The Orlando Magic made major moves this week by reacquiring the multifaceted Hedo Turkoglu from the Phoenix Suns. The move marks Turkoglu’s return to the team he led to the 2009 NBA Finals only to lose at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Orlando dispatched Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, and Mickeal Pietrus to Phoenix in exchange for Turkoglu, Jason Richardson, and Earl Clark.

This deal is what a player such as Hedo Turkoglu desperately needed. He returns to where he had the most success and meaning as a player during in his career, a place where the fans loved him before, and will likely love him again.

Daddy is back in town guys, time to make the postseason matter again.

For Orlando this deal represents the franchise’s admission of failure in that they are reacquiring Hedo, a player they let walk after they should have paid him in the first place. He did lead them to the NBA Finals after all. You know, the place where every team wants to be, but only two lucky teams can go each season?

Hedo was a major reason Orlando performed well during the playoffs and even made the surge to the finals. He’s streaky but always has a knack for rising up in meaningful games.

Vince Carter has lost a step or two in recent years. He now joins another player who is undoubtedly on the decline, Steve Nash, to play together on a team in a tougher Western Conference. It’s hard to imagine that the two stars remain in Phoenix for the rest of the year.

Carter can post highly inflated stats playing out meaningless games as Phoenix tailspins into further futility, or he might find himself as the lone alpha dog surrounded by young new blood if Phoenix trades Nash to a team willing to give up enough for the Suns to make another move.

The winner in this trade is unquestionably the Orlando Magic.

The Magic get their catalyst back in Hedo, swap out Vince’s old knees and declining game for ultra-athletic Jason Richardson, and lose Marcin Gortat (and his whining for playing time) for a low risk high reward scenario in Earl Clark.

Mickeal Pietrus fits into this equation, but I am still not sure how, other than making the salaries work.

I believe that this deal could work out well for the Magic, and definitely more so for the Magic than it will the Suns. It’s hard to imagine that this would have happened if Steve Kerr still ran things for the Suns.

The Magic made a deal moving Rashard Lewis to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Gilbert Arenas that will also help Orlando. Orlando now has powerful offensive weapons in Arenas, Richardson, and likely a resurgent Hedo Turkoglu. They gain even more by means of subtraction in that they were able to ditch Lewis’ rediculously high contract to Washington.

Both trades in my opinion make the Magic stronger, however, in the bigger picture of the Eastern Conference, it won’t help them much in their attempt to get past Boston or Miami.

Chris Paul is unhappy in New Orleans. Over the past three years the Hornets have fired the coach CP3 loves and traded away his good friend Tyson Chandler. They are in complete dissaray. and based on the way the Hornets management has made their moves, who can blame CP3 for wanting to leave?

You can only take so much James.......

In light of what has been happening in Miami, CP3 is now letting it known he wants out of New Orleans. It is fair to say he was patient, and gave them plenty of opportunities to make something happen with the franchise, but it is quite clear that the Hornets failed to deliver.

Now the Hornets face the sad reality that Paul wants to be sent to a team with a future. He wants the New York Knicks, and has a short list of other teams he will play for that includes Orlando, Dallas, and Portland.

New York Knicks

Oddly enough, if the Knicks could make the play for Paul, they could have quite a turnaround season. Paul would fit well into an uptempo system with Amare Stoudemire. Young gun Danilo Galinari is like Peja on steroids, but unlike Peja, he also rebounds and plays defense a ton better.

Newly acquired Anthony Randolph could represent CP3s new alley oop partner, and that combo has thepotential to give birth to a new brand of basketball in Madison Square Garden.

Orlando Magic

CP3 could join Dwight Howard to be the best big man and little man combination in the league. Hard to see this happening though, unless the Magic can convince the Hornets to take on some more bad contracts in exchange for CP3. See: Emeka Okafur.

Who in their rightful mind woudl want Rashard Lewis or Vince Carter at this point in either of their careers? Odds are one of these guys, if not both, would be packaged into the deal to make this happen. Can’t see the Hornets allowing that to happen.

Dallas Mavericks

Look for Mark Cuban to do everything in his power to make this happen. Paul is the caliber of player Cuban needs to put around Dirk Nowitski in order to give the Mavericks a chance to make something happen in the west this season.

