# Draft day in JUNE



## MiamiHeat03 (Mar 28, 2003)

Do you think that the MAGICS are going to get TJford by a trade?


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## Yyzlin (Feb 2, 2003)

I would hope not. They don't need him that bad that they should trade up to get him.


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

Doubtful.

We need someone who can really shoot. I wouldnt mind seeing Ford in Orlando, but not if we have to give up much to get him.


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## rynobot (Oct 10, 2002)

The only way the Magic could aquire Ford would be to trade Gooden for him.


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## OZZY (Jun 14, 2002)

*1st round options*

*Sofoklis Schortsanitis- Have not seen him play but he looks like a man among boys and should be a great pro.









*Kirk Hinrich- Can really push the ball up the court, fine defender and can shoot from deep as well.









*Luke Ridnour- Very good floor leader, great passing and dribbling ability, really creative and can score as well. (Remember guys we wanted Jason Williams really bad a few years ago, and Luke is the closest thing to him in the draft.









*Nick Collison- Very good big man, could be joined with his former Jayhawk teammate Drew Gooden. Collison is a very hard worker, good low post scorer and has a nice jump shot.









*Reece Gaines- Unlike Sasser Gaines can play the PG in the NBA, very good offensive player, can penetrate and kick and is a fine defender at 6-6.









*Pavel Podkolzine- Never seen him play but he is a 7-4 center with skills obviously.









*Rick Rickert- Sure nbadraft.net does not agree but I saw John Gabriel at the University of Minnesota watching Rick play during practice, and he could be a better bigger version of Pat Garrity. But it is a long shot.


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## Yyzlin (Feb 2, 2003)

Who would Magic take if both Hinrich and Ridnour were available? Collison wouldn't be a bad pick as well.


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

What about the other kid, Barbosa. I read he is 6'3" with long arms and incredible athletic ability ... said he was damn good at handling the ball. Although from what I am seeing he is moving up an might be the 2nd PG taken after Ford.


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## Ben1 (May 20, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Yyzlin</b>!
> Who would Magic take if both Hinrich and Ridnour were available? Collison wouldn't be a bad pick as well.


I would get Ridnour..


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Battlestar</b>!
> 
> 
> I would get Ridnour..


I think we should go with Barbosa if he is there. Otherwise, Gaines. Then Hinrich, then Ridnour.

We dont need any defensive liabilities on the team. I think Ridnour would be one.


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## lw32 (May 24, 2003)

I believe that seeing as the Magic only have their 1st round pick at 15 we should be targeting a center or point guard. nbadraft.net has Marcus Banks at our spot, but I doubt that he will go so high in the draft, especially before Leandrinho Barbosa.

For our point guard problem, if we are stuck with our mid-level exception at 4.6 and our minimum at 1.2 obviously we will not be targeting the likes of Andre Miller & Gilbert Arenas as I am sure that their current teams would offer at least that amount. Antonio Daniels could be a fair catch, although there is probably more of an abundance at C & PF than at the 1 in Free Agency.

Looking at Free Agency the top tier of big men and points are out of our reach with the mid-level, so realisticly Brad Miller, Travis Best, possibly Alonzo Mourning, Kenny Anderson, PJ Brown, Kenny Thomas, Antonio Daniels and Scottie Pippen are all within our price range.
Alonzo Mourning - Will probably be re-signed with the Heat if there is anything left with him, and if not, obviously the Heat no more than the rest of the League and Gab should not go after another old center.
Brad Miller - I wasn't sure that he was a Free Agent, but realGM's site says he is, could be within our reach if the Pacers make a pitch to bring back O'Neal and Miller. Not sure whether the Pacers are willing to bring him back if it counts as luxury tax, but they should.
Travis Best - I would rather not sign him as he is not a player for our future at 31. Saving the money could be a better long-term solution, or possibly a one year deal for half of the mid-level.
Kenny Anderson - Another pg not for the future of this team, I don't believe any old players should be signed to longer than 1-2 year contracts. Anderson is 33, and has already seen his best years.
PJ Brown - The best pick-up out of our realistic chances, but could be a hard by because of the Lakers and other contenders interest. Orlando doesn't have the "instant championship" offer that the Lakers, Kings and Mavs carry, and they could offer PJ the same amount of money. Of course, Shinn won't be offering PJ a contract so if we could somehow persuade Brown to sign it would be a major plus. He is another old player though at 34.
Kenny Thomas - An undersized PF at 6'7 but he has shown with the Sixers that he can bang with the big boys. Held his own for the second half of the season and was consistent throughout the playoffs. Probably resigning with the Sixers as he is restricted and they should offer him the mid-level.
Antonio Daniels - With basically no playing time in Portland Daniels will definately be on the move. He isn't a pure point but he would solve our problem for the time being. Daniels still has a lot left in him. Probably the best pick, as he is a combo guard and could help with time at the 2 if we shift McGrady to the 3 for time during the season. Probably the best pick up currently.
Scottie Pippen - Old and probably done, but he could help this team with his leadership qualities and could share time at the point with a resigned Armstrong. A one year deal with a promise of a spot on management could get him to sign. Pippen would be a good presence, unlike some other "oldies" we have signed.

