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Magical summer? Or land of confusion?

 

Poetic words never spoken so true about the love gained during one magical summer; throwing emotion into a whirlwind of love, hope, and infatuation only to be mixed into a treacherous cycle of agony, anticipation, and anxiety. Then, just as fast as one fell into the throws of love, the feeling is cut short by the waning days of summer, ending a hope of what could have been.

 

Ok, so, I honestly have no clue as to what I’m saying above. Not to date myself, but, it’s been nearly a decade since I’ve had to analyze the diction and syntax of Shakespeare into what metaphor of love he’s trying portray. But, as Cliff’s Notes have suggested, ol’ Willy’s sonnet talks about the love and splendor that a summer can bring, only to have it cut short and the fantasy become reality. This is exactly the feeling I get when thinking about the off-season moves the Orlando Magic have executed in the last two weeks. What has been a world of jubilation and positive “I can’t believe they did that” moments has left me in a fantasy realm of excitement. And while reality has set in, I am more confident than ever that the race to win the East will be more competitive than ever. Yes, Boston added Rasheed Wallace and will probably re-sign Big Baby Davis, and yes the Cavaliers traded for Shaq, re-signed Anderson Varejao, and picked up veteran point guard Anthony Parker, but the Orlando Magic has stayed below the radar, picking up valuable role-players and bench support to keep them on the top over on this side of the Mississippi. And since I’m the best source of analysis and factual content on the web (just ask anyone in Toronto), who better to break down, not only the Gortat situation, but the week that was the Orlando Summer League than yours truly.

 

It’d be irresponsible of me not to first bring up the retention of Marcin Gortat. According to sources close to the Orlando Magic, the team has matched the 5-year, $34 million offer sheet extended to Gortat by the Dallas Mavericks. As a fan, I love this move. However, as an NBA analyst, I’m thoroughly confused. First off, the deal (combined with other off-season signings) puts the Magic at around $80 million for the payroll. Meaning, unless they move some players by next summer, the team will have to cut a check of around $10 million towards the luxury tax. Now, although it was publicly stated that Orlando was willing to pay the luxury tax (even before Turk left), it does seem somewhat odd that the Magic would shell out nearly $7 million a year for a backup center in order to get there. Considering the acquisitions of Vince Carter and Brandon Bass, and the Summer League showcase of Ryan Anderson and Kasib Powell, many would have been comfortable with letting Marcin go to the Mavs, clearing up roster space for a future trade or free agent pickup (remember, they have roughly $9 million in trade exceptions to work with). In fact, as you’ll soon read, I was personally comfortable with letting him go and relying on Bass and Anderson to pick up the slack on the frontcourt.

 

Now, don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love Gortat. He was instrumental in helping the Magic through the playoffs and was the best backup big in the league. Keeping him should have been priority number one over Turk, in my opinion. However, knowing the details of the contract is mind boggling. As a 6’11” center, are the Magic comfortable with paying someone $7 mil for 10 minutes, 6 points, 4 rebounds a game? In any other situation, this signing would be ridiculed throughout the league as one of the stupidest moves of the year (cough Jerome James cough). However, given the context, Orlando is on the brunt end of mixed reviews. Some speculate that the Magic will parlay Gortat into some of trade situation (although, according to NBA rules, he wouldn’t be able to be moved until December 15) while others think GM Otis Smith only did this to prevent Dallas from taking the only other valuable free agent he had. Even if he was involved in some sort of trade, the financial hit associated this early into Marcin’s contract would not be favorable for Orlando.

 

But, the biggest problem I have is figuring out what motivation the “Polish Hammer” really has to perform to the fullest. (Yeah, I know, I just called him the nickname I fought so adamantly to prevent…but, considering ESPN is now referencing him as that, it looks like I must forfeit this battle) Gortat (making $700,000) averaged only 12 minutes of play (which translated to roughly 4 ppg and 5 rpg) last year with the Magic and was hoping that his agreement with the Mavs would beget to him more playing time, if not a starting role. However, with Orlando stepping in and matching the offer, it looks as if Marcin will go back to being relegated to the bench, only supplying supporting minutes to starter Dwight Howard. One possibility (but more than likely seldom used) would be moving Gortat to the power forward position with Superman at Center. However, with the recent signing of power forward Brandon Bass (who has been rumored to be the starting 4), it looks as if Marcin will stick with his role on the bench. As someone who deservingly earned a fat contract, you’ve got to imagine that Gortat is pissed. What could’ve been a dream position in the Big D (remember, they not only kept Kidd, but traded for Marion and still have Jason Terry, Dirk, and Josh Howard in what looks to be a monster roster) now looks like a nightmare of barely ever seeing the court. Although he has just as much of a chance to win a ring in the City Beautiful, the ego to want to play and be the star can never leave.