Can you imagine the damage CP3 could cause as a Maverick. The tutelage he would recieve from Jason Kidd, and having Kidd as a backup gives Dallas a disctinct advantage at the PG position. Kidd as areserve would create the most dangerous second unit in all the NBA.

Portland Trail Blazers

There have been murmurs of CP3 being coveted by Portland for years now. Out of all the teams on Paul’s list, the Blazers have enough desirable assets to help facilitate this trade.

Rudy Fernandez, fan favorite and oft under-used, is unhappy in Portland. The Blazers have 3 starter-caliber centers in Greg Oden, Marcus Camby, and Joel Przybilla. All three have great trade value.

They also have PG Andre Miller.

A package with Andre Miller, Przybilla, Rudy Fernandez and could very easily work in matching the numbers. Portland would also be willing to take a bad salary back like that of none other than: Emeka Okafur. Sorry, it’s just too hard not to pick on that contract.

At the end of the day, when you look at all of these teams, Portland seems to be the best fit for making CP3′s desire for immediate title contention into a reality.

Pairing  Chris Paul with Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, and Marcus Camby gives the Blazers the best squad to contend for a title. The Blazers are also the only team with enough quality assets to have the largest potential impact after a trade.

Orlando, Dallas, and New York would all have to give up too much talent to get Cp3, inevitably thinning their roster to their own detriment.

The Boston Celtics are on a serious roll right now. After destroying LeBron James’ Cavaliers while simultaneously ripping out the hearts of Cleveland fans, it is apparent after 2 games of the Easter Conference Finals that the Celtics are the team rising up and and on their way into the NBA Finals for the second time in 3 years.

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Boston suffered during the playoffs last year as they were riddled by injuries. This year Boston wisely played it safe towards the end of the regular season, riding out some rough nights in order to rest the walking wounded. Pundits began questioning their ability, but the Celtics stuck to their plan and to their core players, only adding some reserves, and it is paying dividends in the post season.

The same cannot be said for the Orlando Magic. Orlando allowed Hedo Turkoglu to walk away while shipping out defensive sensation Courtney Lee and veterans Tony Battie, and Rafer Alston (The one player who actually could have led them to victory in my opinion. Dude was on fire, and led them to the Finals, only to lose his job to the coming off the injury Jameer Nelson. I still believe to this very day that Van Gundy should have been fired for that move.) for Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson.

The philosophical difference regarding roster moves can be best taken in while analyzing the result of game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Doc Rivers had his front court burn through fouls on Dwight Howard the same way Antoine Walker spends money: plentifully and not thinking about tomorrow. Although Howard was effective, Boston’s team defense held Orlando’s other starters not named Howard to a meager 30.9% from the field. The remaining Magic, bench included,  shot a total of 19-58, good for 32%. Yikes.

You will unquestionably lose to a team as defensively sound as Boston shooting a percentage like that. It is critical in order to hang with Boston that you maximize your points for possessions.

Meanwhile Boston shot 45% from the field as a team which will usually lead to victory when your team is great on defense. Even though Kevin Garnett didn’t shoot well, he played well defensively. He found ways, other than scoring, to have impact the game.

Not to discredit Orlando, but these shooting figures clearly indicate just how tough and together Boston is right now. They fought for rebounds while keeping Howard to single digits figures in rebounding. Howard can usually sneeze a double double, but he was beaten mightily on the glass during game 2.

Game 1, half-man. Game 2, half-invisible.

Vince Carter’s atrocious shooting during game 2 devastated Orlando’s offense not unlike the depleted ozone layer is devastating our planet: 5-15 shooting, 16 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist. He did more harm than good, and jsut like the ozone, if something is not done about trying to reverse this soon, everyone wearing a Magic jerseyis in big trouble.

Carter did have 3 steals, but those were negated by the 3 turnovers. His poor performance was a major fallout from his solid performance in game 1 where he shot 50% from the field, scoring 23 points with 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

Wasn’t Carter supposed to be the messiah that pushed Orlando over the top in the Eastern Conference like a Sylvester Stallone semi-illegal arm wrestling move?

