http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...vLYF?slug=aw-barnes072109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns I'd say the Orlando Magic have had a terrific offseason after letting the idiot Hedo go. And Barnes really came for cheap... I always liked his game. Vince Carter Brandon Bass Matt Barnes Ryan Anderson Matched offer sheet to Marcin Gortat Magic have done a great job, and shown they're willing to spend for a title.
Yes, but they won't grow. Their GM probably doesn;t like his guys. Barnes wouldn't have helped us, but it's still just amazing to see most every other team go out and try to improve their roster while we get nothing done.
Portland didn't lose a starter or main cog like Orlando did and they dealt a decent rookie. I think it's very debatable whether the Magic have improved their roster over last year. At this point I'd put Portland's chances of improving their record over last year ahead of Orlando's. STOMP
How did they not improve? In terms of value/production (regardless of positions): Carter > Hedo R. Anderson = C.Lee Bass >> Battie Barnes = Alston
Who was the person on here that said Barnes is as good at Ariza? They must think this is an amazing signing.
They also lost Courtney Lee. Lee is better now and has a better future than both Bass and Barnes. I agree with Stomp. We havent lost anyone (Frye/Sergio dont count) and we gain Webster and a guy named Oden who should be much more effective.
Webster....really....You too BB? What in the world has Webster done to make people think he is going to help out team so much? Where is he going to play, and who's minutes is he going to take? Anderson is as good as Lee is I think too.
^^ I have faith in Webster. If he can stay healthy (big IF), then I think he'll be very effective and help us win a few more games. He'll take Outlaws minutes. He can play better D than Outlaw, rebound MUCH better than Outlaw, and has a much higher bball IQ than Outlaw. Saying Anderson is as good as Lee is crazier then any of us having faith in Webster. Lee has proven he's a very solid NBA player / starter. Anderson hasnt proven anything... yet.
8 pts/1 asst/2 rbnds isn't a very solid NBA player to me, but ok. Here are the per 36 minute stats of Travis last year, and Martell the year before, when he was healthy. I am not sure why you think Martell is a MUCH better rebounder. Travis, who sucks, also has a higher offensive rating and defensive rating than Webster. I just don't get the love for him. He scored 24 points in a quarter against Utah. That's it. Code: Rk Player Season Age G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS 1 Travis Outlaw 2008-09 24 81 6 2246 6.2 13.6 .453 1.4 3.8 .377 2.8 3.9 .723 1.1 4.2 5.3 1.3 0.8 0.9 1.5 2.7 16.6 2 Martell Webster 2007-08 21 75 70 2132 4.7 11.1 .422 2.1 5.4 .388 2.1 2.8 .735 0.9 4.1 5.0 1.5 0.7 0.5 1.4 2.7 13.5
Outlaw is 3 years older and has a ton more NBA experience. Give Martell 3 healthy years of NBA action and he'll put up better #'s than Travis, IMO.
So Matt barnes improves their roster, but Martell can't help out ours? Ok. Damn, look how green that grass is. Pretty.
The magic are in win now mode. The Blazers are in win when it's convenient to Vulcan's bottom line mode...Just kidding. sort of. I mean the Bass signing is pretty sweet I gotta say.
Magic: Nelson/Johnson/Lue Pietrus/Reddick Carter/Barnes Lewis/Anderson/Bass Howard/Gortat Honestly that's not a bad lineup at all. I would be a bit concerned because now they're a bit too front-loaded in the front court with Howard/Gortat/Bass all being interior players. Orlando worked due to the pick-and-roll and because they had 4-three point shooters on the floor at all times (which made it impossible to double Howard), although they did use Howard and Gortat together for stretches in the playoffs. Now, when that happens, I wouldn't be surprised to see lineups where Carter slides to the 2, Lewis to the 3 and then perhaps Bass at the 4 with Howard/Gortat at the 5. But given his production in the playoffs, Orlando clearly feels that Pietrus is ready to be a starter (he was originally last year before he got hurt anyways). They get a good backup in Anderson who plays a similar role to Lewis (and they could play together). And Barnes is a great signing. He's a decent defender and can hit the open 3, which is what made him effective in Golden State and Phoenix. If Carter or Pietrus get hurt, Barnes can step up and play the spot-starter role very easily in my mind. The advantage is that they're very versatile, with many players who can play both wing positions (SG, SF = Carter, Pietrus) or can play the SF and PF (Lewis, Anderson, Barnes). Add that with their solid bigs and good performance from Nelson, and you can see why they are expected to have another very good year ahead. I think they've probably had the best off-season, in my opinion. Especially considering they lost Hedo to FA and yet have made moves to bolster their bench and remain extremely competitive.
Martell has no spot on this team. that's the difference. Batum and Outlaw are both equal to if not better than Martell is right now. Cunningham showed that he has decent promise as well. Webster's career averages have stayed all but flat his first three years. The reason he helps them more is because he fills a needs. He is also a much better passer, defender and rebounder than Martell is.
It is an excellent signing. They are different players, but to get Barnes for that cheap, definitely an excellent addition.
The magic have two PFs in Bass and Anderson, which likely slides Rashard Lewis to SF, Vince Carter to SG, Pietrus backing them both up, as well as JJ Reddick. So there isn't really a spot for him there either. They have the same minutes crunch that we would, if not more. So again, I don't see where he is a big help to their roster, and it's a laughable position to think Martell will help us at all.
This we agree on I know it was a typo. Sure Martell will help us, but the people in here saying we don't need an upgrade because we have Martell coming back need their heads examined.
