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MagicMadness
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Orlando's Fans Win Big
Topic Started: Feb 24 2006, 04:23 PM (164 Views)
MAGICMANEVAN
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Click here to see other articles. Also an artile about steve francis and the knicks.
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ORLANDO'S FANS WIN BIG

Time will tell if Orlando got better from its trade with Detroit. But the Magic certainly became more interesting and entertaining, which is important for someone – me, for example – who lives within its central Florida TV market.

I’m glad Darko Milicic will finally get a chance to show what he’s got. My hunch, from the few glimpses of Darko in non-garbage time, is that if he develops and reaches his full potential, he’ll be a good player rather than a great one. But a good, young, seemingly skilled center/forward who can play outside and inside would make a nice sidekick for Dwight Howard.

One concern is that the current Magic coaching staff hasn’t distinguished itself in developing big guys (though I like the progress guards Jameer Nelson, DeShawn Stevenson and Keyon Dooling have made). The awesomely gifted Howard is stagnating. He’s had the good left hand since he entered the league, and he can rebound in his sleep. But if the refs aren’t letting him dislodge, as sometimes happens, his low-post game is so-so. Also, he hasn’t shown anything from mid-range, and his falling free-throw percentage is the result of obvious flaws that go undetected and uncorrected. Dwight and Darko need to do more than play. They need to develop.

Playmaker Carlos Arroyo has a chance to be the poor man’s Steve Nash. He’s one of the niftiest passers in the game, and if head coach Brian Hill can resist the urge to micromanage Arroyo and give him the freedom to make some mistakes (and hopefully learn from them), he just might be as effective as he is entertaining. He’s probably a weaker defender than below-average Nash. But the Suns do a nice job of covering up Nash’s shortcomings on defense while exploiting his marvelous gifts on offense. Mike D’Antoni doesn’t have a cow when Nash occasionally dribbles too much, and Hill should follow suit with Arroyo. Maybe every three games or so Hill could sit down with Arroyo and review the tapes, pointing out any glaring examples of ball-monopolizing. Arroyo lost his mojo in Utah because Jerry Sloan frequently yanked him out of games but apparently didn’t make much of an effort to explain exactly what he was doing wrong. It’s hard to play well when you become scared of making a mistake and getting yanked. Regular playing time and occasional constructive criticism could do wonders for Arroyo.

I don’t see Arroyo having a dramatic impact on the win-loss column, as the Magic are in rebuilding mode and will benefit from losing Steve Francis’s salary now and Grant Hill’s after next season. But anyone who remembers the show Arroyo put on in 2004 as the leader of the Puerto Rican Olympic team knows that, in the meantime, he can make his teammates and Magic fans – including a sizeable Spanish-speaking contingent in and around Orlando – very happy.


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Black and Blue
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Have You Hugged Your Van Gundy Today?
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Very interesting read primarily for the observation that our big men arent being properly developed. Im going to keep my eye on that situaton and see what happens.
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Solid Snake
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One thing is for sure, we put together an interesting team with a lot of potential. It is good to be a Magic fan at the moment. I do however question Brian Hill being able to teach young players but we will see.
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adamosthegreek
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We'll know how filled up The 'House will be tonight v. Seattle. :yes: I've been hearing how Hispanics have been buying up a lot of tickets and Arroyo jerseys. 8-)
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lazyberbs
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I am hoping that Dwight and Darko will develop a liking for each other, professionally, much as WallaceX2 in Detroit. They help each other and that can be very beneficial. Dwight is such a great rebounder and DMC could use some help there. Darko is a good free throw shooter and maybe can help Dwight there. Along with Dwight's instant liking what Carlos brings, I hope the same will develop with DMC.
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