooting defense and rebounding -- but also scatterbrained. No team committed more turnovers, and that was with the maturity and versatility of Grant Hill. Now, he's in Phoenix and Orlando is on its own, with Howard needing to make great strides in taking care of the ball and Jameer Nelson a starting point guard with much to prove.
So great are the needs still, or so poor is the East, that agreeing to terms with Adonal Foyle on Wednesday was seen as a significant addition. He goes from barely being able to get off the Warriors' bench to a candidate to become the third big man with Howard and Tony Battie.
The Magic, after losing Darko Milicic in free agency, feels it addressed a need, and everyone around Oakland feels they got one over on Central Florida. At least Foyle, reportedly pursued by others in the East but attracted to the Magic by its proximity to his native Canouan in the Caribbean, is in for the minimum.
It took everything possible to land Lewis -- a coveted free agent, to be sure, and a 20-point scorer still just 28 years old -- except that Orlando also just mangled the salary cap into the next decade to get its second-best player. That's perspective in any conference.
Red, white, black and blue
The United States predictably rolled the early opponents in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Las Vegas -- who had the Virgin Islands plus 64 Thursday? -- but the 10-team field representing the Americas offered even less of a challenge than originally planned. Or maybe even less than the United States, hoping to get acclimated to international rules and competition, wanted.
Argentina, the defending Olympic champion, was without Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto and Andres Nocioni, three prominent NBA players, and former Temple guard Pepe Sánchez. Mexico, after once dreaming otherwise, didn't have Eduardo Najera or Earl Watson, although Nolan Richardson did coach. Canada didn't have Steve Nash or Jamaal Magloire.
The first two U.S. wins, over Venezuela and the Virgin Islands, were by a combined 235-128, and before sparse crowds at Thomas & Mack Center. The closest thing to a projected test comes tonight against Brazil, which has Nene, Leandro Barbosa and Spurs first-round pick Tiago Splitter, although two other big men who could have made it interesting against smallish Team USA, Anderson Varejao and Rafael Araújo, skipped the tournament rather than risk injury as NBA free agents.
About the writer: The Bee's Scott Howard-Cooper can be reached at showard-cooper@ sacbee.com.
