The Orlando Magic made 2 key trades today that will hopefully help them get closer to winning an NBA title, which would be the first their franchise has ever won.They traded Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus, a first round draft pick, and $3 million to the Phoenix Suns for Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Earl Clark. They also traded Rashard Lewis to the Washington Wizards for Gilbert Arenas.
Let me just start off by saying that, in my opinion, the Magic won both these trades.
Magic-Wizards Trade: Gilbert Arenas is statistically better than Rashard Lewis, who is not playing very well this season. Arenas isn't playing as well as he has in the past, but still has the edge overall over Lewis. Plus, I think this trade helps the Wizards too because they had John Wall, Gilbert Arenas, and Kirk Hinrich. They had too many guards, and now that they have Rashard Lewis, a forward, their roster is more balanced.
Magic-Suns Trade: Head-to-head, Jason Richardson is better than Vince Carter statistically, plus, VC is aging, while J-Rich is in the prime of his career. The other part of the trade, Mickael Pietrus and Marcin Gortat for Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark was fairly even.
Magic Overall: Position-wise, they lost Rashard Lewis and gained Hedo Turkohlu at the forward position. Statistically, they look pretty even, with an slight edge to Lewis, but Lewis has been fairly disappointing to the Magic and is not really playing as good as he should considering the amount of money he's getting paid, while Turkoglu played an important and key role in the Magic's 2009 Finals run.
At the guard position, Jason Richardson has an obvious edge over Vince Carter. You could make an argument that VC has more experience, but statistically, physically, and historically, J-Rich is better than VC.
Plus they get Gilbert Arenas, a multiple-time all-star, for a bunch of role-playing bench players, a first round draft pick, and a crap-load of cash. And when your a championship-contending team, first round draft picks and cash don't really mean that much and you can afford to lose a few bench players. The picks and the money mean more to franchises that aren't likely to win championships.
I personally think that this trade will be the key factor in the Magic winning the 2011 NBA Championship.
Disagree with that last statement I made or have any thoughts on the trades the Magic have made? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.
I disagree with what you said about Evan Lane. He was a great player. He worked so hard and came a long way. The only reason he i'snt returning is because he went to Africa to play until the legend season started up again, and he hasnt been able to get back because of everything bad that is happening there.
ReplyDeleteWell, thank you for commenting. Sorry if I insulting Evan Lane. I have nothing against him, I just don't think he is a great basketball player on the professional level. That is my opinion, and you are entitled to yours. And good for him going to Africa, I wish him the best. No hard feelings (I hope) and thanks for checking out my blog!
ReplyDeletePosition-wise, they lost Rashard Lewis and gained Hedo Turkohlu gameqq
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