Derrick Rose to the Magic…..
There are reports coming out of Memphis that Derrick Rose will declare for the NBA Draft. If this is indeed the case, the Magic need to do everything in their power to get him to Orlando. He would be the perfect fit for the team.
The Magic are a solid squad, but they are still missing a couple pieces that would be push them closer to the top in the NBA. What’s the most glaring hole? The lack of a top of the line point guard. I still can’t understand for the life of me why Otis Smith gave Jameer Nelson a 6 year, 36 million dollar deal before the season started. That deal doesn’t even kick in until next year.
Jameer Nelson is a solid NBA backup point guard, he is by no means a frontline starter. So here is what I am proposing: The Magic should put together a package for whichever team gets the pick that would land Rose, (probably #2 or #3)
That package would include Nelson, a couple first round picks, and….Hedo Turkoglu. In exchange the Magic would receive the draft rights to Rose, and probably one or two really crappy contracts, to make the numbers work.
A couple things to consider: First, I love Hedo. He should have been an all-star this year and he has had an outstanding season. He’s in the prime of his career, at age 29, and is a bargain at about six million dollars a season.
It would be tough to let him go, but it would be the best thing the Magic could do. Rose would give the Magic something they have been missing for a long time…a real-life point guard, who looks to pass first, and gets others involved. The last time the team had one of those players, the guy also came from Memphis….his name was Penny Hardaway…and he helped lead the Magic to the Finals….a place they won’t be going as long as Nelson is at the helm.
The addition of Rose would also get Rashard Lewis back to his preferred spot of small forward, giving the Magic this starting line-up next season: PG–Rose, SG–Maurice Evans. (assuming the team re-signs him), SF–Lewis, PF–Battie, C–Howard…
Assuming that Smith decides to re-sign either Dooling or Arroyo…the team becomes set a point guard….at shooting guard…Dooling, or Bognas would continue to spell Evans….Smith could use the mid-level exception to bring in a replacement for Evans, or a quality 2/3 to come in for Lewis….
Battie would hold down the four spot, and if Adonal Foyle re-signs, he would provide a solid 10-12 minutes a game. The five spot is reserved for Howard, who is only getting better.
This trade would give the Magic a young, and talented nucleus, of Howard, Lewis, and Rose, and would make them a powerful contender for years to come. Rose will be 20 years old when the season starts next season, and Howard will still be just 22….the possibilities with these two on the same team are endless.
So, can it work? I don’t know. The numbers would have to work, and there can’t be many teams that would be ecstatic about adding Nelson. The Magic have a great bargaining chip in Turkoglu, but that might not be enough. As a long-time NBA fan though, one of the many things I’ve learned is that there is always a GM who is stupid enough to make a bad trade.
Tags: Derrick Rose, Hedo Turkoglu, Memphis Tigers, Orlando Magic
April 15th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
[...] Life After Newhouse wrote an interesting post today on Derrick Rose to the Magic…..Here’s a quick excerptAs a long-time NBA fan though, one of the many things I’ve learned is that there is always a GM who is stupid enough to make a bad trade….Jameer Nelson is a solid NBA backup point guard, he is by no means a frontline starter….The Magic are a solid squad, but they are still missing a couple pieces that would be push them closer to the top in the NBA. What’s the most glaring hole?…There are reports coming out of Memphis that Derrick Rose will declare for the NBA Draft…. [...]
April 16th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Nick, I agree with you that Derrick Rose to the Magic would be a coup (and a half!), but giving up Hedo? I am a bit skeptical there. Hedo’s ability to penetrate and create have afforded the Magic’s perimeter players with myriad open three’s this year. Derrick Rose MIGHT be able to do this in the NBA. He’s by no means a guarantee, as most point guards take a few years to adapt to the increase in speed and physicality that comes with the jump to the NBA.
People keep making a big deal about Rashard Lewis playing out of position; but could we really expect better numbers from him at his ‘natural position’ without him hoisting bad shots (think: Kevin Durant in the first half of the season) to augment his point totals? With Hedo, the Magic have THREE proven scorers, and I’m hesitant to give that up.
Honestly, let’s see how we do in the playoffs before we think about a complete reshuffle. An ignominious first round exit to the raptors? I say pull the trigger. A deep playoff run? Let’s give the current nucleus another go.
April 16th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
After the MVP caliber season Chris Paul has had there is no team that would trade Rose if they have the ability to draft him. I am not saying Rose is the next Paul, but he is a great young PG who was the best player on a team that only lost two games and went to the NCAA title game. Any team that gets the 2nd pick (or 1st if it is Miami or Minnesota) would rather have Rose than Nelson, Hedo, and a couple 1st rounders that chances are will have nowhere near the potential that a Rose has.
DJ Augustin is a pretty good PG too, and he should be there when the Magic make their own selection. I’d focus on him because Derrick Rose isn’t walking through that door.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
[...] a new point guard: I’ve already gone on the record saying the Magic need to find a way to get Derrick Rose. While they may not get him, they need to find a taller point guard, who has the ability to create [...]
November 13th, 2008 at 12:54 am
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December 2nd, 2008 at 11:46 pm
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Antonio Anderson had 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds and No. 13 Memphis shook off a poor shooting performance to beat Massachusetts 80-58 on Monday night. Freshman Tyreke Evans had 19 points and