 

Which brings me back to the motivation Gortat will have to perform optimally. Now, I won’t say he’ll act like Randy Moss and mail it in during a game, but who’s to say that he doesn’t fully run it out during a practice? What’s to really prevent him from ignoring Stan Van Gundy’s coaching? How much energy will he really exert against Howard and would that hinder Dwight’s development in his offensive game? These are the intangibles associated with a happy player. These are the things that can be affected little by little if you have someone on the roster who doesn’t want to be there. As stated by Gortat’s own agent, Guy Zucker, Marcin is “very, very disappointed.” That cannot be good. Again, I’m excited to see #13 sitting on the bench, providing hustle rebounds and dunks while D-12 is getting his rest, but, come 2010, will the talk be of how valuable he is for the team, or of how he wants to be traded at any cost? Maybe Otis Smith can turn that feeling of disappointment into excitement for a ring, or maybe he has a backdoor trade waiting for him come Christmas time, but, for the time being, I’m still thoroughly confused.

 

Which brings me to topic number 2: one of the major reasons I’m confused about the Gortat retention is the tremendous signing of ex-Mavs forward Brandon Bass. As a backup to Dirk Nowitzki, Bass signed a 4-year, $18 million deal to potentially start in the Magic Kingdom. This is a great, if not spectacular signing for Orlando. As a backup, Brandon still managed to average nearly 9 points and 5 rebounds a game in only 19 minutes. As someone with a killer jump-shot (oh, and let’s not forget, an 87% shooter from the free throw line…you catch that Orlando? He can actually make free throws) and stocky build (he’s only 6’8’), Bass looks to be the complimentary power forward the Magic haven’t seen since the Horace Grant days (I thought about comparing him to Drew Gooden or Juwan Howard, but, do we really want to remember that era?). What I personally like about this move is starting Brandon at the 4 moves Rashard Lewis back to is more natural position at the 3 (where he doesn’t have to worry so much about getting rebounds and can focus more on using his size to drive and score) and Vince Carter to the 2-guard spot (where he excelled as a guard in Toronto…whoops, I probably got that information wrong too…I guess Raptor fans should spend the next few hours trashing me and making sure that I never show my face in Canada again).

 

Adding Bass gives the Magic a tremendous starting 5 that can rival any starting 5 in the league. And considering your backup guards will now be the reliable collection of AJ, Redick, and, Pietrus and your backup bigs will be Anderson and Gortat, this signing easily keeps Orlando at the top of the Eastern Conference if not towards the tops in the league. And considering the price (roughly $4.5 million/year), the Magic got a tremendous deal for a starting forward.

 

But one of the biggest “off the radar” topics this year has been the Orlando Summer League. Before I get into why it’s been Magical for our beloved team, let me first share with you some highlights. First off, how much does the NBA want to keep tormenting Seattle? After stealing their team and moving them to Oklahoma City (still think that “Bandits” or “Outlaws” would be a much more fitting nickname than “Thunder”), they were blessed to have Kevin Durant transform himself into the next superstar of the league. Now, 2^nd year player Russell Westbrook has blossomed into a solid point guard for Durant’s high scoring play. Westbrook blew open the doors in the Summer League games and was easily the week’s MVP.

 

Secondly, does anyone else think it’s kind of weird that the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets shared a team? Wouldn’t you feel kind of awkward barking out orders to players that weren’t on your roster? Well, the “Kum Ba Yah” moment quickly faded away as the Philadersey 76ets went 0-5 for the week. Even Nets swingman Terrence Williams (11^th overall in this year’s draft) was critical of the combination: “It doesn't really benefit you at all to go out and play with guys who aren't going to be your teammates when the season starts. You get used to a guy's game, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter because you aren't going to be playing with them anyway.''

