(Hedo/JRich for Gortat/VC/Pietrus confirmed) Rumor: Arenas to Orlando Magic?

[PosImpos]

The list of real contenders in the East is officially 2 teams long, unless the Bulls or Knicks make a trade to upgrade their starting lineup.

[houseonfire09]

I'm confused... is Orlando better or worse after this panic trade?  They should have tried to find a way to steal Nash in this deal.  Also, who tries to trade for Nash now? NY and Dallas make the most sense to me.

[housecall]

When a team makes a trade this large there is a risk of chemistry that goes along with it.Time will tell if the Magic will gel with their new players.They didn't seem to have that issue with the players they had.

[Change]

Remember in the playoffs, how none of the Magic Players could create their own shot. They had bunch of shooter but not a single playmaker. Nelson tried to but failed miserably. Arenas and Hedo will be their floor generals.
Starters
Jameer Nelson
Jason Richardson
Hedo Turkoglu
Ryan Anderson
Dwight Howard

Bench
Gilbert Arenas
J.J. Redick
Quentin Richardson
Brandon Bass
??

They'll need a backup Center. Even then 9 man rotation is solid.

[jgod213]

Seems to me they replaced 3 point shooters with more 3 point shooters along with losing their backup center.

Richardson definately, at this point in both of their respective careers, scares me more than Carter on the offensive end.

And while Hedo has completely fallen off the map since leaving Orlando, it wouldn't surprise me AT ALL if he starts to tear it up back in a Magic uniform.

In terms of the Arenas situation, should be interesting how Stan Van handles that.  Does Jameer move to the back-up spot?  Is Gilbert the "veteran backup"?  Or do they start Gilbert at the 2 and then just have a small starting line up with no beef besides Howard?

Nelson, Arenas, J-Rich, Turkoglu, Howard?  Or do one of the new pieces come in as the 6th man?...so many questions! ah!

Why not start Brandon Bass? He's playing real good ball this year. Sure it might clog things up a bit more for Dwight, but that's 2 real active and strong bodies to do work on the glass and really throw some weight around.  Let Bass do the dirty work with Turk at the 3 and JRich at the 2 - then you can pick and choose spots for Arenas to come in and bring instant offense off the pine.

I like this move a lot by ORL - the core they had proved over the past few years that they aren't good enough to beat a healthy celtics or lakers team.  Why not shake things up and try to win a title now?

[Who]

Starters
Jameer Nelson
Jason Richardson
Hedo Turkoglu
Ryan Anderson
Dwight Howard

Bench
Gilbert Arenas
J.J. Redick
Quentin Richardson
Brandon Bass
??

I expect Bass will start over Ryan Anderson because of his defensive ability.

That is the way SVG has always made the decision in the past.

[droopdog7]

...in Lewis and Carter, for two guys (jrich & Turk) that traditionally have done very well against us. Gilbert  also can fill it up. So by that measure, they seem to have improved their chances.

The question I have is who plays PF and who backs up Howard?

[BigAlTheFuture]

I'd say this made them worse. They just went from the 3rd best team in the East to the 4th best team in the east. Arenas for Lewis trade was good because they got rid of his horrible contract, but the trade with PHX is bad. They lost a very reliable backup center in Gortat and a defensive stopper and clutch shooter in Pietrus. Hedo and J-Rich can't play defense.

[wdleehi]

I'd say this made them worse. They just went from the 3rd best team in the East to the 4th best team in the east. Arenas for Lewis trade was good because they got rid of his horrible contract, but the trade with PHX is bad. They lost a very reliable backup center in Gortat and a defensive stopper and clutch shooter in Pietrus. Hedo and J-Rich can't play defense.

How can a trade be good when you get rid of a bad contract for an equally bad contract that has an extra year?

[droopdog7]

...in Lewis and Carter, for two guys (jrich & Turk) that traditionally have done very well against us. Gilbert  also can fill it up. So by that measure, they seem to have improved their chances.

The question I have is who plays PF and who backs up Howard?

[PosImpos]

I'm confused... is Orlando better or worse after this panic trade?  They should have tried to find a way to steal Nash in this deal.  Also, who tries to trade for Nash now? NY and Dallas make the most sense to me.

I'd love to see Dallas make a trade for Nash.  Nash deserves to play on a good team for what's left of his career.  The Suns are a perennially cost-cutting team with no chance of winning anything this year or the immediate future.

[Roy H.]

...in Lewis and Carter, for two guys (jrich & Turk) that traditionally have done very well against us. Gilbert  also can fill it up. So by that measure, they seem to have improved their chances.

The question I have is who plays PF and who backs up Howard?

Rashard struggled against us last year, but traditionally, he's killed us.  Career-wise, Carter has averaged 22/5/4 against the Celtics.  

Basically, all five of the big names in the trade have had games where they torched the Celtics, and each have also had plenty of stinkers against us.  I don't think past performance against the Celtics is a good way to evaluate this trade, and I doubt that Orlando put much stock in it.

[Kwhit10]

I did not want to see J. Rich on the Magic, that guy routinely kills the C's

[TradeProposalDude]

This trade gives the Magic more players who create their own offense.

Rashard Lewis is an above average 3 point shooter, not someone you count on to be creative when the ball is in his hands on offense.

Marcin Gortat, while a very viable backup big, is traded. I'm guessing Orlando is satisfied with Brandon Bass backing up D12 at center.

Vince Carter creates his own offense, but the Magic have discovered what Vince's past teams have, to their chagrin, already discovered. That he is a selfish ballhog who takes away from the team concept rather than adding to it.

I, for one, am curious to see how this trade affects the Magic this year. On paper, this trade helps them... the pressure is taken off of Howard's shoulders to score. But by the same token, you only play with one basketball

[get_banners]

about jrich...he plays no defense, and while he may be better than carter on offense (MAYBE...i'm not sure about that, because nash makes everyone better than they are), the magic had to give up one of their better defenders in pietrus. that's not a minor thing.