Well, I think you explained it in what you said (and I said it too, earlier). They were unwilling to go into luxury tax territory for Turkoglu. That doesn't mean going into luxury tax territory for other players is contradictory. Just means they didn't feel Turkoglu was worth doing so for.
I don't know. If I had Dwight Howard, I'd spend my $50-60M on Turk and a CBA big rather than Gortat and Bass.
Why, when you can get Carter? Vince Carter is still much better than Turkoglu has ever been. And Carter is on a shorter contract. Bass and Gortat are both young enough to be valuable players for a long time. Turkoglu might be a valuable player for only two to three more years (and "valuable" means around average). If Orlando felt that Turkoglu's cost way exceeded his value due to hype, I'd agree with that evaluation. Considering they ended up with an even better wing, they didn't hurt themselves by letting him go and locked in a good starting power forward and their own "Przybilla" to assure that their defense doesn't suffer much when Howard rests. Gortat is basically a Dwight Howard Lite...a very good team and individual defender, a great rebounder and very adept at catching and converting on pick & rolls. Considering how much Orlando's offense and defense is built around Howard, it's very valuable for them to be able to bring in a similar type of player when he rests. I'd call that a very wise spending spree.
Carter's last year of his deal is only partially guaranteed, I think only to the tune of $4MM. It's going to be one of those "super-expiring" deals. It's one of the reasons I wanted to use RLEC on it, not to mention the two first round picks we would have also gotten. I love the moves the Magic have made this offseason.
They became much more expensive, though, and there's no guarantee they improved on an already very successful model. The notion of keeping the window open doesn't make much sense when they dumped an important piece in getting them to the Finals. If the success continues, it's a new window to some degree... What are the odds they win a title over LA/Cleveland/Boston? I'd wager pretty slim. In which case, they spent a lot more money for no greater likelihood of winning.
An overrated piece, in my opinion. I think if you reach the Finals with a certain roster, and then upgrade that roster, you're upgrading the quality of your "window." You can call it a "new window" if you want, but my point is that money spent is more impactful when you're on the verge of winning it all. Winning the championship versus losing in the Finals is a small difference in talent but a massive difference in importance, both in terms of athletic goals and revenues. Or at least, it makes a big difference to revenues in baseball to win a championship, in terms of ticket sales and all in subsequent years. In basketball, I'm not entirely sure, since some teams often sell out every game anyway. But since ticket prices can be raised and there's merchandise, I'd guess that it's a big difference in basketball, too.
That is a matter of opinion... Personally, I think the single most important aspect of Orlando's offense is two 6'10" to 6'11" guys on the perimeter, both creating big mismatches with their ability to catch and shoot or put it on the floor. Vince might be better than Hedo, but he's a much more conventional match up. Dealing with him and Lewis is much easier than dealing with Hedo and Lewis, in my opinion. That's the beauty of opinions...
Gortat is Howard insurance. He filled in nicely for him last year. I watched some games in which Gortat got extensive minutes. It sucks for him, because no doubt he wants a larger role so he can develop. I don't know what else the Magic would have done for a back-up if it didn't re-sign him.
Of course. I even said "in my opinion" in that quote. If you don't feel Turkoglu was an overrated part of that team, or you don't feel a 5 year, $50 million deal would be overpaying him, then our analysis will diverge. My main point, though, was that there's nothing contradictory about choosing not to pay Turkoglu and then choosing to pay other players. It's not that they "weren't in spend mode" and now "are in spend mode." It's that they picked and chose what to spend on. You may disagree with their choices, but it isn't contradictory or a change of direction, necessarily.
Gortat will have no impact on their championship aspirations. He'll either get spare minutes or if Dwight goes down for a significant period, Orlando is done. I heard they might trade him though which would make much more sense. They should get some more insurance for Nelson if they want to go that route. He got injured for quite some time on what appeared to be little contact. He's had some injury trouble for a few years.