Is it safe to say Carter was pretty much owned by Orlando in game 2?

What the heck happened?

Has Boston figured out how to shut Carter down? If so, how does Orlando try to avoid being swept?

When Jameer Nelson is held to 4 assists, and Carter can muster up only 1, Orlando has to be missing those 5 assists and 5 rebounds a game Hedo Turkoglu averaged during the playoffs last year.

All hindsight aside, why would you tinker with a lineup that got you into the NBA Finals?

Somewhere out there in the world Hedo Turkoglu is recovering from a cold while partying in a nightclub, after watching these games, drinking expensive cocktails while thinking to himself that no matter how bad his year was, Orlando must know they were better off with him.

Turkoglu’s versatile game creates mismatches capable of poking holes in the strongest of defenses, and as a 6’10″ passer he allowed Orlando to more aptly explore these mismatches. He integrated well within their system, and helped Orlando by repeatedly stepping up during clutch moments, eventually leading the Magic to the NBA Finals last year.

Will Carter rise up to the occasion in Game 3 in Boston, or will he be owned once more?

Vince Carter claimed in article by the Orlando Sentinel that he is not concerned about being inducted into the Hall of Fame. He’s a scoring machine. A natural talent. Arguable the world’s greatest dunker of all time. But none of these intangible qualities that Carter possesses has ever lead to any significant results in the win column during the post season. You know, the part of the season that matters most? The part of a career that basically decides if you are worthy for the Hall of Fame or not.

When asked about his chances at making the Hall of Fame without a winning a ring, Carter (for no apparent reason whatsoever) throws Charles Barkley under the bus stating “I don’t know. I don’t think so. If I’m not mistaken, Charles Barkley got in.”

Vince has got to be kidding. Barkley made it to the NBA finals, and lost to the greatest NBA player of all time, Michael Jordan. Has Vince ever advanced out of the second round of the playoffs? Nope. Huge difference in Hall of Fame qualifications right there.

Are we going to try to win tonight? (Credit: picapp.com)

The main flaw in Carter’s interview, what truly represents the meat of the matter with this discrepancy, is that he says he would like to “try” to win a championship:

“I’ll just finish my career and hopefully, at the end of the day, it’s good enough. I don’t play the game for that reason. It’s an honor, but before that happens, I’d like to try to win a championship.”

What great players, hall of fame inductees, all stars, etc, have ever said they would like to “try” to win a championship? Most winners will say, straight away, that they want to win the championship. Nothing else matters to them.

You think Kevin Garnett is going to forget this quote come playoff time? That quote will be posted in the Celtics locker room somewhere, feeding the frenzy for the Celtics. Would LeBron say he wants to try to win a ring? How about Kobe? These guys will taunt Vinsanity the moment he steps on the floor.

“Hey Vince, you guys going to try to win tonight?”

This kind of comment would never be uttered by a true winner. Not even by mistake. Winners don’t let up, ever.

It is like Vince Carter is mailing it in before he has even played a single playoff game for the Magic. Already setting the table for failure. He has already committed the cardinal sin of basketball while once in his career while in Toronto, admitting he did not put forth his best effort to give his team a chance to win.

Should Vince Carter be a member of the Hall of Fame? Absolutely not. He should be in the “Hall of Lame”, for not giving it his all every time he walked on the court? Absolutely!

Should every Orlando Magic fan brace themselves for a major failure by Vince come playoff time?

It is likely he might “try,” but trying is not good enough to cut it in the NBA. Boston or Cleveland will not try, they will win. Sorry Orlando, but Carter has set the table early.

I hope you can still “try” to like Carter after Orlando is eliminated in the playoffs.

The Orlando Magic (17-5) experienced a blowout loss in Salt Lake City last night. After scoring 60 first half points, Utah closed the gap, and with their confidence thriving, held off the Magic 120-111. They are in Phoenix tonight to face of against the Suns (15-7), who have recently not faired well out on the road, dropping 4 out of the last 5. The game airs live at 10:30 PM EST on ESPN.

For Phoenix, heading back home is a blessing. The Suns have already played a league high 15 road games this season, and the wear and tear has been showing lately. Even though Nash and company will not admit it, their exhaustion has led to losses by large margins to New York (126-99), Cleveland (107-90) and the Lakers (108-88).