 

The most important piece of news to come out of RDV Sportsplex (and what affects every one of the Magic faithful) would be the play of new acquisition Ryan Anderson. As a “throw in” in the Carter/Alston/Lee/Battie trade, the 6’10” Anderson has actually shown instances that he would be the best backup option in the 4-spot. Averaging over 21 ppg and 9 rpg, Ryan proved to be yet another 3-point threat for this young Magic franchise. In fact, during his rookie season in New Jersey last year, his stats actually rivaled that of the much heralded starting rookie Courtney Lee. Although sad to see Lee go, I am extremely optimistic at the play Anderson has provided. And with the size of a big-man, I’m very excited about the possibility of being the scrappy rebounder Battie once was off the bench.

 

However, one of the sneakiest players on the Orlando squad this summer was 6’7” forward Kasib Powell. As a former Magic Summer League invitee (and bench player with the Miami Heat), Powell hasn’t wowed too many scouts enough to stay on a roster. However, last week, he shined enough to potentially be offered a contract by Orlando. Nailing over 50% of his 3-pointers last week, the Magic saw a need for a solid small forward to come off the bench. Even if only as a 10^th, 11^th, or 12^th option, Powell has the size and shooting ability to maintain Orlando’s mentality of scoring while the high profile players get their rest. And considering that Central Florida’s team is grossly understaffed, it’s a strong possibility that Kasib will be joining the team alongside suit-model, err former Magician Jeremy Richardson as the only Summer League signees. Now, most of you might be thinking “C’mon Kenny, no one cares about these Summer League scrubs. So what if they sign Powell?” But, the last impressive Summer League invitee to be signed on to the Magic roster was some lanky Polish center who’s now making $7 mil a year. These things matter.

 

(By the way, is it me, or do the recent additions of Anderson, Bass, and Powell sound like a law office advertisement? Wouldn’t you believe and trust “The Law Offices of Anderson, Bass, and Powell”? In fact, I want to go ahead and see if I can get their collective nicknames to be “The Firm”. How cool would it be to see a headline reading “The Firm Rules Again in Magic Rout” or “Another Day on the Court for The Firm”? Take it one step further, and you can assign each of them an individual nickname of “The Judge”, “The Jury”, and “The Executioner”. Come on, that’s a perfect scenario for these 3! I think someone should start an internet campaign to make this happen. What makes this perfect is I don’t think there’s anyone else on the team whose last name really fits into this group. Keep this in mind whenever any combination of 2, or even all 3 of “The Firm” grace the court this fall. Someone get Dennis Neumann on the line ASAP and get him on board. If he can make “the Polish Hammer” into a national nickname, I’m sure he can make “The Firm featuring The Judge, The Jury, and The Executioner” happen.)

 

Now, the off-season isn’t even close to being over. With only 9 people currently on the roster officially (yikes) Orlando still needs to actively shop the market. Even with the possible additions of Powell or Richardson back onto the team, there are still a lot of open holes that have yet to be filled. Considering how much money is going into the starting lineup, look for the Magic to utilize their trade exception money (remember, they’ll not only have $7 mil with Turk, but they’re still holding on to another $2 mil from Keyon Dooling last year) to wheel and deal for a couple of new players (unfortunately, the only player on the roster who would be available for a trade using the exceptions would be…gulp…JJ Redick…I guess you could say Pietrus would be in that list…maybe Gortat if there’s a 2 for 1 deal out there, but, I highly doubt they’d use either one of them or can use either one of them this early). The rumor mills are suggesting forwards Theo Ratliff (no longer with his expiring contract) and Matt Barnes. Personally, I would love to see Barnes make this team even deeper at the small forward spot (10 points and 6 rebounds per game as a 6^th man? Yes please). In fact, signing the former Phoenix Sun would make Orlando an even more dangerous team come the start of the season. Plus, it would most likely be in Barnes’ best interest to leave the desert as soon as he possibly could to play for a contender. But, who knows how much the Magic can now offer him, considering the amount they’ve committed to Gortat.

 

All I know is this roller coaster ride that is the summer of 2009 is one that I don’t want to end. What love I’m getting from this summer has clouded me into a fantasy realm of hope and optimism for the coming year. For the sake of being a fan, let’s all hope that Shakespeare was wrong, and the end of this “Magical Summer” doesn’t bring about a reality of despair and heartbreak.