I was thinking about this the other day when I was playing ESPN NBA 2K4 on PS2, there are a lot of players that were on the Magic that I wish they had kept because they turned into something decent. I'm not talking about the obvious players here (Shaq, Ben Wallace, Chucky Atkins), but players that did well for the Magic but were just shipped off to somewhere else. Thought this might be interesting since I'd like to know what other hardcore Magic fans think. I've been watching them since they first came out and my list is a bit long. 1. Rony Seikaly - I never understood why we traded this guy, he filled the slot that Shaq left pretty decently and wanted to stick with the Magic so badly that he even threatened to not take the physical for the team that he was traded to. He was awesome and I wish we had kept him. 2. Corey Maggette - This guy is something special. He's athletic, he's exciting and he probably hasn't even reached his potential yet. I remember I was at one Magic game and he came off the bench and one time down the court, Darrell Armstrong dished him the ball and he dunked the ball over two guys. I'll never forget that dunk and when the Magic traded him, I couldn't help but wonder why. All they got in return was Keyon Dooling and a future 1st round draft pick. 3. Nick Anderson - I know that I'm going to catch a lot of criticism for this one, but I think that Nick Anderson was quite possibly one of the best things to ever happen to the Magic franchise. He was the first player we ever drafted and he performed solidly for us for 10 years. A lot of people forget that before Shaq, this guy was our best player, period. I would have liked to see the Magic keep this guy for another couple years like he wanted, had him retire and have the Magic retire his number. If anyone deserves to have it retired as of now, it's him. But instead, we traded him and a couple months later, some other player (I forget who) was wearing #25. Anderson was pissed and there was an article about it in the paper, but the Magic dismissed it pretty quickly and said that they wouldn't retire his number. 4. Mike Miller - Not much to say on this one. The Magic should have never traded this guy, I don't care if we did get Drew Gooden for him, this guy was Rookie of the Year and could have easily either started for the Magic or came off the bench every night and given us 15 points easy. He was an outside threat - something the Magic lacked last year - and played solid defense. Not extremely athletic, but he could've done a lot here. 5. Tyronn Lue - I know that I'm probably the only guy here who likes this guy, but I think that he did a good job last year at the point for playing on the squad that he was. He is a bit undersized, but can score given the opportunity and I really think that if the Magic didn't have Jameer Nelson, that he would have done well for the Magic off the bench. I guess I'll have to stay up late to watch him play for Houston. 6. ZaZa Pachulia - I don't care what anyone says, I guarantee you that we are going to regret this one in a couple years. This guy is so young and that's why he doesn't show his full potential on the court, but I have never seen a young big man show so much heart on the basketball court. When the guy would get the minutes to show his abilities, he would be diving for loose balls, flailing for rebounds and doing anything to draw contact and get to the line. Even more, the fans loved this guys hard working mentality and toward the end of the season, he was becoming pretty well known around Orlando. Sadly though, it appears that he is going to grow into a star somewhere else. That's all I have for now, there are more, but those are the ones that stand out the most in my mind. I'd love to see what other Magic fans think about this kind of thing.
Obviouly I would have wanted Magic to keep Shaq and Ben. Then Corey, Mike Miller, Darrell, Bo Outlaw should have stayed here...
The other player that wore number 25 after Nick was Chris Gatling. Yeah I agree Nick Anderson was the face of the fanchise for a long time and deserved to finish his career in Orlando. He was always one of my favorite players. As for one more player to add to the list, Matt Harpring.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting magicfandan:</div><div class="quote_post">The other player that wore number 25 after Nick was Chris Gatling. Yeah I agree Nick Anderson was the face of the fanchise for a long time and deserved to finish his career in Orlando. He was always one of my favorite players. As for one more player to add to the list, Matt Harpring.</div> Thanks for pointing that out. I remember someone wore the number the next season, but wasn't really with the team that long. Harpring? Yeah, he was good too, I can't believe he didn't come to mind. He's doing well out in Utah though, that's always nice.
The Magic lost Ron Seikaly at just the right time,he always had a linering back & knee problems that forced him to miss alot of games thru his career but after he left the Magic in 97' it got much worse. He missed like 30+ games the following season with my Nets. And it really cost us in the long run because we had no depth at center behind Jayson Williams. We had to use Micheal Cage,who was like 100 years old at the time as our only legit backup center. Seikaly retired in 98' because of his injury problems as well. So I would say the Magic got the most they were going to get out of Rony during that 96' season and he wasnt much after that.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Henacy:</div><div class="quote_post">The Magic lost Ron Seikaly at just the right time,he always had a linering back & knee problems that forced him to miss alot of games thru his career but after he left the Magic in 97' it got much worse. He missed like 30+ games the following season with my Nets. And it really cost us in the long run because we had no depth at center behind Jayson Williams. We had to use Micheal Cage,who was like 100 years old at the time as our only legit backup center. Seikaly retired in 98' because of his injury problems as well. So I would say the Magic got the most they were going to get out of Rony during that 96' season and he wasnt much after that.</div> Good info. I remember he did have injury problems, but he always seemed to put up good numbers when he was healthy. I really do wish that he could have finished out his career with the Magic though as he wanted to.
1. Nick Anderson- Still remember the Jordan steal and the clutch shot against the Lakers like it was yesterday. This guy was on the original expansion team and should've retired as a Magic. What was Gabriel thinking? 2. Shaq- no comment. 3. Darrel Armstrong- A floor leader who played awesome defense and had intense energy. He may not have been the best PG in the league, but I really loved his style of play and the energy he gave everyone else. 4. Mike Miller- to this day I still don't understand this trade. 5. Ben Wallace- we gave him up for peanuts. Wtf?
