| Ask Howard Authored by Howard Mass - June 21, 2005 - 2:55 am
Ask Howard
In this installment, I answer questions regarding a possible lockout, free agency, possible trades, Coach Hill, and the Draft.
doct3r dr3 asks: Do you expect a lockout?
Howard's response: We were all disappointed when rumors of a possible lockout surfaced and especially after many of us believed the two sides would not go down this route again.
I never saw any of the issues that were as big the hurdle that had to be overcome back in 1998.
It is good that progress has been made and even if there is a lockout, I seriously doubt it will last long.
For now, though, think about the NBA Draft, which is the greatest night of transactions of the year, and worry about a possible lockout afterwards.
(This response was written prior to reports of a new CBA leaking out)
Jason Willis asks: Oh mystical Howard, look into your magic ball (pun intended) and tell us who you see the Magic pursuing in free agency.
Howard's response: A lot is going to depend on what they do in the Draft. Either way, I expect them to grab a point guard to split minutes with Jameer Nelson.
Some possibilities include Gary Payton, Brevin Knight, Jeff McInnis, Marko Jaric, Earl Watson, Damon Stoudimire, Bobby Jackson, and Antonio Daniels.
All of these names would cost all of the MLE.
Not sure who the Magic would try to grab, but if it is assumed that Jameer Nelson will be the backup, one of the above might come for the starter's minutes.
If those options fall and even if one does not, I expect Darrell Armstrong to return to the Magic for one last hurrah.
Other options include shooting guard Kerry Kittles and swing forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
There are some others, as well, but a point guard is a must.
BN asks: What player(s), if any, will the Magic re-sign?
Howard's response: The Magic will have four free agents: Andrew Declercq, Brandon Hunter, Mark Jones, and Andre Barrett. I do not expect any of them to be re-signed.
I will miss DQ, but he loses out in a numbers game on the frontline.
Hunter, Jones, and Barrett will be competing for jobs in another team's training camp.
Stacey Augmon has a player option. It does not matter whether or not he opts out because the Magic will probably not bring him back.
MoDaMagicMan asks: Do you think they will make a trade before the start of next season, and if so, are Christie and Cato first on the list?
Howard's response: I guarantee that the Magic will pull the trigger on at least one deal this summer.
Both Kelvin Cato and Doug Christie are likely to be packing their bags sometime before the season, but the real question mark here is Steve Francis.
I have heard reports and some people have told me that he is on the move.
My gut is telling me that he will go, and I hope the Magic get some value for him, but I seriously doubt it will be equal.
What the Magic get for Christie and Cato's expiring deals along with a possible Francis deal will be the main components of the offseason.
MFO will have some trade scenarios in a future article.
LiteHedded asks: Will Steve Francis play point or shooting guard next season?
Howard's response: The real question with Steve Francis is whether or not he returns.
If Francis is not traded, I expect him to play shooting guard next season with Jameer Nelson starting at the point.
The only problem I see with this is on defense, and this is partly why ex-GM John Weisbrod made the Doug Christie deal.
With Christie on the floor and playing the point position, it would have taken away that height disadvantage at the shooting guard because Christie would have just guarded that player.
In the end, though, I expect Francis to be moved sometime this summer.
tisbee asks: My question would be "Who's in charge/"? It is close to 2 weeks before draft and Magic still have no announced GM. So who is making the final decisions?
This is a bad time to be w/out a GM. Phil Jackson's PR agent, Charley Rosen, pointed out in a recent FoxSports column that there is growing belief that there will be a summer lockout ending in September. This would leave very little time to sign free agents, so the assorted GMs are frantically making deals now, and contingency deals depending on the draft. If the Magic get shut out of this because they have nobody in charge it will be typical Magic stupidity. Especially since a number of teams w/draft picks don't particularly want them.
What kind of spin will Magic use if they only add a draft pick to the same team as ended last year in such an inglorious collapse?
Howard's response:
No need to panic.
Dave Twardik and Otis Smith are co-running the team and there will not be a lockout till September, so there no worries there.
