The East is Really gettin good lol...The sonics are so dumb for not signing him again. They needed him
If this deal goes through, it will be so awesome for the Magic. Having someone on the wings that is able to go off for big points at any given time is awesome. They desperately needed a three point shooting presence, and a player capable of being a star offensively, and they certainly got that in Rashard Lewis. I'm looking at a starting lineup being Jameer Nelson, Trevor Ariza, Rashard Lewis, Tony Battie, and Dwight Howard. That leaves Carlos Arroyo, Keith Bogans, Keyon Dooling, JJ Redick, Hedo Turkoglu, and James Augustine coming off the bench for us. I definitely think we can compete for better playoff positioning this year, with a lineup like that out there.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (NYK @ Jul 3 2007, 07:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>The East is Really gettin good lol...The sonics are so dumb for not signing him again. They needed him</div>And really, the Sonics are not dumb for not signing him back. Sure they will be very young, but him and Kevin Durant are pretty much the same type of players, and Kevin Durant should be able to do close to what Rashard Lewis did last year for the Sonics. There was no reason to sign him back, when you would just have two players that play the same next to each other on the court.
Great pickup for Orlando. Forward was a weak spot for the Magic, so this is really an improvment for them..
Looks like Seattle and Orlando are exploring sign-and-trade possibilities... don't know what Seattle would be able to get back from Orlando.
Hes a great player but that is WAY too much. IMO 15Mill a year is like superstar contract money. Shard is just a veteran all-star. But he fits well with the Magic. The magic have some pretty dead on shooters with Redick, Nelson, Turk, and now Shard
Wow, they gave him a huge freaking contract...But this is good for Orlando. Now they finally have a true #1 option to go along with Dwight Howard. I see them as a possible playoff team...definitely.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BigMo763 @ Jul 3 2007, 12:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>$15 million a year isn't a bad deal for him? That's almost max-contract money right there for a player who definitely isn't worth that much. I can see why Orlando paid him that much though. They have all this money, and none of the big name free agents (outside of Lewis) had interest in signing there. It's a good fit, but I think they overpaid him.His agent did say that if Lewis doesn't land in situation where he can win now, he wants max-contract money... looks like he got his wish.</div>Mo, the Magic can definitely win now. Lewis doesn't really do too much on the defensive end, but another potent scorer on the inside and the outside. This also puts Hedo Turkoglu in a more comfortable role as a reserve. Lewis is also a pretty good passer, which will help a slasher like Trevor Ariza, and shooters like JJ Redick.And remember, this is the eastern Conference where all it takes is a good 4 or 5 game winning streak and you are definitely in the hunt for one of the top four playoff spots.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (RashadzMcCantz @ Jul 3 2007, 05:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Lewis will now add another dimension to the Magic and they finally have their scorer which should put them in contention next season.</div>Orlando is still not a contender. They still are lacking greatly in the frontcourt other than just Dwight Howard because they pretty much have no depth past that.. maybe battie lol..but they also don't really have a solidified 2 guard either. I think they are going in the right direction but they still need to add pieces to the puzzle. It's sort of like Chicago but with different pieces. Lewis is also like 8 or 7 years older than Dwight so they can't really wait forever either- they need to keep making moves and their next move really should be to resign Darko to add/keep more depth at that frontcourt.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (KCX @ Jul 3 2007, 07:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Orlando is still not a contender. They still are lacking greatly in the frontcourt other than just Dwight Howard because they pretty much have no depth past that.. maybe battie lol..but they also don't really have a solidified 2 guard either. I think they are going in the right direction but they still need to add pieces to the puzzle. It's sort of like Chicago but with different pieces. Lewis is also like 8 or 7 years older than Dwight so they can't really wait forever either- they need to keep making moves and their next move really should be to resign Darko to add/keep more depth at that frontcourt.</div>I didn't mean contending for the championship, I meant contending in the first round and actually posing somewhat of a threat for their first round opponents.