| Magic Trade Better Player For Better Fits Authored by Howard Mass - November 21, 2007 - 3:36 am
Since the beginning of the season, Magic fans had been shaking their heads as to why new head coach Stan Van Gundy had not been playing forward Trevor Ariza. Now, we know why. He did not fit in with SVG’s style or the team’s plans.
On Tuesday, The Orlando Magic traded the budding and beloved forward to the Los Angeles Lakers for forward Brian Cook and guard Maurice Evans. They also did the inevitable and waived fan favorite Bo Outlaw who could get a job with the team in a non-playing capacity.
At first glance, The Lakers are clearly getting the better end of this deal. Trevor Ariza is going to be a nice reserve and defender to put next to Kobe Bryant. We all know what Ariza can do and how much he can help the Lakers but let’s look at this from the Magic’s end.
One think that I have noticed is unless a player is a near seven footer who can bang or score in the low post, you need to have a good jump shot that can extend out to three-point range to play for this team. This is why Pat Garrity had been playing and Ariza until late had been sitting.
While the Magic got the lesser end of this deal, they got two players who can fit in better and in this mold.
Brian Cook is a very good shooter for a big man on a decent short-term contract and can extend out to three point range. His mid-range game is a lot better though. His ability to extend the defense will help when he is on the floor and will make teams pay even more when they double down on Dwight Howard.
There are drawbacks though. Cook’s defense is not good except for the charges that he takes. He can be a liability defensive but then again, is mostly being brought in for his shot. Think of Cook as a shooting guard in a power forward’s body.
Maurice Evans, who is in the last year of his contract, was the other player acquired in the deal. Evans is a decent shooter who is athletic and hustles. He could be a good reserve guard for this team but his arrival also makes for a bit of a logjam at the swing position. With Evans’ arrival, J.J. Redick could be pushed further back on the Magic bench and Carlos Arroyo could join him there with Keyon Dooling getting the minutes behind Jameer Nelson at point guard.
It is interesting to note that the Magic used their $2.6 million Disabled Player Exception from the injured Tony Battie on Maurice Evans. The Magic could have dealt Trevor Ariza for Brian Cook straight up and the trade would have worked under NBA trade rules. This shows that General Manager Otis Smith and coach Van Gundy like him and/or felt he was the best swingman they could have gotten for the exception after they had filled their need for a backup big man.
In the end, this trade is a huge coup for the Los Angeles Lakers and a good fit for the Orlando Magic. I’ll admit it is hard to see another team and their fans jump for joy and think that your team got taken for what they wanted to dump while they get a prize in Trevor Ariza. Believe me, it was hard to see but this deal was about a better fit and the new additions will hopefully be what this team needs. Could the Magic have gotten more for Trevor Ariza? Probably. However, Ariza was not in the Magic’s plans and was likely to leave as a free agent anyway since he did not fit in to the Magic’s new offense. This trade might not have been the best but is what Otis Smith felt was best for the team. Whether or not it is a good fit or the second coming of the Cutino Mobley for Doug Christie trade will be told throughout this season on the floor.
Contact
If you have a comment or question about this article, feel free to drop me a line at howard@realgm.com
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