Phoenix is coming into this game on two days rest and those 2 days are huge for veterans Nash, Grant Hill, and Amare Stoudemire.

Orlando has showed it has been tough to beat on the road going 2 of 3 on their recent road trip. Those 2 victories were against the Clippers and Warriors. Dwight Howard played his usual game and Vince Carter dropped in 34 last night. However, it could not offset a combined 2 points from Jason Williams and Michael Pietrus. Orlando must get more output from all of their starters to win tonight.

Ryan Anderson had 20 points and 10 rebounds the last time these teams matched up in Orlando on November 4^th.

Will Orlando have the energy on back to backs? (Credit: Picapp.com)

The question will is: Can the Magic perform at a high enough level on back-to-back road games against two tough Western Conference teams? Utah methodically used their disciplined offensive system leading to Deron Williams exploding with 32 points and 15 assists.

Steve Nash had mediocre numbers the last time they played Orlando. Jason Richardson and Grant Hill were both held scoreless during the game. Phoenix lost 122-100.To make matters worse for the Suns, the Magic beat them without Rashard Lewis while he was serving his 10-game suspension to start the season.

With Jameer Nelson on the shelf due to his knee injury, Nash will duel it out with Jason Williams. It will be interesting to see how Nash and his Suns fair tonight against the Magic.

This Thanksgiving Day match up pits teams with identical records (11-3) against each other at 8:00 PM ET at Philips Arena, broadcasting live on TNT.

The Hawks have a chance to show the nation how it can perform against the defending Eastern Conference Champs. The winning team takes sole possession of first in the Southeast Division, making this game the most important of this young season.

I'm calm, no seriously, I am not about to freak out or anything… (Credit:picapp.com)

Orlando (5-2) has the better road record than Atlanta (4-3) and is taking a 5-game winning streak into Atlanta tomorrow. This should help the new and improved, calmer, Stan Van Gundy continue to keep his newfound cool.

Atlanta had their 7 game winning streak snapped when they lost in New Orleans last Saturday. This can be accredited to the amazing play by Hornets’ rookies Marcus Thornton and Darren Collison.

It will be interesting to see how the Hawks match up against the Magic. Here is a position by position breakdown featuring which team has the advantage:

1. Jason Williams vs. Mike Bibby (Advantage: ATL)
2. Vince Carter vs. Joe Johnson (Advantage: ATL)
3. Michael Pietrus vs. Marvin Williams (Advantage: ORL)
4. Rashard Lewis vs. Josh Smith (Advantage: ORL)
5. Dwight Howard vs. Al Horford (Advantage: ORL)

This game will satisfy the most insatiable cravings of NBA appetites. You will have tons of outside shooting, powerful play in the paint, and of course we can all wait to see if Stan Van Gundy implodes. This game will have tons of rough play and many hard fouls.

What the? Stan is actually pretty calm. This really scares me. (Credit: picapp.com)

This is a must watch game. Tomorrow you will be surrounded with good food and great people, and have the opportunity to watch the most important game of the year thus far. Have a drumstick and beer in hands, and make sure to get your fill of food and NBA action.

Enjoy your thanksgiving, and make sure to not miss this Game of the Week!

This past week we have seen Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva join Detroit.

Ron Artest took a pay cut and is hoping to get his first ring playing for the world champion Lakers.

Hedo Turkoglu reneged on a Portland offer, selecting the Raptors instead.

Rasheed Wallace is now alongside Kevin Garnett in Boston.

Trevor Ariza maxed out his contract value and is Houston-bound.

And Finally, Jason Kidd is staying in Dallas instead of going to New York.

The free agent signings become official today, the first day that players are allowed to ink their verbal agreements. There are more deals to come involving free agents, and it is going to be interesting to see where everyone ends up.

We here at Protect the Paint will list some of the rumors/moves involving the available free agents.