Do not worry about the Magic only coming away with their $11 selection. There will be trades and those expiring deals of Christie and Cato will net something good.
The real question is what the Magic will get for Francis.
If the Magic do bad in the deals, there will be negative spin but for now, we only can sit back and see what happens.
INCUBUS* asks:Who do you expect the Magic to draft, will he be a starter for us right away...
Also, whether Brian will be successful bringing back the plays for the glory days.
Howard's response:
I expect that the Magic will go with a swing player or perhaps a power forward.
The bigs in this draft are very iffy to me and with the depth of swings in this draft, it is just safer to lay off the bigs.
I really doubt the draftee will start right away since the only rookie Hill ever played in his first stint was Anfernee Hardaway.
It would not surprise me if the rookie played 8-12 minutes a night, though.
I have more on the draft as you scroll down.
UKMagic asks: What are the ramifications for the Magic with the ridiculous firing of Clifford Ray in the long term and short term? Or will there even be any?
Howard's response: All of us were disappointed about Clifford Ray's firing. I knew that it was a possibility going in as head coach Brian Hill, like many head coaches, prefer to bring in their own staff.
Hill has said that himself and Dwight Howard have kept missing each other on the phone but plan to talk.
Hopefully Ray's replacement, Mark Bryant (who was a good defender in his playing days) will be able to replace him.
Still, if Dwight is unhappy down the road, the decision to dump Ray could be something that lingers in his mind when it comes time to open talks on a contact extension.
LBPTarHeel27 asks: What are the chances that the Magic either trade their 2 second rounders to move up, or trade their first rounder to move down?
Howard's response: My gut tells me they are at least going to make one deal some way or another.
MFO columnist Randy Morrison had a good argument this past week about moving down to get Andray Blatche. Something like this might be a possibility.
Right now, though, I expect them to stay at #11 and do something with at least one of the second rounders.
FFBlitzace asks: This may coincide with a previous question, but what will Brandon Hunter's fate be? He seemed to make some strides near the end of the season, and with Garrity being our only back 4, do you think we'll keep him?
Howard's response:
I seriously doubt that Hunter will be back.
Even though some fans are in love with him because of the games he had with Boston in 2003-2004 against the Magic, you have to be consistent in this league, and Hunter has not proven that.
Look for him to catch on with another team for training camp, but right now, he is on that bubble of staying and being out of the league.
HOWARD'S TAKES
Brian Hill
As many of you know, I had been very skeptical about coach Hill from the time his name was mentioned as a candidate.
I really think that he was brought in to get some of the fans from the glory days back, but I have since warmed up to the idea.
Still, when you look around the league a little harder, other than Eric Mussleman and Flip Saunders (who is allegedly waiting for the Detroit job to open up), who else was really available?
There were some good assistants, but none of them would have been as good for Central Florida as our old and now new head coach.
A few days after Hill's hiring, many began to warm up to the idea of him as head coach.
For those of you that are upset, what are you going to do? Be miserable for the whole year?
Teams make decisions and when they are made, you can always hold your ground with your disagreement of the choice, but you got to enjoy the game if you are a true fan.
So, for those that are happy, be happy. And for those who are not, you have the right to criticize and speak out, but try to enjoy next season.
The Draft
Every year, there is that one day which we all cannot wait for.
That day for most people is their birthday and/or Christmas.
For me, it is the NBA Draft and those four hours of adrenaline and excitement pumping through me.
Sure, I get nice presents from the family, but that gets old. The Draft never does.
This year it will be one of those exciting drafts as the Magic Front Office will be sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to see if their guy will slip to #11.
To me, this is the year of the busted mock draft.
So many predictions will be wrong as David Stern reads the names.
For the Magic, I say LAY OFF THE BIGS! There are too many good swings that could possibly be available like Antoine Wright and Martell Webster. I would prefer either of them over taking a chance on a big.
I will not make my prediction/who I want until the eve of the Draft when MFO contributors make their picks in a special article that I am putting together.
Look for it next week on MFO.
Contact
If anyone has any questions for me, just send me an E-Mail howard.mass@realgm.com and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
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