i'm not pissed LA got Howard. I think everyone could see the writing on the wall. What i'm annoyed at is that Orlando pretty much got fucked. They are the only team giving up a HoF player and they get back the least. Just doesn't make sense. Orlando didn't even get ride of all there bad contracts, what the hell is there GM thinking?
That's been the general sentiment, and I'll echo it. The thing that makes it worse is how they could have gotten better offers from Brooklyn and Houston. I thought that surely they were waiting out for a better offer.
This just seems like they conceded that Andrew Bynum was critical to getting any deal done, and his trade approval mattered just as much as Dwight's.
The only thing I can't figure out is how they couldn't have gotten more unprotected picks, or as you alluded to, unloaded Turkoglu's contract.
Maybe that's their strategy though. As a small market team, you can really only build your team through very flawless trading and drafting. Most free agents don't want to play for small market teams, so you have to make the most of what you have.
Think about how Orlando arrived at both of their NBA Finals appearances. First, a #1 pick got them Shaq, who led them to their first Finals, and then, a #1 pick got them Dwight, who led them to their most recent. Sure, both left town, but at least they got them that far.
The Magic's roster headed into next season rivals that of the Bobcats' from this season. I know that historically, the worst teams actually don't get the #1 pick since the lottery has been in place, but it's not a bad strategy to put yourself in that position.
Let's say the Magic get Nerlens Noel or Shabazz Muhammad. Both could be franchise changers. We'll be sitting here three years from now talking about how Shabazz could lead the Magic to the Finals instead of sitting here talking about how Brook Lopez and (insert middle-of-the-road player) are going to get knocked out in the first round.
Perkins is still a really good defender of Howard, and with Ibaka still improving on offense, OKC will be tough agaisnt LA. Westbrook vs. Nash will be cool, very different players matching up. OKC will be better than La if Durant has a better season than last year.
I've been really impressed with Ibaka's offensive improvement. Do you remember that San Antonio game where he went 11 for 11? I think it might have tied a playoff record.
He has more basketball accumen than most African prospects and sort of defies stereotypes in that way. When you think of tall, long African prospects who are brought into the game because of their size, you think of guys like DeSagana Diop, Saer Sene, and Hasheem Thabeet; guys who had all the physical tools in the world but could never put it together for various reasons. Ibaka has improved at a rate that is exponential compared to his African center counterparts.