REMAINING FREE AGENTS

Lamar Odom

Odom might be hugging members of the Blazers soon. (Credit: daylife.com)

Lamar Odom doesn’t seem to be thinking repeat. Instead he and his agent want to be shown the money in the neighborhood of $10 million per season. Odom appears to be going the Trevor Ariza route, cashing in elsewhere now that he has the ring. He sacrificed his stats to win and now wants to sign with a team that could offer him a starting position and big bucks. Should have a different address in 2009-10. The Blazers are reportedly interested. Championship experience on an up and coming squad never hurts.

Andre Miller

Looks like Miller is heading to Portland. Gives the Blazers the floor general they lacked last season and gives Miller a chance to win. Good match all the way around.

Brandon Bass

Bass would make a mistake going to Detroit. (Credit: ocregister.com)

Bass could be staying in Dallas, heading to Orlando, or possibly ending up in Detroit. It makes absolutely no sense for him to sign with the Pistons. With rumors circulating of Carlos Boozer being shipped there for Rip Hamilton, and Charlie Villanueva signing a 5-year deal, he would essentially be the third option at power forward. The Magic need help up front. Orlando would be a good fit.

Antonio McDyess

McDyess could get a ring if he heads to San Antonio. (Credit: ugplay.com)

McDyess is leaning towards San Antonio in the most recent rumor involving the veteran which would provide more depth in the Spurs front court. He’s a solid shooter and depenable on the glass averaging 9.6 ppg and 9.8 rpg last year for the Pistons. The Spurs would have a solid 1-2 post punch with McDyess and Tim Duncan giving them the size to contend with the Lakers huge frontline.

Marcin Gortat

Marcin Gortat is going to get paid big bucks this summer. (Credit: mlive.com)

Most likely headed to Dallas. We’ll see how he responds to more minutes and more responsibility. This is a huge loss for Orlando who now have lost the majority of their front line not named Dwight Howard–Tony Battie via the Vince Carter deal, Hedo Turkoglu to free agency, and Gortat. The Magic better hope Ryan Anderson is as good as Pat Williams thinks he will be.

Grant Hill

Hill should go to a contender rather than a pretender. (Credit: offsideswithfletcher.com)

There are rumors of Hill heading to the the Knicks. Finally healthy, his game resurfaced playing with Phoenix. He appeared in all 82 games for the Suns last season. It’s unfortunate that he would want to make the move to New York, especially when he could most likely ink himself onto another team with better chances of winning a title. Seems like he and fellow 1994 co-ROY Jason Kidd have more in common then we thought: Take the money, not the chance for a championship ring.

Channing Frye

Frye could play minutes that matter for the Cavs. (Credit: nike.com)

Frye is very interested in signing with Cleveland. The guy has been marred with the “wrong place, wrong time” syndrome during his career. He was buried behind David Lee in New York and then behind LaMarcus Aldridge in Portland. If Cleveland loses Anderson Varajao, Frye will have an immediate chance for big minutes at power forward for the Cavs. This is a good opportunity for both sides. Frye has showed he has a lot of game and could be a late bloomer if given the chance.

This past Thursday, Hedo Turkoglu–who opted out in Orlando after vastly improving his stock during the Magic’s run to the finals–announced he would sign a fat deal with the Portland Trailblazers, good for $50 million over 5 years. Sounds good.

Then on Friday, Turkoglu reneged on this agreement to come to the pacific northwest and decided to head about as far north as you can go in the NBA to the Toronto Raptors for $53 million over 5 years. Either way, these two offers for Hedo dwarf the Orlando offer ($35 million over 4 years).

The $3 million more Toronto is offering–which is nothing to sneeze at–may have more to do with placating Mrs. Turkoglu than anything else?

In Portland, Hedo would have joined All-Star Brandon Roy on the up and coming team in the super-competitive Western Conference. Instead, Hedo opted to join a far weaker Toronto Raptors team as part of Bryan Colangelo’s last ditch effort to retain Chris Bosh past 2010. Winning doesn’t appear to be priority number one for Hedo.

Hedo is joining a weaker team in a weaker division for $3 million more (Credit: streetball.com)

In being outbid for Hedo by teams with more cash to spend, and opting to allow Courtney Lee go in the deal that brought Vince Carter to Florida, Orlando has now lost two vital cogs in the rotation that got them to the finals. As a result, the Magic become slower and older. Rarely the elixir for NBA success.

