Orlando first-round preview
With the NBA Draft looming on Thursday, the Orlando Magic are preparing to do something they haven’t done in the entire history of the franchise; make a solid selection with a pick in the 20’s. The talent pool seems pretty decent from picks 20-30 (Orlando selects at 26) and even good at 30-40, where Orlando will likely trade to. So with two selections in a strong part of the draft, the Magic have a legit shot at taking some impact players who could fill the holes for Orlando, namely shooting guard and power forward. With this in mind, I will share with you my view on Orlando’s potential draft prospects in the first round, and I’ll hit on second rounders tomorrow.
1st Round-Likely Candidates
With Orlando possibly loosing Keyon Dooling and Mo Evans to free agency, the Magic will look to upgrade the two-guard position, which was already considered a weakness. A big man is possible too.
Brandon Rush, SG/SF, Kansas, Jr-
Strengths: Rush is my top choice here and for good reason. He is an experienced, versatile player who could contribute immediately. Rush also has NBA lineage (brother Kareem) so he will likely know the ropes and should be willing to fit in to any type of system and any type of role. Rush is explosive around the rim, but also is an accurate shooter from behind the arc, a must in Coach Van Gundy’s offensive system. He’s also a good rebounder for 6’6” guard.
Weaknesses: At 22, Rush doesn’t have a lot of room to grow. He isn’t a dominant scorer and some question his desire. He suffered an ACL injury several seasons ago and that could have some lingering effects down the road.
My Call: Rush may not be a game changer or a dominant scorer, but Orlando doesn’t really need that. The Magic need a guy who can fit in and make a shot off the bench when his name is called, and Rush seems to be a perfect fit.
Chris Douglas-Roberts, SG/SF, Memphis, Jr-
Strengths: A 6’7 guard/forward who is explosive with the ball in his hands. He emerged as a solid three-point threat this year because of Derrick Rose and a wide-open offense. CDR is an excellent athlete and can run the floor with the best of them. He is also a clutch player who can take over games.
Weaknesses: Doesn’t appear to have elite potential because he has a hard time controlling his body at times. He doesn’t possess a true go-to move or niche, which could hurt him. Not a very good defender and isn’t that physical.
My Call: Not a bad option, but I don’t see him as a well-rounded player and doesn’t fit in Orlando’s system.
Jason Thompson, PF, Rider, Sr-
Strengths: Thompson is an excellent athlete with the ability to make mid-range jumpers consistently. He hits the board hard, and has terrific body control for a 6’10”, 245 lb. player. Thompson also does a good job keeping himself in-front of opponents on D, and will get a couple of blocks per game.
Weaknesses: His level of competition is a major concern, as is his age. Thompson also needs to get a little bigger for the next level and he doesn’t always play with a mean streak that teams covet in big men. For a senior, he doesn’t have a refined post game and he may never really establish much of one.
My Call: Wouldn’t be a bad option at all. Thompson is raw but he would compliment Dwight Howard nicely, and he’d have a year to learn from Tony Battie before he would become a regular in the rotation.
Courtney Lee, SG, Western Kentucky, Sr-
Strengths: A consistent shooter with a lot of range. He has a career average of nearly 40% from three-point land. Lee can create his own shot and can nail mid-range jumpers with ease. Lee has been a go-to scorer through his collegiate career and is a leader with a reportedly good attitude. He can contribute immediately because of his experience and at 6’5”, 200 lbs, he can hold his own on D.
Weaknesses: Lee isn’t an elite athlete and lacks ideal size. He doesn’t have the polish to be a combo guard and must find a spot as a pure 2-guard. He likely won’t get much better because he’s a four-year player.
My Call: I brought his name up a week ago and it now seems that Orlando has fallen in love with Lee. Other teams (Memphis) might be making a run to trade ahead of him. He was originally thought to be a second-rounder, but he now appears to be moving up. Unless Orlando is planning on trading J.J Redick, I don’t see the point in getting another player who is predominantly an outside scorer. His game might be more complete than J.J’s, but this move wouldn’t make way too much sense to me. That being said, Orlando could do much worse than Lee.
