Team: Nashville Magic
Home Court: Memorial Gym (14,168)
Head Coach: Kevin Stallings
Roster/Depth Chart PG: Jason Terry/Ty Lawson/(Roger Mason)
SG: Joe Johnson/Mike Dunleavy/Roger Mason/(Jason Terry)
SF: Vince Carter/Andrei Kirilenko/(Mike Dunleavy)
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge/(Andrei Kirilenko)/Amir Johnson/Josh McRoberts
C: Andris Biedrins/Cole Aldrich/(LaMarcus Aldridge)/Nikola Pekovic
Projected Starters: PG: Jason Terry - 6'2", 180 lbs (Career: 16.2 ppg, 4.8 ast, 38.2% 3pt, 1.3 stl) - Terry is the catalyst of an uptempo offense, bringing the ball up the court and using his lights out shooting on the perimeter while setting the stage for the offense. With a pure point (Ty Lawson) behind him, and a bevy of solid ballhandlers (Johnson/Carter) alongside, Terry's combo guard skills and tendencies fit right in. Thanks to the size of Johnson/Carter as well, Terry's relative lack of size allows him to focus solely on covering opposing point guards.
SG: Joe Johnson - 6'7", 240 lbs (Career: 17.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.5 ast, 37.3% 3pt) - Johnson is option one for this team, an elite shooting guard with the size to get to the basket and the range to shoot from anywhere. Without having to hide Mike Bibby's defensive shortcomings, he'll be free to handle opposing 2s and focus on his offensive game.
SF: Vince Carter - 6'6", 220 lbs (Career: 22.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.2 ast, 37.5% 3pt) - Carter isn't the player he once was, but is still a force on the court. His tandem pairing alongside Andrei Kirilenko will relieve some of the pressure on his shoulders, as well as gives the team a stronger defender to close out games. While Carter's offense will start games strongly, he isn't known as a clutch player. AK-47 will cut into his minutes at SF, but Carter's ability to shift to SG and solid ballhandling gives the team flexibility across the 2-3.
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge - 6'11", 240 lbs (Career: 16.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg, .98 blk, 48.9% fg%) - Aldridge adds another athletic shooter to a dangerous offensive lineup, and someone who can strongly defend out to the perimeter inside. His offensive game starting to parallel Rasheed Wallace's in his prime, albeit without the stable 3-pt shooting and mean streak on defense and on the boards. At 25 there is still room to develop, but his athleticism and shooting are his MO, rather than being a banger. In a small ball lineup, he'll get spot minutes at the 5 alongside Andrei Kirilenko, assuming that there isn't a dominant center for him to guard.
C: Andris Biedrins - 6'11", 240 lbs (Career: 8.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.26 blk, 60.3% fg%) - Biedrins is coming off a down year and gets little support here, but his skillset fits in nicely in this team's mentality. Biedrins is mobile, a decent defender, and does the most important thing that a center can do when surrounded by shooters - he is a dominant rebounder. He's just a year removed from a 12/11 double-double average, and runs the floor and blocks shots well, His mean streak and athleticism will make him a valuable part of this team, though in situations where defense is key he'll cede minutes to Cole Aldrich and Nikola Pekovic, two more physical interior players.
The Rotation: The Magic have a solid bench with versatile players that can cover several different positions. Ty Lawson, Andrei Kirilenko, Mike Dunleavy, Amir Johnson, Nikola Pekovic,Cole Aldrich, Roger Mason, and Superman clone Josh McRoberts give this team one of the league's best benches. Their dynamic play will be the difference in winning many tough games down the stretch.
I Must Break You: SF/PF/bus driver: Andrei Kirilenko - 6'9", 225 lbs (Career: 12.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.12 blk, 2.8 ast) - Kirilenko's versatility is the key off the bench. While he'll be behind Vince Carter on the depth chart officially, he stands to play more minutes than VC and take big minutes at the 3 and 4 thanks to his unselfish play and stellar defense. Though Carter will start games, it's likely that AK-47 will be the one closing it out. He's the first man off the bench, spelling either Joe Johnson (Carter/AK/LMA at the 2-3-4), Carter (Johnson/AK/LMA), or Aldridge (JJ/VC/AK). His fluidity on the court and efficient play will be the key to many victories.
The Elusive, Young, Pure Point Guard: PG: Ty Lawson - 5'11", 195 lbs (Career: 8.3 ppg, 3.1 apg, 41% 3pt, 20.2 mpg) - Lawson was the perfect fit to round out this team. Though he lacks size, he's a pure distributor as well as a offensive generator and shooter. He's smaller than Terry, but quick enough to guard elite PGs, and won't have to worry about taking on SGs. He'll also have lots of veteran talent to bring along his development similar to how the Nuggets have mentored him. Lawson has been a winner throughout his career, and brings much to the Magic.
All Elbows and Knees: PF: Amir Johnson - 6'9", 210 lbs (Career: 4.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.03 bpg, 15.2 mpg) - Johnson is a jumping jack with athleticism and length, though his lack of girth is a detriment. He'll be handed the starting reigns in Toronto this year, and his ability to pull down rebounds, provide help defense, finish around the rim, and block shots from the weakside, will give him a key role coming off the bench in limited minutes. Johnson has proven that he can be effective as a rotation player and will try to showcase that he can start this year. Fortunately for Nashville, we don't need him to be a starter, just a sparkplug.