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (KCX @ Jul 3 2007, 07:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Orlando is still not a contender. They still are lacking greatly in the frontcourt other than just Dwight Howard because they pretty much have no depth past that.. <span style="color:#FF0000">maybe battie lol</span>..but they also don't really have a solidified 2 guard either. I think they are going in the right direction but they still need to add pieces to the puzzle. It's sort of like Chicago but with different pieces. Lewis is also like 8 or 7 years older than Dwight so they can't really wait forever either- they need to keep making moves and their next move really should be to resign Darko to add/keep more depth at that frontcourt.</div>Battie is a solid big man to have as a starter, and does more than enough to be counted as a solid big man. He is a good veteran to have out there, with James Augustine undoubetdly getting playing time this year, we could use his veteran leadership to mentor Augustine. Battie has a good mid range jump shot, can hit it decently well so he pulls his man out to the mid range well. Battie is a good passer, and works well with Howard because of his passing. A play we usually ran once a game that worked for points was usually Battie getting the ball up near the free throw line and passing downlow to Howard. Most of all however, Battie is a solid man to man defensive player. He often times played the other teams star power forwards so that Dwight Howard didn't have to for the entire game. He keeps Howard out of foul trouble well, and allows the Magic to use Howard to alter shots. So Battie is a good big man for our team. You are right though, past those two we have question marks. If James Augustine is able to step in and play well, then we should be ok with out three man rotation of Howard, Battie, and Augustine. Last year we had a three man big rotation of Howard, Battie, and Milicic and it worked out just fine. We might need to sign another big just for insurance, I'm liking Marc Jackson who can come cheap, and would fit in like Battie does. We don't need to re-sign Darko Milicic for all of the money he will be demanding.As for having a 2-guard, we have that spot solitified also. Trevor Ariza should be stepping into the starting lineup and will do well for us. He is good as a slasher to the rim, and paired with Lewis as the 3, will be able to utilize his slashing much more. Ariza is also good at sneaking in and rebounding. Most of all though, Ariza is a tough wing defensive player, one of the best perimeter defensive players in the league. He slides his feet well, and bothers opposing offensive players pretty well. That will allow Lewis to play the worse offensive player of the wings, while Ariza plays defense on the best offensive player. So we got our 2-guard worked out. Between Ariza, Bogans, Dooling and Redick we really don't need another 2 guard to be competitive in the west. Our biggest problem will be getting Nelson to step up in his role as third scorer, and handle the point like we know he can. The other big problem is big man depth like you said, as our starters are fine. It's just the big men behind them that are a cause for concern. Overall, we have a god chance of playing teams hard, and making it out of the first round this year. Not getting swept in four games like the Pistons did to us.
This is great for the Magic. Lewis is one of the more perfect players they could have picked up this off-season. They needed an outside scorer, and they have one in Lewis now. They need an improvement on offense only averaging 93 a game last season. Lewis will compliment Howard. Nice sign by the Magic.
its a good deal only if grant hill doesn't sign with them but other teams prob needed him more then the magic
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ProStix#6 @ Jul 3 2007, 05:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Mo, the Magic can definitely win now. Lewis doesn't really do too much on the defensive end, but another potent scorer on the inside and the outside. This also puts Hedo Turkoglu in a more comfortable role as a reserve. Lewis is also a pretty good passer, which will help a slasher like Trevor Ariza, and shooters like JJ Redick.And remember, this is the eastern Conference where all it takes is a good 4 or 5 game winning streak and you are definitely in the hunt for one of the top four playoff spots. </div>I agree. I was just saying that he got his wish for a max contract, and also ended up in a great situation for him.
The Magic are going to be a strong team in the east next season. Not neccesarily contenders but they get a reliable shooter and have alot of depth now. I predict them ending up in the high 40s-early 50s in total of wins and if they get lucky in seeding they could make some noise in the playoffs. The east is definately looking a bit stronger for 07.