Protect the Paint will now view the pros and cons of Turkoglu selecting Toronto over Portland.

PROS

Hedo's passing skills will be useful for Toronto (Credit: sportsagentblog.com)

Hedo is an amazing passer/ball-handler for a guy his size. There are very few 6’10” players who can drop in 20 points and 10+ assists on any given night. Hedo is one of the few.

Turkoglu will instantaneously make life easier on Chris Bosh. The floor spacing of Hedo, Jose Calderon, and Andrea Bargnani should allow Bosh to have more of an impact late in games when it really matters. Look for a huge spike in production and desire out of a rejuvenated Bosh. No one knows if this will this be enough to keep in him in Canada for years to come, but you have to give the Raptors’ front office and A for effort.

Turkoglu is one of the best at finishing games and his play in the 4th quarter should dramatically help Toronto in close games.

Brandon Roy almost had Turkoglu at his side (Credit: nike.com)

CONS

Adding Turkoglu to the team almost certainly results in Toronto not being able to retain Shawn Marion–a tireless rebounder and full of hustle. This results in the Raptors becoming a much weaker rebounding team.

Boozer started the trend of breaking verbal agreements (Credit: nike.com)

Turkoglu’s reputation takes a hit here. Hedo is now the latest to pull off a Carlos Boozer. It’s not quite the same scenario. Boozer was let of a deal and then hosed the Cavs. Hedo opted out. He’ll say he didn’t use the Blazers offer as leverage for something better. We’ll never know for sure.

Hedo will take extra money and justify it by saying he can be in a more international, multi-cultural city. Although there may be a Turkish community up there, there is no Championship-caliber basketball team. This indicates where Hedo’s head and heart are, or maybe better put, where they’re not–not concerned with winning. If they were, he would choose Portland by a landslide. Gotta keep the wife happy though.

SYNOPSIS

Hedo’s arrival in Toronto will result in a 7-8 playoff seed. That’s better than last year, but it is doubtful they will go any further as they will lose Marion, Anthony Parker, and possibly more in order to pay his salary, in addition to stockpiling the money needed to resign Bosh. The Raptors are now good enough to get in the playoffs, but will be ‘one and done’ once they get there as rebounding and tough defense keeps you alive in the post-season.

Bosh will have 1 year with Turkoglu to decide to stay in Toronto (Credit: cbcnews.com)

Bosh will not be able to carry this load. He will be frustrated his team won’t advance past the first round, and sign elsewhere (in America) in 2010. At least Hedo will have his international city, and Turkish community, and oh yeah, the $53 Million. That kind of coin always helps ease the sting of losing.

Seems like Portland managed to dodge the bullet of signing a player more focused on money and living situation over winning.

Click here to vote for the best free agent move of the summer!

The Orlando Magic  rose out of the Southeast division into the NBA finals this year. The possible return of Josh Childress to Atlanta (they still have his rights as a restricted free agent), roster moves made by Miami, and the future of Hedo Turkoglu’s free agency ventures all will factor into this summers moves.

There is plenty of  room for teams to rise and fall in this division. If Washington starts the season healthy they are Protect the Paint’s choice to have the biggest turnaround year, possibly turning a 19 win last season into a 50 win season.

Jordan Hill’s game would be a nice fit in Washington. (Credit: ESPN)

Washington Wizards (19-63)  With the  #5 pick  Jordan Hill or James Harden looks like the most promising for the Wizards. Adding someone with size and or scoring ability is a good contingency plan for an injury riddled roster.

At the 32 pick it is not too far-fetched to see someone like Patrick Mills or Darren Collison being  selected for additional depth at PG. This might be a wise choice as Gilbert Arenas’ knee is an unknown factor.

Charlotte Bobcats (35-47)  Charlotte is stacked at the forward position. They should focus to find smart, athletic and defensive minded guards that can play for Larry Brown. With the 12th pick look to see Charlotte selecting Jrue Holiday, Jonny Flynn, or Terrance Williams.

It is a possibility that Raymond Felton Leaves leaving the Bobcats with DJ Augustine and little else at the point. This philosophy should hold up with the 40th pick as well, and North Carolina Tarheels’ Wayne Ellington and Danny Green could be available this deep.