The Cagey Veteran: SF/SG Mike Dunleavy Jr. - 6'9", 230 lbs (Career: 12.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.5 ast 35.6% 3pt ) - Dunleavy, despite his experience is only 29 years old. Though injuries have slowed him the past two years, he's finally healthy for the first time since his breakout 07-08 year where he averaged 19-5-3.5 while shooting over 40% from 3pt. Dunleavy gives the team another stellar shooter who excels at shooting off screens and has the size to create match-up problems at SF and SG.
Big Thunder Mountain: C: Cole Aldrich - 6'11", 245 lbs (College: 11.3 ppg, 9.8 reb, 3.5 blk, 26.3 mpg) - Aldrich is the enforcer in the middle, and his ability to cover big centers, pull down rebounds, and finish around the rim. His defense and role as an anchor in the paint will pay off dividends, even though he stands to share backup minutes with...
The Enigma: C: Nikola Pekovic - 6'11", 243 lbs (Euroleague: 14.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 60.7% fg%, 21.9 mpg) - Pekovic will have a chance to shine in the states this year, and his aggressive play inside has lauded him accolades as he's become a strong, tough center who can get it done inside.
Big Shot Rog: SG/PG: Roger Mason, Jr. - 6'5", 212 lbs (Career: 7.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.8 ast, 38.1% 3pt) - Mason developed a reputation as a dangerous outside shooter and a clutch player over the past two years in San Antonio. He brings another athletic, versatile player who can connect from long range, and his track record of solid play in the clutch makes him valuable to a team with players who flamed out in last year's playoffs. He'll be out to show that last year's lackluster performance was an aberration from his 11.8 ppg year in 2008-2009.
The Key to the Title: Josh McRoberts - 6'10", 240 lbs (Career: 40.8 ppg, 23.4 rpg, 11.8 ast, 32.0 blk) - Have you seen this man wear a sweater? Also, he put on the most unstoppable 4 minutes of basketball I have ever seen in the NBA. What can't Josh McRoberts do?
5 most common lineups: Terry/Johnson/Carter/Aldridge/Biedrins
Terry/Johnson/Kirilenko/Aldridge/Biedrins
Lawson/Johnson/Carter/Kirilenko/Aldrich
Lawson/Dunleavy/Kirilenko/Aldridge/Aldrich(or Pekovic)
Terry/Johnson/Carter/Kirilenko/Aldridge
As you can see, Johnson/Kirilenko/Alridge are very important parts of this puzzle.
Draft Philosophy: At 21st overall, the pickings were slim, but I felt pretty lucky that Joe Johnson, one of the last high level players on the board, was still available. In the 2nd and 3rd rounds, I wasn't too enthused with the available talent pool and moved back in the round, picking up a late 4th rounder and later a 7th rounder. In the end, my trades looked like this:
2-10 (Greg Oden) for 2-26 (LaMarcus Aldridge) and 4-22 (Andrei Kirilenko)
3-10 (Jason Richardson) for 3-18 (Andris Biedrins) and 7-18 (Cole Aldrich)
I think I got some good value there, but the trades worked out for all sides, to be honest.
After getting Jason Terry, I was looking for a solid, young true PG for him to mentor. Ty Lawson fit perfectly. Beyond that, I put an onus on getting versatile players who could shoot well and defend at least proficiently.
Toughest Decision: Eh, it wasn't too tough to do much this year. I like this team, enjoyed the game, and had pleasant interactions with everyone. Cheers, boys.
Best Move: Picking up a 4th rounder to move down 16 spots in the 2nd. I was looking at Aldridge with that pick in the first place. Trading down allowed me to get him and dropped Kirilenko into my lap - the player who pushes this team into the playoffs.
Worst Move: Biedrins in the 3rd round. I like him much more than others, and I needed a legit C on my team. He was the best fit after trading down, but he gets little love in this game for various (and understandable) reasons. Additionally, Failing to draft myself was a mistake. My lights out shooting, indifferent defense, and propensity to get injured would have propelled this team to a championship within 6 months. Fortunately, I am still available on the free agent market, though my demands are unreasonably high. Management hopes to be able to come to terms with myself before the trade deadline.
Outlook: Flexible, athletic shooters who can run the floor and slash to the basket, paired with capable defense.. This team is stocked with them and has a coach who has become successful handling exactly these types of players. Factor in his ability to milk the nation's greatest home court advantage at Memorial Gym, and these guys are going to be fun as hell to watch and incredibly difficult to catch up with. This is a finesse team with scoring options across the board, and the guys who can't score proficiently are either top notch rebounders or defenders. This team can get up and down the court, grab rebounds, and score with the best of the league. On defense they aren't a top-5 squad, but they feature strong defenders who can keep opposing offenses on their heels. This is a team that will score more points than they allow.
Also, see Who's expert opinion of my title-level squad here:
http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=41268.msg835650#msg835650I agree with almost everything he says, though my opinion on Biedrins, and his ability to pull down boards and get the F out of the way should be a key element to this team's success.
I will be in Milwaukee for much of the day today, so I won't be able to address questions until after 1 pm or so (also why I was unable to fit in pics), but I welcome all inquiries and would love to discuss what I think is the best team I've put together in my 3 years of CB Draft experience. Cheers, gents.
Topic: 2010 CB Draft: Southeast Division Press Conferences (Read 66000 times)