Mario Chalmers, PG, Kansas, Jr-
Strengths: A big, athletic point guard who is a top-notch defender. He is very quick and can push the ball. On offense he is solid but unspectacular although he is a very good three-point shooter, which works in Orlando. Emerged as a leader but certainly doesn’t need to be “the guy”. He is an excellent defender and with good size, he could be one of the best on D at his position for years to come. Plays his best when it matters (ask Memphis).
Weaknesses: Won’t dominate and probably won’t ever develop into an elite player. Not an efficient point guard and is more of a combo player.
My Call: Might not be available when Orlando picks, but if the Magic don’t think they’ll retain Keyon Dooling, selecting a talented defender like Chalmers will make sense.
Other Possibilities if Players Drop
Marreese Speights, PF/C, Florida, Soph
An athletic big man with loads potential. He isn’t a physical player mentally or physically, but teams will hope this likely lottery pick will improve with time.
DeAndre Jordan, C, Texas A&M, Fr
An extremely athletic 7-footer with loads of potential. Unfortunately he is very raw and didn’t show a ton of improvement in his only college season, and that could cause him to free-fall all the way to the 20’s.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 at 8:27 pm and is filed under Orlando Magic.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
THE AUTHOR
RECENT ARTICLES BY DIVISION RIVALS
ARCHIVE
SPONSORS
14 Responses to “Orlando first-round preview”
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Another nice article, Brendan. What would you say about trading down, using J.J Reddick, and drafting Darrel Arthur?
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:55 pm
i realy hope that we can get a solid draft this year.. maybee mix things up and trade some players and picks to move up in the first round, or stay put and take the best possible player at that point in time.. either way it is a solid draft class, and could provide some sleepers late in the second round. To be honest i hated the jj reddick pick when it was called, and i realy hope that we dont make the same mistake this year
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Thanks Magic92, I wouldnt mind that at all as long as Orlando got Lee in the second to replace the type of player JJ is. Arthur is a good shooter and athlete who will mix it up at times, thus making him an excellent compliment to Dwight.
Dean, I think they will stay put but Otis has been known to surprise before, so anything can happen. The 22nd pick is a great spot for Orlando to be at, and if they trade into the early second round (which they are expected to do) Orlando could find another quality player. This is a fairly deep draft in the early 20’s and early 30’s, so it works out well for Orlando if that is the case.
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Umm…The magic have one pick…and its the 22nd pick…do the research before you post a BS article.
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Nice breakdown, but are you implying that you fueled the Magic’s interest in Lee? If so, I need to inform you that they were very high on him prior to working him out at the draft camp. They are also very high on Joey Dorsey, who they might draft in the 2nd round. I would be very satisfied if we walked away with either Lee or Chalmers and Dorsey. They will all help on defense asap. I agree that CDR just doesn’t fit. With the shooters already in place, the priority in the backcourt is defense and ball handling.
June 23rd, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Thanks Danimal and no, I am not insisting that I spurred Orlando’s interest in Lee, I just ment that I mentioned him a while ago before other teams got in the hunt and before he was a legit first-rounder (possibly right after the top 13). I like Dorsey too… a lot. I think Rush and Dorsey would be ideal.
Dan, sorry about the typo at 26, not 22 (I am aware that it’s the 22nd pick, I had that under Rush, as I said, a typo). As for Orlando not having a 2nd rounder, maybe you should read a story before you make umm..statements…it makes you look like a mean-spirited jerk who is out to only critisize. I said Orlando will likely trade to the top of round 2, not that they had a 2nd rounder….thanks for the input though, just make time make it constructive perhaps.
June 24th, 2008 at 4:17 am
I’d pick Chris Douglas-Roberts if he is still available. However, the Cavs or Denver might grab him first.
If he is off the board, maybe go for Bill Walker. He’s strong, athletic and could basically be a human highlight reel. An athletic guard like him would be great next to the most athletic big man in the league.