Ty Lawson is a champion in the NCAA. Can that translate to the NBA? (Credit: themixtapemonster.com)

Atlanta Hawks (47-35) In a deep draft for guards, a PG reserve for Mike Bibby would not be bad with both  the 19th and 49th pick. Marvin Williams and Josh Childress are restricted free agents.

Rumors for Josh Smith being moved also can play into Atlanta moving up in draft order.  With people worrying Ty Lawson might be injury prone, look for him to still be available at pick 19.

Joe Ingles could surprise the NBA (Credit: draftexpress.com)

Miami Heat (43-39) holds the 43rd and 60th (via Indiana). Vastly improved with a rejuvenated Dwyane Wade. The heat must ask if Mario Chalmers is the long term answer at the point, and if Michael Beasley is a more natural fit at the 3. The Heat could look for a big like Joe Ingles or Josh Heytvelt.

If all quality bigs are gone by pick #60, look for Miami to have another “steal of the draft” type Guard in Jodie Meeks or international players Rodrigue Beaubois (France), Nando De Colo (France), or Patrick Beverly (Ukraine).

Orlando Magic (59-23) Orlando has no picks in this years draft and will make retaining free agent Hedo Turkoglu their main objective. Look to see potential trades involving Rafer Alston including picks or future picks. Other than that, the Magic stand pat (no pun intended, Pat Williams)

Kobe Bryant wins his 4th NBA Championship (photo by AP)

At the start of Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Orlando, we expected to see the Magic come out of the gate like gangbusters. Dwight Howard’s claim of a game 6 led us to expect fighting, clawing, and intimidation in forcing their way  into a game 6 at the Staples center.

In reality, the Orlando Magic played as if they did not want to fly west.

Kobe Bryant had a compelling all around game with 30 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 4 blocked shots. His supporting cast played wonderfully. Odom scored 17 points, Ariza had 15, Gasol 14 and 15 rebounds, and Fisher, whose clutch 3s in Game 4 lifted L.A., finished with 13 points.

Orlando started the game matching the Lakers pace, but  faltered in the second quarter being outscored 30-18 by the Lakers.

At the start of the second half the Magic were unable to gain ground. Orlando showed some fight, but costly turnovers  were then converted by the Lakers and defused Orlando’s chances at a run. It became apparent things were going the Lakers way in the 3rd.

Due to Dwight Howard’s limited offensive repertoire, the big and athletic Howard was called for an offensive foul  with 7:12 left to play. Lamar Odom then converted a high arching 3 from the corner which squandered and deflated the Orlando Magic.

The Lakers then rolled over the Magic, basically matching Orlando bucket for bucket until the buzzer sounded in an otherwise unexciting 4th quarter.

Mark Jackson of ESPN brought up a very intelligent point during the fourth, directed towards Dwight Howard:

“If I am Dwight Howard…..after this game…… I am going to seek out a big man camp”

Dwight Howard needs to learn more than a dunk. (Photo AP)

Truer words could not have been spoken. Dwight Howard must realize the short comings of his game. How hard can it be to develop  a 10-15 foot jump shot, or even a baby hook?

I am sure we have all had that friend, who tries to play a pick up game after never playing ball before.  You watch them, the form of the shot is horrible, and  no real clue or basketball sense.  Time passes, and that person does get better. Some eventually become actually fairly decent.

How is it that a kid who gets paid gobs of cash with nothing but free time does not use his time to develop an all around game?

Andrew Bynum  adhered to a work regimen after Kobe Bryant called him out, and he has a ton of moves now.  Beset by injuries over the past couple seasons, he still has a leg up on Howard’s offensive sets.

Maybe it is time these players are paid less cash. Reflecting upon the old Lakers and Celtics rivalries, and further back, we see how players cared more about winning and losing. Players refined their games.

Nowadays  players would rather make predictions in the media while drinking vitamins, spending the off season stroking a superman cape preparing for the photo shoot to be on the cover of NBA Live 2010.

It would be nice if there was time for learn some jump hooks, an elbow jumper, and perhaps a few other valuable fundamental elements for the game of Basketball.