Mike Miller, Corey Maggette and Zaza are the only ones that I wish we still had... I like Drew as much as anyone else.. But Mike Miller is younger, better, and someone I would take over Grant Hill and this comeback nonsense any day.. T-Mac liked him and all too... Maggette.. Well duh he is going to be a great player... Zaza... Come on. I have watched two Bucks summer League Games.. The guy is tearing it up. He is going to be a great player.. And I think I am going to add him. Gordon Giricek.. Him and Gooden came over for Miller.. Gooden could be gone soon and Giricek was traded to Utah and performed very solid. Sold enough for a nice contract. What do we have to show for trading Mike Miller now.. If Gooden is traded... Stevenson and Tony Battie?
Spark Plug D.Armstrong was a huuuge loss for the Magic. Zaza blows my mind since he is a Big and has high enery and passion for the game - why was he left unprotected?. And non-mentioned Earl Boykins got 6 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound, 0 to's in 8 mins. in 1 game in Orlando. Were they just jaded by his size??? I realize his stats aren't star quality, but he changes the tempo of a game instantly when he's in.
How about Steve Kerr. Never got minutes with the Magic but became a major contributor with the Bull's Winning 3 championships. Also had excellent 3 point percentage.
Chris Webber- He is a multiple time all star. Took the kings to the western finals plenty of times. Offers good passing, post up big man. That can run when healthy corey maggette- Has improved scoring each of his years in the league. Offers good athletism and can shoot lights out when hot. Ben Wallace- NBA champion, defensive player of year, enough said. Mike miller- quality player that can put up points on the board. Shaquille Oneal- 3 time finals MVP, League MVP, multiple time all star, All Star game MVP, most dominate force in game darrel armstrong- offered vetleader ship would have helped mature jameer nelson Penny hardaway- Yes I know that we traded c-webb for penny draft night, but this is my all time list of players we should have kept when we got them. chucky atkins- lite it up in boston last season at the point reece gaines- can be a great player in the future
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Pure Skillz:</div><div class="quote_post">reece gaines- can be a great player in the future</div> WTF? Reece Gaines is a bust. He sucks and will always suck. Jarrell Sasser had more game than Reece. Reece will be out of the league soon just like Sasser.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting magicfandan:</div><div class="quote_post">WTF? Reece Gaines is a bust. He sucks and will always suck. Jarrell Sasser had more game than Reece. Reece will be out of the league soon just like Sasser.</div> wtf how many games did he play in for the magic last season that he got quality minutes. Then what season was that? How can you say a guy sucks after his rookie season? Then I guess you think KG sucked average below double digits in his rookie season. So does tmac didnt have a great rookie season. Please a guy needs time to mature to the nba game. Also another player you must think sucks is baron davis if you are judging by there rookie seasons.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Pure Skillz:</div><div class="quote_post">Chris Webber- He is a multiple time all star. Took the kings to the western finals plenty of times. Offers good passing, post up big man. That can run when healthy</div> Webber is good, but keep in mind we got Penny for that deal. Fans may love or hate Penny, but theres no denying what he's done for our franchise. Great player. Mike Miller was great for the Magic. He was a three point specialist, and had phenomenal dribbling skills for someone at 6'8. Darrell Armstrong is the one player I miss the most. Why did we let him go? He was the heart and soul of our team - He did everything from knocking down an important three, to carrying the leadership role. This might not be a popular answer, but I liked John Amaechi. He was with us during the 'Heart & Hustle' season, and sometimes I miss his presence. Again, another 'Heart & Hustle' player that I wish we had kept is Chucky Atkins. He did a little bit of everything for us, and maintained the tempo of games. Nick Anderson was the man. Just because he can't hit a free throw when it counts the most, he still helped our franchise. I wish he retired as a Magic man, but the true fans will never forget what he did for us - regardless of what has been said. Ben Wallace. No reason to explain this one. Shaq. See above. Zaza Pachulia will be something special. I'm really upset we left him unprotected for the Bobcats to snatch. He's very young, plays with so much energy, and never backs down from a challenge. It's a shame he's gone. We let go of Earl Boykins because of his height. I'm glad he found a permanent home in the NBA, because he's very worthy. Denver was smart enough to lock him up for a couple of years - unlike us. Bo Outlaw was the man, I still miss him. Pat Burke is still a player I question. At 6'11 he was always willing to throw his body around in the paint. He may have been a bust, but I'd be willing to wait on him for another season or two. Gordan Giricek was a great player. I remember he got traded and then dropped 33 points against the Suns. Troy Hudson was starting to break out towards the end of the season with us. He's starting material, and it's a shame he's no longer with us. Steve Kerr was a pretty good pickup, we got him by giving up our second round pick. He ditched us to play for the Bulls - Can't say I blame him. Maggette is one of the most athletic and explosive players in the league. Kevin Ollie barely played for us. I wish we gave him a chance, and some minutes. I feel bad for the guy - he's been around like a hooker. I really miss Matt Harpring. He's doing big things with the Jazz right now, we should have held onto him. It's too early to call Gaines a bust, however he hasn't proven himself otherwise yet. Hopefully a fresh start will change things - and I wish him all of the best. Players I'm glad we dumped: Britton Johnsen - Not too bad, but a worthy starter? Hell no. He started a handful of games for us as well, which wasn't the brightest thing. Patrick Ewing - Temporary solution just didn't work. Wish we caught him in his prime. Shawn Kemp - See above Juwan Howard - Bad news for our team, and slowed down the progress of Drew Gooden. Jeryl Sasser - Bust. Ryan Humphrey - Bust.
Drew Gooden, Anderson Varejo, and Steven Hunter I am adding to that list. Hunter will be a good defensive presence somewhere. Gooden will be an 18-10 allstar PF and Varejo is supposedly a Gooden clone, so he will probably be 15 10 somewhere not Cleveland.