June 24th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
[…] Orlando first-round preview - BaseballWith the NBA Draft looming on Thursday, the Orlando Magic are preparing to do something they haven’t done in the entire history of the franchise; make a solid selection with a pick in the 20’s. The talent pool seems pretty decent from picks 20-30 […]
June 24th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
You are forgiven Brendan!!! It was pretty obvious that the “26″ was a typo since you clearly and correctly stated 22 throughout. It looks as though Lee will be the choice. Rush will not be available at 22, and with the way Lee has impressed, he could off the board as well. If you that is the case and Orlando does not attempt to trade up, then the options are CDR, Chalmers, or Thompson. They could even trade down. You are 100% correct about the Magic trading for a 2nd rounder. That seems to be their utmost priority heading into the draft. If they are able to draft a guard in the 1st, the Magic will most likely take D.J. White or Joey Dorsey with an aquired 2nd round pick (probably at the expense of Bogans).
June 24th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Thank you for you forgiveness Danimal ;-)
Rush seems to climbing so he indeed might be out of reach. Lee is climbing too, but he should be avaliable for Orlando. im about to do something on second-rounders but yes, I think Dorsey or White would be great here.
Steve- I like CDR, but not in Orlando. We are a team that fires up three’s, and he wouldn’t necessarily fit in there. I wouldnt mind him, but CDR is for more of a fast-break type of team.
June 25th, 2008 at 12:27 am
Brendon, since you seem to be a Magic fan, how much do you think Stan will alter the style of play with 1) Battie returning 2) A possible rookie big 3) A healthy Cook (he will probably be our new Garrity) 4) An emerging Gortat? Oh, and throw in a rookie guard if you can. I mean, 52 wins and a 2nd round playoff appearence with what we had, and Stan’s ability to understand and utilize talent,…it could be pretty exciting. Is it enough to get by those pesky Pistons, the champion Celtics, or even an emerging Lebron? Your take is appreciated. Oh, and do we really miss the the thought of Billy Donovan? Okay, my bad, let’s not dwell on the past.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Well Danimal, I think it is hard to say how SVG will toggle between all those bigs and a new SG. I do have the utmost confidence that SVG will put Orlando in the best position to win. Battie will probably start or get significant time off the bench, Cook will be put in at times to generate offense but will not be relied on to play down low like he was this season. I agree, he is similar to what Garrity was before he hurt his groin and he will likely be in the same role. Gortat will have the chance to see some PT, it all depends on how much he improves this off-season. Then the likely SG Orlando will take will get a shot too, but it depends on who it is. If it is say Brandon Rush or Lee, they will more than likely see some time early on. If it is a Kevin Walker type or Derious Nichols, then they will need more time to develop.
What I liked most about last season was that SVG had Orlando get off to a hot start, then put the team in cruise control. During that time, he focused more on doing things his way (the right way) than winning, and I think you will see that pay dividens in the playoffs this year. I dont think we will see Orlando win a lot more than 52 wins (55 maybe) but they will be a very, very competitive team come time in the playoffs. Orlando will be better than the Cleveland LeBrons (unless they pull off a big trade), and the C’s and Pistons will be aging…with playoff experience, Orlando now needs to learn how to jsut close teams out and if they can do that, they will be able to beat the likes of Detroit, Cleveland and Boston.
Oh, and Billy D…no the only thing I miss about him was, well, nothing.
June 25th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Good stuff. I like CDR better than Rush myself, but you are spot on about both of them. Lee duplicates too much of what JJ can do, and I think that JJ is probably better than all of them to boot (not that Otis, SVG, or reality agree with me). So I say if no one drops, meaning the guys you mentioned plus Koufas ( I really like him), than CDR is the man, followed by Chalmers, Rush, Thompson and Dorsey (1st round may be to early for Dorsey, but I don’t think so. He is underrated because he has no offense). Bottom line is that drafting CDR would make me very happy. Oh, and a surprise pick of Batum would also intrigue me to no end.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Thanks E, and it is looking like CDR will surely be avaliable when Orlando selects, while Rush wont be around, his stock has just taken off.
I like Koufas too and he would be an excellent compliment to Dwight, but I doubt he is there too.
Thompson, Lee and CDr are all realistic shots in the first, but I dont think Otis likes CDR at all. Lee or Thompson is who it will come down to IMO
Leave a comment