Magic Again Considered Among Elite Title Contenders
|
Feb 20, 2009
ORLANDO -- After a difficult defeat in New Orleans on Wednesday night, the Magic’s title hopes appeared to dim in the eyes of the national media.
It seemed as if any one with a microphone in front of their face was beginning to question whether or not Orlando was still among the East’s elite title contenders.
But after several phone conversations and a call that just made the NBA’s trading deadline, Magic General Manager Otis Smith had an answer for all of them; a resounding “yes.”
With just minutes to spare on Thursday afternoon, the Magic were able to deal Brian Cook, Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks and a first-round draft pick in a three-team trade to acquire point guard Rafer Alston.
The move sends a clear message that the Magic are not about to wait until next season just because All-Star Jameer Nelson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury – he underwent surgery on Thursday.
“We can’t expect our fans to say wait until next year,” Smith said to the media after the trade was officially announced. “You have to continue to improve your product to give yourself a chance to win a championship. I think that it is important for our fans to know that we’re not sitting back on our thumbs waiting for next year because we lost Jameer and we’re crying in our soup. We’re trying to get better. Rafer gives us the opportunity to get better and get back to competing for a title.”
The flashy 10-year veteran also known by the alias of Skip 2 My Lou was averaging 11.5 points and 5.4 assists per game with the Rockets and brings with him the reputation of a creative ball distributor and tenacious defender.
He also provides the solution to many of the problems that the Magic have had to deal with since the loss of Nelson.
“The fact that he does run the pick and roll, he can shoot the ball well, he passes the ball well, so it gives our offense a little more punch,” Smith pointed out.
While Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue are solid point guards, they are both much different players than Nelson.
The acquisition of Alston will allow Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy to operate many of the same offensive sets that he ran with Nelson, keep Orlando fluid in transition and bring the other stars back to their comfort zones with a familiar ball distribution pattern.
“We were unhappy with our point-guard play at the time and quite frankly, it wasn’t necessarily just our point-guard play, it kind of trickled down,” Smith said. “Actually, all of us kind of take a little bit of a hit so when you get somebody who can play the position and give you a little bit of a jolt that was important.”
Along with his offensive firepower, Alston also produces at high level on the defensive end. After getting burned by some of the smaller and faster point guards in the league over the past few games, his quick lateral movement will be a welcomed addition.
“We thought it was a good deal for us on both ends of the floor; on both the offensive end and the defensive end,” Smith explained.
He’ll also bring that high-level intensity that the Magic’s head coach covets and a few things that even Nelson could not do.
“Rafer is a fierce competitor,” Smith said. “He doesn’t allow guys to take days off both on the practice floor and in games. He is a creative passer. He’s a natural point guard, where as Jameer is not a natural point guard, he is more of a two that plays the point for you. Rafer is a creative passer and he’ll get the ball to your guys where they need to have the ball. He wants to win at a level that you want your guys to be at.”
As the Magic’s GM explained, the move is all about making sure the Magic have a great shot at bringing home a championship this season.
“It would have been very easy for us as an organization to kind of stay pat and let the season unfold but that’s not our objective,” Smith revealed. “Our objective is to win a title. In order to do that you sometimes have to make some moves that are going to give you a chance to win and doing this one actually gives us a chance to win.”
With Alston in the mix, if the Magic don’t bring home a championship it won’t be because of lack of effort both on the court and in the front office.