As for the draft, if we stay at our current # 15 position I believe that we should address our problem at pg because of the draft's depth at this position. I believe that we should draft Barbosa, Ridnour, Hinrich in that order. As for big men, obviously many are unknown but currently Schortsanitis, Collins, Podkolzine, Varejao and Austin could all be available at 15. This is of course if nobody serious takes a dive like Qyntel Woods and Caron Butler last year that could fall into our lap.

Leandrinho Barbosa - Obviously little is known about him before his work outs but supposedly he has lightning quickness and is a great athlete. At point guard we should target a good passer and scorer, as McGrady still needs help. Barbosa can't have a terrible shot if he can shot 57% from the field and 44% from behind the arc. He also can't be a terrible playmaker if he can make 7 assists in the Brazilian League. Obviously the NBA has better players, but Barbosa dominates Brazil and I believe could be our solution as a future point guard. The language could be a barrier, but it shouldn't be huge even if he is a point guard because he probably understands basketball terminology.
Sofoklis Schortsanitis - Hype is a funny thing, as Sofoklis was projected a top three pick earlier this year by nbadraft.net. It's reported he could have problems keeping down his weight, but at 6'10 and 280 pounds he could be a legitimate banger for us downlow. Considering that he is only 17 years old, he could still be growing (hopefully) and there will be no doubt that he is only 6'9. I still don't see a problem if he is 6'9 because he has the body to gobble up space in the paint, hopefully not like Oliver Miller and Shawn Kemp though. He is supposed to be a great offensive player and very agile. He can't be worse than Steven Hunter, as we can at least throw him at other teams without fearing he is to skinny. nbadraft.net says that Sofoklis has a great work-ethic as well, so hopefully he won't be hesitant to improve with Doc. Although Doc doesn't have the best record for developing our latest draft picks.

Marcus Moore and Reece Gaines should be passed on because it is unsure whether they will pan out to be 2 guards or points. They also remind me too much of Sasser, the ******* that kept us away from Tinsley and Parker. Although thats to Sasser's credit and Doc's disadvantage.


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

Good post. 

Most of the free agents you listed, like you said, wont really help us at all. 

I think it is possible we might try and pull something off to land Jermaine Oneal or Gil Arenas, but the chances of that happening are real slim.

PJ Brown is the best option we can handle, but like you said, he is going to have a lot of suitors.

Brad Miller would be an interesting pickup. He is a very good all-around center, especially in the East. I would think he would want to stay in Indiana, but if Oneal goes to SA, which I think he will, that team will stink anyways.

I agree on the draft, although I think we should go Barbosa, Hinrich, Gaines, Ridnour in that order.

Barbosa sounds like exactly what Orlando needs, but I think he is going to get scooped up before our pick. I think Gaines would be a decent pick ... he is said to have real PG skills, unlike Sasser, who believe it or not was known as a scorer in college.. not sure how, but he was. Sasser was a big mistake.

As for the big men, most of them a very risky, especially for an early pick. Sofoklis is said to actually be in the 6'8" range, which means he is probably great for PF, but not a center. And with Gooden, we really dont need another PF, we need a true center.

It is going to be a tough offseason. There arent a whole lot of great FA options in our price range, and the draft is a crap shoot.

At this points, my ideal sitaution would be drafting Barbosa, signing Brown or Miller, and bringing Mario Kasun over from Europe and hoping he has gotten better.

I would also really like to see Orlando get themselves a second round pick and take a gamble on a young big guy, like James Lang, Kendrick Perkins, Charlie Villenueva, Uche Nsonwu-Amadi ...
none of those guys could produce any less and Olumide Oyedeji, and they wouldnt cost much either.


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## lw32 (May 24, 2003)

I've somewhat lost faith in big pg's after Sasser's drafting. That must be considered one of Doc's biggest blunders, actually all of the drafts Doc has participated in haven't turned out too great. Most of our pics are either traded or not good enough. Shows you how good our scouting and evaluating is!

Most mock drafts have Barbosa falling to us at #15, and I hope that it happens. Although he could be a bust, I believe that with a wingspan of 6'10 for a pg he is worth the risk. To tell you the truth I haven't seen too much of Gaines game, I just have trouble believing someone 6'6 can play the point after Sasser. It's a mental thing. We could be in the same situation as we were in 2001 where with the 15th pick we chose the underachieving Steven Hunter. Any news on him lately, i still think he has a chance at turning into a solid reserve. As long as we keep any Magic personnel away from Chicago for the pre draft camps we should be ok.

The Magic should bring in some of the HS kids to test them. I don't think any of them would stick around if they see themselves as a second round pick, they would probably be scared of what happened to Cisse and Cooke. If the Magic find something special in Lang, Perkins or even Ebi, we could perhaps trade down a couple spots if they haven't impressed the whole league. I believe a risk on an unknown at 15 would be better than drafting a solid college vet at the moment. With all of the rocks we have hit lately we should soon find a diamond. I would support Doc 100% if he decided to trade down if Barbosa and Sofoklis are off the board before 15 to pick up one of the HS kids.

Nothing will really be found in Free Agency this year as they are all old veterans that are available. Maybe another one year contract for an old guy who can pass on some knowledge such as Pippen would be a plus. Otherwise I would not sign any of them for over a two year contract max.

Let's hope the Magic figure out some solution because I don't know if trading up is the answer, especially with all of the picks we are assured in the future. Perhaps we can return the Wizards pick and Garrity for Kwame. Who knows, but we shouldn't be trading up unless we get the 2nd pick for Milicic or Bosh.


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## lw32 (May 24, 2003)

Just browsing through some articles and it seems that Ebi is also a PF in the making. He seems a bit skinny at around 200 pounds but perhaps the Magic should give him a workout cause if he turns out to be a SF we would still be in need of one with Hill out. He has been predicted to be somewhat like a Scottie Pippen I read somewhere. Maybe that was my imagination, I think Doc should give looks at the HS kids and perhaps trade down for 2 picks if he can...


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## Spell Checker (Oct 3, 2002)

I think you guys really need a banger. Whether a Center or PF. You can never have enough big guys. You also need a point. Badly you don't need a SF or SG because those slots are covered with Tmac/Giricek. Barbosa will not be around. Hinrich, Sofoklis, one of the young bigs are definitely options for you guys here.


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## DownUnderWonder (May 27, 2003)

I honestly think that a PF should NOT be chased because Gooden will be special. On other boards they have compared him to Kenyon Martin without the passion. Face it, Orlando havent had a bonafide big man since the departure of shaq (and the magic had to get kemp 7 years too late). You get a STRONG centre and putting up with Sasser will be so much easier, because TMac will have someone realible to grab his misses...


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>mellamyne</b>!
> I honestly think that a PF should NOT be chased because Gooden will be special. On other boards they have compared him to Kenyon Martin without the passion. Face it, Orlando havent had a bonafide big man since the departure of shaq (and the magic had to get kemp 7 years too late). You get a STRONG centre and putting up with Sasser will be so much easier, because TMac will have someone realible to grab his misses...


If we were to sign PJ Brown or a guy like Dale Davis, they would be playing center in Orlando. Gooden's job at PF is his.


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## lw32 (May 24, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Dee Bo</b>!
> 
> 
> If we were to sign PJ Brown or a guy like Dale Davis, they would be playing center in Orlando.


The thing about PJ and Dale is that they are both hitting the ends of their careers, perhaps not as bad as Ewing and Kemp but they are getting there. I am sick of Gabe grabbing 30 year old big men, eventually we need to solve the problem and not hide it under a big piece of expired meat. 

Sofoklis, Barbosa and Badiane could all be nice picks. All three are projected to be taken around Orlando's pick. Personally I would go with Sofoklis because the only reason why he isn't higher is because teams have known about him for a while. Barbosa is falling because of his jumper, any news if Doc has brought him in for a workout? As for Badiane I really don't know too much about him, but from reading about his workout he seems like some beast. With the ability to add weight, unlike Hunter, but with athleticism. Ridnour is another possibility, but his stock has been dropping from bad workouts and an injury I believe. Boris Diaw could be a possibility, Hill would be the perfect tutor, but people saying he could be a point when he averaged 1.9 apg a year ago? Good defender though...

We've seen how quickly the draft can change, but as of now I am hoping the magic pick up Sofoklis with the 15th because I still believe in the guy...even if he wasn't just discovered.

By the way, anyone know who Doc has brought in, or is planning to bring in? And how many picks do we have in the future...we still have some GS and others don't we? And a Wizard...?


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## kapatain_drifter (Apr 28, 2003)

Yes yes I concur with Nba_Playa. 

Orlando cannot afford to go for a post player. With Gooden and a throw in at center, they are totally empty at PG. I reciprocate what PLaya says when he calls for Barbosa, but you gotta worry about Seattle snatching him up, even with his weak draft workout. Look for them to settle with a prototypical point guard like Luke Ridnour.

Look at all my fancy language.

With Hill's killer contract, and so many untradeable intangibles in the Magic lineup, I see little action for them this offseason, although they do seem to have cap space on hoopshype.com.


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